Get the f* outta here! No really, please go away.
Tea Party Brewing In Brooklyn from Brooklyn Ink on Vimeo
Pet Vacation Homes contacted me to advertise at a good time…just when I was thinking about my own summer weekends. Now that I’m a city dweller again, I’ll be desperate to get away in 3, 2, 1…..
It’s not the easiest thing in the world for us to find a hotel or vacation rental that will allow our kids, 2 large, loud pit mixes. It’s a bit of a chore. So websites such as these are a godsend.
Confession: I’ve never been to Cape Cod. I can deal with this beach cottage though.
Never been to Acadia National Park in Maine either, but this house looks cute.
Now, I sooo want to go away!
It’s been a long time since I wrote one of these location posts, simply because I ran out of places to review. My original Beacon post was in 2007, so it’s time to update since I’m working on a web page for my house.
Obvious disclosure here: I have to remain positive about Beacon since I want to sell my house! But I’ll be truthful. I promise.
In fact, let’s start with the negatives. Why are we leaving after six years? I’m not sure this has anything to do with Beacon itself as much as the fact that we’re just crotchety old city folk and small town living really isn’t for us. Most people we’ve met in Beacon love it there! They are really happy, whereas we never felt 100% at home.
The following factors could be positives depending on what you want out of life, but we just found it depressing. It’s too quiet. You can walk down Main Street and not run into another person for a couple of blocks. On the other hand, you can encounter the same 5 people wherever you go. See what I mean? If it’s a quiet lifestyle you want, then Beacon is your place!
Wanna hear crickets and see stars at night? Go for it! I need the horns, sirens and rumbling subway to sleep at night.
Obviously, there are people and places I’ll miss. My dinner preparation has always consisted of going through menus and making a phone call. No such beast in Beacon. Ok, maybe 1 or 2 restaurants deliver. Beacon Natural has been my own personal chef. The deli counter has a great variety of daily specials made from local, organic produce. The chef is a Millenium alumni and the food is not that pricey. The menu is emailed to me daily and I even get a phone call if they think they’ll run out of my favorite dishes. Owner Kitty has been my health consultant for years since I’m scared of doctors and her husband LT has even helped us work on our house.
I’ll also miss the local wine shop, Artisan Wine. Ok, so food and drink mean more to me than anything else. Is there a problem with that? Tim and Mae are city transplants who moved upstate to open said shop. It’s really laid back and lacks the snobbery of some of the city places. There are tastings every Friday and Saturday for bottles less than $15.
Beacon is an awesome location for people who are attracted to the great outdoors. It’s right on The Hudson. There are riverside trails and kayak and sailing docks. Even a river pool. The town is also home to some fabulous mountains. Being sandwiched between the mountain and the river…can’t find a flaw with that! Mountain Tops offers some great hiking and kayaking trips.
And now I’m bored of writing. It’s time for some lists!
PROS
1. The River. The Mountain. See above.
2. Small town living. Again, not for some people (like me). But most people find this charming and quaint. Yes, the town is charming and quaint. As charming and quaint as any small town can get. Plus, it’s got the hipness factor going for it.
3. Beacon is still moving forward. In the past 6 months, since we’ve made the decision to leave, a few new interesting places have popped up on Main Street. There’s a raw cafe and The School of Jellyfish, which…well, I really don’t know what it is, but they have good hot chocolate and vegan food.
4. Metro North. Makes Beacon commutable and leave-able when you need to get away.
5. DIA. Without DIA, none of you would know where Beacon is. Admit it. That’s all I get. Me: “I live in Beacon.” Everyone else: “Oh, I know where that is! I’ve been to DIA.”
6. The Art Scene. If you’re into “the scene”, it’s a pretty cool place to get your name out there and hang with like-minded artists.
7. Good for farmy, foodie types. There are plenty of farm shares and farmer’s markets around for those who like to cook. Although Beacon is known as a haven for artists, the nutritionists and greenie people are abundant.
CONS
1. Restaurants. As in, lack of. As in, the few that there are ain’t much to write home about.
2. Main Street shop owners are screwy! I wish they would take their businesses seriously and open up decent hours, 7 days per week. The hardware store closes at 3pm on Saturday and isn’t open on Sunday. Paint store: closed on Sunday. Hello, Home Depot and big box stores! Thankfully, they are less than 10 minutes away.
3. Sidewalks. It’s the weirdest thing. On some side streets, the sidewalk just ends. It reminds me that people don’t walk much here. Forget bike lanes.
4. Art scene. Ok, did you get from my “pros” that I’m not exactly thrilled with the art scene? As much as I love the artists that the galleries show, they need to mix it up a bit. Seeing the work of the same 5 artists at every show is a bit like masturbation.
5. Mellow energy. Again, many might see this as a positive. Do your yoga, have a stress free day. These days for me, I only feel alive when I’m arguing with cabbies.
LINKS
City of Beacon website
Wanna know what the citizens think?
Rent or own in Beacon? Use this Beacon realtor!
Got to add a few more rooms to the “finished” list over the weekend. We still have plenty of work to do, but as far as we’re concerned, the house will be ready to go on the market by next weekend! Hopefully, we’ll have something that resembles a kitchen by then.
Today is the day my pets officially become Brooklynites again. Five cats are returning to their home boro. One cat is from upstate. The dogs hail from The Bronx and Queens. And I’m going to be home sooner than I had thought!Our tenant whose apartment we’re taking over has just informed us that he’ll be gone by May 1st! That means we won’t have to squeeze into our tiny garden apartment for a couple of months. It also means we gotta HURRY!
The rest of this week, we’ll be in Bed Stuy getting ready to move in. Pets today. Cable guy and new pet sitter on Friday. Eh, dentist on Thursday.
May not be blogging unless I get to an internet cafe. Sooo, see ya when I see ya!
Swee10 is a new “online marketplace where homeowners design, share and post their home remodeling projects and contractors bid on them.”
Much like this blogger, the founder, Jean was inspired after the renovation of her Bed Stuy home. And much like this blogger, she is still not finished with said home.
Swee10 has got it going on though! The company has a team of architects and designers (including Jean) overseeing the now-in-beta website.
Members can browse projects and post their own and receive bids from interested contractors. There is a section to view bids and best of all…complaints! Keeps these guys honest, know what I mean?
Anyway, check it out. Even if you don’t have a project going on, worth the visit to check out that adorable logo!
Four months ago we embarked on a major renovation to get our Beacon house on the market by Spring. April 30th is the target date. We went over room by room, taking up some floors and taking down some walls. Nobody thought we would be ready in time, including (especially) the broker.
“That’s a tall order!” “April?! Good luck!” “That’s impossible.”
Ha! They don’t know who they’re dealing with. We are rocking this house and kicking it’s gorgeous ass into shape! So much so, that we have to get out of here quick because it’s so museum-like that’s it’s no longer habitable by slobs like us.
Behold the three downstairs rooms that are totally finished. Yeah, I know you’ve seen them, but I changed stuff around and took new pictures. All but one of the upstairs rooms will be finished today. It’s just a matter of me cleaning them up enough to take pictures.
Yes, we moved the dining area to the room just off the kitchen. Makes more sense than the way we had it.
Go ahead, tell us how great we are. Pat us on the back.
Oh, and PS: Dimas the contractor? Ever since he and his assistant John read my blog post about how slow as shit he is….they picked up the pace!!
Damn, I was looking for the “I laughed. I cried. It was better than Cats!” commercial, but I forgot what show that was. This will do for now.
We’re seeing a light at the end of the tunnel with this porch rebuild. Look!
Above is the porch prior to demo. We were going to put balusters instead of shingles, but we’re sticking with the original design.
It was taken down to the foundation. We had plywood flooring for 2 years.
Look! Rotted columns repaired! It was being held up by 2×6′s for the longest time.
Look! Interior framing done and columns back up!
Look! Gorgeous floor and wainscoting!
Now that we’re getting down to the wire on the renovation, I’ve been too tired, busy and stressed to blog effectively. I may have to throw in some cheater posts (like this one). Reclaimed Post, if you will.
Not Your Average Stencils.
Coolest Furniture Ever.
Barbi’s Dream House.
Upcycled Furniture.
Lighting Countertops.
Join the mailing list for updates!
Your tolerance is absolutely astonishing!
Comment by troy — May 3, 2010 @ 7:04 pm