u/EmilyPoster2

I used a furniture upholsterer in the Bronx for my sofa. His craftsmanship was good but he was a red hot mess to deal with so I am searching for someone else for my many other upholstery needs.

I don't expect cheap. Maybe a few thousand for a wingback. But I want them to be good craftsmen and easy to deal with. Nearby NJ is fine too. Any recommendations?

There are too many places online with nothing but a gazilliion 5-star reviews and I just don't trust that.

Preface: I'm NOT complaining about Paris, Parisians, laws, culture, customs, or even smoking. I am gathering information to help plan a potential trip to Paris. (I'm American and am quite certain you can find many more things to hate about our country so I don't dare point a finger a yours!)

I have asthma/ horrible coughing fits that triggered by smoke, perfume, and air freshener. Friends have told me just not to go to Paris. Maybe they are right, but I'd like broader opinions. I understand people smoke on restaurant terraces, on sidewalks, in parks. Here are my other questions:

1. Is smoking in Paris the same all over or do some neighborhoods have more smokers or fewer smokers as is the case in the US? If yes, which neighborhoods.

2. We can travel in October. Does season have anything to do with smoking? (More people outside in summer means more smoking?)

3. Is smoking allowed in hotel lobbies?

4. Restaurants: Do people smoke in restaurants even though it is not allowed? I have heard that smoke often comes into restaurants from cafe terraces. If I asked to be seated far from the door, would that be accommodated?

Do you have any other tips that could lead to a more successful trip for me? Again, don't hate on me. Believe me, if I could choose my lungs, I'd have ones that could handle second hand smoke.

I have a car, live in Northern Manhattan near the GWB, and can drive an hour to see the Perseid showers on Wednesday night. Where in NJ do you suggest I go? I really don't know the world outside of the city too well but am glad to venture anywhere.

Thanks!

I'm visiting Boston with my parents who love driving around and looking out the car window at huge old mansions and tasteful historic houses.

We will be visiting the Chestnut Hill and Brookline area to go to some museums tomorrow. Are there any areas around there or between there and where we are staying (Beacon Hill) that you recommend?

My husband has had so many surgeries in his life that his veins are really shot. It is horribly painful for him to get an IV because they have to dig around like hell, try many times on many limbs, call in experts, use an ultrasound sometimes, a pediatric needle sometimes. He is afraid of procedures for days in advance because of getting the IV. He sometimes only needs them one or twice a year, so getting a port doesn't make sense.

Is there something topical that can be used to make it less painful for him to get the IV inserted?

Thanks.

My husband and I are going to Paris for three days to see a show of our favorite artist. My desire to see the Alhambra has spurred us to tack on a 10-day Spain and Portugal trip. Traveling either early September or mid-October.  Here's more about us, our likes, and dislikes.  We feel a bit like weirdos compared to the average American tourist. Any advice on where to go is much appreciated!

- Live in NYC.  Glad to visit another great city but don’t need to be wowed by a place simply because it is a city.  

- We don't want constant transit. Would rather really explore a few great places for 3-nights each,  though realize there might be one or two places we wouldn't want to stay that long. 

- We spend a lot of time eating and enjoying food.  We can afford and appreciate fine dining, but are just as happy with a hole in the wall that has fantastic food.  

- We are very happy to leave tourist areas and go off the beaten path, glad to be the only tourists in a restaurant. Great local restaurants are a nice way to lure us into neighborhoods we wouldn't otherwise see.

- Love old architecture, libraries, churches, little old towns, seasides, markets, history, gardens, county sides, grungy cities, historic cities. Sitting nice places and reading.

- Hate chains, touristy stuff, bars, clubs, nightlife, cigarette smoke, modern architecture.

- Glad to sit in nature for a bit but we are not hikers, bikers, or outdoor adventurers.

THE QUESTIONS:

My husband down right hates Gaudi.  Do we bother with Barcelona if we have no interest in Gaudi, contemporary architecture, and don’t care about night life?

Where should we go? What is an ideal itinerary?

How long to stay in and around Granada to see Alhambra?

Don't want to focus on the North. Was there before.

So many vegan soft serve places have closed. Anyone have good recommendations that are still open now?

I am curious what routes others have taken to deal with post-menopause depression. Have you treated it with HRT? With SSRIs or SNRIs? Anyone on both?

Does your depression go in cycles? Mine seems too, almost like a period cycle, but how can that be? I've had a total hysterectomy and oophrectomy?

I tend to approach medical issues with evidence based medicine, but am hitting a wall. I have been doing research on pub-med and am horrified (though not surprised) at how little research has been done other than to identify post menopausal depression is a problem and should be treated individually by a doc with expertise.

I'm 53. Have been in menopause for two years but had a hysterectomy 12 weeks ago and have been battling depression since. My GYN specializes in hormone therapy but says it doesn't do much for depression. I see a psychiatrist for general anxiety disorder, and although her speciality is women's reproductive health including postmenopause, she seems to understand little about menopausal hormones. They are both at good university teaching hospitals, and Harvard and Columbia trained. I'd have thought between these two I'd have gotten somewhere, but nope!

What is the best and quietest portable AC unit in the US now?

Am I correct that a portable one can be easily installed and taken out of a window as needed on a day to day basis?

For context, we live in NYC and usually use a window unit for our studio apartment. I realize portable ones are inefficient. However, there is a ton of exterior brick work on our building this summer and window units in our building have been damaged by construction debris, and brick dust comes in through the vents.

I want an portable one for this summer so the unit itself is inside and doesn't get clogged with debris. I also want to be able to take the hose out of the window and close the window when a lot of sanding is being done right outside my unit.

Does anyone know of a good, stable person who runs a dog overnight boarding business from their apartment/house?

I want: Person place that takes 2-5 dogs at a time. Is a real home, sofas, bed, no cages. Someone who has done this for years as a real business. Knows dogs, understands how they interact with each other. Only takes fixed dogs. Bonus if they are on UWS, Washington Heights, or near the GW in NJ.

I don't want: Someone on Rover doing this in between gigs. A business that takes 10 dogs at a time. A storefront, vet, or warehouse. A place that takes unfixed dogs.

Why is this so hard to find? The few people I know of who do this in my neighborhood are complete weirdos and not nice to the dogs when I see them walking. One yells at the dogs, the other dragged a dog on their back across the pavement in the park!

Does anyone know of a good, stable person who runs a dog overnight boarding business from their apartment/house?

I want: A place that takes 2-5 dogs at a time. Is a real home, sofas, bed, no cages, crates. Someone who has done this for years as a real business. Knows dogs, understands how they interact with each other. Only takes fixed dogs. Bonus if they are on UWS, Washington Heights, or near the GW in NJ. I have a car and could drive to Westchester, Yonkers too.

I don't want: Someone on Rover doing this in between gigs. A business that takes 10 dogs at a time. A storefront, vet, or warehouse. A place that takes unfixed dogs.

Why is this so hard to find? The few people I know of who do this in my neighborhood are complete weirdos and not nice to the dogs when I see them walking. One yells at the dogs, the other dragged a dog on their back across the pavement in the park!

I was diagnosed over 20 years ago! I still have PTSD from a particularly scary MRI. It only impacts me when I get on planes and suddenly feel trapped. During cancer and after, I have dug deep, lived through my emotions and fears, journaled, cried, expressed. The only part of my life that still feels impacted is this claustrophobia and flying.

I can take short flights now, up to 3 hours sometimes, using coping mechanisms I've developed. But I want to visit family in Thailand. I'm considering EMDR. Curious if anyone else is has used EMDR for cancer related trauma.

I've had anxiety my whole life when I get sick with a flu or cold or upset stomach. I've talked about it a ton in therapy. I now know the second I feel sick I need to take an Ativan, take ibuprofen, and watch Netflix to distract myself both from my anxiety and from the physical sensations in my body.

I'm only now wondering if it is because of hEDS that maybe I feel the sensations of sickness so much more intensely or differently than other people that maybe it is why it is so disconcerting to me to feel these physical sensations. Like when I get achy joints from a fever, it feels absolutely so f-ing horrible. I can't just feel the sensation without having anxiety pour over me.

I'm three weeks post surgery. Had total hysterectomy, everything out. This week I started feeling my same PMS signs - weepy, hardcore craving lemonade and seltzer water. WTF? How can I have PMS with no ovaries or uterus? Can someone explain this? Has it happened to you?

For context, I'm 53, was in menopause for 2 years prior to my total hysterectomy. ( Had everything out for cancer prevention, family history of cancer.) Even during menopause I'd have monthly PMS symptoms. Docs just shrugged and said I must still be making some small level of hormones. But this just seems ridiculous!