Suit of the Week: 1.State
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For busy working women, the suit is often the easiest outfit to throw on in the morning. In general, this feature is not about interview suits for women, which should be as classic and basic as you get — instead, this feature is about the slightly different suit that is fashionable, yet professional.
Unlike recent Nordstrom Anniversary Sales, the 2022 NAS is filled with good workwear — including a lot of great suits. This one from 1.State is one of my favorites (although note that the pants are doing the “front slit hem” trend — what are your thoughts on that one, readers?).
The blazer comes in dark green, purple, and black, and the pants come in green and black — lovely. The back especially has some nice folds and tucks that make it interesting.
The blazer is available in sizes 00-18, and is $92.99 during the sale ($139 after the sale ends). The pants are available in sizes 00-18 and 14W-28W (black only); they are $65, but will be $99 after the sale ends. (OOOOH: 1.State actually has a ton of nice workwear in this colorway.)
This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!
Sales of note for 2/7/25:
- Nordstrom – Winter Sale, up to 60% off! 7850 new markdowns for women
- Ann Taylor – Extra 25% off your $175+ purchase — and $30 of full-price pants and denim
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 15% off
- Boden – 15% off new season styles
- Eloquii – 60% off 100s of styles
- J.Crew – Extra 50% off all sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – 40% off everything including new arrivals + extra 20% off $125+
- Rothy's – Final Few: Up to 40% off last-chance styles
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – 40% off one item + free shipping on $150+
Question to Senior Attorney.
SA, in one of the comments from yesterday, you mentioned “[h]onestly, having been a parent but also having been in two child-free marriages after that, I would seriously consider getting back together on the terms above with an understanding up front that kids would NOT be in the picture. If I thought the relationship was worth it.”
Would you mind explaining a bit more what this means? That in hindsight, your child-free marriages were less stressful, or something else? Was hoping to gain some clarity as I appreciate your thoughtful guidance!
My current husband and I often say that the difficulty level of our marriage is about zero: Plenty of money, low-stress jobs, no kids. (Especially now since my dad just passed so no elder care issues any more). So yes, marriages without kids are exponentially less stressful than marriages with kids.
But it’s not just that: It’s that a marriage without children can be every bit as meaningful and loving and important as a marriage with kids. And not only that, there’s no question that in the best case scenario having kids can enrich your marriage. But it is, perhaps, just as likely to drive you apart — especially if you get into the division-of-labor wars. Or if the kids bring extra challenges that you aren’t in agreement about how to handle. Or because finances are inevitably tighter when there are more people in the picture.
I guess what I mean to say is that people seem to automatically consider childfree marriages “second best” and I wanted to push back against that. You can have a very meaningful marriage and life without being a parent. Ex. A being my sweet husband who was unable to have children with his late wife of 27 years and now is a bemused and loving observer of my grown son and I but in no way a parental figure.
Thank you! I appreciate your insights as always.
SA, I’m sorry about your dad.
Condolences for the loss of your father, SA.
I second this a thousand percent. Also someone in a child free marriage, it’s low difficulty and highly rewarding. Cannot recommend enough, especially if you’re on the fence about kids.
My mom and I had this conversation once and concluded that all of the happiest married/partnered people we know don’t have have children. The happily married people with children all made a point of putting their relationship at least front and center, if not always first.
I think I have a pretty happy and successful relationship and I wouldn’t want to give up my kids but it is also true that probably close to 90% of all our conflict is in one way or another kid-related.
Sorry to hear about your dad, SA.
+1 if you posted about this, SA, I missed it. I’m sorry for your loss.
Thanks, everybody. It was quick and peaceful and he was 96 years old so I’m calling it a win.
like usual, Senior Attorney coming in with excellent advice. i completely agree you can have a fulfilling marriage without kids and even though i do have kids, i don’t think of marriages without kids as second best. sometimes i think they look easier, but i always imagined being a mom. Just wanted to point out that your advice is coming form a different stage of life in your 3rd marriage where I am assuming you got together when you were past the age/stage of being able to have kids? and i whole heartedly believe that people can get married in their 20s or 30s and have a fulfilling marriage without kids, but the OP should make sure she is really ok with that and that it won’t lead to resentment in her relationship as I would think for someone who wants/wanted kids, it would be easier to have a meaningful marriage and life as a non-parent if you got together with the person after the child bearing years.
I think this is all great advice . . . unless one of you really wants kids and one doesn’t. I’ve seen the kind of resentment that creates, and it’s not pretty. I haven’t seen a similar dynamic in marriages where both parties wanted kids but were unable to have them because neither party feels like they made a huge sacrifice for the other person.
This right here. If you are getting married past the having-kids stage of live, then it’s an issue that time vs the partner has forced you go give up on (if you were so inclined), which to me makes all the difference. I could have dealt with not being able to have had kids better than the resentment of a partner who said he wanted kids at first but then changed his tune (or one that I compromised on this for). When you’re 50 or 60 it’s very different. If you’re in your 30s, this is your one chance. There is so much pressure to get it done right if you think you want kids.
Completely agree that children do not make a marriage, and in fact, can make it a whole lot harder. However, I think it’s very rare to be the type of person who can go from wanting kids, to sacrificing that desire to be with a partner who doesn’t want kids, and not feeling a lifetime of regret. That will eventually spill over into the marriage, and it’s not pretty.
SA, I’m very sorry to hear about your father passing.
One thing that stuck out during a psychology task I took ages ago was research that showed happiness in marriage was often like a “U” where the highest points were before having kids and after kids launched. I never had kids, so nothing to gauge it against. But I would say the first few years of being married were the toughest for me (now going on 14 years of marriage). Giving up being single and sharing in every decision of how to spend time and how to be int the same space day in and day out was a big adjustment. No one really told me that. I was expecting pure honeymoon. I can’t imagine adding kid stress. For what it’s worth though, I feel like my marriage has never been better now. So hopefully that gives hope to someone reading this who may be similarly feeling out of step even though they love their spouse.
I also think married childless couples can have a stronger marriage because they can spend more quality time together without always focusing on their child/children and there is no need to “stay together for the kids”. If they are still together after 10 years of marriage, it’s more likely that it’s because they choose to stay together, aside from any financial concerns.
Not what you were asking, just something I feel like doesn’t get talked about enough: if you at all can swing it, make sure you have at least a year of marriage before TTC. Anecdotally, the couples I know who had some time to be married – before the stresses of pregnancy, hormonal roller coasters, infancy, and toddler years – did a lot better. Their long-term happiness is much higher than the couples (like myself and DH) who had to rush.
It’s really hard to explain why it’s so hard. We didn’t suffer through infertility or miscarriages, which meant that I gave birth shortly after our one-year anniversary. (Almost 40, so the clock was ticking.) But all of the skills that come with marriage are things we learned on top of the hormonal roller coaster and parenting an infant. The stresses just piled up with no outlet, and there aren’t really happy memories of early newlywed days to sustain us through the toddler years.
People who got to wait aren’t going to tell you this; they don’t understand. I have a few friends who also rushed having kids due to age constraints, and they all say that it was murder on their marriages. Some wound up divorced when the kids hit middle school. The very competent and very expensive licensed professionals we’ve hired think it’s a huge strain on a new marriage. The people who got to wait to have kids have ranged from dismissive to cruel when we have expressed the stress it placed on our marriage.
I feel you. My husband and I were both married before, so in a bit of a hurry to have kids. Our daughter was born 13 months after we got married, and our son – surprise! – was born 21 months later. It was so, so hard. We do have fond memories of that time, but it would have been better if we could have just been married for a while. We made it through – weirdly, I think it was the kids who kept us together for a while there – and we’re good now, but I don’t recommend it.
Hugs to you.
Thank you. I needed to hear that.
Some now-former friends actually screamed at me that I was mentally ill and needed medication because I’m not happy in our marriage. (The “kid at month 12 of marriage” is hardly the only stressor. The gardening is soul-crushingly one-sided, and there’s other problems.) I’m married to a “good man” and have a baby, so the message being sent is “STFU and get on meds.”
Yet the actual licensed professionals, and the people who have been through it, say that it’s really rough on a marriage. I take lived experience and professional expertise over “but I want the world to work this way,” but it’s still incredibly hurtful.
I’m sorry to hear about all of this. I guess due to m0d, your comment got nested between my original comment and follow up about good s3x, but honestly, if you don’t even have that I understand that it’s hard to see the point. That would be a deal breaker for me, and I would also not respond kindly to people telling me I was mentally ill for wanting more!
Those are not very smart or good friends. There’s a reason there is a bestselling book called How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids — it’s an incredible stress on the relationship.
(and s3x, if I’m being honest. I fully believe that good s3x is what keeps you together when everything else is too difficult.)
DH and I got married early at 25 (college sweethearts), and did not have kids until we were 32. I feel like we got some really good “couple” years in and sorted through a lot of married life before throwing kids into the mix. We renovated two houses together, had jobs, grad school, etc. Once the dust settled, we had 3 kids in rapid succession (3 in 5 years). I’m 40 now and my youngest is 3. Life was absolutely insane for the past 7 years but things are much, much better now.
I’m not sure who is telling you that wouldn’t be hard, because to me (as a person who had the luxury of waiting), it sounds incredibly hard!
What would you make with kohlrabi? I have some to use up but nothing I’m pulling up on google is sounding that great.
Mash with butter, or crudités.
When in doubt, roast with olive oil and salt, maybe some lemon juice or vinegar. It’s better than 90% of the more complicated things I try.
Seriously. All my friends are like, “omg Anon makes the best Brussels sprouts!” and now I have to make them any time someone comes over. The recipe is olive oil, salt and pepper, and an oven.
This except we usually do broccoli. I think a high heat is essential (400 degrees until just about charred).
Oh yeah, 400 minimum, and I like to use the convection feature as well.
I’m also of the opinion no vegetable is not improved by the addition of balsamic vinegar (high quality, good balsamic vinegar, the kind that’s almost syrupy), but I recognize some people have strong opinions the other way on vinegar.
On a more helpful front, isn’t kohlrabi similar to jicama? I think you could probably sub it in any jicama recipe if that opens up more options (I have no specific recommendations other than jicama slaw)
Cut into sticks and serve sprinkled with salt. Refreshing and tasty.
I think there is a kohlrabi/apple salad or more like a slaw….might look into that
+ 1. I came here to recommend Kohlrabi Apple Slaw
I like it raw in small sticks with lime juice and salt
Kat, I love the Nordstrom blazer, and it’s less than $100, so I am all in on this one! I do like the single vent in the back, which helps NOT to call attention to my tuchus as much as a double vent, which makes my tuchus stand out literally more then I am comfortable with. I am not crazy about the slacks, and prefer to wear a nice skirt with it, b/c these days, we are much more causal then we were pre-pandemic.
I want to report that I had a nice weekend in the Hamtons with Myrna, as we are still planning to go again to the manageing partner’s home together in August, if the weather holds out. The manageing partner’s brother is interested in Myrna b/c she has a great job and is smart, and he is looking for a woman like that to take out to eat and then sleep with. I told him no way would I be interested b/c he is over 70, but Myrna is used to dealing with older guys with Libido’s like him. She is sure he will peter out very quickly in bed so she won’t have to do too much, and she has very expensive tastes in food and wine, which she will look to him to pay for since she will be expected to do her part afterwards. She is still fertile, so she will need to ensure he wears protection, but she has PLAN B ready just in case.
Thoughts on Noom? I dealt with stress working in a middle school setting this year primarily by eating Taco Bell and have seen my eating and overall wellness habits take a sharp nosedive.
It’s super toxic. Weight watchers is better at least it doesn’t try and pretend not to be a diet
+1 I think WW delivers pretty reasonably and the weekly weighing is waaaaay better than daily weighing.
Eh, I’d see what works for you on this front. For me, daily weighing made things more pleasant – I wasn’t as worried about little fluctuations (no, I did not gain 5lbs in 24 hours…I’m bloated). Pick what works for you.
I tried it. It works if you can be disciplined about it and actually write every single thing you eat and drink down. I am not that person.
I did not like Noom. I found the coach support really lacking and did not connect with anyone in my group. Also, the calorie totals I was on was way too low – like 1350? I was hungry all the time and just did not connect with it and found it not worth the money.
You’ve identified that you deal with stress by overeating (same here, btw). You need to learn how to deal with it by doing something else. Take a listen to the Weight Loss for Doctors Only podcast by Katrina Ubell (it’s helpful even if you don’t work in medicine).
Noom is pretty useless. You know your problem is stress, deal with the stress. If you want to track food as well, do it, but I don’t think Noom is even notably well set up for that.
I just rejoined WW and am liking it. I had joined first in 2005, then left it around 2015 — in 2005 the points roughly matched the calories with a bit more for fattier foods and a bit less for high fiber foods; by 2015 they had a weird algorithm that as near as I could tell was just a sin tax on “bad foods,” with the points I had in one day I could eat like 3 Cadbury creme eggs (~ 480 calories) or like 16,000 tons of tuna (a “zero point” food). The new program (and my WL efforts since) make me like WW a lot, although it’s still kind of divorced from calorie reality.
– it gamifies good habits like drinking water, eating vegetables, and exercising (you get more points)
– the zero point foods are limited to only a few beyond veggies/fruit (for me chicken, beans, popcorn, oats, FFGY) – it feels more realistic because everything has calories, and I think it reinforces the idea that people who are successful in losing weight basically do eat the same things over and over
– it encourages sleep and breakfast by giving you more reward points in the WW store, also big things for long term weight loss.
– higher protein and higher fiber items are lower points. The big sin taxes I notice now have high sodium / saturated fat / alcohol, but I get it now about how they *should* be sometime foods, not every day foods. And it’s actually easy to eat well an entire day with zero points so I don’t mind the sin tax so much.
– when you enter items you can also do it in grams, so if you’re into weighing food you can be very precise about how much you’re eating.
I just came off a macro-focused program where I weighed everything (I still do now, it’s easier) so I’m intimately acquainted with calories, protein, fat, and carbs… before that I did PNP tribe/No BS that was all about planning ahead (also something encouraged by WW) and water and sleep. So WW makes sense with everywhere I’ve been in the time since I flounced out of WW.
Noom is basically a calorie counter like MyFitnessPal dressed up. I was not impressed by the coach or group aspect – it all comes down to eating less and logging what you eat, which I could do for free. Waste of money for me. If you need psychological support for eating issues, I’d go to an actual therapist.
I haven’t tried Noom, but I found it much more useful to follow Instagram accounts that don’t suck: actual registered dietitians and people who are positive/inspirational about the type of fitness I enjoy, not just about fitness as a Thing. Some of my favorites:
@megsquats (and her beginners’ program, @beforethebarbell)
@nikerunning
@yogapracticemanual
@real.life.nutritionist
@emilyspicercoaching
Utter waste of money. In a nutshell, imagine obnoxious mansplaining about eating fresh veg, moving your body, and drinking your water. Very bro tone to it. It sounds like you know what you have to do (mean plan, increase lean proteins and veg, drink water, drive a different route to avoid the crappy food if needed!). Spend the money on a personal training consultation. Wishing you well and am on my own weight loss journey.
I tried Noom and concluded the free Lose It app – calorie counter and place to log exercise so I am keeping track – worked better for me. Noom just felt like a lot of noise that took up a lot of my time but didn’t provide any actual weight loss value beyond what is free on other apps.
I tried it and sort of hated it. I did like the learning modules every day, but I really had a visceral dislike for anything the coaches said. The food tracking also was a lot harder than MyFitnessPal.
I like this blazer but haaaaaate the pants!
So what is the next thing everyone is looking forward to whether this summer or later in the year or whenever? There have to be more than ten people with things to look forward to. I need to live vicariously here.
My family and I are COVID cautious so still not ready to get on a plane (plus travel right now seems terrible, I know too many people who have had terrible delays) so we are just doing our usual week in the redwoods, Russian River area, in a rental house. It is sooo relaxing.
I’m hoping to make a conference in NYC this fall, conditions permitting, and may take one or more family members with me. September in NYC is so nice.
I start a new job in August, I’m looking forward to it!
I’m going to Las Vegas in a few weeks with my bestie. We’re gonna sit by the pool, eat good food, see a few shows, and sit in front of a slot machine and imagine that with every pull, our lives could change….
I’m going to San Diego this weekend for my bestie’s birthday! Cannot wait! We’re doing a spa day at a resort, fancy dinner at a French restaurant, cake, champagne, and even a yoga class. It’s my ideal weekend!
I’m looking forward to these things
– attending outdoor plays (like NYC’s Shakespeare in the Park but in a much smaller city) and concerts
– new book releases later this summer and fall (Ruby Fever by Ilona Andrews, Storm Echo by Nalini Singh, Be the Serpent by Seanan McGuire, The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik for those asking, and yes my taste runs to urban fantasy)
– finishing my 52 hike challenge, which averages out to a hike a week. I started last october. My definition of hike is pretty loose, it’s either at least 1 mile in a park or trail system or at least 5 miles of walking if i’m counting city walks. So far I’m up to hike 30.
– visiting my sister later this month
Ooh, you’ve reminded me that I am looking forward to the new cookbooks coming from all my favorite cookbook authors in the fall: Ina Garten, Smitten Kitchen, Molly Gilbert, yay!
I generally like Ilona Andrews, but have kept away from their new series because it seemed more paranormal romance leaning than the Kate Daniels series.
I read the Edge books, but didn’t really connect with them, especially the last two in the series because of that aspect – new romantic pairing in each book, worldbuilding more window dressing for a romance story.
What is your take – is it worth trying?
Me personally, I didn’t like the first 3 books of their Hidden Legacy series that much either, but I’ve liked books 2.5 through 5 a lot more, even though there is still paranormal romance. If you haven’t tried their Innkeeper series yet, that might be more up your alley, although it’s a lot of worldbuilding since it’s part space opera too. The 5th? 6th? book in the Innkeeper series is currently on-going on their website as a free serial.
I’m going to all the rescheduled concerts and I’m so excited about finally enjoying live music again! I will also be taking a big work trip to support a huge international announcement which will be fun.
In Maine and New Hampshire for some lake and hiking time then going to Jamaica and the DR in August. Other than that, reading alll the books, fruit and rosé!
I just got approval to work remote for a month in Paris! I am the anon who posted in the previous thread about breaking up with my boyfriend last night, so I am really excited for a clean slate away from my “normal life”. I’m going with my best friend and we already have a lot of visitors planned. I’m so excited!
Congrats! That is going to be an incredible experience.
That is AMAZING!
I am so, so envious.
And newly single in Paris. Ooh la la.
My husband and I are going to three concerts in the next month! I am starting a new job after my clerkship ends in August, and I will have almost a month off in between. I’m really looking forward to that. I am also going on an end of summer trip to the Oregon coast (my favorite place on earth).
I am going to the beach with my husband, son (7 yo), and MIL in a few weeks. We stay in a beautiful condo in the Florida panhandle. I splurge on chair and umbrella rentals from the resort and usually get a couple of hours a day to read.
DH and I watch an old episode of Midsomer Murders every Friday at 8 pm. We started watching it on PBS but once they switched the schedule we moved to Acorn to get the rest of the episodes from the very first season onward. After skipping it because of holiday weekend travel, I can’t wait for our Friday night tradition!
In case anyone tries to watch an episode, be warned that it is at times excessively cheesy and sentimental for a British murder mystery show.
Taking our first real vacation in over two years. We’re going to Key West in a couple of weeks. As a cat lady, I’m excited to visit Hemingway House.
The Hemingway house is amazing!
I started a thread last week about Team Backpack vs Team Tote Bag when traveling in the city. As I have perused both online, I’m back to pose another option that no one has mentioned yet – what about Team Messenger Bag? My laptop is not the thinnest variety. I’ll also have my planner/notebook, which is 8.5×11 and about inch thick (I’m not flexible about that – it holds my life together). I’ll also have to pack water, lunch, shoes/commuter shoes. My goal in this is not to have the least heavy bag. It’s to have a bag that works for me. Does anyone use a Messenger style bag and like it? There are some in luggage lines even, like the Ted Baker Immeny. I’ll post a link in comments.
https://www.tedbaker.com/us/p/Womens/Accessories/Bags/Suitcases/IMMENY-TBW5008-SOFTSIDE-HOLDALL-Black/136063-BLACK
Here is the UK link where has a few more photos: https://www.tedbaker.com/row/p/Womens/Accessories/Bags/Suitcases-and-Travel-Bags/IMMENYY-Tbw5008-Softside-Holdall-Black/241770-BLACK
I like this style too but it’s WAY too narrow:
https://glassladderco.com/products/sarah-laptop-bag
I find them even harder on my shoulders than tote bags tbh. I think maybe because you can generally fit more stuff in them.
+1. Worst of both worlds.
Agree. Though it depends a little on how exactly you wear it, a messenger bag hurts my back AND shoulders AND neck. Whereas a tote just hurts one shoulder/back. I’m team backpack. Also I really feel bad for OP that her work won’t let her store ANYthing there! Wth?
I don’t recall why OP is anti-backpack but that really seems to be the solution here.
No. I was in HS during Peak Messenger Bag Years, and it’s like a tote bag but somehow worse.
No, they’re uncomfortable and boobs get in the way.
My advice is to leave as much as you can at the office so you don’t have to pack so much for your commute. Back when I worked in the office and commuted by bus, I left work shoes, water bottle, lunch ingredients, toiletries, etc at the office.
I won’t get any space at the office to leave things. I’ve confirmed this.
Messenger bags are even worse!
Why?
They hurt! Messengers put a ton of pressure on one shoulder and tend to move around.
Agree with anon @ 5:05. They’re basically the size of backpacks so you can overstuff them. And force you to carry all weight on one shoulder and tweaks your neck bc your laptop and text books (I only had messenger bags in college in the early aughts hah) hits your hip funny. If you must have a messenger bag, I liked the “squishy” ones (you provide your own laptop sleeve) better than ones that had a built-in padded laptop on the backside (the padding forces the straps to originate at a fixed positive away from your body and more uncomfortable)
Original OP–I think the bag really depends on your commute, not just what you’re carrying in. I’m fully Team Backpack for daily use (transit + 0.5 mile each way walk commute) but will switch to a nice tote bags on days I drive into work or go to a client’s office.
In terms of backpack, I find the chest strap / clip essential for comfort and side water bottle pockets (easy access for transit car without taking off the bag) a nice to have. My datapoints may be skewed (in Seattle), but I’ve seen mostly backpacks on transit and even walking around the downtown financial district (pre-covid and currently) –granted folks who drive just park in underground garages downtown.
I use an 10+ year old Timbuk2 backpack that’s out of production…I’ve been preparing for when it bites the dust and have these on bookmark: Lululemon Everyday Backpack, North Face Isabella, North Face Recon, North Face Never Stop Utility Pack, Osprey Transporter Flap Backpack, Deuter UP Seoul Urban Daypack.
Just poke around Timbuk2’s website and their Vapor Convertible Tote Backpack looks to be verrrry intriguing too.
I have a Timbuk2 messenger bag I got in high school that’s still going strong. You probably have a while to prepare!
Worst of the three. The strap is perpetually fighting with my b—bs, it’s either too low and flaps around when you walk or too high and rubs oddly at the hip.
Any recs for vegetarian and picky kid friendly restaurants in Newport RI? TIA!
Not a restaurant, but Drift is a good cafe for smoothies/bowls/salads/breakfasts. I hear Belle’s is good for breakfast. Diegos and Perro Salado (both mexican) would have stuff for kids. Enjoy!
Does anyone have a cheap but good hand lotion that comes in bulk sizes (or has refills)? thank you!
I like the Everyone body lotion, which comes in 32-oz. pump bottles, not sure if that’s as large as you had in mind. There are different scents (I use coconut lemon and love it); I get it at my local natural foods shop but I’ve seen it in some drugstores and grocery stores, maybe Target. I just looked and the price at my local Whole Foods is $13.
Headed to Sedona with some girlfriends and our trip is pretty booked. One of the days is a winery tour. I don’t drink. I don’t see how I can be part of this without being annoyed or bringing down the vibe. Nor do I want to go frankly. We are already hiking, rafting, jeeping. Is there anything I have to do in Sedona? TIA!
Hot air balloon ride
Worth the money
Meditate
We just hiked and visited Palatki ruins. I don’t drink, and if it were me I would just go on another hike by myself (there are SO MANY that look amazing), or plan a day sitting and reading by the pool (or in my bathtub), which is in fact what I did one afternoon when we were there this spring. I think spas are also a big deal there if you can swing the cost.
That said, I did once go visiting wineries in Sonoma with my now husband and enjoyed it, even as a non-drinker – most had some other food stuff to taste, and a lot sold other things. But he was not interested in getting drunk or anything; he’s into wine and really wanted to taste different kinds, buy a lot to take home, and chat with the people who made it. I don’t think he was even tipsy by the end. If this is more an excuse for them to get drunk I would definitely opt out.
PS – if you have transportation you might do a day trip to Jerome
I’d stay back at your hotel and relax by the pool alone with a good book! Assuming your hotel has a pool.
Are you sure you even want to go on this trip? You sound annoyed already
Please don’t go on the tour if you’re just going to ruin it for your friends.