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I don't know why, but I've really been reassessing my pajamas choices lately. I've done the “old t-shirt + cute bottoms” since the kids were born, for the most part, but wanted something a bit more put together. The menswear-inspired pajamas just aren't my thing, the silk PJs aren't my thing (although there are so many of them out right now!!)… I wasn't quite sure what I was looking for. Not short-shorts with a slit up to my hip, not joggers, not a cropped boxy top, not a jumpsuit or romper, not button-front styles, nothing lacy or hard to care for… I was getting frustrated.
(I did keep these silk PJ bottoms though — and they're on sale now.)
Lo and behold, Old Navy has a ton of cute matching sets for pajamas that are a bit different than what I'm seeing everywhere else — this one has a high-waisted pant with a matching rib-knit tank, with additional matching shorts and robe, and a jumpsuit, if that's your jam. . I got it and really like it! (You might want to size down if you're between sizes.)
The pictured pants are $15 today; you can see the other matching pieces here.
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Some of the other reader favorite PJs we've mentioned in the past include these…
As of 2024, some of readers' favorite pajama brands include Nordstrom's Moonlight line, Soma Cool Nights, Lake Pajamas, PrintFresh, Under Armour, Lunya, Anthropologie, and (on the budget side), Stars Above. (Pajamas also make great gifts!)
Sales of note for 9.30.24
- Nordstrom – Beauty deals through September
- Ann Taylor – Extra 30% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Eloquii – Extra 50% off sale
- J.Crew – 50% off select styles
- J.Crew Factory – Up to 60% off everything + 50% off sale with code
- Lo & Sons – Warehouse sale, up to 70% off
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
- Neiman Marcus – Friends & Family 25% off
- Rag & Bone – Friends & Family 25% off sitewide
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – Fall Cyber Monday sale, 40% off sitewide and $5 shipping
- Target – Car-seat trade-in event through 9/28 — bring in an old car seat to get a 20% discount on other baby/toddler stuff.
- White House Black Market – 40% off select styles
Anon
For Boden, how do their jackets fit compared to JCrew or Banana? I haven’t bought from them since the pandemic and finally found something I think will work for my new non-sheath-and-heels office style that looks comfy but not sloppy.
Anon
OP here: this is an indoor blazer-substitute jacket and not an outdoor jacket for cold weather. Words are funny.
Italy recs?
Visiting italy for about two weeks for the first time this summer. Splitting time between Florence/Tuscany, Rome, and Positano on the Amalfi coast. Looking for any/all recommendations – favorite pizza in Naples? Favorite vineyard in the Chianti region? I’ll take it all!
startup lawyer
Antinori in Tuscany
Startup lawyer
Also Roscioli in Rome.
Anon
If she’s available, you have to book Cool Tours by Anna! We did her Brunello tour with my in-laws when we were in Florence and it was the absolute highlight of our trip. She is so knowledgeable about the wines and the region, and genuinely a nice and hilarious person (without being annoying – she was both endlessly entertaining but also seemed to know when to step back and let us enjoy our time together). In Rome, would HIGHLY highly recommend doing the six course wine pairing meal with Eating Europe (I think they do food tours in several cities) – this one is lead by a Master Sommelier (Marco Lori). Also just the best guy, delicious food and wine, and we learned SO much! It honestly changed the way my husband and I think about food and wine (granted, we were just getting into wine at that time – but it was similarly impactful for my in-laws who could be considered wine snobs).
Also, look up some tips on how to determine the quality of gelato (has a lot to do with color if I remember correctly).
You’re going to have an incredible time!
AIMS
Pizzarium in Rome.
All the gelato everywhere.
Anonymous
No specific restaurant suggestions, but try to get some reservations in advance. We did not do this and ended up at some mediocre restaurants a lot of the time.
Anonymous
Yes, reservations is the done thing in Italy.
If you do end up walking around, and see a particularly nice place with no availability, ask to make a reservation for tomorrow or the day after.
Anon
Rome – Osteria 44, Sofia and Gelateria La Romana
Florence – Gelateria dei Neri, Osteria Pastella. San Gimignano is worth a day trip. Try to do a cooking class and wine tasting at an agriturismo in the countryside.
I’m not a guided tour person in general but I think they’re worth it in Florence and Rome. The Uffizi, Colosseum and Vatican are all places we did tours and felt they were very worth it. The tour of the David in Florence was unnecessary. The statue is spectacular, but impossible to miss so you don’t need a tour. Food tours can also be fun.
I haven’t stayed in Positano yet (going there next May) but Jean from Extra Petite wrote about her trip there extensively. Chartering a boat for a day is an awesome thing to do on the Amalfi Coast if you can swing the cost.
Anon
How hard is it to be gluten-free in Italy? I will of course work out the translation for ordering food, but will I be doomed to snarky remarks from the wait staff, hidden wheat ingredients and virtually no GF options? Will they look upon me as one of those stupid Americans?
Anon
In general, it is much, much easier to be gluten-free in Italy than in the USA. Basically Italians perceive the need for a gluten-free diet as a serious medical condition and also as a tragedy because it impedes consumption of things like pasta, so they both take it seriously and consider it important to accommodate.
Last time I was there it was off-season and one restaurant (that was honestly just some local place, not an expensive tourist place) didn’t have any gluten-free pasta or bread available. I said that was fine, but they were so upset about it that they ran out and bought some. Every other restaurant I went to had GF pasta on hand, and a little Googling led me to an all-GF bakery with GF pastries and desserts.
The only time I was looked upon as a stupid American on that trip was when I asked about the gluten status of a meat dish at the airport. (Here in the USA, marinades and food additives often contain wheat so I’m in the habit of asking, but I guess they thought I somehow didn’t know that meat is inherently gluten-free!)
Anonymous
For restaurants, look at the secondi (” the second” aka protein course) first, that’s where you’ll find fish or meat with vegetables in any Italian restaurant. Fish is safest, the sauces are generally not made with flour, while a pepper steak sauce might be. And avoid steak “Milanese”, that’s basically a snitzel-style crumbed steak.
For the primi (the “pasta” course) you might find risotto as as great option. Potato gnocchi are not safe, there is normally wheat in those.
The apetizers will be more tricky. That’s where the battered and fried elements pop up, like fried squash flowers, or “fritto misto” mixed fried seafood. A Calabrese salad is a great, naturally gluten free apetizer you’ll get anywhere.
You’ll pay for the bread (coperto) whether or not you eat it, but it’s really for the wear and tear of cutlery, china etc., not the bread, so don’t think they are being insensitive or scamming you if you get a 1.5 euro charge for bread you cannot eat. Think of it as table tax. It’s bad manners filling up on the bread and oil anyway, that WILL make you stand out as a stupid tourist.
You can’t expect that you’ll ever get a gluten free biscuit with your coffees in train stations or cafes, but you will most likely get a biscuit whether or not you want one, don’t eat them.
Hotel breakfast in Italy is generally not somewhere I’d expect gluten free. Smaller hotels will have pastries, dried bread (think Melba toast like), jam and Nutella, all everlasting stuff in single item plastic. Best to forego.
Anon
Mille grazie, amice! Sounds like the restaurants are not too dissimilar from US Italian restaurants. I feel reassured.
Anon
I can only advise as to Rome but for there:
(1) If the Vatican Museum is on your list, it is worth buying early admission tickets. HIGHTAIL it to the Sistine Chapel to see that first before the crowds descend. Once it gets crowded, you can walk to take a cab to Bondi. if you want to see St. Peters after, take a taxi because it is a long walk around the Vatican City walls.
(2) For food: Da Pancranzio, Osteria de Fortunata, Terra e Domus (a good place for lunch between the Colosseum and the Forum), Al Pantheon (make reservations for the last one but I recommend dinner reservations in summer for any of them because they will be crowded and Rome has amazing food and horrible food and if you are in the tourist center you might find yourself eating terrible food).
(3) The Appian Way is well worth seeing and you can rent bicycles at the Information kiosk.
(4) If you are interested in a private tour, Tess at Clam Tours is AMAZING (but also quite expensive).
I am jealous!
Anon
OK – Apparently I cannot type.
Bondi is a very good pizza place just down the hill from the Vatican Museum exit. I should note that if you are on a tour you can go directly from the Sistine Chapel to St. Peters and skip the St. Peters line. I did not want to do a museum tour (my minor was in art history with an emphasis on the Renaissance) but it would save you quite a lot of time, especially in summer. But I cannot emphasize enough how much you want either early admission or after hours because that place is PACKED during the day.
It is Armando al Pantheon. Best “fancy” place I ate in Rome – although honestly the pizza at Bondi and the gelato haunt my dreams.
Anonymous
what’s the best hotel experience you’ve ever had?
The Biltmore in Miami was a standout experience for me – excellent spa, beautiful pool, nice room.
Anonymous
The Lodge at Woodloch.
Anon
I don’t travel a whole lot, but comparing conference hotels, the Omni in Nashville was really, really nice.
Nashvillian
That is so interesting to me. I don’t even think that’s the nicest in Nashville.
Curious
Grand Wailea in Maui. Granted I was like 7 and there were 7 pools, but I think it would hold up.
BeenThatGuy
Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa on Poipu Beach
Anon
+1 this one is impossible to beat
InHouse Anon
Like Curious above, stayed here when I was in elementary school and to this day I remember it as beyond amazing. Mauna Kea Resort in Maui (which I stayed at as an adult) is a close second.
Coach Laura
Mauna Kea Resort is in Kona, and it was absolutely fabulous. Even the lobby was wonderful.
Coach Laura
Actually in Waikoloa, north of Kona.
Daffodil
+1 to the Grand Hyatt in Kauai. Amazing.
Seventh Sister
I loved that one, but I also was soooo happy to be in Hawaii. It’s gorgeous.
Anon
Greenbrier. There are people who will help you build a fire in your fire place if you stay in a cottage. No need to lament that you have a fireplace but have no wood and no idea what to do really.
Sunshine
+1. I was going to say Greenbrier. We went twice for Christmas and it was magical.
Eliza
+2. The Greenbrier is outstanding.
Anon
Le Blanc in Cancun. Impeccable service, beautiful setting, and overall A+ experience.
Anon
Sonoma Mission Inn is up there. We got upgraded from a regular room to a little cabin with a patio and it was blissful.
I had a similar experience at the Be early Hills Hotel.
Anon
Haha I just saw my typo – the Beverly Hills Hotel – you know, the pink one with the Polo Lounge
anon
The Victoria-Jungfrau in Interlaken. I was with my parents. We were upgraded to a suite with a dining room, living room, and 2 separate bedrooms, all with a spectacular view facing the Jungfrau.
Anonymous
The Four Seasons in Maui
wet.ink.sigs
Las Alcobas in Mexico City. Every amenity you could want in the room, excellent location, to die for restaurant, and I can’t say enough good things about the service–it was a perfect blend of polish and warmth that I’ve rarely seen elsewhere.
anon
A Japanese ryokan (traditional inn). 10-course dinner served in our room, beds are made and put away by the hotel staff, our own outdoor hot spring pool on the garden patio. Money well spent.
SF in House
Green Island Resort on the Great Barrier Reef!
Anon
Le Meridien Bora Bora, but it’s also the priciest hotel we’ve ever stayed in.
Mauna Lani
My husband and I had a fantastic stay at the Mauna Lani on the Big Island in 2015 or so. But I see they’ve upgraded the hotel (it was already lovely) and rooms that were around $500/night are now $1,300/night, so I doubt we’ll ever go back. We are going to Paris and the South of France for our 20th anniversary this year, though!
MJ
I went to the Mauna Lani as a child, when it was brand-new. It was magical.
My dad won our stay as a reward at work (Sales!)
A
Hotel Kepler, Paris
Chena Huts, Yala (Sri Lanka)
Athuruga, Maldives
Ellen
I once stayed at this very luxurius hotel in Phoenix with my Dad, who was there on some sort of secret convention for former government overseas operatives. I do not remember the name of the hotel, but it was a chain, like 4 Seasons, but not that one. Anyway, they had Persian type rugs in the hallways, and delicius food downstairs and in the mini-fridge, and they let me use a bicycle while Dad was meeting with them for 2 days and I rode around golf courses and up to Camelback Mountain where people went hiking. It was very hot, but dry, so I did not realize I needed water, and when I got back, I drank a gallon or more and peeed all evening. You have to be carful when you are in a hot, but dry climate, b/c you do not even sweat, or if you do, it evaporates b/f your clotheing gets wet and stinky. But it was alot of fun!
Another Anon
Blackberry Farm
Anonymous
Just about every Relais & Chateux property has been amazing.
Anon
I am the poster who has commented about hating my flat wall paint.
We went to Sherwin-Williams this past weekend to pick up a new gallon of touch-up paint (they only sell it by the gallon, $42) as I had run out, and needed to paint over some scuffs. I ordered the paint and was waiting when the woman working the register asked me, “so you just need this for touch-ups? Have you tried cleaning your walls with fabric softener?” I said “basically anything I have used to try to clean the flat paint has left marks or patterns on the wall.” She told me to get some Downy softener and mix it in a spray bottle, 2 parts softener (using the measuring cap) to 4 parts hot water, and swirl it in the spray bottle. Then use a microfiber cloth – not a magic eraser or scrubby pad – and a use small amount of spray to clean scuffs or marks. She said her mom swears by it.
I just tried this out on some of the fingerprints and marks on the flat paint by our front door and it works well – like, really well. Like now I don’t have to get the paint out this weekend and go dabbing paint all over the house. I am thrilled. My house smells like lavender and vanilla Downy, which I don’t love, but I’m sure that will dissipate. Just sharing the tip for anyone else who might need it. The lady at the paint store said it works on all paint finishes, you just have to make sure to spray lightly and not saturate the paint or it may bubble/lift.
Curious
Thank you!!
Anonymous
double thank you – I also need to clean scuffs out of my flat paint walls
Anonymous
I’m totally going to try this!
Katherine Vigneras
You probably have enough Downy that you won’t want to buy more but if anyone else wants to try this, they make a Free and Gentle Downy that isn’t scented
helloanon
What are some of your smaller goals these days? I need some inspiration.
My birthday is coming up, and I like to take a little time to reflect on what I accomplished and did over the past year. This year, I crossed a couple of goals off my list that had been kicking around my mind forever – lessons for a sport/hobby I have wanted to try and writing a book. I also instituted a couple of habits I had long wanted to ingrain in my life. So for the first time ever, I am a bit of a loss. I have a couple of big health and travel goals on my list, but I’m blanking in the area of smaller, fun, goals I can work toward on a daily basis that enrich my day-to-day life. I am someone who needs to be working toward something; otherwise the call of the couch/Netflix is just too strong. :) Any ideas? I am not super sporty and don’t live near water or mountains, but I am pretty open to anything that sounds fun.
Anon
I’ve posted this before but I’m on my second year of my only New Years resolution being to floss nightly. And I have a perfect record.
Yay for achievable goals.
Curious
My goals are mostly rehab-y, but I’ll play in case there’s anything you like. It’s interesting because most of these aren’t end events (build up to it and done!), but rather habits I’d like to establish.
– Get my Fitbit sleep score consistently over 80. Have a night where it’s 90 (not sure if this is possible but I want to win this game).
– Cook Blue Apron meals 3 nights a week, then wean to meal planning on my own. (The latter step, I admit, may never happen).
– Get fit enough to do a 3 mile low-grade hike with the baby on my back.
– Follow 70% of my week plans.
– Rearrange the garage to be more functional.
– “Do” our closets.
– Travel for the baby to meet the grandparents/ aunts/ uncles she hasn’t met.
– Establish a recurring Saturday morning park playdate so I get lots of outdoor time this summer.
– See friends weekly.
Anon
I’ve also wondered about the sleep score. I’ve never gotten above an 86, and I don’t think I’ve even had a week average make it into the 80s. I think you have to sleep a really long time? Even when I “sleep” 8 hours, it only counts as 6 or 7 on my Fitbit, so I’d have to be in bed much longer to get 8 hours to register. Good luck!
Another Anon
I had a 90 night this week! For me the trick is to be fully asleep by 9:30pm
Anon
Try a new restaurant every quarter, 4/year. Carryout counts.
Set a certain number of blood donations/year.
Write an out-of-the-blue postcard or thank-you note to someone from your past.
Sort photos into albums.
Anonymous
Read X books written by women per X time period (I am in a monthly book club so for me it is 10/year, letting me miss a couple months. As a plus, there is a different genre every month so I’m also hitting some of those goals).
Donate, throw, or otherwise remove 500 items from my house in one month. I did this in January and was shocked how easy it was after I got started. I did it again in April and I probably will every quarter. Count as liberally as you want: I tossed 7 dry nail polishes, that was 7.
Meet with a financial planner or tax preparer and adopt one habit that will make year end/tax year end easier.
Go to coffee every two weeks with a friend or work connection.
Dr. The Original ...
I’ve been aiming for one real meal per day (I tend to graze on cereal or snacks or forget to eat), more drinks or water every day (so I will set an amount to be that week’s goal each day), and I also work on journaling at least x number of times per week (the number is high when stress is high and I drop it when things are calm).
I’m working on reading meaningful books, right now it’s Bell Hooks’ book on Love (and I am so hoping to find someone to book club it with me), though meaningful can also mean an escape if that’s what I need at the moment.
What about adding visits to the library or donations to charities or hours spent volunteering or miles to travel or perfectly oval shaped rocks found on walks or new songs found that you love or new words learned and used?
Anonymous
Delete photos on your phone
10 min walk daily
Journaling before phone in morning
10 min meditation or mindful activity
Rugby weekend
Anyone ever been to a sports event in a stadium? I booked to go to a Rugby tournament with a friend and something came up and they cannot go. The tickets are non-refundable and there is a team I would like to see so would rather go than let them go to waste. I have done concerts alone in a stadium by myself but somehow this is giving me so much anxiety.
Anon
Yes. Went to a baseball game. Was delightful (and obvs outdoors / open air).
Anonymous
Yes, I have gone to sports at stadiums (large and small) by myself several times. I love, love, love live sports, and there’s generally a great community (if you are sitting in the right section for the team you’re rooting for) because everyone is cheering for that team. I am a pretty diehard fan of a college basketball team that is local to me, and even if no one can go with me, you better believe I’m going to the home games!
Anonymous
I have done baseball and soccer. Go. You want to. I have done so much alone now and I really encourage it. I almost always end up meeting someone interesting, even if it’s just a short chat in an elevator, and my self-confidence is boosted by knowing I can do anything on my own.
Cornellian
Yes. Just go. Buy a beer for your neighbor if you want to chat, and you can leave if you hate it.
Anonymous
I haven’t gone alone, but my husband does sometimes! He likes to actually watch the game and our children are distracting haha. There have been many times that we have gone and someone next to us is there by themselves and we chat with them if they want to chat. Some people don’t want to be bothered and are there to enjoy watching the game. I agree with the above poster who said if you want to chat, offer to get a drink for someone when you go to get yours.
Anonymous
I vote go! Let yourself stay the first third or so no matter what. Then if you hate it, can’t enjoy the game, etc., you can go. I regularly dine alone, see movies alone, and attend galas alone. The great thing about a game is that I think you could easily build the high five/groan/clap at the right time camaraderie with others wearing your team’s colors. If you’re in a visitor section fear not – some of my best fan experiences have been getting gently heckled (people are a little meaner with my brother if he’s there but I’ve never had anything bad happen/people pour beer etc). Enjoy!
Anon
I put on clothes to go into the office today and my eye finally is seeing skinny jeans / pants as just over. It is definitely straight or cropped (or straight and cropped) or some other style. Into the Rubbermaid tub they go (in my house, things cool off due to constant perimenopausal size fluxuations, so sometimes you need an item that fits regardless of whether it’s trending; if it goes untouched for a while, then the bin gets culled for things to go to Goodwill).
Curious
Where are you located? I feel like non-teen Seattle is two years behind the times. I’m so curious how the pants trends are spreading.
Anon
A Carolina.
What hit me was not the trendiness, but how relatively narrow my t-rex hips seem in straight-leg pants and how skinnies magnify my proportions (giant hips, tiny ankles; on the other hand, I surely would not blow over in a strong wind).
Curious
Ahhh we are a similar shape. May I ask where you buy pants?
Anon
Curvy skinnies from AT Loft (maybe they have curvy non-skinnies).
Logan pants from Banana.
Levis curvy cut / Gap curvy cut denim (not always on offer; will never divest these possessions) in baby boot and straight and skinny (will pack skinnies)
Athleta (something in the “travel pant” category always works for pears but need to try on in store).
Gap pants of various types sized up to deal with hips
BR Factory office-jogger-utility pants perhaps sized up; can’t remember; these are magic and while I wish they were 2″ longer, I can deal
Nothing else has ever fit well.
Curious
Thank you! Some of these are on my list, too, so I’ll look at the others!
Anonymous
This is me. I’ve always hated skinnies – I feel like they make me look like an ice cream cone!
lawsuited
I think an ice cream cone is a delightful shape :)
Anonymous
I never liked my skinny jeans. I bought straight jeans earlier this year and take pleasure in tossing the skinnies when I come across them. I kept a few pairs to transition but cannot stand to wear them now so I am just ditching them all. I am still wearing older dress pants because I haven’t wanted to spend money on new as I am in size flux.
Anonymous
I’m not going to judge anyone from following trends, but you can pry my skinnies from my cold, dead arms. They just work for my proportions.
Bean74
I’m hanging on to my skinnies for winter. Lived through the early aughts with my flared pants wet from the knees down any time it rained or snowed and no thank you. Life is too short to walk around with wet pants or to deal with trying to style winter boots with looser pants. Skinnies are so easy to cuff or tuck into boots in the winter.
Eliza
Same. They’re practical and flattering for my shape. I’ll ride or die for skinnies.
MJ
Agree–I carry my weight in my middle and have great legs–bigger jeans have always made pants look ill-fitting and my legs swim in whatever size fits my waist! I’d rather not start with my big waist and be big all the way down.
Anonymous
Does anyone have any fun vacations planned for June? I want to live vicariously through you!
Ellen
The manageing partner has invited our entire firm (5 attorneys + 8 support staff and their significant others) out to his place in the Hamtons for the last weekend in June. We come on Saturday Morning, and Leave on Sunday Nite, sleep over 1 nite and have 2 days of relaxation on his boat, pool, or tennis court. All food is being catered and there is going to be 15 tents set up outside for GLAMPING, all on his property. We have a rain date for the next week in July. It’s a big thing that I’ve been coordinating with Margie, the manageing partner’s wife. It is costing the firm a fortune, but we’ve earned it since everyone survived Covid 19!
Anon
We’re going to Mallorca in June and Cancun in July.
amberwitch
We are renting a house near Nice for a few weeks. nice food, lots of sun. biking around.
ArenKay
Any Helsinki recommendations? Going there for work later this summer, and will have one day to myself.
Anon
I spent a day there solo as part of a work trip to Stockholm. The things I remember the most were the Suomenlinna Sea Fortress (you take a ferry out to it), Uspenski Cathedral and ridiculously fresh salmon at am open air market. Enjoy! It was major culture shock for me in a good way. It felt so Russian (or at least what I imagine Russia is like, I’ve never been) and very different than the 25+ other European countries I’ve been to.
Coach Laura
If you like symphonic music and/or like pretty scenery and historical houses, visit the home of Jean Sibelius and his wife Aino, which is now a state-owned museum. It’s beautiful and may give an idea of how Finland’s residents live. We did it on a tour from Helsinki. https://www.ainola.fi/?lang=en And the Suomenlinna Fortress/Island. There is a new island open near Suomenlinna called Vallisaari that wasn’t open when we were there but looks interesting.
Anon
I really liked their national museum (complete with a bullet hole in the front door from their civil war), but I am more interested in Finnish history and cultural than a lot of people. You should probably do things outdoors rather than spend the day in a museum! Go to the market by the water. Walk around. Enjoy!
Anonymous
Helsinki is a great city, and lovely in the summer.
Great place for art. Go to the Amos Rex and see a contemporary exhibition, and maybe the Kiasma as well. The Ateneum National Museum for the historical pieces is closed for refurbishment, otherwise that’s a must-see.
If you like design and arts and crafts, there’s a lot to choose from, including contemporary classics from Arabia and Marimekko. The Finns don’t shy away from color or patterns, so if you have the sort of style where some MoMa shop accessories would work, Finnish design is perfect.
There are lots of great restaurants where you can get new Nordic and Arctic cuisine with perch, reindeer, cloudberries and rye specialties with a modern twist. Closer to Alaskan specialties than any other US food.
Whether Suomenlinna is worth the trip if you only have one day I guess depends on how many old European military forts you’ve already seen. It’s very idyllic, and in nice weather even the ferry itself will be refreshing, but it’s a fort on an island. Enjoying the landscape and the walks around the island is key.
ArenKay
Thanks, everyone! This community is great.
anonshmanon
who here has done alternative work schedules like 4-10 (work 10 hour days, get Fridays off), or 9-80 (work 9 hour days, get every other Fri off)? It sounds very intriguing, but is it great in practice?
Coach Laura
I did 4-10s as did my husband when we had young/younger kids. I loved it during the summer because the long days helped. Otherwise, in Seattle from October to March, I would be going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark and it was (more) depressing. But with kids, it makes for a more complicated day with before/after school care, especially with a 45-60 minute commute each way that I used to do. Without kids or commute, it might be ok in the winter for the three day weekends.
anon
We are going to 9/80 in July and I am so stoked. I already regularly work 9 hr days and so being able to truly be away from my home office without the expectation of having to be ready to be ON at any moment is great. I am senior enough that I will still have to do some light work on the off days from time to time but I like the expectation that you aren’t going to be immediately available. The sectors in my company already are on a 9/80 and they love it. Corporate is aligning with them so we are all consistent. So TBD but looking forward to it!
Anon
I did a 9-80, and loved it. I didn’t really notice the difference between an 8 hour day and a 9 hour one, but I was coming from biglaw so ymmv. I would spend some of the Friday off running errands, like going grocery shopping when it is less busy and some just relaxing. It worked well for me as a single person, but I’m not sure how well it would work with young kids. I left that job for a more challenging and interesting one, and the 9-80 is the only thing I miss.
Anon
I did 4/10s in college and found it exhausting in an unusually grueling way – it seemed I always needed my Friday to catch up on sleep, so I wasn’t getting any more free time out of it compared to a regular schedule.
Anon
+1
Anon
I think it’s weird to count hours like that if you have a professional job. Do you always clock 9-10 hours a day? I sure don’t. Sometimes I have a long day but most of the time it varies. I would hate something that made me feel like I had to report to work for a set schedule like that.
Anon
Many of us, even those of us with professional jobs, still have set schedules and have to report to work for a set period each day. Just because you are a professional doesn’t mean that you necessarily have a flexible job
anon
+1 I work for a large government contractor so even though I am a lawyer, I have to report my time.
anonshmanon
You’re not wrong, nobody checks my hours in that way. But we only do comp time in exceptional circumstances, so even if I do work an extra hour here and there, I’d likely have to spend PTO on a Friday off. Our PTO isn’t plentiful.
Anon
In my experience, employers don’t care if you work more hours, but they certainly care if you work fewer. And anyone who is out of the office for a whole day is expected to WFH (and show up for all the meetings, respond to email etc) or take PTO. You couldn’t just craft your own 4/10 schedule without clearing it with someone.
Anon
I was on a 9/80 for four years, in a previous job. It had its pluses and minuses.
Plus column:
– I was used to working 9 hour days already, so getting that acknowledged and having the extra day off every other week was great.
– Was able to get a lot of appointments done on my 9/80s, as well as running errands so I didn’t have to do them on the weekend.
– Was nice to be able to take periodic long weekend trips without having to take a PTO day.
Minuses:
– Everyone I worked with was either on a 9/80 or 4/10. My company tried to ensure only half of the workforce would be off on any given Friday, so my 9/80 day was not the same as other people’s 9/80 day. What this meant, in practice, was that every week I had to cram 5 days of meetings and activities into 4 days because either I would be off on Friday or half the people I needed in the meeting would be. Also, in crunch times losing out on one day a week where I could schedule meetings sucked. In my organization, 9/80s were viewed as sacred – you did not schedule onto someone’s 9/80 unless the need was dire. Sometimes the need wasn’t dire, but if we’d been able to meet on a Friday it would have helped move things along on a project at a critical time. I felt like some projects got hung up because we could never, ever meet on a Friday.
– There was an expectation by my management chain that we would get our personal appointments done on our 9/80s. Except my doctor doesn’t work Fridays and my dentist is only open half-days on Fridays, so the appointments booked out way in advance and I could rarely get into the dentist on a Friday. I got the side-eye a couple of times for going to the doctor on a Wednesday instead of my 9/80 day.
– My kid still had to go to school on Fridays so I didn’t get to sleep in on my 9/80 days (I do the drop-offs and my husband does the pickups). Also, during the school year it’s not like we could just pull him out of school on Fridays if we wanted to go somewhere. And, since my husband didn’t work 9/80 he had to take PTO to take a Friday off which meant not as many weekend jaunts out of town as I had hoped.
– Feeling pressured to get appointments done on 9/80 meant I had some 9/80s that were busier than workdays, and I went into the weekend already tired vs. having that extra day to rejuvenate.
I now WFH full-time which is much preferable to being in the office even 9/10 days in a pay period, by a long mile. If I had to go back to work in an office full-time and I was offered a 9/80 schedule, I would do it, just to not have to go to the office that one day, but if I were offered the option as a WFH employee, I wouldn’t do it (because Fridays are so chill at my job anyway).
What I really think would be best is for everyone to go to a 4-day-a-week schedule, maybe working 9 hours a day (so a 36-hour week). I don’t know the extra four hours a week makes a huge productivity difference in most organizations.
Anon
The only part of the 9/80 I liked was commuting for 9 days (prepandemic), not 10, every two weeks. Otherwise, it sucked.
Since you have to “earn” your day off, there’s no concept of going home early when it’s a slow season, so you just make up work for yourself or sit around and attempt to be present for anyone who needs you. Our alleged “off Fridays” were functionally when we were on call – corporate culture was to expect a quick response. I never wanted to be more than a half-hour away from my laptop with internet service, which means I wasted the day puttering around the house. I once got an email from someone asking a non-urgent question at 3 pm; my manager said I had to respond to her “by end of day,” which meant that my husband and I cut our afternoon out short, hightailed it home, and I did like 10 minutes of work. Another time, I had to last-minute cancel bridesmaid dress shopping with one of my best friends because of a non-urgent request (“because you’re supposed to work on Fridays if the company asks you to”).
Quitting that job rocked.
Myrtleagentingreencastke@gmail.com
Make sure you understand how a 4/10 or 5/4/9 or other alternate schedule interacts with your sick leave and vacation leave. My job requires all 4/10 workers to count each day off as 10 hours. Our/their sick leave and vacation leave accrues based on a traditional 8 hours/day system.
On our system, you may use 20-30 sick hours being out 2-3 days with covid. You cannot then “make up for it” by working several weeks of fifth days on a committed 4/10 schedule. But some employers may be more flexible or allow for different arrangements.
My employer also bars 4/10 and 5/4/9 workers from accruing “credit hours,” banked time off for working overtime. Understand how your employer considers existing days off for holidays and emergencies against your 4/10. Some let 4/10 employees take a day off before the holiday that falls on their usual non-work day.
Make sure you understand whether you can take the 4/10 or alternate schedule that you want to take. Staffing shortages may impact this. Have also heard of employers denying a non-Friday off as being “disruptive.”
Otherwise, save for the issues raised above, friends love their 4/10 and 5/4/9 schedules. One spends every weekend away from Washington in New York. One has a lucrative weekend side hustle. One finds his military weekend reserve service is that much easier with a 4/10. Another has weekend custody of his children.
Anon
I love flavored teas and coffees so when I saw the reco here for the tazo glazed lemon loaf, I had to buy some ASAP. I tried it and hated it. Has a strong scent of something decadent, but very mild flavor and disappointing. Also, I bought the vanilla bean macaron and butterscotch blondie flavors also and also did not like those. If anyone would like me to send you some of this stuff, post a burner email – happy to mail you a package of tea bags (they are all fresh and sealed) rather than have it all go to waste.
Coach Laura
Oh no! I was going to buy that combo on amazon but decided to try to find just one box locally. Glad I didn’t.
Anon
Thank you. I think I started that thread and never got around to buying these flavors to try, so I appreciate your taking one for the team!
Anon
Yes, I bought the glazed lemon loaf and also didn’t like it. I’ll be donating it to the work breakroom.
London recs?
Going to London in early August as my first trip to Europe. Would love “can’t miss” recommendations. Going to visit a friend who said I can stay with her on her houseboat or with any of her friends if I’d rather be on a couch or in a guest room. I am there for 5 days and a tad worried introvert me will wish I’d spent money on a hotel, but also I know I’d hermit if left alone and I am hoping the socializing will make me explore or actually see the area and such.
I’ve also never been on a flight longer than 5 hours and this will be about 10. I think I can medicate and sleep through much of the red eye there though I worry about comfort while sleeping so I am not more jetlagged than necessary, and the way back is mid-day and I worry about not losing my mind for that whole time, so recommendations there are welcome too!
Seventh Sister
I’d do Westminster Cathedral, the food hall at Harrods, and at least one of the following: Tower of London, the V & A, or The British Museum. We went with the kids a few years ago and had a ball. Also, it’s what I think of as a “foreign country-lite” for Americans – yes, there are funny words for things but everything is in English and people seem to like Americans well enough (esp. the ones that aren’t in huge tour groups). We went around the same time of year and it was quite warm/hot and air conditioning isn’t universal by any means, so layers are good.
Anon
To avoid confusion, note that Westminster Abbey is the big church next to Parliament where William and Kate got married. Westminster Cathedral is just south of Buckingham Palace and is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Church in England. It’s still a big fancy church, but it’s not Westminster Abbey.
Cat
Eat ALL the Indian food. I would fly back for Dishoom alone. Last time we were there, you could make lunch reservations but not dinner… but the last lunch reservation was at 5:45pm. Could be a great early dinner for your arrival day before you crash.
If Buckingham Palace will be open to the public while you’re there (that timing sounds right), that’s a fun experience. If you even casually follow the royals, it’s neat to be standing in the rooms that are the backgrounds to photos etc.
Leave time for just going for long walks vs. rushing around to fit in all the tourist stuff. You’re lucky to have local friends as you’ll obviously be steered away from tourist trap dining and shopping!
Flight & jet lag tips-
– Try to get a departing flight that leaves near your bedtime so you max the amount of sleep on the plane. Bring earplugs or noise canceling headphones and an eye mask. I like the ones with lightly molded cups – almost like a bra for your face – for no pressure on the eyelids. Wear layers. Sometimes tr-nsatlantic flights are super cold, but personally I don’t like big wraps or blankets as if I wake up and need to use the bathroom, untangling myself from the “is this a blanket or straitjacket?” Is annoying! You will not be able to sleep all the way until landing unless you are an amazing sleeper – the noise and smells of breakfast being served start about an hour and a half or so before ETA.
– Either stay awake all day when you get there or take a short nap (like, an hour max) to help get you to local bedtime after the rough night.
– To that end, depending on how you choose to stay, if you go with a hotel get yourself early checkin.
– For the flight back, I personally like to take a 2-hr nap in the middle. If it’s a 10 hour flight home from London I imagine you’re normally on Central time? So I’d take the nap about a third of the way through the flight (late afternoon London time) so you’re not completely exhausted on arrival but also you didn’t sleep 2/3 of the way home and then can’t go to bed for real! Otherwise, I watch plane movies, have a new book on my Kindle, sort through photos – I inevitably take a bunch of similar ones and don’t need them all but don’t want to waste time on my trip culling.
– The flights home tend to be warm on the left side of the plane (the ABC seats usually) because of sun position, so if you want to be a bit cooler and also able to peek out the window without being blinded, go for the right side :)
Loves London
I love London. You should probably repost on Monday to get more responses. On top of the typical touristy things, I would add the Churchill War Rooms and a fancy tea at a nice hotel if you can afford it. Eat all the foods and enjoy! Since you’ll be there for 5 days, consider taking a train to see some of the sights outside of London, like Bletchley Park or Oxford. (Although I could happily spend 5 days in London alone.) You can find good walking tours of London online, or try Rick Steves.
If the houseboat is anything like the ones I’ve seen in Oxford, you might find staying there with a friend for 5 days difficult, especially if introverted. Maybe consider a couple of days on the houseboat and a couple in a spare room with one of her friends, if that’s a genuine offer?
As for the flight, you probably won’t sleep much on the way over, so you either have to muscle through the first day or take a short nap if you can. I never found the flight home to be a problem, because I just use it as an opportunity to watch movies and TV shows that I otherwise wouldn’t see.
Loves London
One other thing. Public transportation is really easy in London and England. Do not hesitate to take the Underground (the Tube) or trains to see the sights.
Anon
I loved St James Park. It was beautiful and probably my favorite place sun London. Go to the West End and bring cash in case you can get a last minute deal on a show. I also loved Tower Bridge area, go to the Shard rooftop, the National Gallery Museum and covenant garden.
Anonymous
Would highly recommend not planning to see or do everything, but thinking of this as a first of many opportunities.
A few that will make you feel OMG I’m in London!
– Big Ben and Parliament house (prime pickpocket area because of all the tourists stopping to look). Right next to Westminster Abbey, walking distance to Buckingham Palace, St James’ Park and Trafalgar Sq with the National Gallery.
– Seeing the red doubledecker buses. Try and sit at the top front, a great way to see the streets.
– Seeing Piccadilly Circus – obligatory shots in all films set in London.
Some cheap or free things to do:
– The big museums usually have free entrance to the regular collections, and ticketed (20 dollars) special exhibitions. The National Gallery, British Museum, Victoria & Albert, the Science museums – lots of fantastic options, and a great way to recharge on your own.
– Beautiful parks like Regent’s park, St James park, Kensington Gardens are great places to walk.
– The big cathedrals like St Paul’s or Westminster Abbey have tickets for sightseeing tourists, but everybody is welcome at a service for free. Evensong with a full choir is a great way to see them.
You will be very lost if you don’t have a card with a chip and pin and contactless that works in the UK, so get one if you don’t have one already. During the pandemic London has transitioned to almost cashless – contactless is King. You’ll be able to pay cash at the slightly dodgy corner shop, but even the pubs use card payment as a matter of course now.
Maybe it would be good to have an emergency plan with a set-aside budget of one hotel night, just in case you really do need to sleep off jetlag, or recharge? Just knowing it’s an option might make you relax more.
Anonymous
Ottolenghi’s restaurants are in London and excellent.
Also, I think London is a great place to start with one of the double decker hop-on-hop-off tour buses to get a feel for the city. They are obviously touristy but they are also very convenient and let you see a lot of things and note things you might want to return to for a longer look.
Anon
Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, Abbey Road (iconic crosswalk photos!), shopping on Oxford street, visiting Harrod’s, and seeing Buckingham palace through the fence.
Anon
Also we walked by a houseboat community somewhere around Marylebone and thought it was so cool. If you get to stay in one of those, very cool!!
Maybe stay at a hotel near the airport the night before you fly home to catch a little break from the people stuff.
Anon
Go to Veerasami in regent street for nice Indian food if still there.
Anon
I loved book shopping at Charring Cross Rd, Spitalfields market (introvert alert – can be crowded, but I love finding unique clothes, so totally worth it for me), +1 to other poster in catching a show (I see one each time I visit). I like to do long walks (Buckingham palace – Regent’s park – Notting Hill – back via Kensington; Clerkenwell – south to St Paul – Tower – Spitalfields; walking along the riverbanks). I walk a lot (am used to walking 15km/day on a hilly terrain), but take metro whenever I need to rest.
There is too much amazing food all around, I love Korean/Vietnamese, vegan, plenty of great Indian/Pakistani food, but you will find great food everywhere. I loved their parks and museums. I would avoid Camden during weekend as it is excessively crowded and energy draining (for intro).
Lori L
You might want to get a London Pass for discounted admission to major attractions (including Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London) and to avoid lining up to pay, Depending on how much you want to see per day, it might be worth it to get it for one or two days: https://londonpass.com/en-us/london-attractions/how-it-works
You might want a metro pass in advance. You can buy a visitor’s Oyster Card for using the tube (the metro or subway) to be sent to you at the Transport for London site: https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/visiting-london/visitor-oyster-card. And print a tube map. Obviously, there are apps, but I would not stand on a street corner looking at my phone in London and some if the tube tunnels are deep enough to disrupt your signal.
My favourite historical places are the Tower of London (medieval prison and where the Crown Jewels are stored–I say this only because a work colleague thought it was just a tower like the one in Seattle. The Tower always has a huge line so go in the morning if you can); Kensington Palace (where Princess Diana lived that has a permanent exhibit on the life of Queen Victoria who spent her childhood here; never crowded in my experience); Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard (check times online).
For shopping go to the Piccadilly Circus tube stop and walk down Regent Street. (Oxford Street is the major shopping street but mobbed with teenagers and overwhelming.) I would go to the historic and gorgeous Liberty’s Department Store (a famous Liberty print cosmetic bag is a great souvenir or gift and weights very little), and to Fortnum and Mason for the main floor food hall with their fabulous tea (Jubilee Tea is out now.) Harrod’s is over-rated to me, but maybe something you want to see once in your lifetime.
For formal afternoon tea, book online ahead–Fortnum and Mason or the Ritz Hotel are my favourites. You won’t need dinner that night!
If you want some take-out for lunches the Marks and Spencer food halls are great . They often have wine at a better price than any supermarket or convenience store (usually in the basement) and British cheese is amazing–so a baguette, some cheese and some vino and you will not feel deprived. The ubiquitous Pret a Manger sandwich shops make takeout sandwiches that are better than any American sandwich. For restaurants I echo the Dishoom idea if you like Indian and it’s informal enough that I would not hesitate to eat there alone.
Have a wonderful time!
Anonymous
PSA to check your “community transmission” on the CDC website, not “community levels,” if you care about avoiding covid and not hospital capacity. My entire county just turned red.
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/03/10/1085797307/cdcs-new-covid-metrics-can-leave-individuals-struggling-to-understand-their-risk
Anon
Our hospitals are full regardless, crammed with people who ignored chronic health conditions or troublesome symptoms and are now showing up in the ER with kidney failure due to untreated diabetes or end-stage cancer. I have a relative who works in our large community hospital and says she and her colleagues would rather be treating Covid, in many ways, because having to break the news to someone who thought they were just having GERD for the last two years that they actually have metastatic esophageal cancer and they are dying, with no hope of recovery, is a different thing entirely. We have a pretty good idea how to treat Covid, and that’s fairly straightforward. Treating a patient with uncontrolled diabetes who also now has liver cancer with bone metastases and also has emphysema from stress-smoking indoors for the last two years is a much less straightforward endeavor. Saying this to say – if you fear full hospitals, in my area at least, there won’t be any relief on that front for quite some time.
Anon
Meanwhile wait times for appointments to monitor chronic health conditions or get symptoms checked out remain long where I am (weirdly even test results are taking a really long time?). Fingers crossed I don’t end up in the ER too.
(Can I say that it’s also a bit stressful as person medically advised not to catch a breakthrough infection that doctor’s offices and hospitals are still mostly not using masks designed for source control in an airborne contagion? There’s plenty of evidence that the current protocols are not successfully preventing hospital transmission, which makes all kinds of sense because a surgical mask is easy to breathe around which is why it helps prevent transmission via droplets more than it helps with airborne transmission, but we figured out that “droplet theory” was wrong ages ago! Though I’m grateful when they’re masking up at all. No masks on public transit has also made it harder to get in to appointments for those of us whose conditions preclude driving. I do understand that the risks of catching COVID have to be weighed against the also significant risks of not getting the healthcare we need, but I really wish and believe that “getting the healthcare we need” could be lower risk in a literal pandemic.)
Coach Laura
That’s too bad. Masking is 100% in Seattle in doctor’s offices and medical facilities like dentists’ offices. Hospitals here are still on covid visitation policies with visitors limited. Masking is still required on public transit. While I don’t think masks are needed in preschools and elementary schools, using masks in crowded places and/or places that are not optional like hospitals is logical and reasonable.
Busses seem like risky places. On February 14, 2020, I was sure that SARS-COV-19 had probably already arrived in Seattle and I needed to go to the cancer center for treatment. I decided that the bus was too risky from a germ standpoint to me in my immunocompromised state, so I rode my bicycle to the cancer center, 12 miles away from my house. Luckily, the day was not to cold and there was no Seattle rain. (I got a sag-wagon ride home after the infusion.)
Not two weeks later, the first known US death from covid occurred three miles from my house. I was pleased that I had accurately gauged the risk, even before covid was named and known.
Coach Laura
trying again
That’s too bad. Masking is 100% in Seattle in doctor’s offices and medical facilities like dentists’ offices. Hospitals here are still on covid visitation policies with visitors limited. Masking is still required on public busses/trains. While I don’t think masks are needed in preschools and elementary schools, using masks in crowded places and/or places that are not optional like hospitals is logical and reasonable.
Busses seem like risky places. On February 14, 2020, I was sure that SARS-COV-19 had probably already arrived in Seattle and I needed to go to the cancer center for treatment. I decided that the bus was too risky from a germ standpoint to me in my immunocompromised state, so I rode my bicycle to the cancer center, 12 miles away from my house. Luckily, the day was not to cold and there was no Seattle rain. (I got a sag-wagon ride home after the infusion.)
Not two weeks later, the first known US death from covid occurred three miles from my house. I was pleased that I had accurately gauged the risk, even before covid was named and known.
Coach Laura
I agree and disagree with this. I had lymphoma and was treated in 2019 at Fred Hutchison/Seattle Cancer Care, now in remission. My husband now has a different blood cancer, also being treated at SCCA. It is a big difference – whereas I started treatment the same week, he had to wait almost three weeks and he is sicker. He had to wait six weeks to see a cardiologist and three weeks for a PET scan. Added to that is the national shortage of contrast materials for radiology scans and the need for hospitals to ration scans.
But my daughter has been an ICU nurse since early in 2020 and half the time, she was in Level I trauma urban hospitals and half in rural hospitals. She has had hundreds of dying covid patients – sadly, more than she can count. The ICUs are now not overloaded with covid patients, which is good. Due to covid, hubby did not get ICU care when he needed it in March, due to covid overload. That is less common now. While some health care workers would rather be treating covid, having hospitals not overloaded with covid is better for all who need care.
Curious
Coach Laura, I’m so sorry so much has been delayed on top of everything else.
Coach Laura
Thank you.
Ellen
The hospitals are filled in NYC with a lot of losers who seem to dispise women. I had to go to the ER because I stepped off the curb and twisted my ankle badly. I was in terrible pain and was given some muscle relaxers. So many unfriendly men in the waiting room. I thought I was in another world. Then I heard about that miserable person who shot and killed innocent people in a Buffalo supermarket. Why can’t there be penalties meted out by the local community rather than the conventional justice system. The person could be turned over to the locals, who would not be allowed to shoot him. If they just gave bats to the relatives, they could handle the punishment for this person, who had no value for human life.
Anonymous
Newly diagnosed with cancer here. I didn’t wait or stress smoke indoors for two years or whatever other blame you want to throw (what is wrong with you?) I couldn’t get in thanks to all the surges that kept pushing me. Maybe have some compassion for others. I’m not following your logic on “rather it be Covid” either as it’s not just that patient but the knock on other resources that affects everyone else. Months to get a colonoscopy isn’t normal. Even getting to primaries has sometimes taken a few months for people I know with chronic issues in my area, from my 82 year old mom’s thyroid and heart issues to my husband with Chrohn’s disease.
Peloton
Without value-judging yourself or others as you describe it, what did you eat over the last 24 hours? Anything that brought you particular joy in that list?
Anonymous
My meals the last 24 hours have been seeded rolls with mackerel and marmalade for lunch, dried cranberries, roasted nuts and banana for snacks, and a dinner of asparagus, cauliflower, chickpea pasta and slices of entrecôte steak cooked in ghee.
I particularly enjoyed my steak, nailed medium rare. And there’s leftovers!
Coach Laura
I made a gluten free Trader Joe’s everything bagel with cream cheese and lox. I was diagnosed with celiac in 2008 in the dark ages of GF food. There were no edible bagels and I went ten years without a good bagel. TJs has the best GF bread, hamburger buns and bagels, even better than the local GF bakery. Every time I eat one, it makes me happy.
Anon
I’m on vacation on a sailboat, so not a typical diet for me but: chicken Caesar salad, scallops with teriyaki sauce and rice and snaps peas, fried egg and potato hash and mahi mahi tacos. It was all yummy and fresh but I miss chocolate (which I have at least once daily at home).
anon
Tell me more about this vacation on a sailboat pls!
Nom
Yesterday’s breakfast: tomato quiche and decaf nonfat latte
Lunch: salmon salad with hardboiled eggs and lemon vinaigrette
Snack: strawberry pop tarts
Dinner: turkey sandwich with Swiss cheese, Dijon mustard and arugula, plus potato salad, and chips
The latte brought me the most joy, because I went to the local coffee place that makes really good ones with thick, velvety foam, and the espresso beans are always perfectly roasted. But the pop tarts were also really enjoyable, I had them with a friend and we laughed about how much the pop tarts reminded us of childhood snacks.
anon
Sheetz MTO Italian sub (love me some gas station trash food), gigante bean + artichoke olio (daily harvest) on white rice, a microwaved warm flatbread with some TJ’s peri peri sauce, and an apple oatmeal snack/dessert bar. Nothing brought me particular joy but it was all relatively easy to jam in my mouth and that brought me joy after a long week of business travel!
English muffins
Working backwards from 5 minutes ago, leftover pizza from a local place, an English muffin with peanut butter, a Lindor truffle, rare steak grilled by my husband, leftover ravioli from the same local place.
The steak brought me a lot of joy. Also, a couple of evenings ago I had a toasted English muffin with real butter and fancy raspberry jam, and it was soooooooo good. Might have again tonight.
Anonny
Great thread :) Tonight’s dinner was a quick one-pot Mexican skillet with chicken thighs, rice, organic salsa, various colours of peppers, onions, black beans, tomatoes, seasoning, and a few other tidbits. Half the fun was enjoying the meal and the other half knowing I have a pile of leftovers for lunches to come! Also enjoyed a latte and a sumptuous chocolate chunk cookie during a long training bike ride. I could rest easy knowing the 1.5 hour ride home would burn that sucker right off :D
Anon
Breakfast: whole wheat bagel + cashew cream cheese + chili onion crunch + tomatoes + broccoli
Lunch: whole wheat pasta salad with roasted broccoli, eggplant, tomatoes, chickpeas, olives, sundried tomatoes, and tomato vinaigrette; grapes
Snack: dried fruit and nut bars with chocolate chips
Dinner: roasted asparagus and a whole wheat flatbread with arugula/walnut pesto, tomatoes, and cucumber
(Just noticed I ate tomatoes at every meal- I bought a container of cherry tomatoes that needs eating sooner rather than later)
The pasta salad was fantastic- I make variations on this a lot, with different veggies, but this time I really nailed the proportions of everything and got the amount of dressing just right so I’m looking forward to having it for lunch for the rest of the week. It also makes me happy to have so much of this premade in big batches and just able to pull out of the fridge or freezer when ready to eat (pesto, whole wheat bagels, fruit and nut bars, big batch of roasted veggies, some of which are in the pasta salad). Nothing makes me more ragey than cooking while hungry!
Anonymous
Summer Farro Salad (1 cup cooked farro, 1 cup finely chopped spinach, 1/4 cup feta, sun-dried toms, olives, black pepper, and basil, trader joes balsamic dressing and toss). Add protein of your choice (or use as a side) Loosely based off a Whole Foods Farro Salad I had one time.