It’s hard to imagine a more archetypical New England town than Litchfield, CT. Tucked into the northwestern edge of Connecticut, it’s the kind of small town that would inspire a George Durrie landscape or a comfort-television drama, with a village green that’s brimming with cafes and shops and streets lined with stately Colonial homes and institutional landmarks (America’s first law school, for instance). But tucked behind its pastoral charm and old-world graces, too, are signs of a more modern underpinning: dozens of striking mid-century modern buildings, designed by some of the era's most prominent architects, including Bauhaus architect Marcel Breuer.
Litchfield is one of our Best Places to Go in the US, part of our global guide to the Best Places to Go in 2025—find more travel inspiration here.
Through the 1960s and '70s, modernist pioneer Marcel Breuer designed homes for some of Litchfield's most affluent folks; Gagarin II, completed in 1974, was the last home he ever built.
Set on a quiet street just south of the Litchfield Green, amid old-growth oak and maple, Gagarin II almost hides in plain sight. The house is owned by Kyra and Robertson Hartnett, who own a wallpaper design company called Twenty2. When they relocated from New York in 2007, the couple knew little of Litchfield’s modernist history, let alone imagined they’d eventually own Breuer’s very last home, completed in 1974. “For 10 years we would pass it when we dropped our kids off at school," Kyra says. “When we eventually visited the house and saw the incredible expanse of glass and soaring ceilings and butterfly roof, we were dumbfounded.” From the back of the house, through an incredible expanse of wild grass, apple trees, and woodland beyond, you see glimpses of another Breuer home: Gagarin I, which is 20 years older, and much larger. “That’s where the wild parties happened,” says Kyra.
Breuer’s early commissions, like Gagarin I, were catalysts for more Modernist design to follow: Architects including Eliot Noyes, Richard Neutra, and John Johansen worked their magic on homes, schools, and libraries. “What makes Litchfield's Modernist history different from other towns that saw similar periods of artistic engagement was that it was a whole zeitgeist: avant-garde folks who created a climate of boundary-pushing,” says Kyra. Iconoclastic art flourished as well, under the patronage of the town’s affluent. Artist Richard Calder lived in nearby Roxbury where he created pivotal work—and also threw legendary ragers.
These days, Litchfield isn’t where you’d head for all-night artist blowouts, but there is something of a return to—or perhaps a continuation of—the creative energy that abounded during that period.
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Despite offering some of the best travel gear, beauty products, and fashion out there, Black-owned businesses still don't receive the same funding or promotional opportunities as bigger names on the market. To help ensure these local businesses grow and that its products are available to more travelers across the globe, we're rounding up dozens of Black-owned brands that deserve a spotlight. You'll find some well-known names on our list, such as Telfar and Fenty Beauty, but we're also highlighting some brands you might not be familiar with, like Cincha and Melyon. From long-lasting luggage and comfortable shoes to premium skincare, load up your shopping carts with travel products from these 35 Black-owned brands we love.
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Losing your luggage to the mysterious labyrinth of an airport baggage system is every flier's worst nightmare—especially when nobody at the airline can tell you where in the world it ended up. That's why many travelers have decided to take things into their own hands in recent years by attaching tracking devices like Apple AirTags to their checked luggage.
If Miami and Palm Beach had a love child, it would be Fort Lauderdale. Quickly shedding its image as just a spring break destination, the city is redefining itself as a place that lacks the formality of its neighbor to the north (Palm Beach), but has all the trappings of the vibrant metropolis to the south (Miami). And while Fort Lauderdale is quickly catching up on the five-star luxury-resort front, the real-estate (and therefore hotel) prices have not yet approached the levels of Palm Beach's on Worth Avenue. Fort Lauderdale lacks pomp and doesn’t take itself too seriously: It’s a place that still feels accessible thanks to an abundance of public beaches, a lack of gated communities, and a culinary scene that won’t break the bank.
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January was a difficult month for many people across the United States. The country experienced extreme weather, a devastating bout of fires and, most recently, the largest tragedy in U.S. aviation since 2001.