Imagine you could book a semi-organized day trip outside New York without getting in a car or bus. Well, you can, with Metro-North Getaways, which offer round-trip on the train and discount museum and event tickets. We’ve been big fans of the Metro-North option for some time, having done the Farm Fresh tours twice, Dia:Beacon, and an impromptu trip to Peekskill.
We’ve been watching Master of None on Netflix and it reminded us that we really needed to get back Upstate to visit Storm King. This giant sculpture garden set in the Hudson Valley is even more impressive than what you’ve seen on film. It’s expansive, majestic, pastoral, and it made one of the most beautiful sunny day escapes from NYC we’ve had to-date.
Metro-North to Beacon is 10 miles from Storm King across the Hudson. It takes around 1.5 hours. Normally it’s $33 round-trip off-peak and the Storm King ticket is $18. Through Getaways, it’s $40.50 for both (saving $10). If you leave on a Saturday or Sunday, you’ll be on a packed train with day hikers heading to Garrison, Breakneck Ridge, and the surrounding area, which are all in the vicinity of Beacon. It’s a cool vibe. Get there early to get a good seat or just head towards the front two cars of the train. If it’s your thing, you can drink coffee, beer, or eat on the train as well. Picnic!
Once you arrive at Beacon, check out the town (see my post for some ideas). You can check out the beautiful Dia:Beacon modern art museum which is in a former factory and also makes use of the light and shadow of the Hudson Valley to accentuate its artwork. Call a cab or use a ride-hailing app, which are newly legal in Upstate New York. Ours took 20 minutes to arrive and it was around a 25-minute, $25 ride. We had no problem finding a cab in both directions, as it’s a popular destination for day-trippers. It’s also not far from Stewart Airport, which just started offering cut-rate flights to Europe on Norwegian (see link).
