day trip
Rhinebeck to the Future—chilling amid a village’s retro indie charm By Andrew Blechman
From left: Iron Maiden pinball at Megabrain Comics and Arcade, outdoor dining at Beekman Arms.
T
here was no clear escape plan.
No idea when or how we’d extricate ourselves. The blinking lights, pulsating sounds, and poorly rendered graphics were simply too much to resist. The finality of “Game Over” warnings meant nothing to us. We had quarters. A lot of them. Lined up on the dash. Other players, the little redhead kid included, knew this was our machine. They gave us space. We made our rounds, slamming flippers and palming joysticks—outsmarting Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde amidst tasty pellets; swinging from vines to save Donkey Kong from Mario; and making as many bells light up as possible on the Iron Maiden pinball machine.
“People should come here,” my teen daughter Lillie says, eyeing our last quarters. “This place is awesome. I’d tell people to come here.”
Despite its popularity, the village of Rhinebeck is not actually known for its back-of-store arcade at Megabrain, Rhinebeck’s Black-owned comic book boutique that draws on a dedicated clientele. Rather, it’s typically associated with several hundred years of American history, spanning the Dutch settlement of the Hudson Valley through the Revolutionary War, to FDR’s fondness for the town and beyond. Today, Rhinebeck is a favorite of transplanted New Yorkers and visitors alike, who revel in its quaint-to-groovy indie stores, restaurants, and cultural offerings—and in the area’s natural beauty. The stately Beekman Arms, the nation’s oldest continuallyrun inn, pretty much sums up Rhinebeck’s historical relevance as a crossroads of American history. George Washington did indeed sleep there, as did Benedict Arnold and Alexander Hamilton (Aaron Burr—boo hiss!—mainly patronized a neighboring establishment that eventually burned down). It was here that Benjamin Harrison (not to be confused with his grandfather William Henry Harrison) and his running mate, Rhinebeck local Levi Morton, learned that they were nominated by the OutAndAboutBerkshireEdge.com
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