I had a feeling that my last full weekend of Summer of 2024 in New England (September 1st is the beginning of Fall for me, and no one can convince me otherwise!) before I head out to the West Coast in a few days would be met by ominous clouds and the occasional downpour. It’s become somewhat of a tradition and inside joke for those of us here who are clinging to these final few days/weeks of Summer with all of our strength: our weekdays are gorgeous while most of us are working and unable to truly savor it, and then our weekends, and many of our plans, get rained out!
I didn’t let a little rain or thunder stop me from making an impromptu road trip to Chester, Connecticut, however. Having driven by the quaint little town a number of times, usually while on my way to/from another destination nearby – I’d always wanted to stop and explore because it’s Main Street area looked like something right out of a postcard. This past weekend, after completing some errands in preparation of my upcoming trip, I made the journey with no real plan in mind other than to check out some shops, maybe get some food, and snap a few photos.
On my way, I stopped at the adorable Flour Girl Café & Bakery in Hebron, Connecticut – where I grabbed some fantastic looking muffins for my mom and an iced banana split latte for myself (complete with a cherry on top!) The café is currently building a brand new residence right next door to their current one, and from the looks of it so far – it’s shaping up to be great!
From there, I made it to Chester and was able to find easy parking along Main Street before I got out and started walking, and I didn’t have to go far to come across a row of beautiful and brightly colored shops and eateries, like The Little Shop, Honeycone Ice Cream, Little House Brewing, Otto Pizza and Blackkat Leather. I did plenty of window shopping and browsed all the racks and shelves I could!
I think one of my favorite stores was The Wayfinder Society, which houses a variety of one-of-a-kind antiques and very cool and unique art, jewelry, décor and gifts. I grabbed a spooky present for my mom since she’s going to start decorating for Autumn very soon, and had a great time talking about the area and travels with the staff.
Afterwards, I stopped for a French Dip sandwich and truffle fries across the street at Pattaconk 1850 Bar & Grille before going for a stroll by the Museum at The Mill, although I had to make a mental note to visit that at a later time since they were closing at 4 and my lunch had run a little later than expected!
It was seriously such a great day, and a great send off to what has been a beautiful Summer here in New England. I’d love to go back in the Fall because the foliage should be beautiful in and around that area!
A little later on this week (and into next week!), before I hop on my flight to California, I’ve got one more Summertime cookout recipe to share, a look at my seasonal swimsuit, and a breakdown of what the next couple of weeks are shaping up to be for myself and for my planned posts here at ‘Coffee & Chiffon‘!
’til then!
xo
Coffee & Chiffon 