This past weekend in NYC was an early taste of summer, with mercury rising into the 80’s. Although there are many pleasures to be enjoyed on a sunny city day we decided to take full advantage of the weekend and visit some Northern neighbors.

Beacon, New York has received a dose of creativity over the past few years, most notably with the opening of Dia Beacon. Just this once we decided to bypass high brow art for the weekend, and focus on the pleasures of the quiet life. Here are a few local establishments to put on your list:

Zora Dora’s: An infinite selection of gourmet popsicles and micro batch ice creams. The coconut lime popsicle was perfectly refreshing and sweet.

Poppy’s Burgers: Great for lunch. Their burgers are made with organic ingredients and just the right size. Also try the house-made sweet potato chips.

Open Space Gallery: They focus on contemporary art influenced by street culture and graphic design, and were responsible for bringing the Beautiful Losers documentary to Beacon.

Next we drove up to Kingston, New York to visit Fleischer’s, a butcher shop specializing in organic grass fed meats to stock up for a backyard barbecue. The butchers take pride in their products and don’t mind dropping some BBQ knowledge. We walked away with five kinds of sausage, pork medallions, and sirloin steak. Everything cooked up perfectly and was enjoyed as it should be-around a backyard table with friends on a summery-evening.

No weekend would be complete without a little natural beauty. We took a scenic hike around Lake Minnewaska, surrounded by limestone cliffs and trails overlooking tree filled valleys. We packed a picnic lunch from a local sandwich shop and found a shady spot on to dine on Gertrude’s Nose (a limestone cliff that protrudes out over the valley).