I’ve lived in Beacon since 2019, right on Main Street. I moved here as a single person from the city and I’m leaving this summer as a married man.
I met my husband, Jonny, on an app. He’s British and lives in London, and 10 days after meeting he flew to Beacon. Nearly three years later, we’re married and leaving, for now, our beloved town to move to London. But we plan to return in a few years, with Frenchie and Sphynx in tow.
When I came to Beacon, I was in a pretty dark place. What got me out of my apartment each day was the community at the Bank Square Coffeehouse, and each week I looked forward to the new issue of The Current, which is where I met the Mayor (the chicken) for the first time, tried the recipes and read the news of this place where I had just landed.
Fast forward five years and I’m doing the same thing. Now when I read the news, I see familiar friends and faces — even through the annoyance of that one guy who brings his barking dog to coffee each morning and drags the metal chairs around. I have my ritual of an oat latte and The Current as an anchor; it’s been a godsend. In fact, I’m writing from Bank Square right now, with the paper open to the crossword; I always say I won’t Google for the answers.
This city saved my life — much like a beacon of light guiding me to community, open air, a pace right for me and the mountain outside my window. This is the first place that ever felt like home for me as an adult, for the little kid inside.
Daniel Rowan-Lyons, Beacon
