• Israel's Tel Aviv New Central Bus Station is one of the largest bus stations in the world, second only to Millennium Park Bus Depot in Delhi, India, according to Hindustan Times.
• But, even though it's only 15 years old, only a fraction of the station is still used for travel, and a motley crew of artists, vendors, and worshipers are filling the void left behind.
• The station's architecture resembles a maze, and the building is filled with empty shops, confusing passageways, and abandoned corridors.
• An abandoned terminal in the station is home to a colony of Egyptian fruit bats. The Jerusalem Post reported that the bats settled there because of how closely it resembles a cave.
• Although this is considered a "monstrosity" of a station, according to The Guardian, the transportation hub's unique flaws have stimulated cultural growth and development. 
• Officials have wanted to tear down the station, but the Times of Israel reported that it can't be done safely. They wrote that the demolition would coat Tel Aviv in dust that could choke its residents "for weeks." 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

SEE ALSO: Roadside tourist attractions around the US that are actually worth the detour

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In a neighborhood on the west coast of Israel ...

... just about two miles from Jerusalem Beach ...

... lies the Tel Aviv New Central Bus Station. It opened in 1993 on the outskirts of Nave Sha'anan, and it's the second-largest bus station in the world.

Source: Atlas Obscura, The Guardian

Since then, the station has fallen into disrepair, and many parts of it are abandoned. But this has allowed the station to take on a new life as a cultural hub.

People with various ethnic and religious backgrounds live and work around the station, and they attend community events within the station. The sense of community in the station is "like no other in Israel," according to the Guardian.

Source: The Guardian

"It is a place where many peoples and cultures intersect — it's certainly one of the most diverse spots in the country," Naomi Zeveloff, a reporter based in Tel Aviv, told Business Insider. "The building is run down, no question, but peel back the layers and there's so much to discover."

One of the cultural centers is Yung Yidish — a non-profit organization that aims to preserve Yiddish culture. The center is open Tuesday through Wednesday each week, according to Time Out.

Source: Reuters, Time Out

The bus station also serves as a host for different events, like the annual beauty contest for migrant workers from the Philippines residing in Israel.

Source: AP Images

Stav Pinto is a circus artist who practices her acrobatics in the station. Pinto uses her circus talents to teach life skills to children with disabilities and meets with an informal circus group on Monday evenings.

Source: Reuters

"There's a magical air to the Central Bus Station that reminds me of a dark urban forest," Pinto told Reuters.

Source: Reuters

Another artist, Tamar Lehman, uses space at the station to practice dancing and playing the accordion. "I felt this building is just like the people I work with — they may appear totally confused within themselves, not understood, bizarre, but the more you learn about the people and their inner structure you slowly become more familiar with their inner world, with all its craziness, and you see the beauty," Lehman told Reuters.

Source: Reuters

But Tel Aviv's bus station isn't just for practice, it's also the stage for "Seven"— a performance by actors from the Mystorin Theatre Ensemble — which uses all seven floors of the station as a stage.

Source: Reuters

The show was created specifically for the station, according to Broadway World.

Source: Broadway World

The show uses the daily grind of the station as a part of the performance's setting.

Source: Broadway World

Actor and manager of the play, Dana Forer, called the station a "playground for imagination."

Source: Reuters

The station is not only used by performing artists, though. Visual artists come to the station for inspiration and a space to work, too.

Source: Reuters

The station fosters several communities outside of the arts. There is a Filipino church in the building where worshipers like Merry Christ Palacios, seen here, come to pray. Palacios says she also gets her shopping done inside the building.

Source: Reuters

"It's special because I can find everything we need to buy," she said of the station, which is home to a Filipino food market called Makati Cabalen. The market is open seven days a week, according to Time Out.

Source: Reuters, Time Out

In fact, the entire fourth floor of the station turns into a Filipino food market on Saturdays when public transport is shut down in observation of the Jewish Sabbath.

Source: The Guardian

Even outside of the church, people find peaceful places to worship in this spacious station, like in front of this graffiti.

Source: Reuters

But that's not the only place you'll find visual art in the station. This is a room that functions as a gallery for street art. The gallery holds several exhibitions each year, according to Reuters.

Source: Reuters

The station offers guided tours called Talking Art. "We discovered a world that we didn't know existed," a Trip Advisor reviewer said of the tour.

Source: Trip Advisor

While it remains filled with art, the station functions a little differently during times of war. Aside from being a transit hub for soldiers, the station is a gathering point, bomb shelter, and command center when it needs to be, like for Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012.

Source: The Guardian, Haaretz

"In times of conflict it kind of transforms instantly into its military function ... But [the sense of military] is always in the background, like it is with everything else," artist and activist Yonathan Mishal told The Guardian.

Source: The Guardian

The sign to the right of the urinal below directs patrons to the bomb shelter.

Source: Reuters

While many of the station's storefronts are abandoned, like the one seen here ...

Source: Reuters

... some are open for business like this tattoo parlor ...

Source: Getty Images

... and this basement-level wholesale shop.

Source: Reuters

But most of the operating vendors stand between the entrances and transit gates.

Source: Atlas Obscura

According to the Jerusalem Post, a bat colony took over an abandoned terminal at the station. The terminal was closed off during construction in the '80s before the station was even opened, and the bats were drawn to it because it resembles a cave — the fruit bat's natural habitat.

Source: The Guardian, The Jerusalem Post

The bats were drawn to Tel Aviv because of the city's abundance of fruit trees — they stayed because food is easier to find in a city, which saved them time and energy. The bats are harmless, according to The Jerusalem Post.

Source: The Jerusalem Post

Refugees and people without homes have also found a safe space in and around the station's deserted parts.

Source: The Guardian

The station's empty areas and failed businesses have a lot to do with the way the station came to be.

Source: The Guardian

Construction on the station began in 1967 but kept getting delayed until its opening nearly 26 years later. Designed by Ram Karmi — who also designed Israel's supreme court building and a terminal at Ben Gurion Airport — the station was intentionally built to be confusing. Karmi reportedly hoped lost commuters would spend more money at the station’s stores.

Source: The Guardian

The finished product is far from the initially-planned design. The station was originally supposed to have two floors — one for transit gates and one for commerce, according to Atlas Obscura. The idea for a third floor sprung up because two leading bus companies each wanted their own floor of gates.

Source: Atlas Obscura

Construction paused when funding for the station ran out in the 1970s. Desperate for new investors, the building plan had to expand to include more retail space.

Source: Atlas Obscura

This cycle of adding more retail space to get funding continued until 1993, when the station was complete with six floors, more than 1000 shops, and a movie theater.

Source: Atlas Obscura

Although the bus station was supposed to be located in the center of Tel Aviv's business district, by 1993, the business center of Tel Aviv had shifted north due to the neglect of the southern neighborhood.

Source: The Guardian

This caused a lot of businesses in the building to close shortly after the station opened.

Source: Atlas Obscura

The lower levels of the station became heavily polluted, so a seventh floor was added in 1998 — terminals on the first and second floors of the station were transferred to the seventh floor. The seventh floor blocks natural light from getting to the lower floors, so more businesses on the first two floors closed.

Source: Atlas Obscura, Triposo

The neighborhood — aptly named for its central street Nave Sha'anan — stretches from the old bus station to the new one, according to Haaretz. Haaretz reported that most of the people in the neighborhood are African asylum seekers and Southeast Asian migrant workers.

Source: Haaretz, Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Nave Sha'anan tour guide, David Cohen, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the neighborhood has had a "disadvantaged population" for a long time. "By the '60s this was one of the most severe neighborhoods in Tel Aviv," he said.

Source: Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Although the station has acquired a bad reputation, not everyone agrees with it, including Zeveloff, who commutes through the station regularly. "The bus station is so much more colorful, dynamic, and fascinating than its reputation among many Israelis would have it," she told Business Insider.

City officials have talked about tearing down the bus station for years, according to The Guardian. They reportedly wanted to build smaller bus hubs around the city instead.

Source: The Guardian

However, there is so much cement in the structure that tearing it down would prove unsafe and uneconomical at this point.

Source: The Guardian

According to the Jerusalem Post, tearing down the building would have to include getting permission from some 800 store owners, as well as from the environmental authorities.

Source: The Jerusalem Post

Aside from this, local architects warned the Times of Israel that tearing down the concrete of the building would be virtually impossible, and it would leave a thick coating of dust that could choke all of Tel Aviv for weeks. Tour guides say the building will remain in Tel Aviv for at least another ten years.

Source: The Times of Israel

• In a test of cannabis vape cartridges conducted by NBC News, 15 out of 15 illegal carts contained a fungicide that, when burned, can turn into hydrogen cyanide — a extremely dangerous poison.
• All the legal vape carts tested were deemed safe.
• In addition to the fungicide, 13 out of 15 contained Vitamin E — a solvent that's used to cut cannabis vapes.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Vaping, once thought to be a safe alternative to smoking, is facing increasing scrutiny over an increasingly visible health crisis: 530 total possible cases of vape-related lung illness, according to the CDC.

And it's not just cigarette smoking that has people turning to vaping — cannabis, too, is available in vape form. But, like so many black market items before it, the world of illegal weed vapes is tainted with the potential for dangerous additives that could hurt users.

A recent NBC News study documented exactly how real that potential danger is: Of the 15 black market cannabis vape carts NBC had tested, 13 came back positive for containing Vitamin E acetate — a solvent used to cut cannabis that, when it gets in your lungs, could trigger an immune response that causes pneumonia.

Even worse: Of the illegal carts NBC tested, all 15 tested positive for myclobutanil — a fungicide that, when burned, can turn into hydrogen cyanide. 

It's not all bad news — NBC News also tested three cannabis vape cartridges from a legal dispensary in California, all from different manufacturers.

All three came back clean, with the testing facility having found "no heavy metals, pesticides, or residual solvents like Vitamin E."

But with no federal-level regulation for cannabis vape carts, and legality of cannabis so balkanized, it's difficult to regulate dangerous additives in vape carts. As the federal government struggles to regulate the quickly emerging market, it's offering a straightforward solution that should work for anyone: Reconsidering buying and using a black market vape cart.

"If you're thinking of purchasing one of these products off the street, out of the back of a car, out of a trunk, in an alley," Mitch Zeller, the director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products, said recently, "or if you're going to go home and make modifications to the product yourself using something that you purchased from some third party or got from a friend, think twice."

SEE ALSO: Black market marijuana vapes containing substances like alcohol and caffeine may be to blame for spate of mysterious lung illnesses

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Mexico has just one store where you can legally buy a gun and it's located on a heavily-guarded military base

• Starting this month, Impossible Foods is finally offering its veggie-based version of ground beef in supermarkets.
• Impossible already has burgers at Burger King (the Impossible Whopper) and White Castle, as well as a variety of smaller restaurants. This is the first time people can buy the ingredients directly and make their own Impossible meals.
• Unfortunately, there's one major speedbump for potential buyers: A strikingly high price.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

At most grocery stores, you'll pay anywhere from $3 to $8 for a pound of ground beef.

More often than not, you're paying under $5/lb. — we're talking about ground beef here, not prime rib.

It's pretty rare to pay the higher end of that spectrum, even here in New York City. I had to call the fanciest butcher shop in Brooklyn, The Meat Hook, which prides itself on being a more labor-intensive whole-animal butchery, to find ground beef that costs $8 a pound.

That's why I was so shocked to find out that Impossible Foods, which aims to replace beef with its own vegetarian beef option, is selling less than a pound of its ground "meat"— 12 ounces — for $9.

That's a pretty stark comparison to the $3 you could pay for 16 oz. (1 lb.) of ground beef.

For some folks, the high price is worth it. "Fortunately, we have more demand than we can handle at our current price, " Impossible Foods CEO Pat Brown told me during an Impossible Foods event in New York City on Thursday.

Impossible's only offering its veggie beef in a handful of regional supermarket chains to start, before ramping up to national chains and, the company hopes, expanding internationally. It's one of the first steps in Impossible's plan to lower cost, broaden availability, and convince the general public that its version of veggie beef is a better option than ground beef.

Read more:I cooked 4 Impossible Burgers at home, and it felt bizarrely familiar — these are the best and worst parts of the experience

"We're scaling up right now from tiny to big," Brown said. "And it's only when we get to a bigger scale when we realize the advantages of our process. Our goal is to get our prices affordable to everybody in the world, not just even in the US but in the developing world, as fast as we possibly can. But it doesn't happen instantly, and we can't sell our products at a loss if we want to stay in business."

As Impossible's "meat" becomes more popular, its price should correspondingly decrease as its makers feel more of the financial benefits of the company's more environmentally friendly approach to food creation. It's a reasonable plan, but — in the meantime — it makes Impossible's meat replacement hard to suggest for most people.

• Read more:
• I'm a beef eater, but after cooking three beef recipes with Impossible 'meat' I'm a convert for life
• McDonald's is teaming up with Beyond Meat to roll out a veggie burger at 28 locations
• Impossible Foods CEO slams rivals' 'awful' products that he says help convince shoppers that all plant-based meat alternatives 'suck'
• Beyond Meat slides to its lowest in 3 months as plant-based 'meat' competitors boost their offerings

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Mexico has just one store where you can legally buy a gun and it's located on a heavily-guarded military base

• Starting this month, Impossible Foods is finally offering its veggie-based version of ground beef in supermarkets.
• Impossible already has burgers at Burger King (the Impossible Whopper) and White Castle, as well as a variety of smaller restaurants. This is the first time people can buy the ingredients directly and make their own Impossible meals.
• On Wednesday, I made Impossible Burgers for lunch and dinner — four in total between myself and my partner.
• The experience was familiar, of course, but distinctly different from what I'm used to with ground beef.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Burgers, as we all know, are delicious — a near-perfect combination of fatty, salty meat with creamy cheese and fresh vegetables, all wrapped in a soft, crusty bun.

In my mind, the ideal burger is something along the lines of what you'd find at Shake Shack or In-N-Out: a smashburger. Not the chain, but the concept: a relatively small, concise burger.

It's that type of burger, or something like it, that I set out to make on Wednesday with the newly available Impossible Foods "meat." The experience was both fascinating and familiar.

SEE ALSO: Impossible Foods CEO slams rivals' 'awful' products that he says help convince shoppers that all plant-based meat alternatives 'suck'

First and foremost, the raw version of the Impossible Burger looks an awful lot like highly processed ground beef.

Impossible's "beef" looks very similar to actual ground meat — albeit highly processed ground meat, along the lines of Spam.

It has a kind of compacted feeling as well, no doubt because of the way it's sold: in a plastic pouch. It feels condensed because it has been condensed.

This is a notable difference from ground beef that often comes in long strands, directly from the grinder. The best burgers are made from relatively loose ground beef that hasn't been "overworked," which felt like a strike against Impossible's "meat" right out of the box.

(Spoiler: It turned out to not be a problem at all.)

Yes, you can eat Impossible's "meat" totally raw. Honestly, it tastes pretty good uncooked.

If you've ever eaten a terrine, or a Thai laab, or another type of chopped-meat dish, you'll be right at home eating Impossible's "meat" raw. It could certainly use some salt, but the product straight out of the packaging packs a surprisingly savory, umami-rich punch.

Also of note: It's got a lot of chew, distinctly different from the paste-like consistency of pâté.

To that end, Impossible Foods has test-served its "beef" as tartare — and that's unsurprising. With the right crowd, it would totally work.

But let's not kid ourselves: My goal was making burgers, not eating veggie tartare.

For each of the four burgers I made, I did the same thing I'd do when making a standard burger:

1. Weigh out 3 ounces of veggie meat.
2. Gently roll it into a ball, then gently form that into a thin patty.
3. Generously season both sides with salt and pepper.

I used a standard stainless-steel pan set over the highest flame on my hottest burner, slicked with a teensy bit of vegetable oil to prevent sticking (a 1/2 teaspoon or less). After two to three minutes, I flipped the patties and topped the seared side with a slice of white American cheese.

Outside of toasting the bun and preparing vegetables, this was the process I repeated for each of the four burgers I made. It is exactly the same process I use for making beef burgers, and it produces consistently delicious burgers.

What was most amazing, right off the bat, was how directly this process applied to Impossible's veggie burgers.

The Impossible Burger cooks very much like a beef burger, which was shocking to me.

Anyone who's cooked lots of burgers knows how to tell when to flip: The edges of the patty facing down start to curl a little and change color, and a bit of liquid tends to pool on the top.

It's an age-old sign that it's time to flip the burger, which is then quickly topped with a slice of cheese that can melt as the second side sears.

Impressively, the Impossible Foods veggie version acts very similar. If anything, I found that it seared a bit faster than a standard beef burger.

Best of all, the Impossible Burger is incredibly friendly to eaters who like crispy edges on their burgers (like me). Part of what Shake Shack is so well known for is exactly this, and it's stunningly easy to re-create with Impossible's veggie patty.

Visually, the Impossible Burger is stunningly close to the real thing.

There are some pretty impressive visuals inside an Impossible Foods burger.

It's got crags and a seared, crispy exterior, where melted cheese can blend with the patty to form something new. It bleeds, as you can see above, into the bun below it, just as a beef burger would — remember, I used almost no oil in the pan, so any juices coming off the patty are from the burger itself. The edges look like a loose amalgamation of protein strands, just like on a ground-beef patty.

Honestly, you could very likely market and sell these burgers as beef burgers and most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

But anyone paying close attention would quickly realize the difference: Impossible's burger doesn't taste like beef. It's close! But it's not beef.

Do you know the word "unctuous"? It's kind of gross-sounding, so bear with me for a moment: It means "of the nature of or characteristic of an unguent or ointment; oily; greasy."

Some of the best meat dishes are so great because of their unctuousness. Your favorite roast, for instance, is made particularly delicious because of the slow rendering of its fat, which makes the roast more tender and more flavorful.

Simply put: Fat is a major component of what makes meat taste good.

And not just any fat — the type of fat and the type of animal it's connected to (to say nothing of what the animal ate or how it was raised) can make a huge difference in taste and complexity. That's all before we start talking about how a particular dish was cooked.

No matter how much coconut oil and sunflower oil Impossible adds to its fake beef, it cannot replicate naturally occurring animal fat in meat. It can come close! And it does come close with its ground-beef replacement. But it's missing a layer of complexity that beef has.

But just because it doesn't taste exactly like beef doesn't mean it's not delicious. Let me be clear: The Impossible Burgers I made were absolutely delicious.

There are some massive upsides to making and eating an Impossible Burger over a beef burger.

For one, after eating several burgers, I didn't feel as if I'd eaten several burgers. It was clear that I'd eaten, but I didn't feel heavy or greasy or gross — I just felt pleasantly full.

For another, searing was even easier with the Impossible Burger than with a beef burger. It sits flatter against the pan, thus more easily pulling an even sear.

Perhaps most importantly, the Impossible Burger gets aggressively crispy, which is truly delightful insofar as it replicates one of the primary functions of a patty in a smashburger.

Let's talk downsides: the smell, the sliminess, and the lack of true beef flavor.

My initial impressions of Impossible Foods' meat were not positive.

When I took it out of the package, it reminded me more of opening a can of dog food (which I, unfortunately, do every day) than opening a butcher's package full of ground beef. There was a surprisingly strong scent, which ground beef usually doesn't have, and a general sliminess to the product. That latter bit was especially bad, because slimy ground beef is usually a good indication that it's gone bad.

About 25 seconds later, after I had more closely sniffed and actually tasted the veggie "beef," things improved considerably. It quickly leapt from alien object to something more familiar: a kind of verisimilitude of beef that my brain accepted as real enough.

My wife wasn't quite as easily sold. The first burger I made in her presence she said smelled like chocolate. By the second burger, her impression of the cooking smell had turned from "like chocolate" to "weird."

Notably, she ate the burger and didn't say it tasted bad — but she did say that "it doesn't taste like a burger."

The biggest downside of all: the premium price.

At most grocery stores, you'll pay anywhere from $3 to $8 for a pound of ground beef.

It's pretty rare to pay the higher end of that spectrum. I had to call the fanciest butcher shop in Brooklyn, The Meat Hook, which prides itself on being a more labor-intensive whole-animal butchery, to find some ground beef that costs $8 a pound.

But Impossible Foods is selling less than a pound of its ground "meat"— 12 ounces — for $9, a pretty stark comparison to the $3 you could pay for more ground beef.

I asked Impossible Foods CEO Pat Brown about the price during an Impossible Foods event in New York City on Thursday. Here's what he had to say:

"We're priced in the range of what I would say is premium ground beef at this point, not the kind of super-mass-market ground beef. And that's because although structurally our economics are vastly better than the animal-based food industry — because we use less than a twenty-fifth of the land, a tenth of the water, less than a twelfth of the fertilizer input, and all the things that are driving expensive meat production — what we lack, that they have, is massive scale. We're scaling up right now from tiny to big, and it's only when we get to a bigger scale when we realize the advantages of our process. And our goal is to get our prices affordable to everybody in the world, not just even in the US but in the developing world, as fast as we possibly can. But it doesn't happen instantly, and we can't sell our products at a loss if we want to stay in business. Fortunately, we have more demand than we can handle at our current price."

In so many words: As Impossible's "meat" becomes more popular, its price should correspondingly decrease as its makers feel more of the financial benefits of the company's more environmentally friendly approach to food creation.

Let's hope that's the case, because $9 for 12 ounces is an awfully high price to pay for a burger.

• The 2019 Monaco Yacht Show kicked off on Wednesday, bringing an estimated 30,000 people to Monaco, a tiny yet lavishly wealthy city-state on the French Riviera.
• More than $4.3 billion worth of yachts were on display at the yacht show.
• I got into the inaugural gala, held the evening before the yacht show kicked off, where about 350 guests made up of yacht brokerages, superyacht-builder CEOs, yacht owners, prospective buyers, and other VIP guests of the show gathered at the Monaco Yacht Club overlooking Port Hercules.
• The night began with a superyacht awards ceremony, followed by a lavish party with free-flowing Champagne, decadent food — from on-demand ravioli and risotto to sashimi and cheese platters — and live music.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The Monaco Yacht Show kicked off on Wednesday, drawing an estimated 30,000 people from around the world to the tiny city-state on the French Riviera.

These attendees are yachting-industry insiders — including superyacht builders, designers, and brokers — as well as wealthy private clients looking to tour, charter, or purchase yachts.

The night before the show kicked off, a select group of VIP guests was invited to an inaugural gala held at the Monaco Yacht Club, overlooking the more than $4.3 billion worth of yachts docked in Port Hercules.

There were about 350 people there, including superyacht builder CEOs, yacht-brokerage companies, yacht owners, prospective buyers, charter customers, and other VIP guests, according to Johan Pizzardini, the communications and media manager for the Monaco Yacht Show.

I got an invite to the exclusive event — here's what it was like.

SEE ALSO: 15 astounding facts about Monaco, the tiny French Riviera city-state where 32% of the population is made up of millionaires

DON'T MISS: 100 bottles of Champagne, 35 ounces of caviar, and a 255-foot superyacht: Here's what it takes to throw a party for millionaires and celebs at the Monaco Yacht Show

The Monaco Yacht Show kicked off on Wednesday, displaying its largest fleet of yachts ever in the glamorous port of Monaco, a tiny yet lavishly wealthy city-state on the French Riviera.

The trade show brings an estimated 30,000 people to Monaco, including superyacht builders, designers, and brokers, as well as wealthy private clients looking to tour, charter, or purchase yachts.

The evening before the show starts, an inaugural gala is held at the Monaco Yacht Club, which overlooks Port Hercules.

This year, the gala's roughly 350 guests were made up of yachting-industry insiders like yacht brokerages and yacht-building CEOs, as well as other VIP guests of the yacht show, including yacht owners and prospective buyers, according to Johan Pizzardini, the communications and media manager for the Monaco Yacht Show.

In Monaco for the yacht show, I got an invite to the ultra-exclusive gala.

My train was late from the nearby French city of Nice, where I was staying, so I ended up speed-walking in heels through the streets of Monaco from the train station to the yacht club, where I arrived looking quite sweaty.

There is no Uber in Monaco, and taxis are few and far between, so walking was my best option.

I made it to the port area and walked along the quai, where I saw dozens of white tents set up for the Monaco Yacht Show that would kick off the next day.

The event started at 8 p.m. When I arrived around 8:20, people were milling about outside on the deck of the yacht club, chatting, with glasses of Champagne in hand.

The dress code was cocktail attire. The men wore suits, and women were dressed in both short and long dresses, all in heels.

Every woman seemed to be carrying either a Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, or other designer handbag. Everyone looked incredibly chic.

Guests could grab a glass of Champagne from the bar or from servers who weaved through the crowd, carrying trays of bubbly.

I enjoyed my glass and looked out over the port, where more than 125 yachts were assembled ahead of the show.

More than $4.3 billion worth of yachts were gathered in Monaco's port for the 2019 yacht show, with an average asking price of $41.3 million.

It was the largest Monaco Yacht Show ever by number of yachts and by their total value, according to Pizzardini.

A little after 8:30, people started to filter inside, where rows of chairs were set up in front of a stage in preparation for the awards ceremony.

Four awards would be handed out this evening: one for the best interior design, one for exterior design, one for "the finest new superyacht," and one for the most eco-friendly yacht.

The entire awards ceremony was quick, lasting barely 20 minutes.

Then everyone was instructed to head upstairs to the fifth floor of the yacht club, where food, drinks, and music were awaiting us.

A few people stopped on the way to pose for photos in front of the yachts.

I squeezed into an elevator with a group of guests to head up to the top floor of the club.

When I stepped out onto the fifth floor, the dramatic clublike lighting made it clear that this was going to be a real party.

A DJ was already playing a mix of upbeat pop and lounge music.

A Monaco Yacht Show photographer was taking photos of groups of friends in front of an official backdrop listing the show's sponsors.

Everyone at the party seemed to already know each other. I saw people reacting in surprise as they ran into friends, delightedly asking them questions about when they got into town and what their plans for the show were.

At an open bar, bartenders were serving Champagne, wine, and beer.

Throughout the party, I saw servers constantly running back and forth with extra bottles of Champagne.

Many people were already eating. Some were seated around a large rectangular table with a flaming compass in the middle that I initially thought was some sort of DIY grill but instead just seemed to be ... for fun?

A huge buffet table stretched across one side of the room. Chefs were making risotto and ravioli dishes in real time, serving them upon request in small individual bowls.

I was overwhelmed by the array of food. There were cheese platters, dumplings, multiple types of salad, sushi and sashimi, grilled vegetables, and so much more.

I filled my plate with ravioli, cheese, grilled vegetables, quinoa salad, and salmon. The food was so good that I probably could've eaten three more plates.

There were no free tables on the main floor, so I ate standing up at a table on the upstairs deck overlooking the party.

A couple came over to share my table, and we chatted briefly while we ate.

They told me they were from Ohio, and I asked if they were at the show to buy a yacht. Actually, they told me, they already own one that's based in the Bahamas. (It was unharmed during Hurricane Dorian, they assured me, because it wasn't in the Bahamas at the time.)

They told me they were at the yacht show looking for a charter they could cruise in the Mediterranean.

I told them I was a journalist — and soon after that, perhaps realizing we had very little in common, they moved off to continue enjoying the party.

While most people remained downstairs, small groups came up to relax on the upper deck of the yacht club, enjoying the relative quiet, the fresh air, and the views of the glittering port.

A photo booth was set up so guests could pose in front of Port Hercules' billions of dollars' worth of yachts.

At about 10:30, it was time for me to catch my train back to Nice. The party was scheduled to end at 11, and it already seemed close to winding down. Everyone there had a big day ahead of them at the yacht show.

Outside, rows of private cars were parked in front of the yacht club. I spotted a black sedan that said "Monaco Yacht Show Courtesy Car" on the side.

I knocked on the window and asked the driver hopefully if he could give me a ride to the train station.

"Only if you have this badge," the driver told me, flashing said special badge. "Sorry."

I later learned that the cars were reserved for those who pay about $2,700 for the yacht show's VIP Sapphire Experience.

So I walked to the train station, across ankle-twisting cobblestones and up many, many stairs (Monaco is built on a rather steep hillside), feeling decidedly non-VIP. It certainly wouldn't be the last time throughout my stay in Monaco that I would be keenly aware that the city offers one experience for the 1% and an entirely different experience for the rest of us.

• Starting this month, Impossible Foods is finally offering its veggie-based version of ground beef in supermarkets.
• Impossible already has burgers at Burger King (the Impossible Whopper) and White Castle, as well as a variety of smaller restaurants. This is the first time people can buy the ingredients directly and make their own Impossible meals.
• Last week, I made Impossible Burgers for lunch and dinner. On Sunday, I made spaghetti with meat sauce.
• Unlike the burgers, the Impossible Foods "meat" sauce was nearly indistinguishable from the real thing.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

There are loads of non-beef burgers out there — turkey burgers and bean burgers and salmon burgers, among many others — and there have been for decades.

In 2019, society was ready for the much-hyped Impossible Burger. 

More than just pre-formed veggie patties, the Impossible Foods-crafted "beef" is a verisimilitude of actual ground beef. And that means, unlike veggie burgers before it, the Impossible burger is intended to be cooked like ground beef.

With that in mind, on Sunday afternoon I set out to make spaghetti with "meat" sauce for dinner.

SEE ALSO: I cooked 4 Impossible Burgers at home, and it felt bizarrely familiar — these are the best and worst parts of the experience

First and foremost, the raw version of the Impossible Burger looks an awful lot like highly processed ground beef.

Impossible's "beef" looks very similar to actual ground meat — albeit highly processed ground meat, along the lines of Spam.

It has a kind of compacted feeling as well, no doubt because of the way it's sold: in a plastic pouch. It feels condensed because it has been condensed. This is a notable difference from ground beef that often comes in long strands, directly from the grinder.

My initial impressions of Impossible Foods' meat were not positive.

When I took it out of the package, it reminded me more of opening a can of dog food (which I, unfortunately, do every day) than opening a butcher's package full of ground beef. There was a surprisingly strong scent, which ground beef usually doesn't have, and a general sliminess to the product. That latter bit was especially bad, because slimy ground beef is usually a good indication that it's gone bad.

About 25 seconds later, after I had more closely sniffed and actually tasted the veggie "beef," things improved considerably. It quickly leapt from alien object to something more familiar: a kind of beef-like ingredient that my brain accepted as real enough.

By my second time using Impossible's fake meat, I was no longer freaked out at all — it's an easy swap for ground meat.

When I say "meat sauce," I'm talking Italian-American pasta sauce with ground meat in it. You know what I'm talking about.

Maybe you've encountered it as "bolognese," or "red sauce," or "gravy," or "ragu." Maybe — just maybe — you and your partner started calling it "spag bowl."

Whatever you call it, I made a relatively simple tomato sauce from scratch with meat in it.

I started that process the same way I always do: By putting a dutch oven over a medium-high flame and adding a generous amount of olive oil. When the oil started shimmering, I began tearing little pieces of Impossible meat from the package and dropped it into the oil below.

This is a crucial step in the sauce-making process.

Not only is the meat browning, but it's leaving little bits of caramelized flavor stuck to the pan ("fond"). Those flavorful little bits get picked up in the next step ("deglazing") and form the foundation for any good meat sauce.

Similar to ground beef, Impossible's beef crisped up and left plenty of little flavorful pieces stuck to the pot.

I'm glad to say that, like actual ground beef, Impossible's beef browned in the hot oil and left an abundant fond.

Something Impossible's beef didn't do, however, was render out a bunch of flavorful fat into the pot. Beyond browning the meat and forming a fond, something else happens when you sear meat: it renders fat back into the pot.

This is especially true with ground beef, and wasn't the case with Impossible's beef. Part of what makes a really rich meat sauce is fat — and Impossible cannot replicate this factor. 

No matter how much coconut oil and sunflower oil Impossible adds to its fake beef, it cannot replicate naturally occurring animal fat in meat. It can come close! And it does come close with its ground-beef replacement. But it's missing a layer of complexity that beef has.

In every other capacity, Impossible's beef more or less perfectly mimics real ground beef in a meat sauce.

Every step of the process of making this meat sauce went exactly as it would if I were making it with actual ground beef, and the results were indistinguishable. No caveats — I don't think I could tell this apart from an actual meat sauce.

My wife also remarked as much. She didn't feel the same way about the burgers — they were tasty, she said, but clearly not real beef. With the meat sauce, she was much more convinced.

It's easy to see why — the sauce still had plenty of umami punch from the Impossible beef, and much of the beefy taste in a meat sauce is overwhelmed by tomato, garlic, and herbs. What it lacked in body from the missing beef fat was easily made up for with a little extra olive oil.

Here's the end result: Would you be able to tell this was made with fake beef?

If the spaghetti looks a little large, that's because I used bucatini (a slightly bigger noodle). Give it a shot! It's fantastic.

Otherwise, the sauce above is exactly how I would normally make a meat sauce: brown the meat, set aside, caramelize onions and garlic, add tomato paste, deglaze pot with crushed canned tomatoes, add seasoning and meat, simmer for two hours.

As the two hours progressed and I occasionally stirred it and tasted, it developed in flavor like a meat sauce does. The meat got more tender, and the sauce began to "come together"— it started to taste like a sauce instead of a bunch of separate ingredients in a pot. With around 45 minutes left on the timer, the sauce had thickened considerably and the flavor deepened. 

Most importantly of all: the Impossible beef retained a beefy consistency.

It looked and acted like actual ground beef, and added a strong flavor foundation to the sauce. If I didn't know better, I would assuredly mistake it for actual meat sauce.

The final product was meaty, and savory, and tangy, and a little spicy, and a lot garlicky — exactly like good meat sauce should be.

Unlike my experience with Impossible's burger, making and eating a meat sauce with the Impossible beef was nearly identical to the experience of making that sauce with actual ground beef.

Most importantly of all, the end result was actually identical — a crucially important line to cross for Impossible Foods, which is trying to convert meat-eaters more than vegetarians.

For me, another crucially important line was crossed: My wife and I both went back to the pot for seconds.

• Cassey Ho is a fitness instructor and influencer behind Blogilates, an Instagram account and YouTube channel with more than 4 million subscribers.  
• The fitness guru is vocal on social media about body image in the digital age.
• To show how Instagram has influenced beauty standards, Ho posted pictures of herself that were Photoshopped based on common physical features found in the 100 most-followed females on the social media platform. 
• While many fans praised her for shedding light on the absurdity of beauty ideals perpetuated by social media, she also saw a sort of "reverse shaming" emerge.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Cassey Ho is a certified fitness instructor-turned-influencer known by millions of fans and followers for the peppy, uplifting exercise routines she shares on her YouTube channel, Blogilates. 

Founded in 2009, Blogilates now has more than 4 million YouTube subscribers and 1.5 million followers on Instagram. Ho has also created her own workout program, POP Pilates, an equipment-free fusion of Pilates and upbeat music. 

Aside from using her platform to provide fans around the world with guided fitness instruction and motivation, Ho also opens up online about her personal struggles with body acceptance in the digital age. For example, in one of her most viral videos, "The 'Perfect' Body," Ho is shown "editing" herself in the mirror to illustrate the negative impact cyberbullying can have on body image. 

Recently, the fitness guru analyzed photos of the 100 most-followed females on Instagram and determined 22 physical attributes — from flat (but not muscular) abs to plump lips — that make up what she called the "Instagram beauty standard."

"This project showed me that people online are all following a type of beauty standard, whether or not we think we're subscribing to it," Ho told Insider.

Ho had her own pictures Photoshopped according to those standards, and she shared the powerful before-and-after shots with her followers to raise awareness about social media beauty ideals. She's one of several influencers who have shared side-by-side photos that show there's more to Instagram than meets the eye.

Keep reading to see Ho's powerful photos, and her thoughts on beauty standards.

Fitness instructor and influencer Cassey Ho analyzed the photos of the 100 most-followed women on Instagram and identified their most common physical features.

"I'm always really interested in analyzing current culture, and I wanted to take a look at the top 100 most-followed females and see if there were any trends or patterns," Ho said.  

Using statistics from social media data website Social Blade, Ho found the 100 most-followed women on Instagram. Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, and Beyoncé comprise the top five most-followed female Instagrammers.

Ho said she spent two weeks analyzing their photos to determine common physical features. She determined 22 attributes — including face shape, height, nose size, and hair color and length — that she called the Instagram beauty standards. 

Among Ho's findings were that features such as large eyes, hair that reaches the mid-back, plump lips, and flat (but not muscular) abs were common among the most-followed females.

Ho also found that only five out of the top 100 female Instagrammers were plus-size.

"That finding was one of the most shocking things, because in my space, I'm very aware of body positivity," Ho said. "In the top 100 most-followed women on Instagram, we don't have many plus-size role models."

Ho had pictures of herself Photoshopped according to those Instagram beauty standards to illustrate her findings.

Ho asked her team's artist and photographer to edit her body accordingly and was shocked at the results. 

Her photos were enhanced with brighter light and more saturated colors, and her body was digitally altered to have a heart-shaped face, bigger eyes, and an hourglass figure — all based on her analysis of the most-followed women on Instagram.

Many of the influencer's fans praised her for shedding light on the absurdity of beauty ideals perpetuated by social media.

Ho shared her unedited and edited photos side-by-side in a YouTube video and in a series of Instagram posts.

Many commenters wrote that Ho's project was eye-opening and applauded the influencer.

"I wanted to share the photos with my followers and say, 'Here are the facts, here's what I found, and I want to know what you think,'" Ho said. "It was interesting to see people's reactions."

Some left critical comments about Ho's edited photos.

Some users were critical of the influencer's edited photos, commenting that they were glad to not follow people who look similar to the Photoshopped version of Ho.

Other users criticized Ho for focusing on the physical appearance — rather than the talents — of the celebrities and influencers she analyzed.

But Ho said that the goal of her photo project was to raise awareness about beauty ideals — not to judge anyone with a certain body type or style.

"Some fans who said, 'I'm so glad you don't look like that,' made me think that the project brought out this kind of reverse shaming," Ho said. "But what I did wasn't shaming at all. I wanted to present my facts and findings and point out that there is an ideal form of beauty just based on women who are the most-followed on Instagram."

Ho wants people to embrace their own beauty. She does not want them to see her "as a billboard and expect to look a certain way" just from following her workouts.

"I'll get people saying that they doubt my workouts are effective because I don't look a certain way in my photos, or that I don't have a certain body type. Those comments aren't the majority, but they do exist," Ho said. "But I know, and a lot of fitness professionals know, that achieving fitness goals takes hard work, it takes grind, and it's also genetic."

Ho said an important distinction she wants to make about her work is that she's a fitness instructor, not a model.

"I've always thought of myself as a fitness instructor, where I'm going to show you how to get whatever body you want, or to make sure you feel happy, but to look at me as a billboard and to expect to look a certain way just because of how my body looks... I wish people would remember that everyone's health and fitness journey is going to be different," she said.

Fans can expect to see similar videos and projects from Ho as she continues to analyze social media trends and how they pertain to beauty and fitness standards.

"Videos and projects like these are so important because it brings to light what is actually happening so you can take a step back and think about how you are being affected by [social media]," Ho said.

• Read more:
• Influencers and celebrities are being called out for 'Instagram vs. reality' photos where they actually look perfect in both shots
• 8 influencers whose side-by-side photos prove Instagram isn't real life
• An Instagram influencer couple are being criticized for crudely splashing themselves with holy water while visiting a temple in Bali
• Disappointing, behind-the-scenes photos show what it's really like to be an Instagram influencer
•  

• In early August, a landmark deal was announced: The world's most well-known streamer, Tyler "Ninja" Blevins, signed a deal to move from Amazon's Twitch streaming platform to Microsoft's Mixer streaming platform.
• No price on the deal was announced, and it's impossible to know what Blevins received — the deal is literally unprecedented. 
• Whatever Microsoft paid for Blevins is assuredly less than it expects to reap from the benefits of his exclusivity.
• "It's hard to put a price on it," Nielsen head of games Joost van Dreunen told Business Insider. "But the value that someone like that creates can run it up to hundreds of millions, if not billions."
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

In a fake press conference in early August, Tyler "Ninja" Blevins announced his intention to switch from Amazon-owned Twitch to Microsoft-owned Mixer.

"I know this may come as a shock to many of you," he says, "but, as of today, I will be streaming exclusively on Mixer." 

The announcement itself was lighthearted and silly, but the news was anything but — the world's most popular, well-known video game streamer was switching from Amazon to Microsoft. We're talking about a guy who makes hundreds of thousands of dollars each month streaming himself playing "Fortnite" to tens of thousands of viewers, a guy who was reportedly paid $1 million for a single day of playing EA's "Apex Legends."

With those kinds of numbers being thrown around, it's easy to start imagining Microsoft shelling out tens of millions to Blevins for his exclusivity.

That may very well be the case, but it's impossible to know: Neither Microsoft nor Blevins is saying. His wife Jessica Blevins isn't saying either.

"Money was the last thing on our mind,"she told Business Insider in an interview published this week.

Moreover, it's a completely unprecedented move in the world of video game streaming, just like Blevins is a completely unprecedented star in that world.

"It's so disproportionate when it comes to spending and the amount of audience someone like Tyler Blevins attracts," Neilsen head of games Joost van Dreunen told Business Insider in a recent phone interview. "There's absolutely no way say, 'Oh [Microsoft] paid 10 or 20 million. It could be either of those."

It could also be more than that or less. What's clear is that the price was assuredly high, but Microsoft expects to recoup whatever it paid many times over.

Read more:Electronic Arts took a huge gamble by paying the world's most popular gamer $1 million to play its new game for a day. Here's why it was worth every penny

"The value that someone like that creates can run it up to hundreds of millions, if not billions," Van Dreunen said.

On paper, the deal looks straightforward: Microsoft is paying the most popular video game streamer to exclusively stream on its platform, Mixer.

In reality, Microsoft is locking in an important influencer who can both increase the value of Mixer and bring eyes to Microsoft's entire gaming platform — a platform that's expanding greatly in the next year with a new Xbox console ("Project Scarlett") and a major new game streaming platform. 

"It's sort of like a linchpin for a much broader strategy around interactive content and entertainment," Van Dreunen said. "Within that context, having celebrity gamers makes sense, right? Then all of a sudden it becomes worth a lot more than whatever they paid."

In so many words, the exclusivity deal with Blevins likely cost a lot — not unlike Microsoft's very expensive acquisition of the game "Minecraft"— but it's part of a bigger strategy that will pay dividends down the road. Not only does Blevins bring attention to Mixer, but he helps endear an entire generation to Microsoft's gaming platforms: Mixer, Xbox, and Windows 10.

SEE ALSO: Ninja is leaving Amazon's Twitch for an exclusive deal with Microsoft's video-game-streaming platform, Mixer

DON'T MISS: Jessica Blevins, the 27-year-old manager and wife of the most popular video game player in the world, reveals the inside story of Ninja's move to Microsoft's Mixer

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Watch the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 event in 6 minutes

• If you've ever paid for something at a store with a Square credit card reader, you've probably gotten follow-up emails from that store to your personal email address.
• In New York City, Square readers are extremely common — which has resulted in my inbox getting flooded with spam email from businesses big and small.
• There's an easy, quick way to stop all those emails from coming. Here's how!
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Last week, my wife and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary.

On the way home from work, I stopped at a local flower shop to get her flowers. As they wrapped my flowers, I paid with a credit card using the shop's Square card reader.

Four days later, I got this email from the flower shop:

I hadn't given the flower shop my email — I was in and out in less than five minutes.

How in the world did Mrs. Blooms at Fulton Center get my email address and send me this spam? Through Square, it turns out. 

"Only a Square Seller that you have directly provided your email address to has access to that personal information. Often this occurs the first time you enter your email address to receive a receipt,"Square's FAQ says. In the case of these flowers, I hadn't given my email address for the receipt. But since I gave my email for a receipt at some Square-using store in the past, Square used it to send me marketing from subsequent retail outlets.

Read more:The wild life of billionaire Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, who eats one meal a day, dates models, and loves bitcoin

"You may receive marketing email (facilitated by Square) from other Square Sellers you have shopped at," the FAQ says. "Square doesn't share your contact information with sellers who you have not directly given it to. If you're receiving a marketing email via Square from a seller who you didn't provide your email to, they do not have access to view your email address and can only market to you via Square Marketing."

So: Because I entered my email address to receive a receipt once, Square kept my email on file and used it to send me spam from other retailers. Great!

Mrs. Blooms was just the latest local retailer that uses Square for its point-of-sale to send me spam, and they didn't even need my email address.

Blue Bottle, where I sometimes buy fancy coffee, has also started sending me spam emails. I went to Rhode Island for a wedding a few weeks ago, and I bought coffee one morning at a shop in Providence — they've also started sending me emails.

And all these emails originate from the same sender: "messages@squaremktg.com." 

Thankfully, there's a really easy way to stop these emails altogether.

The next time you get one, or if you still have one in your inbox, scroll to the bottom and look for this link:

Once you click through, Square has a very simple toggle that allows you to easily opt out — for some bizarre reason, it's automatically set to "Receive emails from the merchants I frequent."

When you click through, you'll see this:

All you need to do from there is to select "I do not want to receive emails from any merchants," and you should be all set.

You could, of course, add the "messages@squaremktg.com" email address to your spam filter if you want to be all the way through. By all means, you do you, but I've yet to receive a single email since toggling the option to stop receiving all emails.

SEE ALSO: The wild life of billionaire Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, who eats one meal a day, dates models, and loves bitcoin

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: This company turns shredded plastic and clothing into new bottles for Pepsi, Evian, and Coca-Cola

• In a rare move toward transparency, Facebook livestreamed its employee Q&A session on Thursday evening.
• It covered a wide range of topics, but one particularly interesting question concerned Sen. Bernie Sanders' recent statement that "I don't think that billionaires should exist."
• Zuckerberg, a billionaire, partially agreed with Sanders. "On some level, no one deserves to have that much money," he said. "I think if you do something that's good, you get rewarded. But I do think some of the wealth that can be accumulated is unreasonable."
• "I think you can think at the same time both that it's unfair that any individual might have that much wealth, yet still think that it's better for everyone that there's choice and competition of the ideas that get pushed out there," he said.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is a billionaire many times over — somewhere in the range of $70 billion, according to this year's Forbes 400.

In September, 2020 US presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders made a declarative statement about billionaires in an interview with The New York Times: "I don't think that billionaires should exist."

When Sanders said as much, he was explaining his plans for a wealth tax and a National Wealth Registry. "This proposal does not eliminate billionaires, but it eliminates a lot of the wealth that billionaires have," he said, "and I think that's exactly what we should be doing."

On Thursday, in a rare move toward transparency within Facebook, the social media giant livestreamed its employee Q&A for anyone to see — and one brave employee asked Zuckerberg about being a billionaire.

"As the only billionaire I can consult this matter on, Mark, what is your perspective on Senator Sanders' statement?" he asked.

"I understand where he's coming from," Zuckerberg said. "I don't know if I have an exact threshold on what amount of money someone should have. But on some level, no one deserves to have that much money. I think if you do something that's good, you get rewarded. But I do think some of the wealth that can be accumulated is unreasonable."

Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan have pledged to give away much of that vast wealth across their lifetimes through their philanthropic organization. But, as Zuckerberg pointed out, this type of philanthropy from the ultra-rich is widely criticized as a small group of unelected wealthy people choosing what does and doesn't get funded.

Read more: Mark Zuckerberg livestreamed his latest Facebook employee Q&A and blamed an intern for leaking the last one

"We're funding science for example," he said, in a reference to the philanthropic organization he and Chan run. "And some people would say 'Is it fair that a group of wealthy people get to, to some degree, choose which science projects get worked on?' I don't know how to answer that exactly."

Zuckerberg then made the argument for philanthropy and, more broadly, for the approach to philanthropy taken by billionaires like Zuckerberg.

"The alternative would be the government chooses all of the funding for all the stuff," he said. "What I worry about a little bit when I hear sentiments like what the Senator suggested is the suggestion that this should all be done publicly, I think, would deprive the market and world of a diversity of different attempts that can be taken."

This free market argument is a foundational belief in Libertarianism — that choice in the market is more important than government regulation. Sanders' wealth tax is a refutation of that philosophy that intends to impose strict financial regulation on the wealthiest Americans.

Zuckerberg believes you can have it both ways. 

"I think you can think at the same time both that it's unfair that any individual might have that much wealth, yet still think that it's better for everyone that there's choice and competition of the ideas that get pushed out there," he said.

Check out the full Q&A right here:

SEE ALSO: Bernie Sanders says billionaires shouldn't exist as he rolls out a wealth-tax plan that's even more aggressive than Elizabeth Warren's

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Watch the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 event in 6 minutes

• A 2012 study from the Society for Human Resources and Management showed that 45% of employers planned to increase training for grammar and other language skills.
• We've compiled a list of the top mistakes people make when writing, whether drafting an office memo or just chatting with coworkers around the water cooler.
• Common grammar mistakes stem from confusion over usage: fewer vs. less, it's vs. its, and then vs. than. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

You might consider grammar an annoying technicality, a minuscule detail of speech and writing not worth much effort.

But a 2012 study from the Society for Human Resources and Management showed that 45% of employers planned to increase training for grammar and other language skills (meaning they were unhappy with the levels.)

In other words: What you say matters as much as how you say it, especially in a professional environment.

Read more: 14 rules for using commas without looking like a fool

We've compiled a list of 12 common grammatical mistakes people make, whether drafting an office memo or just chatting with coworkers around the water cooler.

SEE ALSO: From calling in sick to making an introduction, here's how to write 8 common professional emails

1. "Fewer" vs. "Less"

Use "fewer" when discussing countable objects. For example, "He ate five fewer chocolates than the other guy," or "fewer than 20 employees attended the meeting."

Use "less" for intangible concepts, like time. For example, "I spent less than one hour finishing this report."

2. "It's" vs. "Its"

Normally, an apostrophe symbolizes possession. As in, "I took the dog's bone." But because apostrophes also usually replace omitted letters — like "don't"— the "it's" vs. "its" decision gets complicated. 

Use "its" as the possessive pronoun: "I took its bone." For the shortened version of "it is" use the version with the apostrophe. As in, "it's raining."

3. Dangling Modifiers

These are ambiguous, adjectival clauses at the beginning or end of sentences that often don't modify the right word or phrase.

For example: "Rotting in the refrigerator, our office manager threw the fruit in the garbage." The structure of that sentence implies your office manager is a zombie trapped in a chilly kitchen appliance.

Make sure to place the modifying clause right next to the word or phrase it intends to describe. The correct version reads, "Our office manager threw the fruit, rotting in the refrigerator, in the garbage."

4. "Who" vs. "Whom"

"The New Republic" published a review of Mark Leibovich's "This Town." Regardless of his opinions, the author deserves praise. The title reads, "Careful Whom You Call A Hypocrite, Washington." Yes, Alec MacGillis. Just yes.

When considering whether to use "who" or "whom," you have to rearrange the sentence in your own head. In the aforementioned case, "whom you call a hypocrite" changes to "you call whom a hypocrite.""Whom" suits the sentence instead of "who" because the word functions as the object of the sentence, not the subject.

It's not always easy to tell subjects from objects but to use an over-simplified yet good, general rule: subjects start sentences (or clauses), and objects end them.

For reference, "who is a hypocrite?" would be a perfectly grammatically correct question to ask.

Read more: 12 everyday phrases that you're probably saying incorrectly

5. Me, Myself, and I

Deciding when to use me, myself, or I also falls under the subject/object discussion. "Me" always functions as the object (except in that case); "I" is always the subject. And you only use "myself" when you've referred to yourself earlier in the sentence. It's called a reflexive pronoun — it corresponds to a pronoun previously in the sentence. For example, "I made myself breakfast" not "my friend and myself made lunch."

To decide usage in "someone else and me/I" situations, take the other person out of the sentence. "My coworker and I went to lunch." Is "I went to lunch" correct? You're good, then.

6. "Lie" vs. "Lay"

Dear everyone, stop saying: "I'm going to go lay down."

The word "lay" must have an object. Someone lays something somewhere. You lie. Unless you lay, which means lie but in the past tense. Just look at the chart:

And use it like this: 

• I'm going to lie down --> I lay down
• I need to lay down the law --> I laid down the law

7. Irregular Verbs

The English language has quite a few surprises.We can't list all the irregular verbs, but be aware that they do exist. For example, no past tense exists for the word "broadcast.""Broadcasted" isn't a word. You'd say, "Yesterday, CNN broadcast a show."

"Sneak" and "hang" also fall into the category of irregular verbs. Because the list of irregular verbs (and how to conjugate them) is so extensive, you'll have to look into them individually.

8. "Nor" vs. "Or"

Use "nor" before the second or farther of two alternatives when "neither" introduces the first. Think of it as "or" for negative sentences, and it's not optional. For example, "Neither my boss nor I understand the new program."

You can also use nor with a negative first clause or sentence including "not." For example, "My boss didn't understand the program, nor did I."

Read more: 11 reasons the English language is impossible to learn

9. "Then" vs. "Than"

There's a simple distinction between these two words. Use "then" when discussing time. As in, "We had a meeting, and then we went to lunch." Include "than" in comparisons. "This meeting was more productive than the last one."

10. Ending Sentences With Prepositions

First of all, don't do it — usually. Second, for those who don't know, prepositions are any words that a squirrel can "run" with a tree (i.e. The squirrel ran around, by, through, up, down, around, etc. the tree).

"My boss explained company policy, which we had to abide by" sounds awful. In most cases, you can just transpose the preposition to the beginning of the clause. "My boss explained company policy, by which we had to abide," or better yet, rephrase the sentence to avoid this problem: "My boss explained the mandatory company policy."

11. Subject (And Possessive Pronoun) And Verb Agreement

This rule seems a bit counterintuitive, but most plural subjects take verbs without an "s." For example, "she types," but "they type." The pronoun agreement comes into play when you add a possessive element to these sentences. "She types on her computer," and "they type on their computers."

12. You CAN use "they" as a singular pronoun, like "he" and "she."

Merriam-Webster announced in September that its definition of "they" would include its usage as a singular pronoun for gender-nonbinary people.

"They" should be used when an individual identifies "they/them/their" as their pronouns. 

Read more: Merriam-Webster adds gender-neutral 'they' to dictionary

• The Vessel is a 150-foot-tall climbable sculpture in New York City's new $25 billion Hudson Yards neighborhood, which is now the city's priciest neighborhood.
• The sculpture cost an estimated $200 million to build and features 154 interconnected staircases, nearly 2,500 steps, and 80 landings.
• I was one of the first to climb the Vessel on Hudson Yards' opening day in March 2019, and I found that the view of the inside was way cooler than just seeing the exterior.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The Vessel is a $200 million climbable sculpture in Hudson Yards, Manhattan's new $25 billion neighborhood.

Designed by Thomas Heatherwick, it's the sculptural centerpiece of Hudson Yards — which is now New York City's most expensive neighborhood, according to PropertyShark — that includes office buildings, luxurious residential towers, and a seven-story luxury shopping center with stores like Louis Vuitton and Dior.

The 150-foot-tall sculpture, which cost $200 million to build, according to Curbed, includes 154 interconnected staircases, nearly 2,500 steps, and 80 landings.

The Vessel "is going to be to New York City what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris," Jeff Blau, the CEO of Related Companies, the developer behind Hudson Yards, told CBS.

I was one of the first to climb the Vessel on Hudson Yards' opening day in March 2019. Here's what it was like.

SEE ALSO: I got an inside look at Hudson Yards on opening day. Here's what the glitzy neighborhood is like, from the $200 million climbable sculpture to the 7-story 'vertical shopping experience'

DON'T MISS: I got a tour of a $14 million penthouse in NYC's new $25 billion Hudson Yards neighborhood and found that it was perfectly designed to show off its best asset

I was one of the first to climb the Vessel, a $200 million sculpture in Hudson Yards, New York City's new $25 billion neighborhood that opened in March 2019 but won't be completely finished until 2025.

Source: Hudson Yards, Curbed

Hudson Yards, which includes office buildings, luxury residential towers, a seven-story shopping center, and a performing-arts center, is now the city's most expensive neighborhood, with a median sale price of $5 million, according to a new PropertyShark report.

Source: Hudson Yards,PropertyShark

The Vessel anchors a public plaza ringed by brand-new buildings including the performing-arts center, called the Shed, as well as the luxury shopping center and two residential towers, 15 Hudson Yards and 35 Hudson Yards.

Entering the Vessel is free, but you have to reserve a time slot online. It's open every day from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Source: Hudson Yards

I didn't need a reservation because it was opening day, so I walked right inside behind CNN's Anderson Cooper, who was a host of the Hudson Yards grand-opening event.

Depending who you ask, the Vessel resembles anything from a honeycomb to a giant shawarma.

Source: Washington Post, Eater

But standing in the Vessel is a completely different experience from looking at it on the outside.

Looking up, I could see Hudson Yards' glossy new towers jutting into the sky.

At the bottom, you can choose to start at one of several staircases.

The Vessel is made up of 154 interconnected staircases, 80 landings ...

Source: Hudson Yards

... and nearly 2,500 steps.

The sculpture's designer, Thomas Heatherwick, said it was partially inspired by Indian stepwells, where you take staircases down to the water.

Source: Walk Through India

It took me about 15 minutes to walk to the top, and that was with plenty of stopping to take photos.

There's also an elevator, making it accessible to those who can't climb stairs.

Source: Hudson Yards

Looking down from near the top, I couldn't decide whether I felt like I was standing inside the rib cage of some kind of giant robotic creature or in an alien spaceship.

From the top of the Vessel, you can look out over Hudson Yards' remaining visible rail yards, toward the Hudson River.

The silhouette of the sculpture against the skyline is striking.

I've never seen anything like it.

It was a bit windy at the top, but because it was an unseasonably warm March day when I visited, I didn't mind. The Vessel is open regardless of rain or bad weather.

Source: Hudson Yards

Some people were literally bending over backward to get the perfect selfie in the Vessel.

I can see why some people might not find the Vessel's exterior particularly attractive, but the inside blew me away.

The structure, which cost an estimated $200 million to build, was made in Italy and arrived in New York in six shipments.

Source: Curbed

You can't climb the Vessel after 9 p.m., but it's still impressive to see the outside at nighttime when it's illuminated.

The Vessel's designer, Thomas Heatherwick, called it "one of the most complex pieces of steelwork ever made."

Source: Curbed

Related Companies CEO Jeff Blau compared the Vessel to the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. "We said we want to design a 365-days-a-year Christmas tree, so that every single person who comes here has to come to Hudson Yards," he said on Bloomberg TV. "And that's the Vessel."

Source: Bloomberg TV

• There are several musicians that you cannot pass on if you have the chance to see them live.
• While tickets can be pricey, their performances and songs are definitely worth every penny. 
• From Beyoncé to Elton John, these are the artists whose next tours you need to be on the lookout for. 

• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Whether you're a fan of artists like Beyoncé or John Mayer, if you haven't had the chance to see them perform live, you're probably missing out on something big. Tickets might be pricey for some, but it'll be more than worth it once you've seen what they have to offer. 

Although there are way too many artists to count that put on a good show, here are 35 that you should consider seeing once before it's too late.

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are an iconic English rock band that have been around for over fifty years. Their stage presence is electrifying and their shows are a can't-miss for any rock and roll fan. The band just wrapped up their No Filter Tour this past summer, but there might be another opportunity to see Mick Jagger's moves sometime soon. 

Mary J. Blige

Looking for a performer that's guaranteed to take you on a roller coaster of emotions? Then look no further and head to Mary J. Blige's next concert. She's known for her powerful performances that get fans on their feet only to have them feeling emotional just a song later.

Bruno Mars

Perhaps one of the best performers that this era of music has birthed, you will surely get what you paid for (and much more) once you see Bruno Mars take the stage. His dance moves are captivating, and he always has a band of backup dancers and brass instruments grooving behind him. 

Beyoncé

Regardless if you're part of the Beyhive or not, seeing Queen Bey perform at least once in your life should be on your bucket list. The multi-talented songstress delivers non-stop energy. She headlined the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in 2018, then went on to release "Homecoming," a documentary film showcasing the entire behind-the-scenes process of the making of her performance. The movie showed the months of dedication and planning that she devotes to her live performances, making her an absolute must-see. 

Justin Timberlake

Whether on a joint tour with another big act or making everyone melt on his own, Justin Timberlake's performances are ones for the book. And, if there's ever an opportunity, you should also nab tickets to see him perform with former boy band group, *NSYNC.

Elton John

It doesn't matter what year you were born, seeing Sir Elton John's in concert will change your life. Luckily, he is currently on tour in the US, Australia, New Zealand, and all across Europe for literally the next year. You have no excuse not to see him live. 

Adele

This diva rarely tours because of her damaged vocal chords, so it's best to snap up tickets when you can. You will love hearing Adele's sultry voice belt out hits like "Rolling in the Deep" and "Someone Like You." And yes, it sounds exactly like it does on the record. 

Miguel

Though Miguel may not be on your list of performers to see once in your life at first thought, after you've heard him deliver soulful renditions of his recorded material, you'll see why it should be. Not to mention, he's perhaps one of the most underrated artists out there. You can catch him finishing up his tour in Texas, Nevada, California, and South Africa. 

Sam Smith

Like Adele, Sam Smith's impeccable vocal performances are ones that you should witness live at least once. He rose to fame after being featured on the Disclosure song, "Latch," and has since released two solo studio albums. Even without the gimmicks, you're guaranteed to leave without dry eyes just from the power of his voice.

Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen is an iconic American singer who guarantees a great performance, whether he's solo or backing the E Street Band. His album "Born to Run" launched his music career, and he's sold more than 135 million records since. 

Lenny Kravitz

It's been almost 30 years since Lenny Kravitz released his debut album,"Let Love Rule." Though you may not have thought about seeing him perform live before, seeing his talent in person will make you realize what having true stage presence means.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

The Red Hot Chili Peppers were formed in Los Angeles and have been producing head-banging music for almost forty years. Infamous for their stage outfits and wild crowds, they currently only have a few tour dates, so you snatch tickets while you still can. 

T-Pain

If you thought T-Pain's use of autotune disqualified him from delivering supreme vocals on stage, you are definitely wrong. Giving concert-goers a hype and memorable experience, the Tallahassee hero continues to woo the crowd to this day. He is currently touring smaller venues and even attracts younger audiences who weren't around when he rose to fame.

Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish is only 17-years-old and already making waves in the music industry. She gained popularity after the releease of her single "Ocean Eyes" on SoundCloud in 2016. Her brother Finneas helps produce her music and sometimes accompanies her on stage, making this brother-sister duo a can't-miss. Their Where Do We Go World Tour is continuing well into 2020, but it's selling out quickly. 

Janet Jackson

Since bursting onto the music scene 33 years ago, Janet Jackson has paved the way for many R&B and pop artists. She's currently wrapping up a tour if you're itching to hear No. 1 hits like "Nasty" and "What Have You Done for Me Lately" live. 

Jazmine Sullivan

She may have taken a hiatus from 2010-2015, but powerhouse vocalist Jazmine Sullivan is one artist that you must see perform live at least once in your life. Underrated excellence in vocal form, the singer never misses a note when performing on stage.

HAIM

If you love live instruments and excellent harmonies, head over to a HAIM concert. Radiating true chemistry and energy, the three sisters show off their vocals and great style on stage.

Jennifer Lopez

Even if you haven't listened to J.Lo as of late, classic songs like "If You Had My Love" and  "Jenny From the Block" will resurrect the true fan in you and make you want to nab a ticket. She always wows on stage with flawless dance moves and eye-catching costumes, making her entire performance a real masterpiece. 

Maroon 5

If Maroon 5 hasn't made it to your bucket list of performers to see live, what are you waiting for? Once you finally see them on stage, you'll wonder why you waited so long to make it happen. The iconic band is not touring much right now, but you can catch them playing in Las Vegas on New Year's Eve for an incredible show to ring in the new year. 

Eminem

A hip-hop legend and industry great, Eminem still knows how to put on a good show. The next time he embarks on a tour, be sure to grab your ticket. There's no telling how many more times you'll see him take over a stage.

Rihanna

Regardless if you're a fan of her vocals or not, her ability to dominate any room she walks into – or stage she walks on – is enough to make you want to cop a ticket. She won over thousands of new fans with her Savage x Fenty fashion show, proving just how creative her mind is. While she is not currently touring and fans are begging for new music, keep an eye out to catch this queen live. 

Kanye West

Despite your personal feelings for Kanye West, one thing you can never question is his talent. He's been bringing his Sunday Services on the road as of late, surprising fans with last-minute announcements. He recently popped up at Howard University's homecoming to perform, so keep an eye on social media to see this king in person. 

Jay-Z

Hip-hop royalty and respected businessman Jay-Z has been dominating stages since his arrival on the scene in the 90s and it's only gotten better over the years. He last toured with wife Beyoncé, for their 'On the Run 2' tour in 2018.

John Mayer

Were you a fan of the "Continuum" album? How about the most recently released "The Search for Everything?" Well, if you haven't seen John Mayer perform any of his material live, you have no idea what you're missing out on. Also, if you are a fan of The Grateful Dead, you can now catch Dead and Company on tour around the country, backed by John Mayer. 

Lady Gaga

Guaranteed to give you a show that you'll always remember, Lady Gaga should be on your list of artists to see live once in your life. You can take a look at her legendary awards show performances as an indicator. Gaga is currently performing a residency in Las Vegas, Nevada, wowing crowds almost every night. 

Lil Wayne

It's been almost 20 years since Lil Wayne released his debut album, "The Block Is Hot," and his career has gotten even hotter. While he's delivering applaud-worthy projects, nothing compares to seeing him perform hits like "Lollipop,""A Milli," and "Go DJ" in person.

Travis Scott

Travis Scott is an American rapper and producer who stepped into the limelight with his first single "Antidote." He catapulted to worldwide fame with his third album, "Astroworld." His live shows are known for huge moshpits and he often brings fans on stage and encourages them to jump headfirst into the crowd. He's not touring much right now, but you can catch him in early November at the Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas. 

Coldplay

Coldplay is a British rock band lead by Chris Martin. The band recently announced they'll be working on a new album, which may promise a new tour in the future. Martin's vocals are mind-blowing, and Coldplay's live shows are known to feature amazing lights and visuals that are accompanied by passionate lyrics. 

The Strokes

The Strokes are a classic American rock band from New York City, and their unique and upbeat sound has won them millions of fans around the world. They have headlined countless festivals and always deliver for fans. You can watch them on New Year's Eve in New York City, or track their tour to find them in 2020. 

Chance the Rapper

Chance the Rapper rose to fame after releasing his first mixtape, "10 Day," on a sharing site called DatPiff. He went on to release his second mixtape, "Acid Rap" in 2013. His live shows are known to be both wild and intimate, and he's preparing for a huge US tour in 2020, so get your tickets now. 

Foo Fighters

Dave Grohl formed the Foo Fighters in 1994, and they've been one of the most popular rock bands since. Their live shows attract an audience of all ages and will absolutely wow you with their passion and high energy levels. While they are not currently touring, they often headline festivals around the country.

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift is known for her intimate songs, which have garnered her millions of super-fans. While not loved by everyone, Swift's live shows may convert you. Often accompanied by talented backup dancers, brightly colored stage decor, and wild costume changes, Swift puts a lot of her creativity into her performances. The 29-year-old sensation is already selling tickets for her European Summer 2020 tour.

Billy Joel

Billy Joel, or the "Piano Man," has been playing soul-filled live shows for decades. He never fails to wow the audience, and he usually plays all across the US, so you have no excuses. 

Tame Impala

Tame Impala is an Australian group known for their psychedelic music. They rose to international fame and have gone on to headline the 2019 Coachella Music and Arts Festival and play "Saturday Night Live." Their live shows are known for dramatic visual effects, and their hypnotizing beats will win you over.

Drake

Drake is a Canadian rapper who first won fans over on the television show "Degrassi." He released his first studio album "Thank Me Later" in 2010 and has been an unstoppable force ever since. His latest album, "Compilation Package," was released in August 2019 and is a collection of older songs he never released. 

• Read more:
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• Musician Jack White says he has never owned a cell phone and thinks they're an 'addiction'
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• I went to the opening concert of the BTS World Tour, and it was beyond anything I've seen before — and then I got kicked out

• Inside a bright room lined with exposed brick on the third floor of a downtown Manhattan townhouse, members of the investment community sipped cucumber- and mint-infused water and discussed recession fears, geopolitical issues, and the yacht market.
• At this wealth-management event held Wednesday, thrown in part by a lifestyle media company and an asset-management firm, the chatter captured what elite investors, economists, and decision-makers are dwelling on.
• Among the topics that men and at least two women discussed were the family-office space as well as investing amid international trade uncertainty.
• "It's not really quantifiable — it's completely an emotional purchase," said Bianca Nestor, a charter broker for Burgess Yachts, responding to an attendee questioning a yacht investment's practicality.
• Visit BI Prime for more stories.

Inside a bright room lined with exposed brick on the third floor of a downtown Manhattan townhouse, advisers for the ultra-wealthy congregated to discuss the state of their assets and sip cucumber- and mint-infused water.

They spoke of global economic recession fears, issues like populism and climate change, public figures like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and the yacht market.

At this wealth-management event held Wednesday, organized in part by a lifestyle media company and an asset-management firm, the chatter captured what elite investors, economists, and decision-makers are dwelling on as global growth slows and the US readies for the 2020 presidential election.

Among the issues that men and at least two women discussed were investing amid lingering international trade uncertainty as well as concerns particular to family offices — the private, secretive firms that deal with affluent families' complicated financial lives.

Concerns over the possibility of recession — something Nancy Davis, the founder of the hedge fund Quadratic Capital, told attendees "is coming"— were not ignored. Still, the event quickly jumped between how the wealthiest people could protect their money in a downturn to how they could spend it right now, with pitches from companies that offer yachts, private-jet services, and art sourcing.

'I may be out of my mind'

There was significant interest in sustainable and impact-oriented investing options, and the conference had several speakers with sharp opinions on the field.

There was talk of investing in water. Marc Robert, the chief operating officer of Water Asset Management, said investors ought to consider climate change as an investment strategy, "whether you believe in it or not."

Standing next to him was Michael Underhill, the chief investment officer at Capital Innovations, who described a period of "enlightenment" in timber and said the market was on an upswing.

Another presenter, Eric Glass, a portfolio manager at the asset manager and event host AllianceBernstein who runs a fixed-income impact investment strategy, told the audience he wanted to persuade them to "join a movement" as a slideshow projected lyrics from Pink Floyd behind him.

His strategy invests only in "historically underserved communities" through municipal securities, and Glass cited Boston Medical Center — which helps raise life expectancies in poor communities with preventive care — as an example.

"I may be out of my mind to try this," said Glass, who used to run a homeless shelter, "but it's fun to try."

Glass tried to distinguish his strategies from others in the sustainable space, criticizing his industry for not doing more to match its marketing materials.

'Let's all go buy a yacht!'

To be sure, the backdrop is dimming. Chief executives' confidence has fallen to its lowest level since the global financial crisis, and a reading of global economic policy uncertainty is near its highest in at least two decades, Goldman Sachs strategists said in a report last week.

But the afternoon's agenda made it clear the advisers in the room were interested in more than just protecting their clients' wealth.

During a lunch of pesto chicken, roasted vegetables, and garlic bread, the World Human Accountability Organization — a group founded in 2016 to "blend charity and corporate investment," according to its chairman, Frederick Newcomb — gave a presentation highlighting the need for those in the audience to "solve the global issues" like poverty, education inequality, and environmental protection.

Read more:A record number of big fund managers are worried governments aren't doing enough to avoid a global recession

Yacht companies, private-jet sales representatives, and art purveyors followed.

"It's not really quantifiable — it's completely an emotional purchase," said Bianca Nestor, a charter broker for Burgess Yachts, responding to an attendee questioning a yacht investment's practicality.

Nestor added: "Whatever costs are involved with buying a boat or chartering a boat are completely trumped by the experience."

Questions from the audience came pouring in for the reps from these companies, especially compared with the lawyers and economists who had presented before.

There was still a focus on professional services — for example, a presentation from the McDermott Will & Emery lawyer Steve Eckhaus that included the line "the rich like to avoid taxes whenever they can, of course," was well-attended.

And there was a decent amount of speculation about the tax environment more generally. "What happens in a populist moment?" Eric Winograd, the chief US economist at AllianceBernstein, wondered in front of meeting attendees. He brought up the proposed wealth tax from Warren, a leading Democratic US presidential candidate, as underscoring a global populist wave.

But advisers were noticeably more engaged during the sexier panels.

As Nestor finished her talk, a conference MC said, "Let's all go buy a yacht!"

Join the conversation about this story »

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• Earlier this year, I spent 12 days traveling through Russia for Business Insider.
• I went inside the Kremlin in Moscow, visited a diamond mine in Siberia, and spent two days riding the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway.
• But the most memorable part of my trip was a visit to a 200-year-old traditional Russian bathhouse, or "banya."
• I paid $85 to be whacked with branches and doused in ice-cold water — and it was such a strange experience that I'll never forget it. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Earlier this year, I spent 12 days traveling through Russia for Business Insider.

I went inside the Kremlin in Moscow, visited a diamond mine in Siberia, and spent two days riding the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway. I also stayed the night in the ultra-luxurious, $18,000-a-night presidential suite at the Moscow Ritz-Carlton.

But the most memorable part of my trip had nothing to do with diamonds or five-star hotels. 

On a rainy afternoon in Moscow toward the end of my trip, I paid a visit to Sanduny, the oldest public bathhouse in Russia, which opened in 1808, more than 200 years ago. Traditional bathhouses — called banyas — are an essential part of Russian culture.

A banya typically includes a steam room with wooden benches, leafy branches that are used for massages, and buckets or pools of cold water. In Siberia, people will often walk outside of the steam room and lie down in the snow. A visit to the banya is said to improve skin and overall health.

At the Sanduny bathhouse in Moscow, I paid $85 for a "branch massage," during which I was whacked all over my body with birch branches. After dragging the branches up and down my body, which sort of tickled, the masseuse proceeded to whack the branches up and down my body with force for about 15 minutes.

After that — with no warning — she threw three buckets of water over my entire body: one ice-cold, one slightly warmer, and one lukewarm. She had me turn onto my back and then repeated the water-dousing process.

Oh, and I was completely naked throughout this process — with the exception of a green felt hat that was definitely something an elf would wear.

Read more:I visited a 200-year-old Russian bathhouse in Moscow, where I paid $85 to be whacked with branches and doused in ice-cold water.

While I wouldn't say the birch branch was especially relaxing in the moment, I left the bathhouse feeling both serene and invigorated.

If you happen to be in Russia, I wouldn't pass up the chance to go to a banya. Just prepare yourself for some mild confusion and some solid whacking.

SEE ALSO: I rode the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway on a 2,000-mile journey across 4 time zones in Russia. Here's what it was like spending 50 hours on the longest train line in the world.

DON'T MISS: I spent a night in the $18,000-a-night presidential suite at the Ritz-Carlton in Moscow that was referenced in the infamous Steele dossier. Here's what it was like.

Join the conversation about this story »

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• A boutique ice cream parlor in Cape Town, South Africa has just been voted the best in the world 2019, according to Big 7 Travel.
• "Unframed" makes healthy ice cream from scratch from real and sustainable foods. Its flavors range from vegan turmeric to a mix of beetroot, chocolate, and ginger.
• The South African parlor beat out A New Zealand-based artisan ice cream parlor that makes chocolate squid ice cream and watermelon ice-cream sandwiches in Vancouver, Canada.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

A South African ice cream parlor franchise called Unframed has just been voted as the best ice cream in the world 2010 —and its artisan ice cream, which includes funky experimental flavors and vegan-friendly varietals, is certainly something special.

The Cape Town-based ice-cream maker topped a list of 50 other ice-cream sellers from all over the world, according to international travel company Big 7 Travel, who not only sent tasters but also looked at reader votes.

Unframed opened its first store in 2016 when French-born founder Yann Rey gave up a job in banking and joined forces with Stephane Auge, one of the "most highly respected and awarded figures in the realm of ice cream," according to their website.

Read more:Watermelon ice cream served in a fresh slice of watermelon, has launched in London — here's how it's made

Unframed's healthy ice cream is made from scratch with sustainable food. It scored high for keeping its ice creams smooth and rich while also experimenting with some unexpected flavors.

We decided to see what the fuss is about, and we were not disappointed.

Unframed stores can be found in several locations around Cape Town.

The ice cream tubs are beautifully lit in these fridges.

I was skeptical about the vegan-friendly ice creams: beetroot chocolate and ginger; matcha latte, and turmeric.

I've had vegan-friendly ice cream before and since then, it's always been a hard miss for me.

But I found Unframed's vegan flavors were some of the smoothest and tastiest I've ever had. They tasted just like dairy-based ice cream — it was like fairies were dancing on my taste buds.

Read more: So Delicious' oat-milk ice cream and dairy-free mousses are a great alternative if you can't have dairy — here's what they taste like

They even allowed me to try a healthy sample of each flavor, which not all ice cream parlors do.

In the end, I opted for a scoop of turmeric.

This is a genuine face of contentment.

The ice creams start at $2.6 (R39) for 1 scoop.

Unframed beat some truly outrageous ice cream makers...

Like the Milkcow Cafe in Vancouver, Canada which makes a pretty beautiful watermelon ice cream sandwich.

...and Giapo, which makes this colossal chocolate squid ice cream, and is based in Auckland, New Zealand.

Join the conversation about this story »

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• Microsoft is valued at over $1 trillion, making it one of the most valuable companies.
• The key to this has been an emphasis on cloud computing, which took center stage this weekend, and a psychological attitude called a growth mindset.
• Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has operated as a transformational leader and based his management philosophy around a growth mindset.
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

When Satya Nadella took over as CEO in 2014, Microsoft was known for its internally competitive culture and plateauing shares. On Monday, Microsoft opened at a record high, propelling the giant to a whopping $1.09 trillion market cap.

Over the past five years, Nadella has made a series of sound business decisions after assuming the CEO position: He used his experience running Microsoft's cloud and enterprise group to push the intelligent-cloud effort that's driving Microsoft's overperformance in quarterly earnings. He was willing to work with competitors like Oracle and Sony, and supported Linux on the Azure platform. He even walked on stage at Dreamforce in 2015 with an iPhone to demonstrate Outlook.

Cut to Saturday's announcement that Microsoft had secured a $10 billion cloud-computing contract with the Pentagon. Even as late as Friday evening, Bloomberg considered Amazon the front-runner for this contract, but Microsoft secured it. Despite complaints from employees that taking a defense contract would mean being complicit in "increasing the lethality" of the defense department, Microsoft confirmed that it "will be engaged" when it comes to the US military. 

As a company, Microsoft has visibly grown from where it stood in 2014. 

So what changed?

Consider the influence of Nadella's leadership style and how he has shaped Microsoft's culture. 

Read more:Microsoft and Sony's surprise game streaming alliance is a shocker, and it raises an uncomfortable truth about the cloud wars

Prioritizing growth and transformation

Nadella has been very public about his embrace of a growth mindset, a concept that actually grew out of developmental psychology.

The Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck was studying what made grade schoolers succeed or not when she noticed something odd: Some of the kids loved riddles and difficult problems, while others shut down in the face of them. When the riddle-loving children encountered a problem they didn't understand, they didn't think they were failing— they thought they were learning.

Hence a growth mindset, in which people jump at challenges and see failure as part of a larger learning process, and a fixed mindset, where challenges are a turnoff and failure something to be urgently avoided.

Over the decades, Dweck and her colleagues have found that a growth mindset leads to success in both the classroom and the workplace.

And Nadella has credited "Mindset," Dweck's popular book, with the tech giant's culture change.

Ushering in a growth mindset across a culture

Nadella's style of leadership is different from what Microsoft is used to. Bill Gates built a workaholic culture that he has since characterized as intense. Steve Ballmer focused on short-term sales performance over long-term sustainability.

In making his many unprecedented moves, Nadella has demonstrated a growth mindset on a large scale.

According to the New York University psychologist Jay Van Bavel, acquiring a growth mindset means focusing on how your group is improving over time, as well as getting everyone to work on collective goals. It takes the focus off competitors and moves it to the company's internal strategy for sustainable growth.

Crucially, growth mindset destigmatizes making mistakes and struggling with tough problems — like, for instance, if you were trying to take a software giant and push it into cloud computing.

Read more:The rise of Satya Nadella, the CEO who totally turned Microsoft around in 5 years and made it more valuable than Apple

Shaping identity

To Van Bavel, Nadella is also an example of an identity-based leader.

"You get your team to feel like you're all part of a common group," he said — for example, by leading a 38-hour hackathon and bringing together some 10,000 employees, as Nadella did five years ago.

It's about getting everyone to buy into a vision, like a growth mindset, and modeling it yourself.

Identity-based leadership is a hallmark of executive performance, though it is not without risks. SpaceX chief Elon Musk is another example of the identity-oriented leader, as is the ousted WeWork CEO Adam Neumann.

For Nadella, the proof is in the earnings. In the latest quarterly earnings release, announced on Wednesday, Microsoft's cloud business generated $11.6 billion in revenue, an increase of 36% year over year. This marks the second consecutive quarter that commercial cloud led the way in earnings. The other two main segments of Microsoft's business, More Personal Computing and Productivity and Business Process, each yielded $11.1 billion for the company.

Microsoft Chairman John Thompson told Business Insider in July that the most important driver of growth was "the cultural transformation that Satya's led."

"The attitude that the team has about each other, their engagement with customers and partners, their belief in openness and inclusiveness," he said. "All of those things have changed under his leadership."

SEE ALSO: Microsoft blew away Wall Street estimates in its most recent quarter and grew its revenue by 12% from last year

Join the conversation about this story »

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• Luxury conglomerate LVMH has announced interest in buying jewelry retailer Tiffany and Co. 
• As Reuters reported, the deal could be worth $14.5 billion, making it the single most expensive deal LVMH has ever made.
• LVMH's portfolio includes 75 different brands that range from wines and spirits to leather goods and cosmetics.
• If the deal goes through, Tiffany would join brands such as Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Hennessy as part of LVMH's expansive portfolio.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.'

LVMH has announced an interest in buying Tiffany and Co., the jewelry brand founded in 1837. 

On Monday, Tiffany published a press statement on its website, announcing that LVMH had approached the jewelry retailer about an unsolicited, non-binding proposal. Tiffany stated that their Board of Directors was "carefully reviewing the proposal" and will "determine the course of action it believes is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders."

According to Reuters, a deal between the two companies could be worth $14.5 billion, making it the most expensive acquisition LVMH has ever made. 

If Tiffany becomes part of LVMH, the jewelry retailer would be joining the luxury conglomerates already-extensive collection of brands, which range from the cosmetics store Sephora and fashion house Christian Dior to French newspaper Le Parisien. In total, the LVMH owns 75 different brands.

Keep reading to see 17 of the most iconic brands the luxury giant owns, ranked in chronological order of LVMH's acquisition date.

SEE ALSO: Bernard Arnault is the world's third-richest person and CEO of LVMH, which just offered to buy Tiffany. Here's how the French billionaire makes and spends his $102 billion fortune.

DON'T MISS: The 9 most valuable luxury brands in the world

Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche: Le Bon Marché opened in 1852. In 1984, before Bernard Arnault created LVMH, he bought luxury goods company Agache-Willot-Boussac. He renamed it Financière Agache and sold some of the company's assets. One of the assets he kept was Le Bon Marché, which became part of the LVMH Group in 1987.

Year acquired by LVMH: 1984

Type of goods: High-end department store

Most recognizable for: Le Bon Marché is recognized as being the world's first department store. The Paris store is noted for its high-end retail and careful selection of goods across the store. 

Source:LVMH, 24, New York Times

Louis Vuitton: Louis Vuitton was one of the first acquisitions LVMH made, when the group was first founded in the 1980s. The name Louis Vuitton is found within the title of LVMH, whose initials came from the merger between Louis Vuitton and Moët Hennessy.

Year acquired by LVMH: 1987

Type of goods: Luxury Retailer

Most recognizable for:The brand is known for its bright orange shopping bags and its leather products, which are usually heavily emblazoned with its "LV" logo.

Source:The Fashion Law

Dom Pérignon: This company is one of the oldest among LVMH's portfolio. The Champagne company was one of the initial brands part of Moët Hennessy, which later merged with Louis Vuitton to create LVMH.

Year acquired by LVMH: 1987

Type of goods: Champagne

Most recognizable for: Dom Pérignon is one of the oldest companies in LVMH's portfolio. It was founded in 1668. 

Source: New York Times

Hennessy: Founded in 1765, the famous cognac brand has since become one of the most famous liquors in the world.

Year acquired by LVMH: 1987

Type of goods: Wine & Spirits

Most recognizable for:Hennessy is one of the most famous cognac brands in the world. The brand's headquarters are in Cognac, France, about a five-hour drive from Paris.

Source:Investopedia

Moët & Chandon: Founded in 1743, Moët & Chandon has since become one of the most popular Champagnes in the world.

Year acquired by LVMH: 1987

Type of goods: Wine & Spirits

Most recognizable for:Moët & Chandon is one of the most famous Champagnes in the world. Prices start at around $40 a bottle.

Source:Investopedia

Givenchy: The luxury brand was founded in 1952, and has since become one of the most popular brands in the world.

Year acquired by LVMH: 1988

Type of goods: Luxury Retail

Most recognizable for: Givenchy is best known for creating the iconic little black dress Audrey Hepburn wore in the film "Breakfast at Tiffany's." 

Source:The Fashion Law, Who What Wear

Sephora: The global cosmetic chain was founded in 1969, and was acquired by LVMH nearly 30 years later.

Year acquired by LVMH: 1997

Type of goods: Cosmetics, Retailer

Most recognizable for:Sephora is known for being one of the top beauty stores in the world. Sephora has more store locations than its rival, Ulta, and carries a variety of high-end brands, among them Fenty Beauty by Rihanna and Kat Von D.

Source:The Fashion Law

Marc Jacobs: Named after its founder, the brand Marc Jacobs was founded in 1984. Its namesake founder was once the creative director of Louis Vuitton before he left the brand to focus on his own.

Year acquired by LVMH: 1997

Type of goods: Luxury Retail & Cosmetics

Most recognizable for:Marc Jacobs was founded by designer Marc Jacobs in 1984. Jacobs was previously the creative director of Louis Vuitton. 

Source:The Fashion Law

Benefit Cosmetics: Benefit Cosmetics was founded in 1976 in San Francisco, California, and has since spread globally.

Year acquired by LVMH: 1999

Type of goods: Cosmetics

Most recognizable for: Benefit is a cosmetics company, best known for its makeup. It is sold in Sephora, which is also an LVMH brand.

Source: Crunchbase

Fendi: This brand, founded in 1925, was once led by legendary designer Karl Lagerfeld. It was previously owned by both Prada and LVMH, until the latter bought out Prada in 2001. Over the years, LVMH has raised its ownership stakes to 84%.

Year acquired by LVMH: 2000

Type of goods: Luxury Retail

Most recognizable for:Fendi is a luxury brand, best known for its signature "F" print. The brand recently launched a collection with rapper Nicki Minaj.

Source:The Fashion Law, Elle 

Fresh: This brand was launched in Boston in 1991 and is known for its natural product line.

Year acquired by LVMH: 2000

Type of goods: Cosmetics

Most recognizable for:Fresh is known for its expansive collection of natural products. It is sold in Sephora. 

Bvlgari: The famous jewelry brand, founded in 1884, sold to LVMH for $6.01 billion in an all-share deal. The Fashion Law reports that the Bvlgari family sold their 50.4% controlling stake in their namesake brand for 3% of LVMH.

Year acquired by LVMH: 2011

Type of goods: Jewelry 

Most recognizable for: Luxury jewelry brand Bvlgari is known for its watches and diamond necklaces. 

Source:The Fashion Law

Kat Von D Beauty: This cosmetics line was launched in 2008 and is named after its namesake founder, tattoo artist and model Kat Von D. It was once owned by Kendo, which was acquired by LVMH; as a result, LVMH obtained Kat Von D and other indie beauty products.

Year acquired by LVMH: 2014

Type of goods: Cosmetics

Most recognizable for: Kat Von D Beauty was founded by tattoo artist Kat von D. The brand is known for its eyeshadow palettes.

Source: Fashion Retail

Le Parisien: According to LVMH's website, this newspaper was founded in 1944, and is read by nearly 18 million people each month. Reuters reports that LVMH offered to buy Le Parisien, and its sister paper Aujourd'hui en France, for $54.38 million in 2015.

Year acquired by LVMH: 2015

Type of goods: Tabloid

Most recognizable for:Le Parisien is one of the most notable tabloids in France, along with Le Figaro and Le Liberation.

Source: Reuters, LVMH,

Rimowa: Founded in 1989, LVMH obtained an 80% stake in Rimowa for roughly $700 million. The company is now run by Alexandre Arnault, son of LVMH's CEO, Bernard Arnault.

Year acquired by LVMH: 2016

Type of goods: Luggage 

Most recognizable for: Rimowa is a luggage company. The brand made headlines after launching a collection of luggage with the brand Supreme in December 2018. 

Source:The Fashion Law, Rimowa

Christian Dior: Per The Fashion Law, LVMH acquired Christian Dior in a $13.1 billion deal. Previously, the brand was owned by Groupe Arnault, a private holding company owned by LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault.

Year acquired byLVMH: 2017

Type of goods: Luxury retail

Most recognizable for:Dior is a luxury brand, best known for its gowns and handbags. Celebrities such as Rihanna and Jennifer Lawrence are noted faces of the brand. 

Source:The Fashion Law

Fenty Beauty by Rihanna & Fenty: In a deal with one of the biggest pop stars on the planet, LVMH's launch of the Fenty Brands made Rihanna the first woman of color to launch a label with LVMH, and the first woman to have an original brand with the luxury conglomerate.

Year acquired by LVMH: Fenty Beauty by Rihanna (2017), Fenty (2019)

Type of goods: Cosmetics & Luxury Clothes

Most recognizable for: In 2019, Fenty Beauty by Rihanna launched a 40-shade range of foundations, which helped to revolutionize diversity in the beauty industry.  

Source: NPR, Elle

• This summer, I spent 12 days traveling through Russia for Business Insider.
• I went inside the Kremlin in Moscow, visited a diamond mine in Siberia, and spent two days riding the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway.
• While my travels were mostly smooth sailing, I did experience some cultural clashes.
• At first, I thought most Russians I saw looked very stern and unfriendly, but I soon realized they simply don't smile at strangers like Americans do.
• I also found some of Russia's views on gender to be a bit outdated.
• Visit Busines Insider's homepage for more stories.

This summer, I spent 12 days traveling through Russia for Business Insider.

I ate at a Russian McDonald's, went inside the Kremlin in Moscow, visited a diamond mine in Siberia, and spent two days riding the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway.

I even got to spend a night in the $18,000-a-night presidential suite at the Moscow Ritz-Carlton. One of my most memorable experiences was visiting a 200-year-old Russian bathhouse, where I paid $85 to be whacked with branches and doused in ice-cold water. 

While my travels were mostly smooth sailing, I did experience some cultural clashes. Here are six cultural differences that tripped me up in Russia.

SEE ALSO: I rode the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway on a 2,000-mile journey across 4 time zones in Russia. Here's what it was like spending 50 hours on the longest train line in the world.

DON'T MISS: Photos show what life is like in a Siberian diamond mining town on the edge of the Arctic Circle, which is home to 40,000 people and where the sun is up for 20 hours a day in the summer

1. The language barrier was more pronounced than I'd expected.

Unfortunately, I don't speak any Russian.

While I'd expected communication to be tricky in rural Siberia, I thought more people might speak English in Moscow, the capital city. But even at restaurants and shops in the capital, I found that many locals spoke little to no English.

Fortunately, thanks to a combination of hand gestures, my trusty Google Translate app, and mercifully patient Russians, I was able to make it work.

2. Unlike Americans, Russians don't tend to smile at strangers.

At first, I was intimidated by many of the Russians I saw, thinking they looked stern and unfriendly. But I soon realized they simply don't smile at strangers the way Americans do.

In the US, we expect smiles from people we do business with, from the person who serves us our coffee, and even from people we accidentally make eye contact with. This was not the case in Russia.

As Olga Khazan wrote for the Atlantic, some cultures — including Russia — perceive smiling for no apparent reason to be a sign of stupidity.

But despite their stony facial expressions, everyone I met or asked for help in Russia was perfectly friendly and helpful.

3. Russia's views on gender seemed outdated.

Several comments Russians made to me during my trip made me think that the views on gender in the country aren't quite the same as in the US — or at least in liberal New York City, where I live.

Francesca Ebel wrote for the Associated Press earlier this year that while women in Russia may hold prominent government positions, "traditional gender roles still hold sway, and efforts to address problems like the gender pay gap, domestic violence and sexual harassment have hardly scratched the surface."

Throughout my trip, locals seemed shocked that I was traveling alone in Russia as a woman.

During my two-day journey riding the Trans-Siberian Railway— the longest train line in the world — one of the Russian women sharing my compartment asked me, "You're not afraid to travel in Russia alone?"

I shrugged. "Not really."

"Because we are," she said. "Russia is a dangerous place."

While I was visiting a diamond mine in Siberia, a publicist for Alrosa, the country's largest diamond miner, told me that doctors recommend women don't work in the mines because it could harm their reproductive health.

And later in Moscow, a professional contact I spent a day with opened a car door for me and then immediately seemed concerned. He turned to me and asked in all seriousness, "In America, is it considered harassment now to open a door for a woman?"

4. Most of the Russian women I saw had a more traditionally feminine style — with perfectly manicured nails, long flowing hair, immaculate makeup, and high heels — than I'm used to seeing in New York.

As Yekaterina Sinelschikova wrote for Russia Beyond, "a Russian woman never appears in public without making herself up first (which often means foundation, powder, rouge, mascara, and something else to her taste) — even if she's just taking out the trash."

With my jeans, sneakers, and unstyled hair (I like to think of it as effortlessly tousled), I often felt underdressed on the streets of Moscow.

"For women, demonstrating femininity ... is the name of the game when choosing what to wear," Sinelschikova wrote.

5. Recycling did not seem to be a thing in Russia.

Whenever I went to throw something away during my trip, I couldn't find a recycling bin — just a garbage can.

Recycling is apparently not yet common in Russia. Only seven percent of Russia's waste is recycled, according to France 24. Some overflowing landfills have been known to spontaneously catch on fire.

6. Exchanging business cards is essential.

Exchanging business cards is a common practice in the US, but in Russia, it seemed absolutely essential.

Almost every time I met a professional contact in Russia, they handed me their business card within 30 seconds of introducing themselves, prompting me to scramble to dig around in my bag for my own. 

Most of the business cards I was given were printed in Russian on one side and English on the other.

• Read more about my time in Russia:
• Photos show what life is like in a Siberian diamond mining town on the edge of the Arctic Circle, which is home to 40,000 people and where the sun is up for 20 hours a day in the summer
• I walked down Moscow's glitzy, mile-long shopping street that travel guides compare to the Champs-Élysées in Paris and NYC's Fifth Ave — and it fell totally short of the hype
• The Moscow metro is known for its efficiency and ornate stations. I rode it and found that it's miles ahead of New York City's subway system.
• I rode the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway on a 2,000-mile journey across 4 time zones in Russia. Here's what it was like spending 50 hours on the longest train line in the world.

• Huge skeletons appear to be erupting through streets in Mexico City's Tláhuac neighborhood for Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).
• The skeletons took a year to make, according to Riviera Maya News, and are meant to encourage Mexican cultural preservation and identity.
• The sculptures could remain if the weather cooperates.
• The undead installation comes amid concerns Día de los Muertos is being turned into a commercial holiday, just like Cinco de Mayo.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Something big is rising from the streets of Mexico City.

Giant skeleton sculptures have appeared on a street in the Mexican capital's Tláhuac neighborhood, and they look like they're bursting right through the asphalt.

Built by local artisans ahead of Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos in Spanish) celebrations, Riviera Maya News reports this is the eighth year the skeletons have appeared.

The outlet says the undead denizens – measuring more than 11 feet wide and almost seven feet high – erupted through Calle Francisco Santiago Borraz (Francisco Santiago Borraz Street) after taking about a year to get there. 

Made from cardboard and salvaged materials from a nearby construciton site, the sculptures were reportedly conceived by Radmundo Medina as a way to encourage cultural preservation and identity, particularly among children.

Brenda Lozano, a member of the artistic team that helped bring the skeletons to "life,"told Riviera Maya News the skeletons took two days just to assemble, and despite the rubble all around them are not emerging from potholes, but merely look that way due to how the salvaged rubble was placed around their bony extremities.

Lozano also said that the skeletons could remain for some time if the weather remains decent (read: not rainy). 

As Tom Murray wrote for Insider last year, Día de Muertos dates back to the Aztecs, and marks a celebration of dead loved ones.

From October 31 to November 2, people play music at cemeteries, dress in ornate, colorful costumes, and make flower-adorned altars to honour the souls of departed family members, whose spirits they believe return to Earth during this time.

An important symbol of Mexican culture, it is not related to Halloween, even though it is celebrated around the same time.

However, this year's celebrations come amid concerns by some that Día de Muertos is being co-opted by corporations into an excuse to party and spend money.

The Guardian compared the celebration to Cinco de Mayo, a date celebrated throughout the US and elsewhere at restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, but barely marked in Mexico.

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