All posts tagged: in transit

Best Travel Tote Bags for Every Kind of Excursion (2026): Away, Le Pliage, Topo Designs

Best Travel Tote Bags for Every Kind of Excursion (2026): Away, Le Pliage, Topo Designs

Published by skeptic

Compare Top 6 Travel Totes More Travel Totes I Recommend Longchamp Large Le Pliage Tote for $180: This bestseller is the equivalent of a classic white tee: timeless, versatile, and built to be passed down for generations. Inspired by origami, Le Pliage folds down small when you need to pack it, but it’s also roomy enough to double as your personal item. I can fit all the essentials in here—laptop, Kindle, my airport toiletries, snacks, and then some. With its minimalist design and zipper closure for valuables, it’s also the ideal work bag for business trips. My one gripe with this travel tote bag is the lack of internal compartments (besides two impractical flat pockets), but if you’re someone who has little pouches and tech organizers for your gear, you might not miss it. Cincha the Vegan Leather Go-Tote for $130: This vegan leather bag is deceptively huge. The base is 7.5 inches deep, so while it doesn’t look that big in pictures, it holds an astonishing amount of stuff. I’ve packed enough clothes in …

What to Do in Vegas If You’re Here for Business (2026)

What to Do in Vegas If You’re Here for Business (2026)

Published by skeptic

Courtesy of PublicUs 1126 E Fremont St., (702) 331-5500 Vegas has a really good homegrown coffee scene, and this airy, spacious cafe in the Arts District is my favorite local spot for breakfast, espresso drinks, filter coffee, and an hour of getting shit down on my computer. The brekkie sandwich at PublicUs is delicious, the Loco Moco is as good as any I’ve had on the mainland, the vegan patty melt hits the spot, and all the drinks—including teas from Song Tea and mochas made using Askinosie chocolate—are some of the best in Vegas. Go once or go often, and become a regular during your stay. Inside The Wynn My favorite place to laptop at the Wynn, this spot is an outpost from the decidedly old-school health food brand Urth Caffe, originally founded in Los Angeles in the late 1980s. I like the breakfast burrito here, and the acai bowl, and the coffee is always hot and fresh and not too involved. There’s ample room here for laptopping, stretching out, and working, and the people …

What to Do in Dumbo If You’re Here for Business (2026)

What to Do in Dumbo If You’re Here for Business (2026)

Published by skeptic

New York City has always been a place that people flock to—to live, to work, to visit, or to play. It’s big and exciting, and there’s almost always something happening: a new play, a new exhibit, or a new restaurant opening. According to a 2024 report by venture capital firm SignalFire, NYC experienced a tech boom in 2023, becoming the top destination for people relocating with tech jobs, with around 15 percent of them choosing the Big Apple as their destination. This isn’t the first time the city has seen an influx of technology workers; the 1990s tech boom saw Manhattan’s Flatiron District take off as a hub for high-tech companies, even going so far as to being nicknamed “Silicon Alley.” That area has since spread, moving its way downtown to Soho, west to Hudson Yards, and more recently over the bridge(s) and into Brooklyn—specifically Dumbo, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and Downtown Brooklyn, forming the Brooklyn Tech Triangle. Dumbo, which stands for “Down under the Manhattan Bridge overpass,” is situated between the Brooklyn and Manhattan …

What to Do in Chicago If You’re Here for Business (2026)

What to Do in Chicago If You’re Here for Business (2026)

Published by skeptic

Chicago always has something to prove. When it went up against New York for the 1893 World’s Fair, a New York Sun reporter called out its “windbag” campaigners. Illinois ended up hosting the fair, and Chicago embraced its new identity as the Windy City. That chip-on-the-shoulder energy still defines this metropolis, a city that builds, innovates, and competes like it has everything to lose. Chicago’s tech scene is a diverse landscape that shouldn’t be slept on—but you probably know that. The Second City’s tech sector has grown by 18 percent over the past decade, adding more than 106,000 direct jobs and nearly 150,000 indirect jobs, according to the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. The city’s universities produce more computer science graduates than anywhere else in the US. Giants like Google, Salesforce, and Meta have satellite operations here, while startups like Tegus, Uber Freight, and G2 have relocated from Silicon Valley, drawn by Chicago’s talent pool and affordable cost of living. Chicago’s tech scene is not siloed; nearly half of all tech positions are tied to core …

14 Best Travel Toiletry Bags, Tested Over Many Miles (2026)

14 Best Travel Toiletry Bags, Tested Over Many Miles (2026)

Published by skeptic

Others We Tested There were multiple great bags we tried whose features or designs just didn’t add up to a place in the top spots above. However, everyone has something different they’re looking for in a toiletry bag, so while not perfect for us, some of these options may still be perfect for you. Photograph: Kat Merck Patricks BB1 Bathroom Bag for $189: This crush-resistant, shock-absorbing rectangular bag is basically a heavier-duty, unisex version of the Flat Lay, below, except it costs four times as much. I tested it in the Triple Black colorway, which is “strictly limited to 1,000 pieces globally.” This one’s got two interior flaps with a slim, shallow zippered pouch on either side, but otherwise is just one big compartment that led to too much clinking and clanking of contents during my test. It’s great for full-sized products, but my testers and I all preferred bags that hold the products securely upright, as in the less expensive Parallelle Kit, above. Flat Lay Makeup Box Bag for $37: Available in opaque-fabric and …

Best Packing Cubes for Every Kind of Trip (2026), Tested and Reviewed

Best Packing Cubes for Every Kind of Trip (2026), Tested and Reviewed

Published by skeptic

Other Great Packing Cubes Photograph: Kat Merck Shacke Pak Packing Cubes for $29 (set of 8): These were pretty good quality for an Amazon brand; there’s a sturdy handle and the material is slightly thicker than other packing cubes at this price point. I like the mix of mesh for breathability and opaque fabric for privacy. They come in nine colors, but the colors are clownishly bright (blue pictured above), and the four-paneled mesh design reminds me of a jock strap. Shacke says it uses YKK zippers on all its packing cubes, but I peeled back the covering on the zipper and could not find a YKK insignia anywhere. Photograph: Kat Merck Calpak Packing Cubes Set for $68 (set of 5): This is the first set of packing cubes I ever owned, and it’s what kicked off my obsession with travel organization. There’s just something generally satisfying about the size and layout of these lightweight polyester cubes (pictured at left) that have a mostly mesh front for visibility and breathability. There’s a little window where …