Well, it's that time of year again. No, I'm not talking about the holiday season. Tis' the season for end of year lists, and the Beacon Dispatch couldn't pass up the opportunity to weigh in on what we think are the best things happening in Beacon. It started last year, and we hope to make it an annual tradition. Our list may not be complete (Best Antique Store is an obvious omission.) But we did try and include as many things as we could that help make Beacon a great place to live. As always, let us know what you think in the 'Comments' section below this post, or send us an email.
Best Deli
Mr. V’s Deli
297 Main Street
845-838-0008
Hand’s down, biggest, best, least expensive deli sandwich you’ll find anywhere. Mr. V’s, which sits nearly hidden between Hudson Fish Market and the Inner Strength Karate studio, is a Beacon “secret” that’s well known to anyone who’s lived here for a while. It’s about time you discovered it for yourself.
Best Hardware Store
Nichol’s Hardware
396 Main Street
845-838-9741
It may be the only hardware store in town, but that doesn’t make Nichol’s the automatic winner in this category. What makes Nichol’s the real winner is great service, good prices, well stocked inventory and convenience. It’s pretty rare not to find exactly what you’re looking for at Nichol’s. (And who really wants to schlep over to Lowe’s or Home Depot anyway?)
Best Hike
The Hemlock Gorge
Trailhead begins at the end of Pocket Road. Follow White Markers.
It’s no coincidence that this hike has made an appearance in two of our first six issues. It’s easy, beautiful, quiet, and probably one of the most unique short hikes you’ll find within fifty miles of Beacon. This trail, which begins at the end of Pocket Road, follows Dry Brook to a gorgeous waterfall. Even in the dead of winter, the hike to the frozen falls is well worth the snowshoe trip in.
Best Quiet Spot
Mount Beacon Fire Tower
The pleasures of this site are earned as much as enjoyed, as you’ll have to hike around Beacon’s reservoir and risk a seemingly treacherous climb to the top. But the fire tower at the peak of Mount Beacon can be one of the most serenely beautiful places anywhere around. With unobstructed vistas of the Hudson Highlands, the tower is one the one place where you can enjoy the sound of the wind, the beauty of the outdoors, and the pleasant company of your won thoughts.
Best Pizza
Pizza and Stuff
341 Main Street
845-838-2222
For years, if you wanted the best pizza around, it required a trip south to Cold Spring. Not so any longer. Main Street’s Pizza and Stuff delivers some great ‘Za. (Check out their pepperoni and artichoke heart pie!) Hot and delicious, there’s not a better slice in town.
Best Breakfast
Pot-Luck
1472 Route 9D, Fishkill (200 yards south of Dutchess Stadium)
845-838-0011
If you eat one meal a day, it should be The Hobo from the Pot Luck. The delicious combination of egg, home fries, cheese, and bacon on a kaiser roll is a meal not to be toyed with. Open on weekdays only.
Best Take-Out
Augie’s Good to Go
157 Main St.
845-831-2082
Recently opened on the west side of Main St (across from Hudson Beach Glass), Augie’s offers some of the best “comfort food” in town: barbeque pork ribs with a serious amount of meat on the bone, scrumptious steak sandwiches, and a nice variety of tempting, home cooked desserts.
Best Fast Food
Beacon Lunch
193 Main St, Beacon
845-831-2979
If you’re in a hurry (or even if you’re not), Beacon Lunch is a welcome addition to Main Street, offering standard fast food like cheeseburgers and hotdogs (go ahead, get it “sloppy” with chili, cheese, and relish.). Sit at the counter and read the paper, or get it to go. Either way, you’ll be hooked.
Best Gas Station
Pine’s Service Station
133 Verplanck Ave
845-831-9225
One of the last independent service stations in Beacon, Pine’s offers more than just a full tank of gas. They also give you reliable advice on repairs, and take care of oil changes for less than their major chain competition.
Best Kid-Friendly Eatery
Yankee Clipper
397 Main St
845-440-0021
Maybe the best reason the Yankee Clipper is such a good place to take your kids, is that the waitresses have kids of their own. Always welcomed with a smile and a cup of crayons, kids take to the spacious booths, generous use of mirrors, and Main Street views like a second home (if that home were a funhouse.)
Best Main Street Storefront
Cold Spring Galleries
324 Main St.
845-831-6800
The variety of furniture, rugs, wall hangings, and miscellaneous collectibles available at the Cold Spring Gallery’s bi-weekly auction boggles the mind. It’s no wonder that the taxidermy rarely makes the sale. Instead the owners have created a stuffed menagerie of snakes, sharks, and squirrels that make their storefront a surreal pleasure.
Best Book Store
World’s End Books and Music
475 Main Street
845-831-1760
As any good bibliophile knows, there’s nothing better than a great used book store, especially if the service is great and the atmosphere is way cool. World’s End Books is just such a place. Whether you’re looking for live readings by local artists and poets, new books on local history and outdoor activities, inexpensive used books, or that missing first edition for your personal collection, World’s End your personal guarantee that you don’t have to look any further than Beacon for the best in books.
Best Cup o’ Joe
Chthonic Clash Coffeehouse
418 Main Street
845-831-0359
I admit it; I’m a coffee snob. My test for the perfect cup o’ Joe? Café Latte. For years I’d walk into every new coffee-serving shop in town, place my order, drink-up, and then return to my car supremely disappointed. That was until my first trip to the Chthonic Clash Coffeehouse. Perfect cup, perfect temperature, perfect flavor every time. The same goes for the Clash’s other coffees, teas, soups, muffins, and live music. All good to the last drop.
Best Mexican Food
Roma Nova
6 Eliza Street
831-5729
It may say something about Beacon that the best Mexican food can be found at a pizza place. Then again, maybe not, since this pizza place has been owned and operated by a Mexican family for years (they just had a relative move to town who knew how to cook good Mexican food for gringos.) Whatever the geography, the enchiladas verdes are darn good, and the prices are more than reasonable.
Best Park/Playground
Riverfront Park
Just south of the MTA train station, on the river
Open dawn to dusk
It’s been said before, but needs to be repeated. What was once the city dump is now one of the most scenic public parks in the Mid-Hudson Valley thanks to the efforts of Pete Seeger. Let’s re-name the park in honor of his work without delay.
Best Sit Down Restaurant
Brother’s Trattoria
465 Main St.
845-838-3300
We’re happy to say that there was more competition in this category than last year. But Brother’s restaurant gets the nod for its consistently excellent Italian food. Whether it be generous portions of lasagna with spicy Italian sausage, or the salmon trattoria – a combination of salmon, broccoli, sun dried tomatoes, and artichokes in a delicious garlic sauce – you can always rely on a full stomach and an empty plate.
Best Newspaper / Weblog
Beacon Dispatch
Published monthly.
http://beacondispatch.com
Well, duh.
Best Daycare
Rose Hill Manor Day School
1064 Wolcott Avenue
845-831-4847
More than just daycare, Rose Hill offers pre-K curriculum from teachers trained in Montessori Schools. Patience may not be unique to Rose Hill, but the amount of time and attention they give to kids who need it can be the difference between a well-adjusted child and a malcontent.
Best Art Gallery
LoRiver
530 Main Street
831-7660
The stellar shows at LoRiver Art Gallery this year are hard to categorize: from the Zen back-lit oil-on-paper delicacies of Chunsoo Park, to the outrageous phantasmorgoric goat world of Jessie Fisher, and the concrete poetry and found objects of Emily Orling. Owner, Kathleen Cooley always manages to push the boundaries of content and form in her presentations of cutting edge art. Hours: Thursday through Monday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Best Gift Store
Echo
484 Main Street
440-0047.
With a day-glo interior, odd shapes and bright colors jumping out at you from every corner, Echo is a dreamy place for children and for the child in you! Whether you are looking for a gift for a baby shower or a graduation party, this is the destination for funky and youthful presents!
Best Hair Dresser
Kenny Parrella
424-6007
Thought house calls were just for doctors? Think again! Get your next haircut on your front porch. Kenny will come to you and give you a home-made makeover worthy of the city without leaving the comfort of your own home. And coming soon to Beacon, a new hair salon on the East End by the Falls where you can go to Kenny if you to need a few hours of pampering.
Best Mechanic
Dr. K
15 Tioronda Avenue
838-0717
Even if you aren’t a car fanatic, a drive by this lot of waiting vehicles is worth the trip. A specialist in foreign motorcars, Dr. K as he calls himself, receives specialty imports from all over the tri-state area for his expertise. He also services the regular old Toyotas in a timely and fair fashion.
Best Unique Shop
Hudson Beach Glass
162 Main Street
440-0068
There is something about an exquisitely hand-crafted art object that is enough to bring tears to my eyes. Hudson Beach Glass is a cathedral of such objects. From charming and colorful Christmas tree balls to highly stylized decorative vases, the store is chock full of gift possibilities for the special occasion. Hours: Every day 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Best View of the Hudson River
Newburgh-Beacon Bridge
The wide-open vista to the south as you drive east across the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge is one of the more spectacular views in the world. With the mountains rising up in from of you, the curve of the Hudson River as it wends south (the River’s most strategic vantage point), the marshes of Dennings Point and, depending on the season, floating sailboats or ice sculptures, this is view alone is enough to make it worth living in the Hudson Valley.
Best Open Studio
Spire Studios
45 Beekman Street
A truly collaborative studio effort, the Spire Studios cooperative puts on a good show every few months. The artists in the building work in a wide variety of media and styles; all are generally around and accessible to talk about their work. A fab band generally plays late into the night after the wine and beer has sunk in and the art talk has subsided. Strap your dancing shoes on and come down for a fun night! Hours: vary, usually Second Saturdays.
Best Bar
Beacon Tavern
246 Main Street
838-9000
Dark, seedy, and rowdy---the Beacon Tavern has all those down-home bar traits. It's got your basics: beer, wine, liquor. Good place to go in a baseball cap and your dirtiest jeans for a night out with old friends to reminisce and laugh late into the night. Look for newly added food menu at the West End Grill. Hours: 7 days, 11 - whenever
Best Waitresses
Barbara and Prinny, Quinn's Luncheonette
330 Main St.
845-831-8065
They must have ESP. The coffee appears and is refilled as if my magic. A wisecrack when you need a joke, and a sympathetic ear when you're down. They know when it's going to be the usual, or when you should be ordering the special.
Best Wine Liquor Store
Beacon Wine Shoppe & Liquor
335 Main Street
845.831.1020
Don’t just look for the standard selection you’d expect to see anywhere. There are hidden and often very affordable treasures in the wine racks and the liquor shelves. Both deserve a serious perusal before hauling your purchases to the counter, where you will be ‘rung up’ by some really nice people.
Best Grocery
Totis Gourmet
490 Main St.
845-831-1821
Healthy, natural, sustainable, local, organic, affordable and delicious! Totis' commitment to supporting Hudson Valley local growers and producers (produce, dairy, cheese, meat, and baked goods) borders on obsessive. And the quality, variety and fine cooking beats any in New York. Groceries and prepared foods to eat in or take away.
Best Picnic Spot
The parking lot at Madame Brett Park.
From Main Street: Wolcott Ave. (9D) South to Tioronda Ave., Right. pass factory on right, look for railroad underpass on left with a sign that says: "One Lane Road" go under and parking is on the left.
After eating in your car, go sit on Constance De Jong's "Speaking of the River" sound equipped benches right at the edge of the parking lot facing the creek. Magically you'll hear voices. Its art. Getting fidgety? Head up the trail to the left. You'll see a non-talking bench facing steps down to the creek and the foot of the waterfall where there's a little beach that you can spread a blanket out on. You could eat there too.
I agree...Augie's Good To Go is the BEST of Beacon!
Posted by: J Daus | April 18, 2005 at 05:19 PM