Ice cream is pretty much always a good thing, and in the summertime, it's especially wonderful.

Like just about everything else in Easton, the choice in ice cream is diverse, but the good news is, even in tough economic times, this tasty treat and it's other icy cousins is still very affordable to everyone.

Easton's urban pedestrian environment makes the summer ritual of going to get ice cream even sweeter—walking for an ice cream after work or dinner is a nice way to unwind and see the neighborhood, not to mention burn off some of the calories you're about to consume.

Here are five in-town options we found for treating yourself to something cold when it's hot outside.

The Purple Cow Creamery
Best known and around the longest for good reason, The Purple Cow is the place to go for a selection of 48 different ice creams, sorbets, Italian ices and soft ice cream, along with some nifty options when it comes to cones and toppings. Definitely not the ordinary, though they do have vanilla and chocolate, of course. Shakes, malts and floats too. Only the very brave get them to ring the bell.

Hours change seasonally. Cash only.

15 South Bank St., Easton. 610-252-5544 or www.thepurplecowcreamery.com

Summer hours:
Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m.

Faouzi's Talk of the Town Ice Cream & More
They boast more than 60 flavors of soft serve ice cream, 10 flavors of homemade ice cream, milkshakes, make their own Italian ices daily and serve a menu of grilled fare, along with some Mediterranean specialties. Don't overlook this West Ward gem!

1019 Northampton St., Easton. (You can't miss it—it's very pink!) 610-559-1560 or www.totticecream.com or on Facebook.

Open year-round, practically all the time, it seems.

Cups and Cones
Homemade frozen custard, churn-ins, shakes, floats, malts, smoothies and more, on College Hill. Open year 'round for connoisseurs, and also offering light snacks and sandwiches.

434 Cattell St., Easton. 610-923-7258 or on Facebook.

Monday through Saturday, noon to 9 p.m.
Sunday, 1 to 9 p.m.

“The ice cream man”
In Easton, there's more than one. The kid in us says that's a neat thing—we're pretty sure the kids in Easton say the same thing.

It may not be gourmet, but there's just something pretty great about having cold treats brought to you for only a buck or two when it's hot out.

These guys work all the time, just listen for the jingle, flag them down and treat the kids, or just the kid in you.

(By the way, the tune you probably associate most with the ice cream truck, at least Downtown, is the “Turkey and the Straw,” originally an 18^th century dance tune—a fitting summer serenade for a city with a colonial heritage, we think.)

The corner store
This is the option no one can't afford, and since corner stores are everywhere in town, pretty much, there's ice cream for everyone.

The corner store may also offer some other interesting frozen options you won't find elsewhere, depending on the ethnic flavor of the neighborhood. Tamarind and coconut ices are just one example.

Again, this may not be a gourmet option (though consider buying a pint for a buck and change and adding a banana and add maybe a cookie or some sprinkles, and you can do an impromptu banana split sundae party for two for about as many dollars), but some days a cold treat you can have in exchange for the coins in your couch cushions can just make your day.