ByElizabeth Hours Updated
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Frugal Friday’s Workwear Report: Striped Short-Sleeve Maxi Shirtdress

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A woman wearing a black-and-white striped midi shirtdress and white sandals

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

After an absolutely brutal winter, there are signs of spring in the Northeast. I’m taking advantage of it by breaking out all of my favorite work dresses and perhaps adding a few more to my collection.

I might add a belt to this striped shirtdress from Max Studio, but it otherwise looks perfect for an easy breezy business casual day. 

The dress is $39.97 at Nordstrom Rack and comes in sizes XS-XL. 

Sales of note for 4/17:

  • Nordstrom – Beauty savings event, up to 25% off – nice price on Black Honey
  • Ann Taylor – Cyber Spring! 50% off everything + free shipping
  • Boden – 25% off everything (thru Sun, then 15% off)
  • Brooklinen – 25% off sitewide — we have and love these sateen sheets
  • Evereve – 1000+ items on sale, including lots from Alex Mill, Michael Stars, Sanctuary, Rails, Xirena, and Z-Supply
  • Express – $29 dresses
  • J.Crew – 30% off all dresses
  • J.Crew Factory – Up to 60% off everything, and extra 50% off clearance
  • Lands' End – 50% off full price styles and 60% off all clearance and sale – lots of ponte dresses come down under $25, and this packable raincoat in gingham is too cute
  • Loft – Friends & Family event, 50% off entire purchase + free shipping
  • Macy's – 25% off already reduced prices + 15% off beauty & fragrance
  • M.M.LaFleur – Spring Sale Event – Buy More, save more! 10% off $250+, 15% off $500+, 20% off $750+, 25% off $1000+ (Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off if you find any exclusions.)
  • Sephora – Spring sale! 20%, 15%, or 10% off depending on your membership tier; ends 4/20. Here's everything I recommend in the sale!
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  • TOCCIN – Use code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off!
  • Vivrelle – Looking to own less stuff but still try trends? Use code CORPORETTE for a free month, and borrow high-end designer clothes and bags!

243 Comments

  1. If your hair is curly, what are your favorite leave in conditioners and curl stylers? I’m looking for some new ones. Leave in conditioners I have the target one (as I am?) and kinky curly… I like the kinky curly custard for styler. I don’t mind the white miss Jessie’s but can’t stand the smell.

    1. I use OGX argan oil when I first get out of the shower. If I’m wearing it up that day, I just put it around my temples and crown to prevent flyaways; if I’m wearing it down, I work it through roots to ends.

      I’m currently using Luv Ur Curls, a Canadian brand, for styling gel. Been using it for about a year and a huge fan. I don’t need a ton for it to work and it seems to hold well throughout the day. I used Ouidad’s curl cream for years but it started flaking off and leaving me with dandruff like flakes in the afternoon.

      1. I am also using the LUS brand curl products and my hair loves it. They just came out with a stronger hold gel which I haven’t tried yet but I’m looking forward to for the summer.

      1. +1. They have several products that are fragrance-free if that’s a concern.

    3. I’m a 2c/3a, so I don’t know if what I use will work for you.

      When fuzziness was a big problem, I started using Garnier Sleek & Shine Intense Smooth Leave-In Conditioner and have just kept on. If it’s not very humid, some days it’s the only product I’ll use.

      My actual curl cream is Marc Antony Strictly Curls Curl Envy Curl Cream. The illustration on the box (which you can see online) reflects my hair pretty well. During the height of summer, I combine these two.

    5. I need protein so I like the curl smith products, re:coil, the not your mother’s mousse, miche boost refresh spray, xmondo wavetech. My favorite though are the cecred products.

  2. I couldn’t wear this to work, wouldn’t wear it out. Maybe church if I went. Who is this for??

    1. Traveling – great for looking polished, airy, but covered-up for religious s-tes
      Brunch or late afternoon drinks with friends

      1. If I could get a lightweight denim (hides all lumps and bumps) version of this, maybe a hair shorter, I’d wear as my urban lady spring travel outfit (maybe not for in the plane, but around and about). Length perfect for layering anti-chub rub shorts underneath and a jacket / cardigan , zip fleece, or blanket scarf.

        1. This dress in denim would veer extremely 90s Elementary School Teacher vibes to me. Best left to those who weren’t born yet so as to look intentionally retro inspired as opposed to “I gave up 30 years ago.”

    2. The color is bleh, but the shape would flatter me. I would wear this with flat sandals as my summer equivalent to jeans and a t-shirt.

      1. +1. I can wear this to work. I can also wear this out. It’s just a day dress…

    4. It’s for me! This particular brand doesn’t have good quality fabric, so I won’t be buying it, but the shape and cut would make a great summer dress for me.

    5. That particular dress is meh, but it’s absolutely fine for work and I have many similar in my wardrobe for all kinds of things.

    6. It’s for me. Maybe not this one, but it could be. I usually have a dress or two like this to throw on any time I need to run an errand or go out quickly for something in the evening during warmer months. It’s easy – one piece, goes with sandals or flip flops, even cute sneakers. It doesn’t sit close to the body, so it doesn’t need to be washed often if just worn for a short time, but also not hard to launder. And it’s a good weight for our hot humid summers but also works for spring and early fall.

    7. I would wear this on vacation. I’m a corporate goth girlie and color isn’t my jam, this is flowy yet would cover my tattoos to visit religious historic sites.

      1. (just saw it’s poly rayon, no thanks, but if this was a cotton poplin, I’d be all about it)

      2. Are you the same corporate goth girlie who was going on a solo trip to NYC? How was it?

    8. Love dresses like this for work. The cut is really flattering on me. Will pass on this one because this brand doesn’t fit me.

    9. I don’t understand the commenters who pack anything with this much fabric for vacation and the sleeves would drive me insane. To each their own.

      1. And this makes no sense to me conceptually. You have an entire outfit in a dress like this, you can add a sweater or jacket, you can rewear it multiple times. Dresses are the suitcase heros of my vacations.

      2. I think it depends on where you vacation? But this doesn’t really take up much room folded in a suitcase. Agree that Max Studio fabrics aren’t great but in cotton this is cute.
        Search JCrew for some cute cotton options – Cerise and Elsie.

      3. When you eat your way through vacation at fancy restaurants these types of dresses are wonderful. Plenty of eating room, no spanx required, yet polished enough for the dress code. But, to each their own – I’m happy with my 49.5 pound checked bag on vacation.

    10. I feel like it has a 1940s vibe? Not my style but I think it could be really cute on someone else. And if it works for work? What a dream on a warm day.

    11. I own something similar that I bought at Target. I absolutely love it. It’s actual cotton, which is so comfortable. I wore it to a biz casual conference in the Midwest in August and later to a casual dinner with some colleagues at a retreat. It’s also been great on vacation when you want to look more pulled together but still be comfortable. I’ve gotten a ton of use out of it. Fit is key though. Mine cinches in exactly at my smallest and the length hits at a flattering spot, and it isn’t super poofy. I can see where poor fit could make things look terribly wrong.

    14. I own a dress in this pattern and silhouette in poplin from Gap and it is a summer staple. Yes – I do wear it to church, but I also wear it to my business casual job with ballet flats and to all variety of daytime social occasions with sandals. It is comfortable, flattering and cool (and gives me enough coverage that I do not need to bath in sunscreen).

      I also have a very similar one in black linen that is my summer funeral dress.

    16. I wouldn’t wear this one, but I absolutely wear linen shirt dresses all the time to work and casually in the summer. I don’t love wearing shorts so I wear more linen dresses.

  4. There is a type of suburban mom that is just chillingly aggressive in support of her children. I get driving children and finding their pursuits and words of encouragement. What I don’t get is writing threatening emails (copying the teen and several other adults) to grownups to lie about an older teen’s volunteering with a project so that they can get an award. A 80s bully teen would threaten me herself, in person, not send mommy to do it. We are lost. Integrity means nothing.

    2. This sounds like high awards for Scouts? I don’t have a teenager and certainly don’t aspire to being a helicopter mom, but I will say from the troop leader side of things, some of the adults on these committees seem to get off on putting the kids though h3ll and acting like nothing they do is good enough for the award. Not saying that’s you, but as a troop leader I end up encouraging parents to stand up for their kids more, not less, because the behavior of some committee members is so misguided. And for better or worse, the people on the committee respond better to pushback from parents than from teens.

      1. I have kids who are done with Scouts but still volunteer a bit. I have had parents wanting me to sign off on merit badges that aren’t done, camping nights that weren’t camped, that kids have been involved for service hours when we have not seen them in years, etc.

        Those kids and adults IMO ruin it for the kids who are showing up and doing the things. It’s like how Kara Goucher is not wrong to call out people who dope in the running world on her podcast.

          2. I agree it’s silly to lie and fwiw I have never encountered anyone outright lying about this stuff (but we’re also a troop that’s relaxed/flexible about badge requirements so there’s not as much motivation to lie).
            But comparing it to professional athletes doping is truly a wild take. It’s just not comparable at all.

          3. That’s great, for 10:28.

            My experience was with three troops, one of which is locally derided as an “Eagle Factory.” It’s not fair to label all of the kids, but the adults there do everyone a disservice by ignoring the point of the program to gain what they see as a useful college credential.

          4. After seeing several parents I know push their kids to become Eagle Scouts and “earn” Gold Awards, I now consider both awards to be completely devoid of substance and a sign of either a grade-grubbing kid or a tiger parent.

    5. Why do you keep complaining about approving Eagle Scout award projects instead of just removing yourself from the situation?

    6. Are you the scout mom who posted a few weeks ago about parents’ constantly e-mailing requests that you sign off on volunteer hours for kids you don’t even know?

  5. We are looking to buy a home in the SF Bay Area and recently toured an end-unit townhome that has a great layout and feel, but it backs up to a steep ravine/large ditch. It’s dry now but wouldn’t be in a wet year. We have a toddler and thought no problem, we’ll just fence it, but apparently the HOA prohibits that because they technically own the land, although the owner in the unit gets to use the lawn (what little there is of it) before it drops off steeply. I don’t see why they would care because it wouldn’t be visible from the street and on the other side is brush and a public park. Anyway, my question is whether an HOA can refuse to let a townhome owner install a safety fence against a clear hazard. My realtor said some other neighbor on the street fenced her little plot to keep her dog in and successfully fought the HOA on it, but I don’t know any other details.

    1. Also, to keep things on track here, please know that I am aware of the downsides of HOAs in general.

    2. It’s contract law, so yes. What trumps are federal laws like ADA and putting dishes on the roof back when we used them. The HOA probably just didn’t want the hassle or expense or granted permission; that’s not something I can see you getting by some sort of “right” if the HOA rules that you signed onto actually prohibit it.

    4. “ Anyway, my question is whether an HOA can refuse to let a townhome owner install a safety fence against a clear hazard.”

      Yes

    5. Yes, an HOA can do that because you don’t own the land in question. I would pass on a place where you’re gearing up to fight them from day one.

      1. This is probably the right answer. Or reframe it that all land in your area is likely hilly and a TH is likely better than an apartment (one door to the outside) in many ways.

      2. Also, the HOA will use dues to pay for lawyers, so you are going to be funding their lawyers and your lawyers.

        1. Yeah. I’m an attorney but not in torts or real estate. That said, I would counsel the HOA to fence off the hazard, especially if an owner is willing to do it for free. No one needs the death of a small child, the publicity, or even the costs of defending the inevitable lawsuit.

          Framing that for the HOA would be the trick.

          My inclination is to buy it, approach the HOA with the win-win proposition, and if they decline, find temporary solutions: alarm on the door leading out to the backyard, some sort of retractable temporary gate (they make these for people with RVs), etc.

    6. This would be a question for a real estate attorney. The question is also how to best handle the situation: don’t bother buying it because if the ill will you will engender on this fight; present it as a liability for the HOA (depending on state law and how the judges in your area view these things) and offer to pay for it yourself; buy it and install a temporary fence while your child is young; etc.

      1. +1 for ill will you will engender as a new person who has never helped a neighbor but has driven up their HOA costs with your lawsuit

        1. My first impression is that this fence seems worse than a real permanent fence. Especially as displayed next to an RV here, it seems very low-end. Don’t know a polite way of putting this but it might make the situation worse rather than better.

    7. The only person I know in this situation does not get to fence it, and as far as the HOA is concerned, their kid can stay indoors or on a leash or whatever keeps them safe without breaking the HOA rule.

    8. Not the question you asked, but there are all sorts of retractable soft fencing that are sold to keep dogs and kids on driveways (or keep balls from rolling out onto busy streets) and other spaces without something being permanently installed. When my kids were little, those catalogs would just show up. Now, Home Despot or Amazon probably has tons of things you can look at (like snow fencing that rolls out and back).

    9. This is only a problem for like 2 years. Be vigilant and soon it won’t matter one bit.

    10. I’d contact the person who fenced her yard in. It might seem weird to some people, but I’ve talked to neighbors when buying a house and all were happy to chat.

    11. If you’re thinking of taking it either way, how serious is the HOA? Is there an office onsite and landscapers who would routinely see your property? How many neighbors have a direct view of your property? If the HOA is run by a couple of owners, with no office onsite and no landscapers in the ravine, I would just do the fencing you linked. Worst case, they eventually ask you to remove it. You could ask the realtors how the HOA is run and how rules are enforced (monthly board walk abouts?). If it’s casual and your townhouse is out of the way, I doubt they would catch it.

  6. Ok, an on-topic discussion for today. Halfway down the page at the link below is for a photo of the reps at this week’s G7 meeting. The three women are:

    – In teal, UK
    – In pink, Canada
    – In ’90s school marm, the EU

    The standard for women’s attire for so long used to be, do you match the men, are you as formal as the men, can you prove you belong. With these ladies, WDYT? Is that standard passé now? Are they equal to the men? Do you/society care?

    https://www.npr.org/2026/03/27/nx-s1-5763475/iran-war-talks-rubio-markets-g7

    1. If I’m a woman of gravitas and 50+, they may dress for themselves, especially if they are a civil servant vs a politician.

    2. I cannot imagine caring about what female leaders wear when the world is on fire both literally and figuratively.

    3. They all look appropriate. If the teal and pink had buttoned their blazers, they would be matching the men in formality.

    4. Practically, it makes no difference. Haters gonna hate, because of too boring or not boring enough outfits.
      Philosophically, we shouldn’t even ask this question just for one gender.

    5. Love dresses like this for work. The cut is really flattering on me. Will pass on this one because this brand doesn’t fit me.

    6. First, I’m thrilled that we’re no longer at a point where a woman has to wear a black/navy/charcoal suit with a white top to feel like she fits in with the men. Second, my initial reaction to the photo was that their outfits are fine. Nothing stood out to me as inappropriate or out of place. I think they could all look sharper, but if I hadn’t been looking at the photo specifically because of your question, nothing about them would have particularly drawn my attention.

    7. I expected to see them in sweaters looking like secretaries from your description, but instead I see women taking advantage of a broader range of color and the same level of formality. None of the outfits are my personal style but I don’t think your point is made here.

      1. Same, the only one who stands out is the navy jacket + gray skirt, but that’s more because she sort of disappears in the photo than not being appropriately formal.

    8. The Japanese gentleman has the only tailoring that looks like it fits to me? How are people so powerful without a decent tailor?

      As for Rubio, I’m extremely over men in too tight too short suit pants. I was a look 10 -15 years ago. It’s looking dated.

      I have a trial law background and it’s difficult for me not to wear a suit in important situations. For me, the ideal is to project that you understand tailoring and formality that not that you’re mimicking what’s masculine. I like the pink jacket. I wish it didn’t look like she threw it on over cheap black separates. It could be gorgeous over well cut trousers.

    9. I guess it’s just a personal peeve of mine, but I really hate when there’s a picture of a group where the men are all in neutral suits while one woman is wearing some kind of loudly colored not-suit. To me, it just looks off and separate. But I think women look really nice in neutral, professional suits, and generally think brightly colored suits often look dumb and childish. Obviously, people can do what they want, it doesn’t impact their worth, etc., but that’s my fashion opinion.

      1. This is exactly what I was thinking of when the poster the other day was all into her coral blazer. Ick. Just pass on the dark outfit with a pop of pink.

        1. We all go through a coral blazer phase!!! I got a wool Jcrew coral blazer with gold buttons around 2009 maybe and wore it to death. I LOVED it.

      1. Yeah, I like colored suiting for women. Dressing too much like a guy looks really odd.

    11. And what’s wrong with it? They look fine. Except for the Ukraine minister— his jacket is too small and his pants are too long

    12. The outfits aren’t what I find jarring in this picture. It’s the fact that they are all lined up as if they are waiting for something terrible to happen to them. They don’t need to put their arms around one another, but couldn’t they at least stand naturally in a more organic grouping?

    13. They look absolutely fine!

      And a lot better than the males, of which only the Japanese and German representative is wearing clothes that fit them.

  7. Me, again. Since someone asked yesterday I figured I’d bring this drama to a close.

    Canned this morning. Awful Manager gave me a 5-minute notice to call me, sent a link and HR was on. I’m fired. They actually gave me a “two week non-work notice”, so my last day is April 10 but I lose access to everything today. I’m not really sure what that achieves, but ok. Then I’m getting 2 more weeks severance after that, plus all my PTO paid out. I’ve only been here 18 months so that’s not shocking I suppose. I get severance if I sign the agreement I have yet to see. I won’t be signing it if it says anything remotely out of bounds – I don’t need two weeks of pay that badly. We shall see.

    They won’t block unemployment and said their corporate policy for future references is to confirm dates of employment and title. That all sounds like a good enough answer.

    My boss stumbled through the preamble before HR took over. He said that I did a lot of good work during the PIP term and showed improvement, but the last six weeks did not make up for the work product prior to the PIP. Mmmmmkay, buddy.

    I feel free. It’s nice out. I think I’ll go for a walk, take myself out to lunch and have myself the day I deserve.

    1. Your boss sounds like a truly mediocre, conflict-avoidant dude. I’m sorry you’ve had this experience, but yes — take yourself out for a walk. Wait to see what they offer you to sign. Know that you’re on your way to something different & better.

    2. I’m sorry! It probably won’t impact you, but it sounds like they really screwed this up. They’re supposed to document poor work product on the PIP. I’m glad they won’t fight you on unemployment.

      I was let go last fall. They couched it as a layoff but I was the only one let go and it came after a couple years of increasingly loud grumblings about my performance. I started my own business and although my income is not where it was before, it’s growing quickly and I’m sooo much happier. I hope you find something else that’s much better!

    3. Have a lovely walk and lunch – you deserve it

      This sucks, but honestly it sounds like the kind of place you weren’t going to thrive anyway – may better things on the horizon soon!

    4. Don’t be dumb. Unless you have a real employment claim, sign the agreement and get your severance.

      2. This for two reasons: it isn’t worth fighting over, and being cooperative (even when they aren’t) helps when you’re job hunting. Tone matters when a future potential employer calls up to confirm dates of employment.

        1. I think the reason I wouldn’t sign is if there’s non-compete language or anything else along those lines.

          1. Yeah, I don’t know why people are jumping on you for saying you are going to read it before signing!

    5. I am so sorry. It’s always on a Friday.

      I posted yesterday and it’s great to hear you are ok mentally. I’m sorry your manager was misleading. You most probably caught them off guard.

      1. I don’t disagree with the manager being misleading or caught off guard. Just thinking through – what should the manager have said if they knew the decision had been made and the conversation was within 24 hours? There were obviously other issues with the manager but on that point in particular, I am not sure what the right answer is in that situation.

    6. I am saying this to save you a little cortisone spike: The agreement they ask you to sign will almost definitely simply ask you to waive any financial claims against your employer in exchange for the severance. There may be a non-disparagement provision. I see these letters all the time, and the recipients often get very worked up unnecessarily while waiting for them, thinking they will speak to performance specifics or making you agree to something great about the company. I have never seen that, and I do this for part of my living for decades. Read the letter carefully when you receive it, but don’t waste energy imagining all the terrible things it might contain in the future. I would put money on it being a very vanilla letter/agreement. Deep breaths, long walks, a treat or two, and onward!! File for unemployment as soon as you qualify for it. Don’t be silly about that.

      1. No, the 18 months tenure is exactly when we terminate people who weren’t good hires. One year to evaluate the situation, 6 months to document the lack of good fit.

        2. With some more details that I won’t get in to, it kind of does actually. Maybe not at the corporate leadership level but my boss has wanted to shuffle the tea for a while and my role was a weird one in the plan. I think the bigger thing is my team/division leader (my boss’ boss) is the last exec remaining that wasn’t hired by the current CEO. He fired everyone else, brought in his own people and those teams seem to be humming along. I think she’s is nervous as all get out (as she should be) because the team as a whole is underperforming. Her angst is making my boss, who is inadequate in the best of circumstances, extra angsty, and then it just trickled downhill from there. I think they’re trying to reshuffle the team under her in a last ditch effort to straighten things out.

          Since I logged off this AM, I’ve had four colleagues reach out in shock that I’m gone, offering to be a reference and otherwise just really kind things to say.

    8. I suggest it would be kinder to yourself not to use words like “canned” or “booted” or even “fired.” They are harsh words for ending a job that didn’t work for you or the company. “Terminated” or “let go” mean the same with a less negative feel.

    9. We don’t put people on PIPs unless their work is tragic and we need to make a record before we let them go. Do some soul searching before you take another job.

      1. This response feels a little harsh. Your employer may use them that way, and I’d argued that’s how they should be used in an ideal world, but plenty of employers are more trigger-happy with a PIP and it doesn’t mean an employee’s work is “tragic” or they won’t be successful at their next job. I know several people who’ve been on PIPs and they all went on to have successful careers, mostly in the same field. It just wasn’t a good match with the employer, which happens.

      2. Way harsh, Tai. She lost her job today. After being given some positive feedback during the PIP and at the end of the process. Employers are not a monolith, and you can’t speak for all employers. Sometimes they use PIPs for good reasons, and sometimes they don’t – just like everything else that employers do.

  8. If you had a choice between

    Job A: $475 but with a terrible 1.5 hour each way car commute 2-3x a week, stronger brand and title. Better benefits.

    Job B: $340 with a good 20 min train commute 2-3x a week, OK brand and title. OK benefits.

    Both companies are going through a lot of mess with reorgs and AI.

    Other thoughts: current federal + state tax rate is effectively 50%. So the extra post-tax money from the job A isn’t going to be life changing for us as long as spouse keeps her job. But spouse’s job is also unstable, and if she is laid off, then it’ll be more important my income is maximized to the amount it could be.

    1. I’m currently at your Job B and have opted not to pursue Job A type roles because-

      (1) we’re DINKs that are roughly equal earners, make a total ~$650K per year and so the incremental $100K, while nothing to sneeze at, would not be a material lifestyle change;
      (2) we love traveling and a higher-stress Job A would impinge on that;
      (3) spending 3 hours per day commuting – especially driving – is one of my personal circles of hell. No way.

    2. I don’t think either choice is wrong, and it depends on your life stage what you’d take. In the past I would have taken the 475 no question, but with kids and a dog now I’d take the 340. The benefits might honestly be what I’d swing on, because I really value good benefits. I don’t think there’s a wrong answer, I’d make a pros and cons list.

    3. Honestly, it would depend on my age. I’m now 50. 15 years ago, I would have done Job A; now I’d do Job B without question.

    4. This is probably COL-dependent. I’d say Job B for sure. In fact, our HHI is less than your Job B salary and we feel rich… but we live in a LCOL area. I realize in a place like NYC or Bay Area the money doesn’t go as far.

    5. 3h driving vs 40 minutes on a train is a no brainer for me, but I have a very low stress tolerance for wasting time.

    6. How much of this is cash versus bonus versus equity? Some classmates get sticker shock and ignore that the cash portion is too low for their needs. And if the reorgs are truly persistent, that equity doesn’t get a chance to vest anyways.

      That said, I would pick Job A. Save it now and you can opt for truly anything later in life.

    7. The drive sounds awful. One thought: how much would a driver cost? If A is more interesting for the reasons you describe maybe you could use the extra money to hire someone to drive you there and back. You could potentially even work in the car.

    8. I’m single and don’t own a home and would do A but move closer. But if moving isn’t an option, B for sure. What’s all that money for if you’re spending 3hrs/day in the car (plus probably a long work day??). Unless there’s something else in play, like you could work one year at job A and implement your FIRE plan that much faster… no

    9. I’d take B because the commute for A isn’t worth it to me, but that’s dependent on your life circumstances. If you commute 3x a week, that’s an extra 7 hours a week commuting. Assuming you work 45 weeks a year, that’s an extra 315 hours a year. So is the extra 315 hours worth an extra 135k pretax?

    10. A because your earning years can end sooner than you think and a car commute isn’t that much longer than a train commute once you factor in getting to the train, waiting for the train, delays on the train etc. and 2-3x a week is nothing.

    11. Job A. It’s $115k more which is $57k more in your pocket plus better benefits.

      Medical insurance is no joke. I save $20k in premiums per year switching jobs and I saved another $8k on the out of pocket max.

      I’m just waiting for the poster to shame you for having such a high income! Congrats on the offers. Well done.

      1. I’d take a close look at both benefits packages. I took a Job A and the benefits package adds a solid $15k/year to my take home income as we have some chronic health issues and expensive meds in my family.

    12. B. And you’re rich. If you can’t handle your lifestyle on 300k and neeeeed 450, you’re spending insane cash

    13. In some ways, the stronger title and brand can backfire if they axe your position in six months because of AI. “Oh you were let go from being a senior VP at GE after six months? Ooohhhh, red flag.” I would much rather “Random company can’t get its act together.”

    14. Do you need the better benefits? At this age, quality of life means a lot to me. With that kind of commute for Job A, I’d probably spend one night a week in a hotel.

      1. This. If you can stack the two in-office days, this would be a no-brainer for me. And I’d plan to go in early Day 1 and leave early or late Day 2 to miss traffic. YMMV, but there could be real benefits to your homeife with this, too, depending on your relationship and home obligations.

    15. Benefits and commute almost always mean more to me than salary. I love a train commute (time to read or handle tasks or just zone out) and I could never do a long commute, which makes B very attractive.

      But then again, benefits and non-benefit perks like flexibility are really important to me. I am fortunate in that I actually really love my current health insurance (who thought they’d ever say that sentence!) and time off and a good retirement match are important to me too!

      Since you’re married – whose health insurance are you planning on using? This could be a moot point if you’re on your spouse’s.

      Also since you’re married – what job’s vacation time and holiday schedule aligns best with your spouse? It’d be really hard for me to have like 15 days combined PTO while my spouse has 25. For me, the huge perk of being a DINK is being able to travel so that’s a really important consideration for me.

    16. 1.5 hour commute each way is a no-go for me. That would make me hate my life and job so fast, and I don’t think the money, title, brand or benefits could make up for the quality of life hit unless, maybe, you had a strong plan for this to be temporary to pivot to something else.

      2. I really do not understand this objection. I live 5 miles from my office in a congested city and it can take 45 minutes just to get there. I’ve done 1.5 drives each way and they’re lovely – you make phone calls, listen to audio books, have a coffee all in your personal choice of a car. Wouldn’t be a dealbreaker for me at all and I certainly wouldn’t sacrifice that much money to avoid it.

        1. That takes three hours out of your day, and if you work a long day (as I suspect OP would given those salaries), you’re left with hardly any free time. There aren’t enough audiobooks in the world to make up for that.

  9. In the spirit of yesterday’s glp-1 conversation I want to share what my day has looked like. I went for a walk with a friend who couldn’t stop talking about how thin and great I looked, then proceeded to loudly complain about how “everyone” is on ozempic and shouldnt be. I have no to obligation to disclose this right? I feel strongly that it’s no one’s business but would she be embarrassed is she knew I was on trizepitide?

    I woke up this morning to my kid’s preschool text chain. Several moms are suggesting a particular farm share because “ you know about the multiple health problems that food here can cause.” Huh? The farm share is local how is it different than the food “here?” My kids eat mostly good stuff with a small treat for dessert. Great to know I’m poisoning them somehow.

    Basically I can never “perform” modern health and wellness in a way that feels acceptable to the world around me. Even if my body looks fine people are judging and suspicious. I might buy organic but not from the proper farm. I can’t really tune it out. I really think the food and body shaming was less intense when I was a teenager.

    I went to college with girls from less fancy places who enjoyed hot dogs and pirogues without hysteria and shame. If they gained a few pounds they knew they were still cute and the boys didn’t seem to mind. They were pretty and fun. It was seen as prissy and boring to count calories except for maybe in the few weeks before spring break. How did we lose that? I can’t tell if it’s a time or place thing but how does this matter so much in midlife?

    1. It’s like the 80s are back. Women can’t achieve anything b/c we spend all of our time being the food police and focusing on disordered eating, but dressing it up with a bit with a name like “eating clean” or whatever.

      The rightest thing here is that men don’t care if you gain a few pounds. The women will eat you alive (only figuratively, because they aren’t doing red meat now).

      2. Your first paragraph is spot-on. It’s another symptom of the current ramped-up backlash in certain political/cultural quarters against womens’ rights and achievements.

    2. I’m fairly certain I’m not in your area, but there is a street here with three farm stands on it that is a known ALS hotstpot. The number of people who used to live or work on that street in the past five years who have died shortly after an ALS diagnosis is staggering.

      Sometimes word of mouth is a good thing.

    3. The pandemic was so politically unpopular that public health pretty much gave up, and now healthcare has never cost more. Whether it’s MAHA branded supplements, lefty organics, or better living through chemistry, people really want to believe that they have control over health outcomes through life choices and will do better than whoever takes a different route. Rolling back regulations and oversight on food, pollution, and more means that there’s more risk to making no effort at all, and the kind of basic safety we took for granted is now being marketed as a “you get what you pay for” upgrade as the standards drop.

    4. I think you are surrounded by people who seem quite extra. And I’m sorry for that, because it sounds both demoralizing and boring AF! You are under no obligation to disclose your GLP-1 use, but I would either ignore or redirect these weird food conversations.

      1. +1 to ignore or redirect weird food conversations. For me, they’re boring and unhelpful and remind me of the 90s in a bad way. Just because some people want to engage on these kinds of things doesn’t mean you have to engage on these topics.

    5. Lose weight but not that way.
      Depending on how good of friends you are with the walking woman, I’d probably tell her but I’m in a “get over yourselves” era to the diet/exercise/don’t care to lose my thin privilege crew that drives the “only certain people who will never be thin are allowed to use ozempic” narratives.

    7. No one can ever perform anything enough – that’s why you reject the modern standards. Get a punk rock attitude and say “Don’t care”

      The answer is to tune it out. You are in control of what you let control you.

      I completely agree that this is all gross and lame and BS. But because it is all these things, it is not helpful and therefore, it gets scoffed at and ignored.

      “Lame” “Boring” “Who cares” – these are your new mantras.

    8. You don’t have any obligation to share how you lost weight. I recently lost 20 pounds due to a health scare, and I don’t think it’s anyone’s business what drove the weight loss. I can’t think of anything more boring than for me to share how I’ve changed what I eat, and what I measure, etc. I bore myself with it, but it’s necessary for me to do.

      I believe that the focus on “better” foods, and having the most organic, most this or that food is partly because people have been made to feel that health issues are due to something they did or didn’t do. It’s certainly true that smoking, excessive drinking, eating a lot of processed foods, etc. negatively impacts your health. People then extrapolate that to thinking if they and their children eat the cleanest, healthiest, naturally and locally grown produce farmed by organic elves, they are protecting themselves. Unfortunately, that not true. I try to give these people some grace because I see that it’s coming from fear or a need to control the uncontrollable.

    9. It might also be an environment thing. I have a super successful corporate job, and that has meant a drift over time towards really wealthy women who…. conform? Like, they are lovely friends in many ways, but they also just share certain beliefs like what you’re describing that I don’t. I’ve come to realize that while I ove my corporate job, I don’t have a corporate personality and so I seek out spaces, relationships etc in my own time that are more “alternative” could be something worth thinking about. in my non-corporate bubble, what you describe would not be a thing. I don’t think those friends would even have some of the things you describe cross their minds. It’s worth thinking about.

    10. People whose lives are sad tend to hyperfixate on things like the “correct” place to buy produce. People with actual lives don’t have time for that – much like Steve Jobs putting on the same black turtleneck every morning.

      (I need lunch. I’m getting blunt.)

      1. Supporting a local farm can be a really joyful part of life! Pressuring people to do the same for health reasons is the issue.

        1. I love buying produce and bread from people I’ve known for decades when I can. I don’t pressure anyone to do the same, though.

          1. I’d happily encourage people to join me because good food is good! I also enjoy when my local farms have fun events people can attend.

            And I honestly do appreciate that some of these farms make more ethical choices, but puritanism ruins whatever it touches for me. Let’s support things we care about and live a great life and leave out the status games and the judgments when we can. Nobody can make the best possible decision at every decision point at all times.

        2. There’s no joy in this for me. I’ve done these before. I mean they’re going to give everyone a ton of turnips and badly bruised peaches. No one is going to eat it. They’re going to eat non local out of season organic berries instead. But somehow just doing that from the jump makes you a crummy mom. It’s so performative and bad for my mental health. I don’t know when health became a hobby and I resent it.

        3. I didn’t say it wasn’t joyful. But doing something because you like it isn’t the same as micromanaging every aspect of your own life and fretting about it in a text chain.

      2. Eh, this isn’t really true. I have a (self imposed) uniform, but I also have a CSA share. Caring about health and caring about fashion are not equivalent.

        1. I also have a CSA share. What I don’t have is time in my day to micromanage other people.

    11. If you are the poster who has commented in the past about anxiety re: needing to perform health and wellness and fear of being judged by friends and medical providers, I beg you, please seek therapy. This anxiety is bordering on paranoia and it’s clearly affecting your mental health.

      1. Honestly I appreciate it. But I’ve tried therapy. It’s just someone asking you why you feel that way. I know exactly why I feel what I feel. There isn’t more insight except for that I’ve witnessed a massive cultural shift wherein a preoccupation with food and health is a prerequisite for social acceptance and increased preoccupation comes with increased clout, seemingly without exception. It’s uncomfortable because it’s intrinsically tied to beauty and thinness in a way that feels superficial and antithetical to my values and interests. It’s painful because it’s tied to motherhood and parenting and of course I love my kids and there is a ton of guilt in not forsaking my own values to adopt my community’s values at their expense.

        This is my lived reality, not paranoia. It feels inescapable because it is.

        1. The external reinforcement of all this is escapable. Lots of communities and social groups are not like this. You can find people whose values are more in line with yours, but you do have to vote with your feet. You have to actually say how you feel, seek out people who might be a match and filter people in or out.

        2. Ehhh no one is thinking about you as much as you think they are. Just learn the script so you can have banal conversations when you need to and make real friends who think like you do.

        3. You seem very fixated on this to a point that’s not normal. While yes, many people in our society are focused on thinness and “health”, there are loads of people and friend groups where conversations rarely go in this direction.

          And I would also add that if you’re a parent, you have a duty to your kids to work on this aspect of your thinking. It’s verging on paranoid.

        4. I think people do think too much about weight and what others eat. That said, I tune out alot of it and people are giving you (real) feedback that therapy might help you tune some out too. If it makes you feel better, I have really enjoyed watching my son’s current and prior girlfriends (early 20’s) really enjoy eating. They do not just eat a salad for lunch or dinner. They have a hearty meal. Some of their friends wear bikinis despite having a belly pooch or muffin top. My generation would never do that. So, you are focused on a very small group of individuals and missing the point that some folks are not obsessively focused on weight or food and are out there living their lives. Even 20 year olds!

  10. What would you do?
    I’m a single mom with a stressful job, and I had booked a rare getaway for my child and me next week in a beautiful location where she could attend camp for spring break for three days (non-refundable camp, paid for). We were supposed to leave on Sunday, and I have arranged a dog sitter and everything. I was hoping to get a chance to relax by the pool while she is in camp. Last night I found out the Airbnb host has given away our first night to someone who had booked the whole weekend, and she offered for us to stay in a room in her house (which I would never be comfortable with, she and her family would be there the whole time so it would be super awkward). She basically claims it’s an “oopsie” (even though she was fully aware that we’re coming on Sunday, I think she just thought we wouldn’t protest too much) and I’m just so tired and upset with the whole thing. We can’t find another equivalent option near the camp with this short notice. We can’t get the camp refunded. It’s not worth going for just two nights, since the whole point was for me to have some time in this cottage during the day on Monday and Tuesday.

    The host did offer to comp the rest of my stay or cancel with a refund and comp another three night stay at some point in the future. We’re going to stay home and scramble for alternative childcare, but do I (1) just take her up on a comped stay at another time, or (2) tell Airbnb what happened (she clearly violated the host terms, and my booking is still active and not canceled on the platform) in which case I obviously wouldn’t go there in the future? I’ve had to eat about $400 in camp fees that I can’t get back, so I’m feeling extra upset about it, but I’m also in the middle of three mergers at work and I may be a bit extra touchy about losing my chance for a retreat in a lovely cottage.
    I know, first world problems probably, but I don’t have the mental bandwidth for this kind of thing right now.

    1. I’d go to Airbnb over it. The only thing that would make it right for me would be if she told the other person she made an error and that they can’t stay there. It doesn’t sound like she’s willing to do that for some reason.

    2. I’d go to AirBnB and raise a bit of a fuss. I’d include screenshots/emails and basically assume the host is going to lie/misstate what she told you originally.
      I’m not saying it’s your fault at all but this kind of shady host behavior is why I really hate staying at AirBnBs unless I have no other option.

    3. I’m sorry that really sucks! I would not want anything to do with this host in the future and would report her to Airbnb.

      A no fee travel agent may be able to help you secure last minute accommodations last minute even if you think there’s nothing available. Or contact the camp? I know it’s not their job to help people find hotels/airbnbs nearby but they might have a lead.

    4. I’d take her up on the comped stay and book a hotel room for the first night with that money.

      2. And pop microwave popcorn and watch a loud action movie at 2:00 am. Not really, I guess, but in my fantasy world where people get at least a little bit of what’s coming to them this would happen.

    5. If it’s still an option, I’d go stay at her house for night one. Hardly ideal, but I wouldn’t miss the rest of the trip for one night.

      1. I would 1000% not do this. No locking room. No sense of privacy. I assume it’s Jeffrey Epstein offering to host in situations where someone tries to force you to ignore a boundary and a contract.

        1. I wouldn’t go as far as saying the host is like Epstein, but agree this doesn’t sound like a comfortable situation.

    6. So this situation s-cks but why throw the trip away rather than driving up Monday morning?

    7. One of the following should happen:

      (1) You should pick a reasonable hotel for Sunday night and your host should pay for it. (This would be my choice, and your host should agree to the particular hotel and charges in writing and put up a credit card for it. It doesn’t matter if the hotel winds up being more expensive per night than AirBnB. If your host didn’t want to pay for your hotel she shouldn’t have given Sunday night away.)
      (2) Your host should refund your entire stay and make you whole for the non-refundable costs you incurred (camp, dog sitter, the works)
      (3) If your host doesn’t agree to (1) or (2), report the host to AirBnB and tell AirBnB you want them to pay for the hotel on Sunday night.

    9. Truly, I would call Airbnb and ask for a full refund + the difference for a hotel. This is totally unfair for the host (and likely violates their terms of service) to do to you, but you absolutely sound like you need the break (and deserve it!). If just paying for a nice hotel is financially feasible for you, I would do that: you’ve got the logistics and dog sitting and camp all lined up, take advantage of it.

    10. Why is the host bumping you and not the person who booked the whole weekend if it was an “oopsie”?

      1. Yeah, the indignant part of me wants to do this (I’m also an Airbnb host so I know how much of a no-no what she did is, I think she just got greedy and thought she could get away with it). But she has already agreed to refund the stay and comp three nights, so I would be cutting off my nose to spite my face in passing up on three free nights at a beautiful cottage with a pool just to be “right”? And do I want to spend my afternoon on hold with Airbnb on the phone? But I’m also really annoyed with her so do I actually want to go and stay at her place and meet her face to face (she lives in the adjacent house)?

        1. The adjacent house part is why I’d just do that and stay there Sunday night. Then you can have the cute cottage pool while they turn the space on Monday.

  11. Talk to me about self sabotage. DH had a job opportunity come up that is a huge raise, better working conditions, closer to his family, great town. Nothing but green flags when we asked around town about this position. He is a strong candidate. I proofed his materials, substantially rewrote his cover letter. Then he…. do anything with it and didn’t submit the application. He swears he did, but it’s not done. Either he is lying or he did something out-of-character dumb (idk, paid the electric bill thinking he was submitting the app?). This is out of left field for him and this job would have smoothed out a lot of things in our life. I get that applying doesn’t guarantee getting it, but now there is zero chance. If there was some reason he just wasn’t feeling it, we had many, many chances to talk about that (and I wouldn’t have wasted my time on his application materials). He has no reason to lie about this and has always been trustworthy. We have (had?) good communication. I am at a loss here, want to talk to him about it and don’t want to say anything out of anger, but I am angry.

    1. Assuming you’re not his boss, how do you know he didn’t apply? This sounds like a level of micromanaging a spouse’s career that isn’t normal or healthy. I agree if he lied that’s not great, but your behavior doesn’t sound great to me either.

      1. He’d asked me to log in to proof some materials. I’m not great with browser-tab housekeeping. Nothing nefarious or anything done without being asked. That’s why it’s so dang weird.

        1. I’m still confused. If. How do you know do you know he didn’t apply later? Isn’t it obvious that he hadn’t applied yet if he was still asking you to proofread materials? No one proofreads a job application that has already been submitted.

          Leaping to a completely definitive “he lied!” says a lot about your marriage. That may his fault as much or more than your fault, if he has a history of deceiving you. But it still says a lot. I cannot imagine assuming anything other than a miscommunication or mistake on the part of my husband in this situation.

        2. idk about the position that “it’s his career so butt out” – your spouse’s job is a huge influence on your life!

          So. what exactly happened here, you saw an open tab with an incomplete application? My assumption would be DH got distracted and came back to it later and finished it in another window.

          Use your words? “DH, I’m sorry, I got really invested in this application because it seemed like a great opportunity for you and us. I saw this open tab when I was helping you proofread X and assumed you’d never finished it. Can you humor my paranoia and triple pinkie swear confirm that you submitted it another way?”

          1. My husband would look at me as if I grew three heads if I asked him to “triple pinkie swear” on anything. And then he would refuse out of principle. So would I because we’re the same type of person.

          2. Sometimes DH or I know what we’re asking from the other one is kind of unreasonable but would appreciate the ‘extra’ anyway. We therefore admit it when we’re asking, yes using kind of OTT language. Use whatever jokey term works for your marriage.

          3. I don’t think anyone on this thread has implied that you get no say in a spouse’s career decisions. Of course his job affects her. But the leap to assuming that he didn’t apply suggests something is fundamentally wrong in their marriage. Either he’s given her a good reason to assume he’s lying, or she’s irrationally distrustful. Either is a big issue that goes much beyond this job.

    3. Two men in my life have done this in the past few years. I think the more they want the job, the more they are afraid they won’t get the job and become avoidant.

    4. Yeah, we need more information. How do you know that he didn’t apply? And if you do know he didn’t apply, did you just ask why he didn’t submit the materials?

      1. You logged in a while ago to proof his materials (before he submitted, presumably); he says he submitted them (later); you’re still logged in and have that original proofreading tab open and it doesn’t say “submitted” sounds way, way more like their ATS doesn’t sync well than “your husband lied”, unless you have other reason to believe your husband is the type to lie!

        3. So I get every marriage is different by my immediate reaction would be “babe! It’s still says incomplete! Did you apply?” And then see what he says.

          I’m not saying you’re wrong but we can’t personally get into the nitty gritty of why he would have lied to you about this. Although maybe since it’s you doing most of the legwork, he might want this job less than you do? There’s apparently a gap in communication at the very least, given that you’re speculating here before asking him right?

    5. Wait. I’m rereading. Is it possible your husband has a non professional kind of career and you have a more professional career? Because it seems like you’re kind of micromanaging this career step. Maybe what’s better for the family isn’t what he wants or he feels weird that his wife rewrites his cover letters and he’s going to have to sink or swim in the job.

      My husband is also a lawyer and I feel like we run stuff by each other but I’m not rewriting cover letters and proofreading his applications. I think I would feel infantilized if he did that to me. From what you write it seems like you want this job for him but he’s not said that he wants it. Again, I don’t know the big picture but that’s the angle I’m seeing based on what you wrote.

    6. You can tell a lot from his reaction to you discovering that he hadn’t actually submitted the application. If he wanted that job and thought he had submitted, then he would’ve been at least a little upset to find out he didn’t! The “huh shrug thought I did oh well” reaction tells you that he already knew he didn’t. Idk why people on here are fighting you so hard on this.

      He’s being avoidant. Surely you have noticed his tendency to do this before now, so do whatever has worked for you before to get him to open up. You’re right to not come at this from a place of anger — that’s the whole reason he’s being avoidant to begin with, he knows this meant a lot to you. I’d also counsel putting aside this notion that he’s self sabotaging. You’re making a judgment that he should have done this, when clearly, he disagrees. He doesn’t want to do it for some reason. Approaching him from a place of curiosity about his reasons will be more constructive than Monday morning quarterbacking this particular opportunity.

      I know you’ve probably tried to talk to him about this before. He didn’t communicate. All you can do is move forward. I’ve been there and I know how frustrating that is, and how frustrating this advice must feel. I’m sorry. It sucks. You’re entitled to feel like it sucks. You’re entitled to feel like HE sucks for not communicating with you, for making it your job to draw him out about why he has a very different idea of what’s best for your marriage and joint life together than you do and why he’s never bothered to tell you that before. But your marriage does need this talk.

    7. Does he actually want this job, or do you want him to take this job? Is it possible that he doesn’t want to change jobs even though you see upsides, and he’s hesitant to be upfront with you about that? Kinda seems like you’re driving this boat, and expected him to bring up his feelings about a change in his life you’re pushing for. At least, that’s the way it sounds.

    8. I am going to assume that you are correct that he didn’t apply, and he is refusing to fix the error. I’m also going to assume that “smooth over a lot of things in your life” is going some heavy lifting.

      In my experience, this happens when the husband doesn’t want to admit that he hasn’t been pulling his weight with his job thus far. If he changes jobs, that means that his current job has actually been causing the problems that you say it has been causing (bad commute, bad pay, area of the country that’s bad for your career, whatever it is).

  12. I am updating my professional headshot next month. What is your favorite *look* for headshots? I generally shop at Ann Taylor and am petite.

    1. I photography terribly in most jackets (what looks great IRL adds bulk in photos) so I go with a structured blouse in a flattering color.

    2. I’ve been happiest with my headshots where I’m wearing a second layer–a cardigan of some kind, generally (bus. casual work). The color change between blouse and cardigan breaks up my torso and feels more flattering.

    3. Use AI. It’s good enough and gets the job done. I used a headshot I took as a selfie 30min after waking up. It turned out fine and cost me $50.

  13. Fellow travelers, what would you say are must-dos in Florence for a first-time visitor? I know it’s a popular location and wonder if you’ve had some particularly memorable experiences. I’m interested in Italian food, museums, walking/outdoor spaces, perhaps a day tour of Tuscany. And I’m planning on being there in April over the Easter holiday.

    1. If you’re up for day trips, you’ll be close to Siena.

      For outdoor walking spaces, I always remember the gardens at NYU’s Villa La Pietra campus, but I think there are many others that are similar!

      1. Siena was BEAUTIFUL, only place I’ve ever been that looked like a real life Disney movie. Florence was…fine

        1. OMG I could not disagree more. I found Siena drab and soulless. Brown, brown, and more brown. It is where banking was invented and they have that horse race and a relic and … that’s about it. Florence has one of the most amazing art scenes in the world, terrific food and glorious shopping. I went to Florence, Tuscany and Rome for my honeymoon and only spent 2 nights in Florence thinking that was enough and I cannot wait to return.

        2. I also disagree. Siena was… fine. Florence was magical, absolutely beautiful city and great food. Our whole family loved it. I’ve been to Italy 8 times and to date Florence is still my favorite part.

        3. My husband saw Sienna as a college student and 20 years later still talks about it as one of the prettiest places he’s ever visited (and he is decently traveled.)

        4. It’s not a contest! Florence is wonderful; I enjoyed the contrast. Now I wish I made it to Lucca too!

    2. Never been, but on the day trip line – my parents traveled often and loved Lucca. Everyone who has taken this suggestion from me has agreed it is a great place to visit.

    3. While all of Italy has good food and wine, Florence has art you can see nowhere else. The other thing that is special about Florence is its leather market.

      I would spend as much time as possible in the Uffizi, the Accademia (which is small, you only need an hour), the two most famous churches (Basilica di San Lorenzo and Basilica di Santa Maria Novella), and the outdoor sculptures and fountains. Skip the day tour of Tuscany and save your appetite for dinner!

      1. Absolutely this! But if you are there Holy Week, do check on when services are and avoid churches during those (particularly on Good Friday) unless you are there for that specific purpose.

        I went to Florence for the art and really, really want to go back.

    5. Definitely the Uffizi, the Accademia, and the Duomo (get tickets to climb the dome if available). The Boboli are the most popular gardens (I think because they’re attached to the Pritti Palace), but I liked the Bardini better, and if you happen to be there at the right time and the wisteria is blooming (it was blooming when we were there in late April), they have a lovely wisteria arch tunnel that you can get a great picture from framing the Duomo. Pre-book tickets to the everything you can as Florence is super crowded. Try to get the earliest tickets for the Uffizi, make a beeline for the room with the Birth of Venus, see that before the room gets insanely crowded, then double back and see everything else.

    6. Artisanal Gelato! Our favorites were Cantina del gelato on Borgo la Croce (and that’s in a cool neighborhood), Gelateria Artigianale La Sorbettiera, Cantina del Gelato II. Museo di San Marco for the Fra Angelico murals. Take serious walking shoes, those medieval paving stones are very hard.

    7. Florence is wonderful. Some off beat recs: read a Room with A View on the plane. Pitti Mosaici has incredible stone mosaics for sale. The big ones are expensive but totally worth it, I treasure mine. Stone 985 has amazing hand painted ceramics and the owner will ship it. I got a giant bowl that’s been the centerpiece of my table for years. Faliero Sarti has amazing silk clothes. The chapel at the Medici palace is amazing. Museo Bargello. Osteria Cinghiale Bianco and Osteria e Vinaino Cicalone were great meals. Have fun! Florence is wonderful and you can just wander around and find amazing stuff.

    8. Florence is to die for, I love it so much. The Uffizi Gallery is incredible. I spent 6 hours there and could have stayed longer. If you view it in the intended order, you watch western art history unfold in front of you. As is the Duomo – climb to the top if you don’t mind small spaces. We did an afternoon wine tour in Tuscany and it was fabulous. If you’re into steak, you’re in the right place. Find a steak and truffle dish for dinner. If you’re up for a long walk up a hill, walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo to watch the sunset over panoramic views of the city. Go early because it gets crowded, and bring snacks and wine. Go to Cafe Gilli for espresso, croissants, and chocolates.

    9. I really enjoyed the Boboli Gardens, hiking to San Miniato al Monte, and spending time on the Oltrarno side.

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