ByElizabeth Hours Updated
Comments 201 Comments

Splurge Monday’s Workwear Report: Peaked-Lapel One-Button Blazer

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A woman wearing a yellow suit and black turtleneck

Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.

There’s a fine line between “too much” and “just enough,” and I can’t decide on which side of that line this McQueen blazer falls. Highlighter-yellow can be tricky to wear, but if you’d like to pull it off in a professional setting, I would recommend pairing this with a white blouse and pale gray trouser to allow the blazer to steal the show.

If you really want to lean into color, it would also look gorgeous with a grass green or maybe even the right shade of blue.

The blazer is $2,590 at Nordstrom and comes in sizes 0-10.

A more affordable option is from Milly (lucky sizes at Nordstrom and Milly, both $425). For plus sizes, try this Jessica London blazer ($79.99, 12W-28W) or this DKNY style at Macy's (14W-24W, $179).

In the mood for a full suit in yellow? In 2025, try brands like Alexander McQueen and Brooks Brothers. If you're on a budget, LeSuit has a yellow suits under $150 in regular, petite, and plus sizes.

Sales of note for 4/21/25:

  • Nordstrom – 5,263 new markdowns for women!
  • Ann Taylor – 25% off tops & sweaters + extra 40% off sale
  • Banana Republic Factory – 50%-70% off everything + extra 20% off
  • Boden – 10% off new womenswear styles
  • Brooks Brothers – Friends & Family Sale: 30% off sitewide
  • The Fold – 25% off selected lines
  • Eloquii – $29+ select styles + extra 40% off all sale
  • Everlane – Spring sale, up to 70% off
  • J.Crew – Spring Event: 40% off sitewide + extra 50% off sale styles + 50% swim & coverups
  • J.Crew Factory – 40%-70% off everything + extra 70% off clearance
  • Kule – Lots of sweaters up to 50% off
  • M.M.LaFleur – Earth Day Sale: Take 25% off eco-conscious fabrics. Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off
  • Madewell – Extra 30% off sale + 50% off sale jeans
  • Rothy's – Final Few: Up to 50% off last chance styles; new favorites added
  • Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
  • Talbots – 30% off entire purchase w/Talbots card

201 Comments

  1. I live in an apartment and don’t have much room for extra appliances. I would really love a toaster. Should I look into a small air fryer since it can toast and do other things, or not really worth it if the priority is saving space?

    1. Same here. A small toaster oven is my MVP – it saves me from having to heat up my actual oven like 80% of the time I’d otherwise need it.

      1. +1 to this. I haven’t bothered to get one with the air fryer function, but I use my toaster oven pretty much daily.

      2. +2. I use my toaster oven most days. The real oven takes a while to preheat plus it feels wasteful when I’m cooking a small portion. I save it for sheet pan dinners and baking.

    2. I have a ninja brand air fryer/toaster oven combo that flips up when it is not in use and i love it. It has been about a year of daily use with no problems.

    3. I don’t like toast made in an air fryer, but YMMV. I do love an air fryer for almost anything else though!

      1. Ooh okay, making good toast is one of the main reasons I want it. So just get a toaster then?

        1. If your main priority is good toast, get a toaster. I use a toaster oven, but it’s not good at making toast.

        2. Different anon, but it depends what you want it for. I think toaster ovens are vastly superior because of their ability to toast things onto bread, in addition to heat up small batches of things quickly without having to use the oven. I agree that they aren’t quite as good at evenly toasting bread as a regular toaster, but since I never just eat plain toast, that doesn’t matter to me. I like that I can use it to heat up whatever I’m topping my toast with, warm my peanut butter, melt cheese, etc. You can also fit large breads like tortillas and lavash and pitas and naan that don’t fit in a toaster. I also use it for toasting nuts and heating up frozen things (I bake a lot and freeze all my bread, but also store bought frozen things like samosas).

        3. Toaster oven is probably like, 85% great at toast compared to a traditional slot toaster, the problem being it can sometimes go a bit lopsided in toastiness on the bottom vs. the top. But as others have said if you’re putting something on the toast afterward then it doesn’t matter so much.

          To me the versatility of being able to toast up a piece of pizza, or naan or pita, or goopy scone on a piece of foil, or whatever vastly outweighs that minor downside.

    4. Not if you like toast. I adore toast and you need a toaster to make good toast. Everything else that I would put in a toaster oven I just put in my regular oven.

        1. If space is truly at a premium, you can toast bread on the stove in a cast iron skillet. We do this when glamping and I swear the cast iron not only does a more even job of things, it also imparts better taste to the toast.

      2. Same. And in my limited space kitchen, I have a SMEG toaster for the design factor. Yes, it’s like 3x more expensive but it’s 100x better looking and doesn’t feel like an appliance on the counter.

  2. Any recommendations or resources for a manager who just had to lay off a team member? It’s related to “all that has been going on”, leadership was not greedy or irresponsible in making these cuts, I didn’t have much say in them. The company is being transparent, but not as transparent as I would like – I’ve been trying to push them to be more transparent but we’ll see. There will be some extra work for my team from the person who left but it should be very manageable. We’ll push off some “nice to have” tasks.

    1. are you asking for advice on how to handle the morale of your team? what I would want to hear from that perspective- manager realizing that an increase in workload, presumably without an increase in pay, is not going to be a morale booster, and asking team to be frank about what may need to be reprioritized, and for advice on ways to make the work more efficient overall (like do they struggle with another team or whatever).

      1. Okay these are things I do anyways – my teams knows to and does come to me if things need to be reprioritized (if I haven’t done so already) and same with efficiencies. I feel like we’re a pretty proactive team.

    2. I’d worry less about the workload (in the short term) and focus on how people are doing personally. Layoffs tend to create a ripple effect of worry among the team, and if people were close to the individual who was laid off, there will be Feelings. I think the best you can do is listen with an open mind, knowing that you can’t change the decision but it will be on you to make people feel valued moving forward.

      1. Yeah this is what I’m more worried about. My team is very quiet personality-wise and doesn’t like to share their FEELINGS so even if I say hey you can talk to me they will not. From past experience it’ll come out eventually but I just have to keep at it.

        This is also not fully in the US and there is a big “never disagree with or raise issues to authority” aspect here. I’ve diffused that somewhat but its still there.

        1. I focused on helping them above because there are no magic words of reassurance here. You don’t have the whole picture, making promises about no more cuts isn’t appropriate, so just kind of acknowledging it’s a tough situation morale-wise, and doing what you can to help and listen, may be as far as you can really go with any real substance.

        2. I don’t know what other country(ies) you’re in, so I don’t know the employee/supervisor culture you’re dealing with. Are you aware of how people in that culture express bad morale? Do they never say anything but just go and get other jobs? Become unresponsive or do the minimum?

          For my experience in the U.S., lay-offs break trust. Trust that my hard work will be valued, and that my commitment to my work will be matched by the company commitment to me. They communicate that an employee can do good work and be fired anyway. (I know, it was a lay-off; emotionally, it can FEEL like a firing.) Depending on how unstable things are, a lay off can even signal that I should start job hunting, NOW.

          Is there anything truthful you can say to your team about how stable things now are? If their coworker can be let go, how secure are their jobs?

          1. Yes that layoffs break trust and make me want to GTFO of the company. The reasons for wanting to leave are twofold: I no longer trust that I will still have a job/there wont’ be more layoffs/I’m not next and also even if inevitable I’ve lose respect for my employer and am hurt that they chose to lay people off and it’s not an environment I feel safe in or want to keep working in

          2. Closer to become unresponsive or do the minimum. Less of a culture of looking for new jobs frequently, if ever.

            I’m fully aware that people may be job searching. It really was a bad situation the company was in, not really the company’s “fault” – although I know no one emotionally cares about that. That cut was really all we needed, budget is balanced now, which I’ve told my team with specifics. We are a revenue center, not a cost center for the company so we were less impacted than other teams, which I also spoke about.

      2. Agree with this. I did about 7 rounds of layoffs in the last company I was at for 10 years (nature of the business was ebb and flow). Take some time off for yourself to process and recoup. These things take an emotional toll. Expect productivity to take a hit for a few days to a few weeks, but expect things to be fully “back to normal” within 6 months (it would never cease to surprise me how resilient people are to the point of even forgetting the layoff happened!) Listen to your team in the weeks that follow- sometimes I would get comments like “oh, I’m so glad the laid off person is gone, they were dragging down the team” or “I’m totally swamped now because the laid off person did all these extra tasks that no one was aware of.” Consider re-organizing your team post-layoff. Eg giving someone supervisory responsibilities that hadn’t had them before, letting people try new work they hadn’t before. Pruning (the layoff) makes way for new growth for the members of your team.

  3. I was looking at new build 2BR apartments this weekend. In my city, a 2BR is generally split by two platonic roommates (vs a couple using one BR as an office). Each wants an en suite. But often unless you go up to $$$, one bedroom is nice. The other has not only no en-suite bath, but no window. I thought per code it can’t be a bedroom if it doesn’t have a window.

    How do I filter for “both bedrooms need a window” and “need attached bathroom even if it also can be entered from hall”?

    1. There no magic filter for that aside from just looking at all the photos/blueprints.

      1. It was new for me — I never dawned on me that there wouldn’t be a window. A century or two ago, people
        Figured out air shafts. And I guess we have forgotten?

        1. Likely that posting isn’t a 2-bedroom by code, but the listing is claiming it anyway. Seems to depend on your state, but typically real estate is all buyer beware and listings are marketing, not reality. So pay the price for what a one-bedroom + bonus room really is if you compromise rather than a true 2-bedroom.

    2. I don’t think you can filter for this, but you can work with a realtor. In my city, the apartment’s landlord pays the realtor fee, not the renter.

      Do you really both need en suites though? I get wanting a window (though a few of my friends in 1 BRs don’t have windows in their bedrooms!), but usually in 2/2s I see the 2nd bathroom is right by the 2nd bedroom, it’s just accessed from the hall (so guests don’t have to go through your bedroom…which as someone with ADHD and a resulting disorganized bedroom I appreciate).

      I am feeling the same way though – DOGE has rocked my life so I’m getting a new job in a new industry (with a big pay cut), moving to the burbs for that job (can no longer afford the city but also the job would be a way long commute from where I live now), and getting a roommate again in my 30s after 4 years of living alone… Roommate is a childhood friend who happens to also work at the new job so we both make the same amount (which is not much). She wants 2 bathrooms (I’d be fine sharing, but obviously I’m more than happy to have my own) and in any 2/2 I find it’s one primary suite (much bigger room, bigger or more closets, en suite) and one way worse off bedroom (much smaller, limited storage, no en suite). There’s no good way to split the rent for us.

      1. And that is a definite subsidiary but bundled annoyance in these setups. How do you equitably split rent when one person lives like a queen and one is in a child-size bedroom with a bad closet and hall bath? I swear couples with kids aren’t a part of my city’s urban 2BR new build demographic in walkable areas — it’s all single adults who are roommates. But it’s like they are going for divorced dads who need a swanky place for their dating life and then a place for little Billy and his twin bed every other weekend. I’m not sure my queen bed would even fit in some units I’ve looked at. Next weekend, I am bringing a tape measure for any place I can’t pull up a floor plan for.

        1. The answer for how to split rent is to have each person “bid” on the better bedroom.

          Let’s say that rent costs $3,600 a month, which would be $1,800 each. If one bedroom is far better, a roommate might offer to pay $2,000 for it and have the other person pay $1,600. The other counters and says no, that tiny room is the worst – I’ll take the bigger room for $2,100 a month and you can have the small bedroom for $1,500 a month.

          Eventually, they settle on a fair price.

          1. I’m the Anon at 8:38 – I’ve previously lived in apartments with one larger or better room and it was easy to figure out a compromise because usually one person made more and was comfortable paying more… now my roommate and I both make 50k and cannot afford to stretch what we’re paying in rent which makes it hard.

            We’re still apartment searching because from the places we’ve found there’s just no good way to split.

    3. I’ve found there are a few buildings in my city that are designed to have two primary suites… but they’re $$$$$. Otherwise someone will not have an en suite. Walking a few steps down the hall isn’t a huge deal though.

      1. I think usually it is NBD but once someone gets a new BF, it can be a bit awkward if you have someone having a bite in the common kitchen /LR combo. I guess everyone prefers privacy but it’s so weird to me that people don’t build for a dual en-suite market with windows because I feel like that has the most demand.

        Maybe someone in multi family knows the real answer? I know converting offices to apartment will be challenging for this and also for the plumbing and hvac.

        1. Idk is it really that weird? We all were in college walking down the hall in towels, I don’t see how taking a few steps is that different.

          1. I want to live a bit better than when I was a teen. I am not sure we’d sign up for a platonic in-room roommate other than somewhere like NYC or SF, but most people wouldn’t choose it as working adults. I know some people use their work to change the world. I’m fine with that, but I also want my work to change my personal world (and for the better).

          2. Eh, I’m 30 and just got my first en suite this year. I never felt weird about walking between my bathroom and the bedroom – it was truly only ever a few steps and not visible from the common living room or kitchen. But even if it was, I wouldn’t have cared.

        2. Because renting to a pair of twenty somethings is less than ideal for most landlords. There’s plenty of demand from a single more stable tenant.

          1. IDK our city seems to have tons of that exact person. Build a brewery and put in some bars and a grocery store in an old industrial area with iffy schools and it is Mecca for recent grads with good white collar jobs. Put it on the light rail with a dog park? Ideal. U less you have SAD and realize in January how much you miss natural light.

          2. But they’ll compromise and figure out how to split up space and still aren’t ideal tenants due to churn and income instability.

      2. Most people don’t want two en suites in a 2/2 because then there’s no bathroom accessible to guests without going into a bedroom, unless you have a weird design where you can enter one of the bathrooms from the hall and the bedroom, but having two doors also takes up space and is annoying, so this is an uncommon layout.

        I’ve lived in all kinds of house and apartment configurations with all kinds of roommates, so I get the hassles, but usually there’s someone who’s happy to have more space and pay more. If that’s not the case, and you can’t find a place where the rooms more equally divided, then you could still give more of the common space to the person with the smaller bedroom?

        1. Every apartment with a 2/2 I’ve seen has 1 private en suite and 1 bathroom that’s both en suite and accessible from the hall. Very common layout in my area

          1. Maybe it’s just me then, but bathrooms with multiple doors are one of those things for which I have a strong but possibly irrational hatred. I spent years living in a place with this set up and hated it, having to constantly juggle multiple doors running into each other and not wanting to have guests because they’d wake me up using the bathroom attached to my room. Now we live in an old house with no en suite bathrooms, but it’s still way better.

        2. In grad school, I lived in a house with two identical bedrooms, each with an en suite bathroom. It was great except for people having to go through my bedroom when we had parties, but that was only a few times per year.

    4. As a teacher who will never afford living alone, I feel this so much. I’m in my 30s, I have a Master’s, and I’m in a decently paid district and yet housing is getting so expensive (technically I’m in a MCOL but housing has skyrocketed) that living alone is 100% off the table. So, I still need roommates in my 30s. I think it’s fair for my standards to have ever so slightly increased since I was 22. However, there is NO middle ground housing. It’s either small, dated, and bordering on skeevy and $$ or it’s luxury and $$$.

      If I don’t find a partner, am I destined to be living in crappy apartments with roommates for the rest of my life?

      1. I think that you’ve hit on something — adults want to live like adults.
        And a larger bathroom with doors to the hall and a bedroom is gold and I would pay up for that (OR, for people who I’d have in my home, I don’t mind you accessing the bathroom through my bedroom; I could see it being weird if you are an overnight houseguest of the platonic sort, but that’s likely the case in a 1BR already, no?). But in nursing home, it’s often shared bedroom and shared bathroom between 2 rooms, and I want something nice before I die.

        1. Yeah – my standards aren’t terribly high as I know what a teacher budget means but things like my own bathroom (not even en suite!), in unit laundry or natural light or not super awful finishes or central air would be so nice. Not even all of them at once! But a combination!

      2. I see teachers doing online teaching, who seem to make quite a bit of money from that. Could you go on TikTok etc? (Also see doctors, accountants, so please don’t take this as an insult)

    5. I’ve never seen a 2 bed 2 bath with both en suite bathrooms. That’s a bad layout because guests have to walk through someone’s bedroom. At least in my city powder rooms are uncommon in rental units. There’s always going to be one superior room with the en suite, bigger windows, and more storage because geometrically it’s hard to fit two bedrooms with equal dimensions into the space. The person with the nicer room and private bath pays a larger share of the rent. You and your roommate have to figure out what’s fair.

      1. I am used to one BR being better, but now if is a very wide gulf between that and the definitely junior other bedroom/s. Like they may need you to go back to a full bed over a queen or even a twin or a loft. No more lofts! For some reason, rental condos are better in my city than rental apartment buildings even though you’d think the condo market would be more geared to couples who might eventually have a kid over a longer term of living in a space. YMMV.

      2. I have a friend with a condo that has a 2BR/2 en suite bath set up. There is an area, not really what I would call a hall as such, but a little area in front of each bedroom door, and the en suite bath door is there. Whoever’s guest it is can use their bathroom, without entering the bedroom.

        I think it’s a highly unusual condo set up though because it is designed for two roommates with complete equality as to bedrooms and baths.

    6. When I last looked at apartments, the set up you’re describing was called 1 bedroom and den, not 2 bedroom. I also thought that the window was required to call it a bedroom.

      1. Certainly not a bad location, but kind of a weird one. There are other apartments that have better locations that also offer powder rooms.

        Personally, I’d feel weirder about the washer-dryer in someone’s bedroom than I would needing to walk from my bedroom to my hallway bathroom in a towel, though.

    8. another idea: if you’re not going to get a window and an en suite, just look for 1 bedrooms with a dining room big enough to put up a fake wall — will probably be a lot less than a proper 2 bedroom. this was my first apartment in NYC, there are a lot like that on the UES.

      1. I feel like I might as well live in an SRO setup but I need one for basic living for a person with a job. Not the bedlam I’ve heard about them.

        1. I’ve seen converted one bedrooms on the UES that looked exactly like real two bedrooms except the living room was shorter/narrower than the original apartment.

    9. I don’t think there is a way to filter, just look at photos and visit. Back when I lived in a HCOL big city, the things that were called “bedrooms” were barely that but the amount of squalor we would tolerate was very high! In one situation, I got the bedroom while my roommate got what was effectively a dining room. In another I got a screened in patio as a room and the other roommates got actual bedrooms. And in yet another, I got what was really a study while the roommate got a bedroom but you had to walk through the bedroom to get to the “second bedroom” (aka study).

      1. Oh, railroad apartments are a whole level of hell. Hoboken, I love you, but not to live in a railroad flat.

        1. soooo many memories of my shared railroad apartment in DC — and my husband was living in a railroad apartment (with the middle room!) in brooklyn when i met him.

          railroad apartments are adorable if it’s just one person or couple, though.

          1. Yeah, I live alone in a railroad apartment and it’s totally fine. I have guests maybe 5x a year but they’re fine with walking through my bedroom to get to the bathroom (they’re all close friends sleeping on my couch)

  4. I bought some chocolate Fairlife protein shakes but they are too sweet for me.

    1) Any alternatives that you can think of that are either less sweet or not sweetened? This tastes very artificial sweet to me.

    2) What do I do with the 3.5 bottles I have left? Anyway I can reuse them? Could I make like a mocha with them?

    1. Not a great answer, but I didn’t like the Fairlife ones when I started but had a full case that I didn’t want to waste and now I’ve gotten used to them and I even like them. I agree – they tasted way too artificial at first, but now I rebuy them every month.

      I haven’t found a prebottled protein shake or any flavored protein powder that I like better, so my only alternative is to make a smoothie with fruit and yogurt + unflavored whey protein or collagen, that way I just taste the fruit. However, this obviously doesn’t have the convenience of a pre-bottled one so I still drink the Fairlife a lot more often.

      1. I was thinking about the unflavored whey protein. Can that be dissolved in coffee for example or it has to be something thicker?

        It’s also a lot to both drink coffee + a liquid protein shake in the morning.

        1. I use protein powder in my coffee. I use a milk frother to make sure it mixes well.

    2. If you add milk to your coffee, I’d use the ones you have left instead of milk until they’re gone. Add a little, taste, add more as necessary.
      I don’t love but can stomach the sweet taste that you’re describing, and I agree most or all of them will have it. Premier protein makes a chocolate peanut butter one, and I think the PB helps offset the sweet; I don’t like the straight chocolate one.

    6. The vanilla fairlife are better.

      For unopened food items I no longer want, I donate them to our local community fridge.

        1. yes, I have given away cases of Premier Protein on my local Freecycle group. They go in a flash.

    8. I add pebble ice to the fairlife shakes to water them down a bit because they are a little too thick for me. I drink a cafe latte premier protein shake every morning for breakfast but i don’t think they are any less sweet

    9. Koia but it’s nondairy. Twelve ounces is 18 g protein and 190 calories. Excellent taste but pricy.

    10. stick the shakes in the freezer for about 20 minutes and you’ll get a slushy similar to a wendy’s frostie

      i’ve also added protein shakes to cold brew coffee and overnight oats

      1. Overnight oats sound perfect. I can finally fulfill my childhood cereal in chocolate milk dreams.

  5. I’m back in the office five days a week, and looking for easy breakfast foods to eat at work. So far, I’ve been having a bagel and sometimes a banana. But I would like to find something heather. Any ideas?

    2. Add a bowl of oatmeal with peanut butter to that banana?

      I make a protein & fruit smoothie at home (and usually finish it there), but it also travels well on days I am running short on time.

    3. If you want something super easy that would add protein also, you can buy the Starbucks egg bites or the Veggies Made Great frozen muffin things. I’m not sure what the protein content is on the various Veggies Made Great muffins. You also could keep peanut butter or almond butter at your desk and add a spoonful. I’d suggest moving your breakfast from carb heavy to protein and fat heavy.

    4. Chia pudding made from 2% greek yogurt with berries now that they’re back in season

      1. I make a batch of chia pudding at the beginning of the week, in individual jam jars. Frozen berries work just fine for this, and I mix up the flavorings (blueberries and almond extract, cocoa powder and cinnamon, coconut flakes and pandan).

    5. Do you need breakfast to function? It took up too much brain space for me so I just committed to an earlier lunch so I could stop thinking about it. I haven’t missed it.

    6. Do you have access to a microwave and fridge? I like TJs egg white frittatas on one of their small high protein tortillas, top with cheese or salsa, but it’s way easier to just keep the supplies at work vs. bring in the pieces.

    8. I often take leftovers and put them in a wrap for breakfast. Easy to eat, cleans out the fridge and it’s often more filling for me than a lot of standard breakfast foods.

    10. I like to prep a mini casserole:
      – Hashbrown patty
      – 2 eggs mixed with some cheese
      – Turkey sausage crumbles
      Bake at 400 for 20 and I just bring it to the office and heat up in the microwave.
      You can customize – sometimes I add spinach or other veggies.
      Fruit on the side

    11. Two options that work for me – eggs cups and egg salad on toast.

      There is a good recipe for cottage cheese egg cups on the NYT cooking app. You can customize with whatever protein and/or veggies you like. I do a lot of spinach and it ends up a good serving of protein/veggies/calcium to start the day.

      I also keep a bag of Purely Elizabeth granola at work and will often bring fruit and plain yogurt with me to make a breakfast parfait for when I’m feeling egg’ed out. Mango and blueberry is a current favorite combo. Pomegranate was my go to all winter.

    12. My go-to is yogurt with fruit and granola. Easy to grab and go. I pre-make some breakfast tacos too but… egg prices lately.

  6. Leaving to Lima, Peru, in a couple days for 12 days. Haven’t yet organized travel/stay. Just saw the government declared a state of emergency due to crime. Has made me a bit nervous though I’m well travelled and my Spanish is decent. Will be travelling solo. Would love to spend time at the desert coast as well as the mountains and I was hoping to travel by bus for part of the coast journey. First time visiting and any recommendations are appreciated.

    1. You’re going for a two week trip and you have no idea what you’re going to do? I have no advice for Peru or this style of travel at all… but this level of pants-seat-flying is something I’d enjoy reading a travelogue about!

      1. Agree; I’m both envious and second-hand horrified at the idea of a very soon 12 day international trip to a new country for which the travel arrangements and lodging haven’t been booked yet.

      2. Seriously, just thinking about this gave me hives! I’m horrified/jealous that people can do this!

    2. I went years ago on a solo trip there and it was my favorite. Macchu Pichu would be hard this late but I loved Cusco. In Lima I liked Museo Convento San Francisco y Catacumbas and seeing the bones a lot.

      1. I traveled solo to Argentina, but I had everything pre-booked. I hired private companies rather than rely on their public transportation and booked tours through Viator. I’m assuming you’re a woman so I highly recommend taking standard safety precautions. I avoid landing in a new city after sunset, drinking to get drunk out alone at night, telling people I’m traveling solo, etc. I don’t get in random taxis at the airport. Also, a family member took a taxi and got out of the car to get her luggage in the trunk and the car drove away stealing all her belonging. Thank goodness she had her passport on her. Always keep your passport on you or in the hotel safe and I’d keep your luggage with you in any taxi.

      2. I was only in Peru for four days and went to Lima, a wildly early flight and train to Macchu Pichu, a lovely day and night in the Sacred Valley and then lunch in Cusco on the way back to the airport for the middle of the night flight home. So by my standard you have tons of time! I wish I had seen more of the country and would say as a frequent traveler I would avoid the bus partly due to security warnings and partly due to road safety.

      3. In Lima, I loved Museo Larco.

        To go down the coast, to be honest, I’d try to join a tour since there’s lots of driving. There are definitely party-style tours, but you could probably find one targeted to to a more mature audience.

        1. Also if you want to drop money on a tasting menu, we really liked Maido. Although it was too many courses and we were exhausted by the end of our trip.

    3. Sorry what you’re going to a city under a state of emergency and you don’t know where you’re staying or how you’re traveling? And you’re doing this alone, in a place where you’re not fluent in the language?

      1. Way to be helpful.

        OP, for a “shortcut” when it’s not wise to go too far off the beaten path, I’ll often look where tour groups are going and plan my itinerary somewhat similarly and then lodging accordingly.

    4. I haven’t been to Peru but I travel like you and my quick overview says “mostly fine” — for example, both UK and US travel warnings name the same places as no-go areas

      It looks like the current state of emergency mostly lets the government supersede some rights – not usually an issue for foreign travelers if you have a US/UK/Europe passport

      IMO upmarket-ish hostels have the best on the ground info for travel security questions – I’d just fly into Lima and then run your plans for the rest of the trip by everyone

    5. I have been to Lima many times for work and LOVE it. Crime is a real concern though. Taxis can be really bad for crime (robbery etc) but I have found ubers to be safe. Watch out for pickpockets!!
      Miraflores is a nice area of Lima and there is a nice seaside mall there. Eat all the Peruvian food, it’s amazing. Gastón Acurio is a celebrity chef with a number of restaurants at different price points- Tanta the most accessible and a chain.
      In Lima visit Huaca Pucllana, recreation of ancient clay pyramids. Agreed that Cusco and Machu Picchu are great to see, but far from Lima and require advanced planning.

      1. My co-worker, from Argentina, says that, from a culinary perspective, Peru is to South America what France is to Europe.

        1. I’ve been to Peru, Chile, Brazil and Argentina and thought Argentina had the best food.

      2. Huaca Pucllana also has a great restaurant, with excellent versions of typical Peruvian food. Second the recommendation for Gaston Acurio restaurants; they’ll also be great but probably more in the “exciting twists and combos on Peruvian flavors and ingredients” than in the “regular Peruvian food done really well” vein. I also recommend Rafael, in the Miraflores neighborhood.

        Agreed with the above re: security and would say more plainly that I would avoid taxis but generally feel OK about Ubers. If you need a taxi (vs an Uber) for some reason, better to use a service that you call and sends a taxi. I’m not sure what the reputable options are these days but expect that google/reddit/tripadvisor would be reasonable sources for turning up good options.

    6. Take the Cruz del Sur bus from Lima to Paracas for a cute fishing town on the desert coast, with nice hotels, ranging from big resorts to boutique fancy to small family run places. The bus journey is about 5 hours and is lovely. The bus itself is nice if you get the first class seats on the lower level – basically a big la-z-boy style chair with views out of huge windows. Also an onboard bathroom, which is in the vestibule outside the first class cabin so it doesn’t smell bad at your seat.

      In Lima the Museo Larco is definitely worth the visit (Uber there) – it’s got all the gold stuff that got dug up in various places. For local crafts shopping the Miraflores Inca Market is basically a handicrafts mall with many different vendors, all of whom were charming when I visited – helpful and friendly with only a winking hard sell.

    7. I went in 2019. In Lima, I’d stay in Miraflores, which is walkable. I didn’t love Tanta, but I would try something else from Acurio. The restaurant at the Hyatt San Isidro was out of this world. Uber worked well, but buses looked very old (and I’m Brazilian; my threshold for old infrastructure is high). Peruvian drivers are insane, wear your seat belt and be careful when crossing the street. The city center is pretty, but go on a weekday so public servants are circulating. Museu Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera was my favorite, not too big and well-curated. The cafe was very ritzy at dinner.
      I’m not sure about taking regular buses to travel between cities, mountain roads are scarily narrow and steep. I’d go with a tour, on a smaller van.
      Cusco is a must. Everything we ate was great, but the altitude affected my digestion. Eat fiber and drink lots of water and coke leaf tea (it’s disgusting IMO, but it works and is free in every shop, restaurant, and hotel). The train ride to Macchu Picchu is lovely.
      Ollantaytambo is a cute town with an interesting archeological site and I wish I’d stayed the night.

    8. A friend of mine just returned (a week ago) from a trip to Peru where she hiked with a tour company in the Andes. While they were hiking, there were several landslides, which they had to hike over. Even for experienced hikers, it was treacherous and scary. Make sure you look up information about the conditions of any roads and trails before you depart from Lima.

    9. So jealous! You’ll have an amazing time. I used to do similar trips regularly. What worked for me:
      1. Book the first night’s hotel/hostel. Preferably somewhere safe, with a lounge/some kind of communal space. Miraflores is upmarket and safe; the JD Marriott is lovely. (I’m no longer in my 20s haha)
      2. Have a list of things you’d like to explore. Not necessarily places, but experiences too, for example Nazca lines (you’d need to book a flight once you arrive), Peruvian restaurants (world class), markets (they have fruits and veg not freshly available in US), rainforest, etc.
      3. Make sure you’re back in your city of departure at least 48 hours before you need to be there. This is the time to explore Lima. There’s a different tempo to life, so doing this will help insulate you from delays that happen along the way.
      4. Relax and have fun!

      1. PS forgot to mention, but it really is dangerous in terms of traffic. Make sure your life insurance and will are up to date, and check your vaccines. I didn’t bother with malaria tablets, but if you’re going to the jungle it’s worth considering, as you’d need to start the tablets before you get there.

  7. ISO a comfortable sandal that I can take on vacation and feel comfortable walking around in. Looking for something similar to the Nisolo flatform sandal–something a bit of height but not a wedge and without a strap that goes between the toes. The Nisolo sandal fell apart within a year, otherwise, I’d just stick with it!

    1. I have a pair of past season Merrell hiking sandals with a bit of platform that are so, so comfortable for walking that I live in them all summer. I don’t see the exact version this year but they have a few similar models available.

    3. Reef Vista styles were very comfortable when I tried them on. I didn’t end up buying them because I needed something more dressy. I don’t know if they will last better than the Nisolos though.

      Otherwise I swear by Bzees sandals, but others on this page complained they look too plasticky or too geriatric. Mine have held up really well for miles of walking on varied terrain.

    8. when I googled to see what the flatform sandal looked like this Cole Haan one came up – might be better quality? looks very similar.

      https://www.colehaan.com/womens-flynn-flat-sandal/194736067632.html?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwhYS_BhD2ARIsAJTMMQZFxeSx-RrBuE5xB-lVeK-I8zDbhUNie8npMG7O8wjRGlIxrY2I0TkaApZiEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&glCountry=US&glCurrency=USD&src=googleshopping&utm_campaign=%7Bdscampaign%7D&utm_id=%7Bdscampaignid%7D&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google

      Eileen Fisher sandals like these might also work:
      https://www.nordstrom.com/s/eileen-fisher-ario-wedge-sandal-women/8127694?origin=keywordsearch-personalizedsort&breadcrumb=Home%2FAll%20Results&color=250

  8. Thinking of going to Morocco in January of 2026. Any advice on what attractions are best to see, or any experiences you’ve had there?

    1. We split our time between Marrakesh and Essaouira and in hindsight would have spent more time in the latter – a lot less touristy – but in January perhaps a little more closed up since it’s a coastal town; our visit was in May. In Marrakesh did love the Majorelle gardens, hammam treatments, and stopping in at La Mamounia for a drink and to wander the grounds.

      With more time (and frankly money; when we were there it was on new law grad budget!) we would have done a desert glamping excursion, but doing that inexpensively and therefore a lot less comfortably was not something we were interested in!

    2. Did a guided round trip tour of Rabat-Fes-Essaouira-Marrakesh, and it was amazing. Highly recommend getting out of the cities to the desert and mountains if possible, the color of the sand dunes at sunset is unbelievable (although acknowledge that camping in the desert was really uncomfortable, sand will get in the tent and in your face). Marrakesh is great shopping, and the food is wonderful, although I did get food poisoning once on the trip. Remember to wear loose, covering clothing. We had some troubling street harassment encounters in Essaouira.

      1. Agree with getting out of the cities. We didn’t have any harassment but generally stayed in groups of four or more. We skipped the desert camping in favor of a camel ride out and back, and were glad we did.

        We traveled with an American-woman-co-owned company and it was amazing: https://opendoorsmorocco.com/

        1. Yeah, it may not have been coincidental that normally we were in larger groups but at Essaouira it was just my mother and I.

    3. We went last April with our 11 year old son and had a fantastic time. We didn’t want to spend too much time driving so didn’t go all the way to the Sahara and did a few days in Marrakesh (highlights: cooking class, food tour of the medina), 2 nights in Essaouira (we just hung out there and absolutely loved it), 2 nights in the Atlas Mountains near Setti Fatma (day hike to the waterfalls was great), and then a night at a “desert” camp in the Agafay desert. I would skip the last stop if I had to do it again, but the rest was wonderful. We used a driver arranged by a tour company, which made it all very easy and was not as expensive as you might expect. He also gave us a lot of info and context on the drives, which was an unexpected bonus. I definitely agree to get out of the cities. I’d go back in a heartbeat.

  9. Looking to get away for a long weekend in mid-april with two elementary age kids and stumped for ideas. Traveling from the NYC area & prefer driving over flying for this one. We normally like small towns in Upstate NY or MA, but weather may still be iffy for that kind of trip and we would like to be warm-ish. DC would be perfect but with all the current craziness we would probably prefer to not go now. Anywhere else within similar distance?

    1. Easton, PA area; Philadelphia; Baltimore; St Michael’s MD; Charlottesville or other VA mountain towns. If you really want warmth you probably need to go a little farther south (Atlanta would be a quick flight), but I was just in Charlottesville and they are about 3-4 weeks ahead of NYC in terms of spring flowers.

    2. Annapolis and the surrounds in Maryland? Not too much further than DC, but on the Chesapeake so you get water. Cute area for walking.

    4. I’d probably do Philly! You could also make a stop at Diggerland in NJ if your kids are into that… I’m taking my kids (will be 10 and under) to Philly for the first time this summer and there look like so many fun things to do. As you know, weather in the northeast is unpredictable, but I doubt it would be cold. Possibly sweatshirt and pants weather all the way up to 70s

    5. I live in DC. For what it’s worth, you wouldn’t be impacted by all the craziness as tourists. I had family visiting over the last week, and we went to a bunch of museums. It was business as usual.

      1. I work in DC and ditto. The chief executive is nuts, but everything about visiting feels normal.

      2. Yep, totally agree. And the good people of DC would welcome your tourist dollars. All us Feds are trying to be frugal.

      4. yea you would not be impacted at all. if you want to drive a bit farther you could go to Williamsburg, VA. Lancaster, PA also has a ton of fun stuff, but could be chillyish as well.

    7. Another vote for Philly. We were just there for 5 days with a tween/teen and found it a great destination. Tons of art/history/science museums, the Aquarium/Zoo are both great, and the NJ Battleship was a surprising hit for all of us. Bonus points that the drive is easy and the food is great and about 20% cheaper than we’re used to in NYC.

    8. I second the recommendation for Annapolis and surrounds and Charlottesville is also lovely but the drive is long from NYC area with traffic.

      1. This is true – it is a PITA. There are some direct flights from LGA that are pretty inexpensive, and even more to Richmond.

  10. Before I went on parental leave, I had the BEST assistant at my Firm. A good assistant is amazing and has really improved my practice and business. While I’ve been away (non-US, so longer leave), my assistant (shared with 2 partners) started supporting a 3rd partner in another office who lost their assistant. Now it sounds like when I come back, I likely won’t get my assistant back? My regional office is smaller and I like working with someone on the ground rather than a remote assistant.

    Any advice on phrasing to encourage the firm to let me work with my assistant again? I’m lower on the hierarchy and haven’t made partner just yet. I don’t want to rock the boat, but my assistant has been really really helpful to managing and growing my practice and I am both sad (and worried for my own practice!) to not be working with them any longer.

    2. Tell your assistant that you hope to work with them when you get back and how much you’ve enjoyed working with them. It’s a know your firm thing, but often the assistants do have input. If there is someone managing all the assistants, I’d tell them what you said here.

    4. Frame it as praise for assistant and your working relationship together. You had such a wonderful working dynamic you would love to continue the experience if possible. Don’t wait to be assigned someone else because then it can look like you’re complaining/being difficult. But if you’re proactively planning ahead, it only makes everyone look good.

    5. What did they say that makes it seem like you won’t have an assistant anymore? If it’s just the fact that she is supporting an additional person, I wouldn’t worry. It seems to be happening industry wide.

  11. My boyfriend and I are planning a road trip this summer from Maine to Nova Scotia. Looking for about a week’s itinerary and hoping to squeeze in PEI and Cape Breton. Any advice or suggestions would be welcome, as well as advice as whether doing both islands is doable or if you’d suggest one over the other. Looking for idyllic scenery, good hikes and delicious seafood!

    1. Is a week the whole trip like including the driving both ways from Maine to PEI and Nova Scotia?

      1. Yes, although I think we’d take the ferry back from Yarmouth to Portland to save some travel time. We might be able to squeeze in an extra day or two if needed, but hoping to stay under a week so we can have a few days on the front end in Maine to see family.

        1. I’ve done that ferry from Yarmouth to Bar Harbor and be warned it’s ROUGH. I don’t get sea sick, but save for one insane day cruise in the Channel Islands, it’s the roughest boat I’ve been on. I’ve done it several times and usually half the people on the ferry are barfing.

        2. You can do it but you will need to scoot! I did it and loved it but it was A TON of driving. In my view best way is as soon as you hit NS, book it to cape Breton. Do one night at Glenora Distillery, one at Keltic Lodge, one in Baddeck. Then immediately all at once drive to PEI. Stay in one hotel there and trio around. And then brace yourself for an epic drive back to the ferry. I loved it, it was a real road-trip though complete with early starts and late arrivals at hotels. You’d have a much more leisurely trip doing one or the other.

          1. Keltic Lodge closed the main lodge but still worth seeing the peninsula and I believe they still rent cottages. I also often recommend skipping the mainland. But it really depends on what you want to see. As a Cape Bretoner, I am biased but think you can also see a ton in two days on the mainland as well.

    2. We own a house in Cape Breton. I wouldn’t necessarily try to do both. I frequently recommend an itinerary that is just NS for a week. PEI is quaint but very small and the vistas and views do not compete with Cape Breton; mountains into ocean are truly something to see. On the mainland the top items would be: 1) Peggy’s Cove; 2) Lunenburg/Chester/Mahone Bay 3) a night at the Shore Club in Hubbards (incredibly good, authentic East Coast entertainment in an old dance hall setting); Runner-up: Grand Pre historical site dealing with the expulsion of the Acadians. Take or leave Halifax. I would dedicate less than three days to the mainland. Cape Breton is best done by deciding if you want to go to the east side of the island and see the Fortress of Louisbourg (possible side trip to the Miner’s Museum) and then dedicating the rest of the time to stops along the Cabot Trail. The beaches are incredible, there are many spectacular hikes, great food, and insane views. Would plan for walking the Sky Line Trail, overnighting in Baddeck (jewel box village where our house is), doing the Alexander Graham Museum, stopping in Ingonish and doing at least one west coast beach near Inverness. Highly recommend Woodroad for for food on the west coast. If you want to post a burner email I can give more tailored advice. I do this at least twice every summer, but so many factors play into what I recommend.

      1. I am always always jealous of you and your house in Baddeck and have been for years

        1. That is so kind of you. It’s been a huge amount of work (we don’t have money to renovate) and is very, very rustic. It wouldn’t impress anyone but it is so important to us. It’s just below the museum overlooking the lake and you absolutely cannot beat the view. And my kids roam around barefoot. It is our definition of heaven.

      2. Thank you so much for the great advice! I welcome any additional suggestions you might have a retteburner1 @ gmail. I’ve never been to this part of Canada before, so excited to get some cooler weather and see some amazing scenery. Thank you!

        1. It’s so special! I have tried every beach and every restaurant so will email you!

    3. FYI – the ferry between Maine and Nova Scotia now comes into Bar Harbor instead of Portland. Also, while this itinerary would give you the idyllic scenery, good hikes, and mostly delicious food, it would be a lot of driving! Southern Maine to Cape Breton Island is almost 11 hours of driving and it’s almost six hours of driving between PEI and Cape Breton. It take about four hours to drive around Cape Breton Island, which is the best way to appreciate its idyllic scenery. These times are all without stopping, so assume at least double to account for stops and any traffic you would hit along the way, but that would only give you short stops.

      1. It actually originally was Yarmouth-Bar Harbor and moved back there a few years ago. It operated from Portland for only about a decade, I think. My mom rode the Yarmouth-Bar Harbor ferry in the 60s and I rode it in the 90s/early 2000s.

    4. Is it your first time in Maine/NS? Honestly I would not try to squeeze in more than that , there’s a lot to see and distances are long. I would do a day in Portland ME, a day in Midcoast (Boothbay Harbor, Popham beach) and then some time in Acadia. Can’t speak to NS but I have heard it’s lovely.

      1. +1 you need a week for Maine alone. I think this itinerary is way too packed. You’ll spend all your time in the car and no time appreciating the beautiful scenery.

      2. Just for fyi…PEI is famous for Anne of Green Gables, so things to explore related to the books. Also, if traveling by car, please, please absolutely fill up your gas tank before traversing the miles-long bridge connecting Prince Edward Island to New Brunswick!!
        Unlocked a funny family memory for me-thanks! I needed to smile at remembering my dad hoping we’d make it back to a gas station in time and not be stranded on that bridge!! Hope you have fun.

    5. We did NS a few years ago- Cape Breton to PEI to Halifax over ten days, and it is indeed a lot of driving (half our party took the bridge to PEI and half took the ferry- it took equally long what with having to wait for the derry and all that.). Even within PEI, it was a lot of driving. The Atlantic Provinces were a lot bigger than I had imagined.
      I love all of Seafinch’s suggestions, particularly finding live music.
      The big thing we regret not seeing was The Bay of Fundy.

      1. Yes to Bay of Fundy! Being able to see the tide go out/come in and how extreme it is should not be missed!

  12. PSA finally found work pants after only wearing BR skinny Sloan’s for years. J. Crew Factory Kelsey flare. I’m 5’0 and curvy.

  13. What’s your zoom background / behind you whenever you work from home? I rearrange things slightly so now the blank wall I’ve been meaning to decorate is in view, might as well make it something that works for work too.

    1. Actually if anyone has ideas in general:

      My desk is in the front left corner of my living room space. It’s kind of in its own alcove because the couch separates where my desk is from the rest of the living room. The entire wall on the left side is empty.

      I’m unsure how to decorate a whole wall. In other places in my apartment the walls are broken up by windows, closets, etc.

      The only other large wall I put a large tapestry-ish on. I don’t have something like this for that wall. I guess I could do a gallery wall but I don’t have all the art pieces I’d want for that yet – is there a way to do a partial gallery wall that you build on that won’t look weird in the interim?

      2. I have some wall art in my background and don’t think it looks weird. I think you can hang just a few pieces and that would look really nice. If you already have some of the pieces you want to be part of a gallery wall, you can group them together and expand the “wall” outward as you get more. Otherwise, I usually try to put a couple of pieces relatively close together and then a bit of space and a couple of other pieces so that it all looks intentional. This is assuming I don’t have one very large painting that’s intended to take up the entire space.

        1. I realized I have one painting from a local artist I’d like to put up. It’s small, but I could put it closer to the side of the wall my desk is on and I don’t think it’ll look out of place.

          In general I haven’t gone out to buy park but instead bought it while I was traveling or just when I stumbled upon something, and I’d like to keep that going.

      3. I’ve had good luck buying original art from Chairish as a stop gap. My preference is generally for abstract art, which also provides a minor detour as people try to guess what it is. Check your local antique shops too. There are lots of great-ish paintings that just had horrible frames inflicted on them in the 1980s.

    2. My company has preferred backgrounds, one of which is a lovely photo taken from inside the office to the lake outside. It gets rather strange, however, when you have six people in the same meeting who look like they are sitting in the exact same spot in the office. I love the background that is actually behind me: two bookcases on either side of a large print of the young girl standing in front of the wallstreet bull.

    3. I have a set of Rothko prints on canvas, with one being close to the color of the sofa below it, so I feel like the prints are part of a cohesive look. The prints are from etsy. My sofa has a cover in a deep, rich purple, with very bright pillows with many colors, including the color of the sofa cover.

    4. I have a big blank wall right behind me and not a lot of room between my chair and the wall for something like a bookcase, so I filled it with a giant print (almost 5 feet tall) I got on Etsy.

    5. I just blur out the background on Teams, so nobody has to see messy shelves or surfaces behind me.

  14. I’m having a conversation with a manager next week, with a group of colleagues. We’re in the middle of an extremely busy stretch and morale is low among us and all of our reports. The idea of the meeting is to raise some gentle suggestions for how we might do things more effectively. I think the manager (and his team) is a good person and he has welcomed the conversation. But the structure of our department makes it difficult to raise concerns (there are no performance reviews and no one-to-one check-ins) which is making me pretty nervous. Any tips for keeping things on the rails?

    1. What are these “gentle suggestions” for how to do things differently, and how is this going to go off the rails—is there some strong emotion or power struggle or systemic change involved in what you will be asking for?

    2. how many people are in this meeting?? this is the kind of thing where one person has a quiet side conversation with the other manager, not a group roast.

    3. In this economy I would be very wary of having this sort of meeting and being seen as a ringleader of sorts. My advice would be to have a very soft meeting and see how the manager responds. I would have different team members ask open ended questions to get a better idea of the perspective of the manager and how badly they perceive the problem to be. There will also be information you are not aware of that will be influencing your working conditions, your manager sheltering the team from the office politics.

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