Back in Beacon on a Weekend

  |  June 16, 2014
long dock park

Long Dock Park kayak pavilion

A Father’s Day-related sense of adventure took us to Beacon on Sunday. We headed there mostly for the Beacon Flea Market, which takes place every weekend through November, but we also went on a bit of a wander around town. It was hopping, thanks almost certainly in part to the Strawberry Festival taking place down on the waterfront. We had hoped to indulge in some strawberry goodness, but the parking and traffic situation was just crazy enough to make us turn around and head back across the other side of the river toward home. But we walked a good portion of Main Street, occasionally popping our heads into shops like Dream in Plastic and play (where we found a fabulous pair of sunglasses, by the way). For a moment, we paused in front of the Towne Crier Cafe and listened to the sounds of live classical guitar waft out of an open door. We then paid a visit to the library before making our way to the flea market, which is located behind the post office at the corners of South Chestnut and Henry. While we found all manner of dishes, tools, toys, clothes, furniture, and assorted doo-dads and dust collecting figurines, we didn’t find that elusive item (or items) that makes a trip to a flea market such a gratifying gamble. But we also know that flea markets occasionally require repeated trips before you find that great thing you didn’t even know you needed.

Nonetheless, we enjoyed our penny tour of the Dutchess County riverfront city. It seems that just when you’ve seen everything that Main Street could have, it continues, unveiling treasures along the way. But if you stick to Main Street alone, you’ll miss a good portion of Beacon’s story. There are neighborhoods that lie beyond Beacon’s touristy areas, and like any other city, some of shined up while others are more rough. All of them, however, offer clues to the city’s past (think stunning architecture in the form of 19th century storefronts and Victorian residences) and its future as a cultural hotspot north of NYC (think the Dia:Beacon, the Beacon Theater, tons of galleries, restaurants, and specialty boutiques).

So this week, we’ll be returning to Beacon, which recently got a nod from the New York Times in this article. We haven’t looked at the housing stock in a while, because the last time we didn’t, inventory was light and what inventory there was didn’t tickle our fancy. We knew, though, if we waited long enough, Beacon would come around again. Indeed, it has, not just housing-wise. If the packed parking and backed-up traffic situation during Sunday’s strawberry festival was indication, Beacon isn’t suffering from any lack of recognition.

Beacon is located in Dutchess County just on the other side of the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge from Newburgh. It’s approximately 30 minutes south of Poughkeepsie and 1 hour, 15 minutes from NYC.

About Kandy Harris

Kandy is a writer and musician/music teacher living in Saugerties, NY.

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