A visit to Beacon, NY

A few weekends ago I spent some time in Beacon, NY. I went to school in Poughkeepsie, so I'm familiar with the vibes of the Hudson Valley. I think people try to fetishize the North, and it's really lovely to take in. But let's remember that these towns are people's homes + not really some weird place for your Instagram. But yeah...the Hudson Valley is pretty photogenic.

I think the best way to tackle a long weekend in the Hudson Valley is to visit a few towns. Each town is fairly small, with something different to offer. Supporting local, small business is in the DNA of the Hudson Valley.

During our trip we stayed in a B+B in Beacon, but traveled to Cold Springs + New Paltz as well. 

And there's tons of historical + cultural stops along the way too. I wanted to go to Beacon because even though I went to school so close by, I never went to Dia:Beacon.

Dia:Beacon is a contemporary art museum which is actually in walking distance from the main train station in Beacon. The museum is huge, with tons of permanent exhibitions from artists like Agnes Martin + Richard Serra. I couldn't recommend it more.

And the food is really good. Tons of coffee shops, cafes, endless spots for brunch. The surrounding areas of Hyde Park, NY are spoiled by the number of CIA grads who have opened restaurants nearby.

A few highlights we hit: comfort food at Kitchen Sink, damn good whoopie pies at Ella's Bellas, scones + quiche at Homespun Foods, and Italian at A Tavola. 

But finally the weekend will come + go, but hopefully you find a few things that'll be reminders of your travels. I found a few glasses at Hudson Beach Glass, a wooden spoon + finally got my hands on Jacobson salt at Utensil + fell in love with Cold Spring General Store where I picked up the jam.

All in all, it's a good idea to get out of your element + check out the surrounding towns to you. You'll never know what you might find!