How Can I Forgive My Evil Stepmother?

My father had a terminal illness and died recently. Throughout, there was drama between my adult siblings and our stepmother. She refused to take him to a better hospital; he told us she made him feel like an inconvenience and that she tried to stop my dad’s mother from visiting. Since his death, it’s gotten…

Committed to Each Other … and Therapy

Romantic partnership is an ever-evolving experience — couples constantly shift, change and, in some cases, start over. In “It’s No Secret,” long-term partners share what they have learned through the years. (Answers are edited for context and space.) Who Melissa McCue Lawson, 57, and William Lawson, 73, have been married for 29 years, two months…

Venice and Cruise Ships: A Delicate Balance

There are two main proposals: rerouting vessels toward Marghera, the lagoon’s main commercial port on the mainland, or building a port outside of the lagoon. The problem with Marghera, said a representative of Venice’s Port Authority, is that “it’s a commercial port for containers, it’s not built for passengers.” Also, since Marghera is inside the…

The Triumphant Rebirth of Balenciaga Couture

PARIS — The ivory carpet was back. So were the ivory walls, with scroll bas-reliefs framing each curtained door; the marble staircase; the strict, anticipatory, hush in the air. Ssshhh. Take your seats. Respect the artist. Fifty-three years after Cristóbal Balenciaga closed the doors of his couture salon for the last time, Demna Gvasalia was…

The Young Men’s Style Council of TikTok

TikTok is an insatiable platform, and men’s fashion content abounds, much of it entry-level: style tutorials, product recommendations, video listicles and endless, endless amounts of fit pics, or fit videos, or videos of fit pics. There are established models, and models, like Wisdom Kaye (@wisdm8), who got their start by posting on TikTok. This niche…

New Yorkers Are Making Out. Everywhere.

On a Thursday afternoon in June, just days before the summer solstice, the scene in Hudson River Park looked straight out of a Thomas Cole painting: Bees and butterflies dancing in the air, the water sparkling in the distance, its less attractive parts smoothed out by the midday sun. Plenty of couples were taking advantage,…