A Happy Accident in Litchfield, Connecticut
A wrong turn gone right.
The Road Less Traveled
I trust Apple Maps with my life and that is my mistake. My natural sense of direction is absolutely hopeless which means that even a short, familiar car ride requires app navigation. I remember when I turned 16 and drove to my high school for the first time.
“What’s the address?”, I asked my mom as I walked out the door, Vera Bradley key chain in hand.
“The address?”, my mom asked, shocked. “Like the address to the high school you go to every day?”.
Yep, I wanted the address to where I had arrived via school bus for over two years. The bus had successfully dropped me off day after day and I had used the drive to complete whatever reading was required by 7:25 am for English class. I was paying zero attention to the route and only knew my way after driving the distance myself many times.
So when I ended up way off route on a long drive a year ago, I wasn’t too surprised. When I plugged in my Hoboken address to Apple Maps to drive back from a quick getaway upstate NY, I trusted that the app was directing me back to my apartment. A quick double-check of the destination would have revealed an entirely different endpoint but alas, I did not double-check. I started my journey back to my address—except this was my address in an entirely different state.
I know what you’re thinking. Olivia! You’re an idiot! And honestly, yes, I am. However, in this situation, I was an idiot with a good attitude. I drove through pastures of horses,and barebone trees with sunlit branches, and even considered stopping at a farm stand. I listened to Noah Kahan’s entire discography and questioned why I hadn’t driven this beautiful route upstate initially. I was thoroughly enjoying my drive until I realized I was only 10 minutes away from “home” and the New York City skyline was nowhere in sight.
I pulled the car over in a parking lot. The curb was frozen with old snow. There was no snow in Hoboken! I zoomed out on my beloved Apple Map to realize that after driving for over two hours, I was nowhere near home—I was in Litchfield, Connecticut.
I frantically texted my agent to tell her I would not be attending any of that evening’s fashion week events I had RSVP’d “yes” to. I called my boyfriend to tell him that I would not be arriving home anytime soon (he laughed and laughed). And as any content creator would, I posted a TikTok lamenting about my misdirection.
After clearing my schedule, I stopped into an adorable sandwich shop for a grilled artichoke panini (it was divine) and realized just how cute of a town Litchfield was.
“Maybe I’ll come here on purpose one day!”, I thought to myself as I prepared for the 2.5-hour drive to my actual address.
Well, one day finally came when I was invited to spend the night at the Abner Hotel in no other town than Litchfield, Connecticut. It was meant to be.
The Hotel
The Abner Hotel opened in 2024 and is located in Litchfield’s old courthouse. It’s everything I would want a boutique hotel to be. It’s centrally located (and only a few doors down from the grilled artichoke panini shop), it’s decorated with cool art and mid-century modern furniture, and it has a beautiful on-property restaurant. Breakfast is included and if you stay in room 211, you may be visited by the rumored ghost that haunts the old file vault.
The Room
Before arrival, I had thoroughly stalked the hotel’s Instagram account and was already sold by the in-room fireplace and happy yellow walls. The room was aesthetically pleasing and incredibly spacious. I was greeted with a welcome note and a bottle of rosé. If the room rates for an upstate NY getaway are out of budget (because they are ridiculous!), a weekend away at The Abner is an excellent alternative.
The Restaurant
I had dinner at The Courtroom, the hotel’s restaurant. As the name suggests, it was formerly the building’s courtroom and has beautiful historical detail. The menu features seasonal cocktails (delish!), modern tavern-style dishes, and a full dessert menu—everything is also made with local ingredients.
The Shopping
Litchfield is a low-key but fabulous shopping destination. There is a great selection of vintage jewelry, country-style concept stores, preppy cashmere sweaters, and antique furniture. The surrounding towns are just as cute, so leave extra time to drive 10 minutes over to New Preston. Note: most stores are closed all day on Monday.
If there’s a singular store to hit, it’s HTC Home. The shop has an amazing selection of antiques, art, and fine jewelry.
As a newer East Coast resident (if you consider 7 years new!), I’m still slowly exploring weekend travel destinations. My goal this year is to do more local travel and I’ll be sure to update you all on the journey here.