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The top 26 states where rich people give away the most money

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New York City skyline

Wealthy people live in every state in the US — but some states are more charitable than others.

The IRS publishes data about the number of people who itemize their tax returns every year, and how many people claim which deductions by state and by income bracket.

To arrive at the rankings, we looked at the people who itemized and made between $500,000 and $1 million, and more than $1 million in the year 2016 (the most recent one for which we have data). We looked at how many claimed the itemized deduction for charitable giving. The IRS also indicates how much money was claimed to be donated. Using that information, we could figure out the average claimed donation per $500,000+ income tax return per state.

Here, in ascending order, are the top 26 most charitable states plus Washington DC.

SEE ALSO: The happiest states in the US, ranked

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26: Illinois

Average annual charitable contribution: $62,328.16
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 96%



25: Texas

Average annual charitable contribution:$64,512.10
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 94%



24: Vermont

Average annual charitable contribution: $65,926.79
Percentage of people making $500,000+ who donate: 95%



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We tested the futuristic $349 oven that some say could replace every cooking appliance that you own, and we were blown away by it

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tovala 1020

  • Tovala has created a smart oven and meal-kit service intended to simplify home cooking.
  • The oven is a countertop machine that essentially combines four types of appliances: a broiler, a steamer, an oven, and a toaster.
  • We got a chance to test it out — here's what it was like.

Meal kits have become one of the biggest trends in food retail in recent years, with dozens of new companies cropping up and even traditional retailers jumping on the bandwagon, hoping to cash in on time-strapped consumers who are seeking easy, healthy meals.

But the backlash has already begun. Some say the market is oversaturated with meal-kit options, and industry innovators such as Blue Apron have found themselves losing customers.

Tovala, a gourmet meal-kit service that uses a smart oven, is hoping to swoop in and woo these customers on the assumption that they still crave good food and convenience.

The Tovala oven is a countertop machine that combines four types of appliances: a broiler, a steamer, an oven, and a toaster. The oven is Wi-Fi-enabled and connects to an app with hundreds of recipes. The user simply needs to select a recipe on the app or scan the barcode on one of the service's prepared meals, and the oven will then do all of the work.

In February, Tovala received an undisclosed amount of funding from the food giant Tyson Foods. The capital raised was to be used to support Tovala's growth, including adding staff across all departments, geographic expansion, and investment in product, operations, technology, and marketing, Tovala said in a press release at the time.

On Tuesday, Tovala launched its new and improved second-generation machine, which is lighter than its predecessor and has a new function that enables users to cook without using the app. The first machine was rolled out in 2017.

Find out how it works below:

SEE ALSO: These are the brands that blew up in 2018

The new oven works in the same way as the original version. There are two options: to cook independently using the machine or to subscribe to its prepared meal kits.

There are two main differences between the two models: The new model is 15% smaller and lighter than its predecessor, and users are now able to cook on the oven without having to use the app.

According to the company's CEO, David Rabie, not being able to use the oven without the app was one of the biggest complaints customers had about the original version. 



If you opt for the meal kits, you have the choice between three, four, six, eight, nine, or 12 meals a week.

Customers who sign up for 100 Tovala meals within the first 12 months of their purchase are eligible for $100 off the oven. 

The oven itself costs $349 and comes with a 180-day return policy. 

 



Each meal costs $12 and is meant to feed one person. If you're ordering as a couple or feeding a family, you'd need to order more of each variety.

Customers are required to pick which meals they want on a Wednesday for the following Monday. 

There are eight meals to choose from each week. 

 



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The widest room in this New York City townhouse measures 10 feet across — and it's selling for $5 million

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seaport district townhouse nyc

  • The widest room in a narrow New York City townhouse is just 10 feet wide — and it's selling for $5 million.
  • The exterior of the Lower Manhattan home measures just under 13 feet, a Douglas Elliman agent told Business Insider.
  • Real estate developers are building more super-narrow townhouses in leftover space from larger projects, The Wall Street Journal reported.

 

A Lower Manhattan townhouse that measures 10 feet wide inside is about to go on sale for $5 million.

The exterior of the newly-built industrial-looking house in Manhattan's historic South Street Seaport district is just under 13 feet wide. But listing agent Gordon von Broock of Douglas Elliman said the home was designed with its size constraints in mind.

"There's high ceilings, very low profile, there's no moldings or anything that sticks out," he told Business Insider. "Everything's very clean. I think it just feels — I wouldn't say spacious — but it feels like a normal room."

Real estate developers in New York City are starting to build more and more ultra-narrow townhouses, often to use up leftover space from larger projects, according to The Wall Street Journal.

"There's only so much land that can be sold and developed and, at some point, people are finding unique ways to build — and more creative ways," von Broock told Business Insider.

The Seaport townhouse was built on leftover land from a five-unit condo building on the same lot developed by Andreas Giacoumis, according to the Journal. Once the city building department gives the townhouse its own official address of 267 ½ Water Street, it will be ready to close a sale, von Broock said — although they've already been showing the home.

The developer, Giacoumis, told the Journal that "small spaces are the way of the future."

Here's a look inside the narrow, ultra-modern home. 

SEE ALSO: New York City has more penthouses available than it can fill — and it suggests a change in the way wealthy people are looking at luxury real estate

DON'T MISS: An $82 million penthouse apartment in NYC's tallest residential building offers 360-degree views of Central Park and the city — but nobody wants to buy it

The Manhattan townhouse measures 10 feet wide on the inside and just under 13 feet on the exterior. It's about to go on the market for $5 million.

Source: Douglas Elliman



The townhouse looks particularly narrow when viewed head-on: It's sandwiched between two wider buildings. Its facade is made up of glass and steel columns.

Source: Douglas Elliman, The Wall Street Journal



The home is in New York's Seaport District, which listing agent Gordon von Broock says is an up-and-coming neighborhood that reminds him of the early days of Tribeca or the Meatpacking District's popularity. "The biggest thing that would be attractive to buyers is living in that area," he told Business Insider.

Source: Douglas Elliman



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

I visited a secluded park on top of a garage in downtown Manhattan, and it's clear why the acre of green is one of New York's best-kept secrets

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elevated acre

  • Elevated Acre is a tiny, secluded park that sits on top of a parking garage in downtown Manhattan.
  • Although the park covers just one acre, it offers incredible views of New York Harbor and the Brooklyn Bridge, and it's one of the few places in the Financial District where you can get some peace and quiet.
  • I visited Elevated Acre and discovered exactly why it's considered one of New York's best-kept secrets.

New York City is notoriously overcrowded — and there's arguably nowhere in the city more congested than downtown Manhattan during business hours.

Business Insider's office is right in the thick of it, located in Manhattan's Financial District, just steps away from Wall Street and the World Trade Center. It's often a struggle to walk to a nearby restaurant or subway station without bumping into strangers, squeezing in between parked cars, or awkwardly sidestepping around tourists who stop to take a picture.

It's definitely not what comes to mind when you think "peace and quiet."

Related:In Brunei, a tiny nation built on oil money, half the capital city's population lives in an otherworldly 'water village' where thousands of houses stand on monsoon-proof stilts

So when I heard about the Elevated Acre, a park in downtown Manhattan considered one of the borough's best-kept secrets, I had to see it to believe it.

The park, built in 2005, sits on top of a parking garage and is sandwiched in between two FiDi office buildings on Water Street. It's not far from the much more famous Battery Park, where tourist ferries depart for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

I headed down to the Elevated Acre on a breezy Tuesday afternoon, and was surprised by how few people were there. The secluded, one-acre park offered impressive views of New York Harbor and Brooklyn, not to mention some much-needed quiet time above the chaos of Manhattan.

Here's what one of Manhattan's hidden gems is like in person:

SEE ALSO: 22 free things to do in New York City

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Manhattan is famously overcrowded, especially during business hours. It can be hard to find peace and quiet.



But the Elevated Acre seemed to offer that, from what I'd read. I headed down to Water Street in Manhattan's Financial District to see it for myself.



The park is walking distance from downtown hotspots like Wall Street, the World Trade Center, and Battery Park.



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The fabulous life of billionaire Michael Dell, who is once again fighting with Carl Icahn over the future of his company

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Michael Dell

Michael Dell is once again making headlines as he tries to take his company public again in an unusual and controversial way.

Instead of an IPO, Dell wants to buy the "tracking stock" of VMware for a combo of cash and Dell's stock. The tracking stock was created when Dell bought VMware's majority stakeholder EMC as part of that mega $67 billion deal. VMware is publicly traded and the tracking stock gave EMC investors extra value for their portion of VMware's equity, to encourage them to approve Dell's offer for EMC, which they did.

The tracking stock is also publicly traded, separate from VMware's common stock. Buying the tracking stock with Dell's stock means Dell would instantly become into a public company again, without a traditional IPO. 

But this deal initially earned the scorn of multiple hedge fund managers, who say Dell's offer for the tracking stock is too low.Dell has bowed to the pressure and offered investors more money ... a lot more money.

This deal has put Michael Dell back in the bullseye of his old nemesis Carl Icahn, who bought an 8% stake of the tracking stock and had threatened to sue if the offer isn't either dropped or raised. He wanted Dell to triple the offer, though Dell isn't raising his offer that by that much.

With an estimated net worth of $27.5 billion, Dell is one of the wealthiest people in the world. From his early career as one of the youngest CEOs of a Fortune 500 company until today, Dell is used to getting his way.

He was only 23 when his company had its IPO in 1988, and soon he was a billionaire.

Dell lives the extravagant life of a successful businessman as well, complete with all of the private planes, summer homes, and sweet rides you'd expect from a billionaire.

SEE ALSO: These are the 10 best countries for computer programming — and the US didn't make the list

Michael Dell was born on Feb. 23, 1965, in Houston, Texas. He was fascinated with gadgets from a young age — when he was 15, he bought one of the first Apple computers and disassembled it to see if he could put it back together.

Source: Academy of Achievement



When he was in high school, he got a job selling newspaper subscriptions. After figuring out how to target an untapped customer base, he made $18,000 in just one year.

Source: Academy of Achievement



Though he was really only interested in computers, Dell entered the University of Texas at Austin as a pre-med student in 1983. He spent his spare time upgrading PCs and selling them from his dorm room, making $180,000 in his first month of business. Though he never came back for his sophomore year of classes, he returned to his dorm for a photo opp in 1999.

Source: Entrepreneur



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

I partied at the Brooklyn club named the 2nd best thing to do in the world. It was a wild night of dance parties, gravity-defying performances, and crazy costumes.

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HouseofYesT9

  • Time Out recently released its list of the 50 best things to do in the world right now. Brooklyn's House of Yes nightclub came in at second.
  • The nightclub is known for wild parties with strange themes, circus performers, burlesque dancers, and more.
  • I partied there last fall and found it to be a sensory overload of colorful costumes, pulsating beats, and dancers flying through the air. Needless to say, I was anything but bored.

Earlier this week, Time Out released its list of the 50 best things to do in the world right now. Coming in at second on the list is Brooklyn's very own House of Yes nightclub, a place that strives to be somewhere where just about anything can happen.

Opened in 2015, the club is the brainchild of New York artists Kae Burke and Anya Sapozhnikova. On any given night, party-goers might encounter trance DJs, aerialists, circus performers, marching bands, burlesque dancers, magicians, and tarot card readers.

The club is notorious for out-there parties with themes like Prohibition Disco, House of Love, and Bad Behavior. Costumes are just about required for any party at House of Yes, which makes sure things get weird.

It's likely that sense of wonder, discovery, and sheer craziness that led Time Out to put the club at the top of the list, which was curated by the publication's global editors based on 5,000 recommendations in 400 destinations from travelers around the world.

Last November, I headed to House of Yes to attend the "Ancient Aliens" party and talk with Burke and Sapozhnikova.

SEE ALSO: Inside the secret masquerade yacht party that brings the wildest techies and Wall Streeters together for a night of debauchery

DON'T MISS: We partied at the exclusive, sexy Hong Kong party with the art world’s elite on a 62,000-square-foot floating restaurant

House of Yes is located at the Jefferson L Train stop in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn. Bushwick is a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood that has seen an influx of artists and young professionals over the last decade.



The place is hard to miss. The space, opened on New Year's Eve 2015, used to be a laundromat. House of Yes raised the ceilings and added all the lighting, sound, and theatre equipment you could imagine.



HoY grew out of NYC's Do-It-Yourself and Burning Man scenes, starting in a rundown loft in 2007 before moving to a warehouse a year later. The warehouse closed in 2014 due to rising rents. A year later they partnered with artists and nightlife veterans Justin Ahiyon and Ilan Telmont to launch the Bushwick space.

Burke and Sapozhnikova never went to school for theatre or hospitality. When they first moved to New York at 19, they started working at legendary parties in the DIY scene like Rubulad and The Danger. 

As part of those experiences they learned everything from theatre directing to acting, lighting, costume design, set design, and everything else involved in making live events. 

Then they started developing those skills through their own events and parties at the various iterations of House of Yes.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

New York City's secret subway line with antique cars is going back into service — here's what it's like to ride it

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Shopper's Special NYC subway

The New York City subway system is one of the most fascinating curiosities in a city full of mysteries. Miles of underground track shrouded in darkness, littered with abandoned stations and secret passageways — it's a common object of desire for the urban explorers among us.

And, occasionally, New York City acknowledges the delightful mystery surrounding its 24-hour transportation system. The annual "Holiday Nostalgia" train line, seen above, is a perfect example of this.

The train line, consisting of eight vintage New York subway cars from several different eras, runs for a few weekends each year — from the Sunday after Thanksgiving to the end of the year, only on Sundays. It costs the same $2.75 as any subway ride.

So what'd we do? We got on the train and took a ride, of course! This is what it's like.

SEE ALSO: New York City subway cars are cleaned by hand — and it takes one person 3 and a half hours to do it

I got on at the Second Avenue stop in Manhattan — when I snapped these photos in 2016, the train ran between the Second Avenue stop in Manhattan and the Queens Plaza stop in Queens.

In 2018, the holiday train is running on the F line starting at the 2nd Av station, and via the A/C/D line from the 125th St station. It makes a handful of stops at major stations along the way — like Columbus Circle and Herald Square — "as an ode to the holiday shopping season,"



As you can see from 2016's schedule, the train ran throughout the day starting at 10 a.m. and concluding at about 5 p.m. It's similar in 2018, but there are a few changes.

The schedule is slightly different for 2018. According to the Metropolitan Transit Authority, the train "will depart from 2nd Avenue on the F line in Lower Manhattan and run along 6th Avenue in Manhattan to 47th-50th/Rockefeller Center before heading up the Central Park West line, where the train will stop at 59th St – Columbus Circle before making its way up to 125th St on the A/C/D lines in Harlem."



Even though we arrived at 12:30, there were already a bunch of people waiting — some were clearly tourists; others were clearly New Yorkers.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

An executive at a luxury concierge service says they once flew In-N-Out burgers from the West Coast to NYC in a private jet

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private jet

 

An executive at an NYC luxury concierge service says they once fulfilled a last-minute request to fly In-N-Out burgers from the West Coast to NYC in a private jet.

"It was just their food traveling," Skie Ocasio, vice president of operations at Luxury Attaché, told Business Insider. "This was a couple of years ago, but it was a request that our team was like, 'How are we going do to this?' and 'Shouldn't we just fly them commercially?'"

But after looking at the options, the team at Luxury Attaché came to the conclusion that flying the burgers on a private jet was, in fact, the best thing to do — and they pulled it off. 

Wealthy New Yorkers are certainly willing to pay up to make their lives easier, as evidenced by those who pay  "dog nannies" up to $130 to take their dogs on hikes that include door-to-door service and groups tailored to each dog's personality. And some rich Manhattanites pay up to $800 a day for a baby nurse to teach their newborns to sleep through the night. 

Ocasio says the company doesn't specialize in such extreme requests as the In-N-Out private jet delivery, however.

"While a lot of our competitors our there are talking about 24/7 concierge, accessing the inaccessible, giving you everything you want, you know, 'the answer's always yes,' I found that Luxury Attaché really set themselves up with offering what we could deliver," he said.

Read more:A luxury travel company says these are the 10 most extravagant requests it's had from its super-rich customers

Luxury Attaché is a business-to-business concierge service provider that operates in luxury residential buildings and commercial spaces primarily in New York City, but also in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Palo Alto, Boston, and Fort Lauderdale. They operate Monday through Friday during normal business hours.

"We're not working around the clock. We're not guaranteeing that at 2 o'clock in the morning, if you call us, we're going to answer the phone and get you into a club," Ocasio said.

Instead, he says the company succeeds by managing expectations and developing authentic relationships with their business contacts so they can offer exclusive, vetted recommendations to their clients.

"We're getting people into restaurants because we know the owners," he said. "We know the people who we can reach out to during business hours to get the access. And I pride myself in the service because it is attainable, it is reachable, and it is something that we can deliver on."

SEE ALSO: Outrageous photos show what flying on private jets is really like, from private bedrooms with plush bedding to exquisitely crafted meals served with Champagne

DON'T MISS: The widest room in this New York City townhouse measures 10 feet across — and it's selling for $5 million

Join the conversation about this story »

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30 clever gifts for coworkers that they'll actually be happy to receive

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The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

Uncommon Goods, $40

Shopping for coworkers can become a never-ending parade of mild pine-scented candles, Hallmark cards, and candy that is destined for retirement in a desk drawer for most of January. It’s easier to buy thoughtful, impactful gifts for your closest loved ones, and it gets harder once you add in the subtleties and professionalism of the workplace.

However, there are hordes of fantastic gifts out there for coworkers. And they don't have to be expensive — in fact, they probably shouldn't be. The ideal colleague present is thoughtful, unique, and lands somewhere in the casual middle ground between re-gifting paperclips from the supply closet and an all-expenses-paid trip to the Caribbean. 

Below, you’ll find 30 of the best coworker gifts for under $50. 

Looking for more gift ideas? Check out all of Insider Picks' holiday gift guides for 2018 here.

A three-month subscription of freshly roasted whole bean, single-origin coffees from a cool startup

Driftaway Coffee Subscription, Three Months, available on Driftaway Coffee, from $39

If they're practically tethered to the coffee pot, they'll probably love the fun and thoughtful gift of a three-month subscription to this cool Brooklyn startup's beans. Driftaway sends freshly roasted, whole bean, single-origin coffees from around the world to their doorstep.



An Atlas Obscura calendar full of daily photos and tidbits about the world's strangest and coolest places or festivals

Atlas Obscura Color Page-A-Day Desk 2019 Calendar, available on Amazon, $15.99

Add some fun to their day-to-day routine with the Atlas Obscura calendar. There are hundreds of photos that celebrate the world's strangest and coolest places, festivals, and foods. Travelers and life-long learners are particularly good candidates for this one. 



A funny mug that acknowledges the bond forged by people who have to fix the same defunct printer every week together

The This is Fine Mug, available on Etsy, $12.99

A "This is Fine" mug is the perfect gift for the only other people on earth who can truly relate to the particularities of your job: a defunct printer, last night's too-fun team happy hour, and the occasional avalanche of meetings and high-priority emails. Here's a $13 nod to the fond shared stressors. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Costco employees share 31 things they'd love to tell shoppers but can't

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Costco customer

  • Costco membership can go to some people's heads, according to workers.
  • Business Insider reached out to 49 Costco employees to find out what they wish they could tell shoppers but can't.
  • Common requests were to control your kids, hang up your phone, and help unload the cart.

Costco membership comes with some obvious perks — namely, access to the retail chain and its food court.

But according to dozens of Costco workers who spoke with Business Insider, being a member doesn't entitle you to do whatever you want.

While Costco made Glassdoor's list of best places to work in 2017, employees still had several complaints about shoppers' rude and inconvenient behavior.

Business Insider spoke to 49 Costco employees about the things they want to tell members but can't. Some of their responses focused on obvious problems, like members being mean and inconsiderate. But some of the tips were more instructive.

Here's what they had to say.

SEE ALSO: 8 Costco food court menu items employees swear by

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SEE ALSO: Costco employees pick the 11 most surprising items the wholesale retailer sells

Have your membership card ready at the door

"Concentrate on handing me your membership card instead of telling me a story," a Costco employee in Minnesota told Business Insider. "I can listen to your story as I do whatever you need me to do, but I can't do that until I have your membership card."



Don't trash the warehouse

A Costco employee from Arizona told Business Insider that they wanted to tell members to stop leaving "sample cups all over the floor." "Don't be rude," the employee said. "Clean after yourself."



Put back items you've picked up

"Please put back that item that you just threw there," a Costco worker from California told Business Insider. "It doesn't belong there."

Eight other Costco employees also told Business Insider that they judged members who left products strewn about the store.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Nancy Pelosi is using gender to win over progressives in her fight to become House speaker

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House minority leader Nancy Pelosi

  • House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says she is confident that she's the best choice to be the next speaker of the House — and that a movement against her within her own party is motivated by sexism. 
  • But the opposition to her — largely coming from centrist Democrats — have taken offense to that charge and may put up Rep. Marcia Fudge, a former leader of the Congressional Black Caucus, to challenge Pelosi. 
  • With no strong alternative for speaker in the left wing of the party, progressive groups have begun to fall in line behind Pelosi — and they're also charging her opponents with sexism.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says she is confident that she's the best choice to be the next speaker of the House — and that a movement against her within her own party is motivated by sexism. 

Pelosi has long said that she remained in Democratic leadership after Hillary Clinton's 2016 loss because without her men would have dominated the highest levels of American politics. 

"You cannot have the four leaders of Congress [and] the president of the United States, these five people, and not have the voice of women," Pelosi said during a Sunday interview on CBS. "Especially since women were the majority of the voters, the workers in campaigns, and now part of this glorious victory."

Pelosi's defenders have suggested that her demonization by the right is deeply infused with sexism. 

"Don't like Pelosi, but can't quite articulate why? Felt the same way about Hillary Clinton? Time for some deep self-reflection about gender bias and leadership," Jennifer Victor, a political science professor at George Mason University, wrote in a tweet that went viral last week.

The minority leader and her allies argue that the former speaker's fundraising prowess, significant legislative accomplishments, recent electoral victories, and a lack of any strong progressive alternative should be enough to vault her to the speakership. Pelosi says she's "100 percent" confident she'll be re-elected speaker in the new Congress, citing "overwhelming support" in her caucus. Others in the party are pushing for a new voice.

Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, right, accompanied by Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, second from left, and Seth Moulton, D-Mass., left, speaks to members of the media following the House Democratic Caucus elections on Capitol Hill on Nov. 30, 2016.

'Plenty of really competent females'

Pelosi and her allies have characterized the intra-party opposition to her speakership as a conservative, male-dominated movement out of touch with the bulk of the Democratic party. They've used the hashtag #FiveWhiteGuys — the same label Pelosi gave to a bipartisan immigration working group earlier this year — to refer to Reps. Seth Moulton and Tim Ryan, both centrist Democrats, who have led the movement against her.

Moulton has made clear that he's not running for speaker, but has only floated one possible alternative so far: Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge, a former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, who said on Saturday that she's been "overwhelmed" by the encouragement she's received from colleagues and will announce whether she'll run after Thanksgiving. 

Fudge framed her potential candidacy as a move away from the Democratic party status quo and as a way to better represent the diversity of the caucus.

"If we run on change, then we need change," Fudge told CNN on Saturday, adding that she and Pelosi discussed those "within the caucus who are feeling left out and left behind" during a Friday meeting. 

Fudge, Moulton, and Ryan have also held that the next speaker should be a woman. 

"There's plenty of really competent females that we can replace her with," Ryan told reporters last week, referring to Pelosi's replacement. 

Fudge was one of three women in a group of 17 incumbent and incoming House members who signed a letter last week promising not to vote for Pelosi on the House floor. As of Friday, at least 20 lawmakers have said they would oppose Pelosi, including a total of six women. 

Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer

Women who oppose Pelosi's bid for speaker take issue with the suggestion that the movement against her is sexist or anti-feminist.

Elissa Slotkin, an incoming Michigan representative from a formerly red district, framed her opposition to Pelosi as a push for "a new generation of leadership" and added that "kitchen table issues are more important than gender" to her constituents.

"I never want to be disrespectful to anyone who has served, especially a woman who has broken glass ceilings," the 42-year-old former CIA officer said last week. "But we need to hear what people are telling us on the ground," she continued. "They want a new generation that thinks differently and works harder and takes the caucus in a new direction."

New York Rep. Kathleen Rice, who's also advocating for a "new generation" of Democratic leaders, told reporters in recent days that female members "should not be made to feel that they are 'anti-women' if they don't want to vote for Nancy Pelosi."

Rice escalated this argument on Friday, tweeting, "I find it fascinating that the very people who are characterizing our call for new leadership as a sexist campaign are also ignoring the women leading the charge. Are @RepMarciaFudge and I white men?"

Jennifer Victor, the George Mason professor, said she's not convinced the centrist Democratic movement against Pelosi can fairly be characterized as sexist.

"The evidence that it's five white guys is consistent with the sexism narrative, but it's not the only way to read that evidence," she said in an interview with INSIDER. 

Progressives groups and insurgents line up behind Pelosi 

With no viable alternative for speaker on the left, progressive groups have begun to fall in line behind Pelosi — and they're also using gender as a defense of her and an attack on her opponents.

"Anyone who thinks that Pelosi should be replaced by a moderate white guy is fundamentally misreading the moment," Joe Dinkin, spokesman for the Working Families Party, told INSIDER. "Women voters, and especially women of color, powered the progressive wave, and we need more women in leadership roles — not less." 

Late last week, Indivisible — the progressive advocacy group behind many insurgent Democratic candidates this year — called Pelosi "a strong and progressive leader" and argued the party shouldn't let a small group of white, moderate men sabotage her."

The Brady Campaign, a gun control advocacy organization, endorsed Pelosi on Friday afternoon, and MoveOn.org, indicated their support on Thursday night shortly after Pelosi promised to put members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus — which will make up two-fifths of the Democratic caucus — in leadership positions and prioritize progressive legislation. 

Alexandria Ocasio Cortez

Incoming progressive members of the House — many of whom sharply criticized Pelosi on the campaign trail and ran against the Democratic establishment — have also moved away from outright opposition to Pelosi. 

On her first day of congressional orientation in Washington, New York Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democratic Socialist, joined hundreds of young protesters outside Pelosi's office to push for a "Green New Deal." While the tactic was an aggressive and unconventional one for a member of Congress, Pelosi praised the activists as "inspiring" — and Ocasio-Cortez commended her in return for agreeing to call for a select committee to address climate change, one of the group's requests. 

Ocasio-Cortez, who ran her insurgent campaign as a referendum on the Democratic establishment, said last week that she's open to supporting Pelosi. 

Other progressive insurgents have similarly changed their tune. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, who said in August that she would "probably not" vote for Pelosi because Democratic leadership isn't listening to the grassroots of the party, said this week of Pelosi "She’s willing to listen."

For Tlaib, listening appears to be enough: "that's what I ask for right now at this point."

SEE ALSO: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is using Instagram stories to bring you behind the curtain of the Washington, DC establishment

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The Obamas are worth $40 million — here's how they make and spend their money

Meet this year's 32 genius American Rhodes scholars — including a record-setting 21 women

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  • Thirty-two American students have been offered the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University in the fall of 2019.
  • This year's group includes 21 women, which is the most ever in a single Rhodes class; almost half of the 32 winners are immigrants or first-generation Americans.
  • Find out more about these students below.

Thirty-two ambitious American students have been offered the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship and will be heading to study at Oxford University in the fall of 2019.

The scholarship – famously won by Bill Clinton, Cory Booker, and Rachel Maddow — pays for two to three years of post-graduate study at Oxford University in England.

This year's winners were selected from a pool of 880 applicants, whom their colleges and universities nominated for their academic excellence, ambition, and promise of leadership.

"We seek outstanding young men and women of intellect, character, leadership, and commitment to service," Elliot F. Gerson, American secretary of the Rhodes Trust, said in a statement on Saturday.

This year's group includes 21 women, which is the most ever in a single Rhodes class; almost half of the 32 winners are immigrants or first-generation Americans. Duke, Princeton, and Yale universities each had three Rhodes scholars.

Find out more about the winners below.

Eren Orbey, computer science and English language/literature senior at Yale University

Orbey has won many Yale literature prizes for writing in both English and French and is a regular contributor to the New Yorker.

He is currently writing a book that draws on his tragic experience as a young boy witnessing his father's murder in Ankara, Turkey.

Orbey plans to do a master's degree in global and imperial history and in world literatures in English.



Sarah Tress, mechanical engineering senior at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Tress has been focused on developing solutions to improve lives across the developing world. She created Loop, and inflatable wheelchair seat cushion, that aims to prevent wheelchair users from developing sores.

At Oxford, Sarah will pursue the master of philosophy in development studies.



Nicolette C. D’Angelo, classics senior at Princeton University

D’Angelo is the editor-in-chief of The Nassau Literary Review, Princeton's undergraduate literary magazine. She also teaches Latin to 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders at Princeton Young Achievers.

At Oxford, she will do a master of studies in Classics.



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10 best-selling online classes from Udemy on sale for $10 each as an early Black Friday sale

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Udemy 9

This Black Friday, one thing that will be heavily discounted isn't a physical product. Instead, you can give or get educational courses and start on your New Year's learning resolutions early.

Now through November 25, online learning platform Udemy will be slashing prices on all its courses. And if you buy one on Black Friday (November 22 - November 23), you'll also get one free on Cyber Monday (November 26 - November 27). 

You can get over 55,000 courses on the site for only $10. You'll get full lifetime access to the course, so you can always go back and reference specific lessons if you need to. This deal ends November 25 at 11:59 p.m. PST.

If you buy a course on Black Friday between 12:00 a.m. on November 22 and 11:59 November 23, you’ll receive a credit of $9.99. For your free course, just make sure to redeem the credit before 11:59 p.m. PST on Tuesday, November 27, otherwise you'll lose it.

Click here to check out all the courses on the site or use the links below to go directly to a category and browse classes there:

Not sure what you want to learn? Keep scrolling to get inspired and see some of the top courses, which range from development to music theory, on Udemy.

SEE ALSO: 

The Web Developer Bootcamp

The Web Developer Bootcamp, $10 (originally $200) [You save $190]

This popular class is packed with 42.5 hours of HTML, CSS, and Javascript lessons. You'll learn how to make real web applications, a blog application, and browser-based game.



Cryptocurrency Trading Course 2017: Make Profits Daily!

Cryptocurrency Trading Course 2017: Make Profits Daily!, $10 (originally $200) [You save $190]

Learn when to buy and sell cryptocurrency so you can maximize profits and minimize losses.



Learn to Code by Making Games - Complete C# Unity Developer

Learn to Code by Making Games - Complete C# Unity Developer, $10 (originally $195) [You save $185]

Learn C+, a powerful programming language, through game creation. Students rave about the quality of the course and instructors.



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I drank at the best bar in the world, and I was surprised by one thing

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A bar on London's South Bank has been named the best in the world.

The World's 50 Best Bars list, now in its 10th year, is based on the opinions of more than 500 drinks experts, who each cast seven votes.

For 2018, the experts named Dandelyan, the bar of the Mondrian Hotel in London, the best in the world.

The bar was created by the award-winning bartender Ryan Chetiyawardana, or "Mr. Lyan," the creator of the "Lyan" family of bars that includes Super Lyan, Cub, and White Lyan, which is now closed.

Dandelyan, his oldest bar, is "inspired by the great botanists, fruit hunters, and bon vivants who brought back new tastes from foreign lands."

Located in Sea Containers House right on the River Thames, Dandelyan offers some pretty stunning views — and its interior is just as impressive.

However, there was one main thing that surprised me about the best bar in the world when I went to visit.

Here's what it was like.

SEE ALSO: The 50 best bars in the world in 2018

Dandelyan, located in the Mondrian Hotel on London's South Bank, was named the best bar in the world for 2018. Situated right on the River Thames, it boasts some pretty stunning views of sites like St. Paul's. Here's what it looks like when it's empty (and shot with a professional camera)...



...And here's what it looked like when I visited on a Friday night. I was taken aback by the bar's location, which sits right on the river path, meaning plenty of tourists and pedestrians walk by and look right in at you (or even come inside).



The stylish interiors are Art-Deco in vibe, with homage to the Sea Containers building the bar and hotel sits in — the space, from British designer Tom Dixon, is partly inspired with references to "the luxurious cruise liners of generations past," and is filled with luxe purples, pinks, greens, and golds.

 

 



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Hollywood actor David Arquette was hospitalised after having his face sliced open with a pizza cutter during a fake wrestling match

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David Arquette death match

  • David Arquette was hospitalised after a staged but bloody wrestling match on Friday.
  • The wrestling match was contested under "hardcore" rules, where combatants can use weapons.
  • Arquette wrestled convicted bank robber Nick Gage, and they smashed light tubes over each other's heads.
  • But Arquette was cut open and reportedly had to go to hospital.
  • He said he is done with wrestling these "death matches," but would consider a rematch in the UFC.

David Arquette took part in a staged but bloody hardcore wrestling match on Friday night in Los Angeles.

The former Hollywood actor, renowned for his role as Deputy Dewey Riley in the smash hit movie series "Scream," began professional wrestling in 2000 and became a champion of World Championship Wrestling (WCW).

Arquette, who was used as comic relief in the WCW storylines, said in 2018 that he wanted to compete on the independent wresting circuit in a bid to silence the most merciless of his internet trolls.

At the weekend, he contested a wildly controversial bout as he collided with convicted bank robber Nick Gage in a "death match" — a staged, professional wrestling bout where referees are only in the ring to count a pin, as combatants can utilise bizarre weapons in a bid to outwit their opponent.

True to hardcore form, Arquette and Gage smashed light tubes over each other's heads, wrestled in shards of glass, and gave a small group of wrestling fans a night to remember as details of the show trended on Twitter.

Don't believe us? Arquette's diamond cutter below sent Gage through a load of light bulbs.

Here's another Arquette move:

But Arquette did not have everything his own way.

In fact, Arquette's face was sliced open when Gage seemingly attacked him with a pizza cutter

Here's the kind of night Arquette ended up having:

The ring was a complete mess by the end of the fight…

…and so was Arquette's face.

Cagesideseats.com journalist Marc Raimondi said that Arquette "no-sold" the finish. This means that instead of rolling around in theatrical pain to help "sell" his loss, he instead left the ring clutching his neck and "bleeding from it courtesy of multiple light tubes shattering his head."

Raimondi reported that Arquette was "covered in glass." The Sun added that Arquette was "rushed to hospital" in a death match "gone wrong."

Posting on Twitter the next day, Arquette said: "Turns out death matches aren't my thing."

However, he has not been put off combat and even told TMZ that he would be interested in competing against Gage again, providing they fought a rematch in the UFC.

"Definitely the last death match," Arquette said.

He was then asked if there would definitely be no rematch. "No," he said. "Not unless it's in the UFC."

It is unclear if Arquette, who has no mixed martial arts experience and is 47 years old, was joking. But one thing is for sure — he can take a lot of punishment.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Inside an intense training session where aspiring WWE wrestlers learn how to fight


Photos show what a nightmare it already is to get around Long Island City, Amazon's new HQ2 headquarters (AMZN)

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  • Amazon is building a new headquarters in Long Island City, Queens, with plans to add up to 40,000 workers to the neighborhood.
  • While not Manhattan, Queens is crowded and transit-starved. Amazon could make that worse. 
  • We ventured to the very edge of the borough's main arterial subway line — the 7 train — to see what a usual commute was like.

Amazon is coming to New York City’s second most populated borough.

And while it’s not quite as dense as Manhattan's famous grid, Queens has come a long way from its farming roots (it was the last of the five boroughs to consolidate and join New York City,) and it’s one of the fastest-growing areas of the City.

But trains here are already packed to the brim with commuters, who are increasingly moving farther out east as rent skyrockets. 

I took a ride on the borough's main artery — the 7 train — to see just how crowded things already are, and how Amazon’s infusion of at least 25,000 (and up to 40,000) workers might affect transit around its new neighborhood.

SEE ALSO: Amazon finally explains why it's cutting its second headquarters in half

Before we hop on the 7 train , it’s important to understand its history. The IRT Flushing Line — its official name — opened in 1915, when most of the area was still farm land.



It was the first service into Long Island from Grand Central Terminal, which had been completed about 50 years earlier, and rebuilt just two years before the 7 train was open for service.



At this point, the line was known as the Queensboro Line, after both its destination and the Queensboro Plaza station just on the other side of the river, which happens to be very near Amazon’s chosen location.

It’s also home to one of the most famous photograph spots for the subway and NYC skyline together. 



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A photographer spent 18 years exploring Mexico and returned with stark photos documenting how different the country is from what Americans think

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  • New York City-based photographer Harvey Stein spent 18 years visiting and photographing small villages, and festivals in central Mexico. In total, Stein visited the country 14 times between 1993 and 2010.
  • Stein was fascinated by the country’s traditional culture and unique relationship with death, myth, rituals, and religion. He returned again and again to document the strange, beautiful, and touching aspects of Mexican life.
  • Stein has collected his years of work exploring and documenting central Mexico into “Mexico: Between Life and Death” published by Kehrer Verlag in September. The book can be ordered here.

New York-based photographer Harvey Stein first became fascinated with Mexico as a teenager. It was the country’s relationship with death, myth, rituals, and religion that drew him in.

As a child, Stein was both afraid of and intrigued by the concept of death. When he began reading about Mexico, he discovered that Mexicans have a far closer relationship with death than Americans, most clearly seen in the culture’s reverence for family and elders and the celebration of The Day of the Dead festival.

It seemed more exciting and romantic in a way than my bland upbringing in Pittsburgh,” Stein told Business Insider.

Stein visited the country for the first time in 1993. He was immediately taken with Mexico — the traditional culture, the colorful festivals, and the warm people he met, who he said were “much more open, generous, and emotional” than those he knew in America.

Related:A photographer spent years exploring India's apocalyptic 'capital of coal' and returned with unreal photos

In the 18 years following Stein’s first foray south, he visited Mexico 14 times. But rather than traverse the entirety of the country or document Mexico’s rapidly changing urban hubs like Mexico City, he returned again and again to the small villages and vibrant festivals that form the core of traditional Mexican culture.

“I knew pretty early on what intrigued me about Mexico,” said Stein. “The symbols of death, the light and the shadows. I found find skeletons, skulls, and cemeteries to photograph. It was more bizarre and strange to me as an outsider …”

Stein has collected his 18 years of work exploring and documenting Mexico and Mexican culture into “Mexico: Between Life and Death” published by Kehrer Verlag in September. The book can be ordered here.

SEE ALSO: A photographer spent 17 years exploring the barren expanse of Mongolia and returned with unreal photos

DON'T MISS: A photographer road tripped on America's highways and returned with stark photos documenting the difficult realities of life in the US

Despite being interested in Mexico from a young age, Stein did not visit until later in life. After starting a career in engineering and business, Stein quit his job at 28 and resolved to become a photographer. His first destination was Mexico.



Stein first visited in 1993. Two of his friends were living in San Miguel de Allende, a small picturesque city a few hours outside of Mexico City that was a commercial center during the Spanish colonial period.



In the beginning, San Miguel de Allende served as frequent backdrop for Stein’s exploration of the country. Since the 1940s and 1950s, the city has become home to a 20,000-person community of foreign artists, writers, and retirees, many of whom are American.



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The top 14 boutique hotels in the world, from a romantic retreat in South Africa to a private villa in Thailand

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A hotel has the possibility to make or break your vacation — but, if it's one of the best boutique hotels in the world, chances are you'll be in very, very good hands.

In 2018's Boutique Hotel Awards, fourteen hotels around the world took home top honors in a range of categories.

The hotels were judged on "all aspects of the guest experience covering six categories: dining and entertainment, design, facilities, location and, most importantly, staff service and overall emotional impact," according to the news release.

A hotel in Bali was named the best overall boutique hotel, while hotels in Portugal, South Africa, Greece, New Zealand, and other countries also won top spots. Categories include World's Best Beach or Coastal Hotel, Best Honeymoon Hideaway, Most Stunning Views, and more.

Here are the top boutique hotels in the world, from a beachside retreat in the Maldives to a wellness resort in Austria.

SEE ALSO: Disappointing photos show what 9 top luxury destinations look like in real life

DON'T MISS: Inside the world's largest underwater restaurant, which has a 36-foot window that looks right out into the seabed so guests can watch marine life swim by as they eat

World's Best Beach or Coastal Hotel: Reethi Faru Resort

Location: Filaidhoo, Maldives
Rates starting at: $171



World's Best City Explorer: Corpo Santo Lisbon Historical Hotel

Location: Lisbon, Portugal
Rates starting at: $133



World's Best Classic Elegance Hotel: Relais & Chateaux Hotel Heritage

Location: Bruges, Belgium
Rates starting at: $222



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65 thoughtful and unique gifts for him — for every budget

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The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

gifts for him, allbirds wool runners

It's the most wonderful time of the year for anyone who enjoys exchanging gifts with their friends and family. And as someone who gets a special satisfaction from picking out the perfect gifts for everyone in her life, whether they're her coworkers, her in-laws, her dad, or her boyfriend, I'm very lucky it's essentially my job to help other people do just that.

If you need some inspiration for what to get for him this holiday season (whether he's your brother, father, husband, son, or otherwise), the Insider Picks team has you covered with some truly excellent gift ideas. Though you can never go wrong with a new leather wallet or festive, holiday-themed socks, we've also included some more unique gifts, like a custom Xbox controller and a cookbook by Snoop Dogg (yes, really!) in our list.

Check out all 65 gifts for him, and happy shopping! 

Looking for more gift ideas? Check out all of Insider Picks' holiday gift guides for 2018 here.

SEE ALSO: 20 cool gift ideas from 'Shark Tank' that you can find on Amazon

DON'T MISS: 25 creative and unexpected gifts for 'Star Wars' fans of all ages

A classic leather wallet

Bellroy Slim Sleeve Wallet, available at Bellroy and Amazon, $79 (7 colors)

A wallet doesn't have to be a boring gift when it's from Bellroy. The gorgeous Slim Sleeve fits everything he needs in a slim, efficient profile. We love it so much we named it the best men's wallet in our buying guide.



A flask that'll keep his coffee hot

Hydro Flask 20 oz. Coffee Flask, available at Hydro Flask and REI, $28 (11 colors)

This insulated coffee flask keeps hot drinks hot (and we mean hot) for up to 12 hours, and cold drinks cold for up to 24 hours. 



A stylish and comfortable pair of wool runners

Allbirds Wool Runners, available at Allbirds and Nordstrom, $95 (4 classic colors, 10 limited-edition colors)

Popular shoe startup Allbirds came out with a new high-top sneaker this month, dubbed the Tree Toppers, but for the uninitiated (and honestly really anyone), the classic Wool Runners make an excellent gift. 



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The best travel strollers you can buy

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best travel stroller

  • If you're traveling with a baby or a toddler, you're more than a little crazy if you travel without a stroller.

  • But leave behind the clunky old behemoth you use in every day life and make the trip as smooth as can be with a great travel stroller.

  • The Colugo Compact Stroller is our top pick because it folds down with one hand in about two seconds, so you never miss a moment while you and the family are on the go.

When you're away from home with your little one, a stroller is more than just a child conveyance system — It's like a mobile command post. A stroller is a tactical nap station, a baby wipe, diaper, snack, and spare clothes supply depot, a foul weather baby bivouac, and, of course, a child conveyance system. Any decent everyday stroller will meet all those metrics what with an adjustable seat, a storage basket, a reliable canopy and often an additional rain cover, and smoothly rolling, easy-to-control wheels down there at the bottom.

Finding a travel stroller that checks all those boxes while still being compact enough to bring along on planes, trains, and automobiles (and subway cars and uh... ocean liners?) is a trickier proposition. Far too many compact, collapsible strollers sacrifice quality and convenience in the name of reduced weight and size. But when you're miles from home, you don't need a stroller that's less effective and reliable than your larger everyday unit. In fact, if anything you need to trust your travel stroller even more than its workaday counterpart, because all the rest of your baby hardware might be across the city, state, or even back across an ocean.

After experiencing a stroller all but fail on my family while we were in Europe on a vacation, I can tell you personally how important it is to have a great travel stroller. Thus I've put together this list of five options, each of which boasts its own specific merits and any of which will likely serve your on-the-go gang just fine.

When choosing the best travel stroller for your baby or toddler, consider the child's size and age, the amount of weight you feel comfortable carrying when the stroller is folded, and the places you'll visit and the ways you'll get there. While all of the strollers on this list fold up easily, roll along smoothly, and enjoy excellent safety ratings, not all are suitable for the same uses and the same ages. But hey, that's why we feature options, right?

Here are the best travel strollers you can buy:

Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.

The best travel stroller overall

Why you'll love it: The Colugo Compact Stroller folds down with one hand in about two seconds, and it tucks away into a backpack.

Colugo is a newcomer to the baby gear marketplace, but mark my words: Some day, it'll be considered a legacy brand. I say that for three reasons. First, the Colugo Compact Stroller is genuinely one of the most compact folding strollers I've ever used. How compact is it? It folds down small enough to fit into a backpack that comes included with the stroller. Yet when deployed, it's even larger than the average umbrella stroller, approximating the feel and function of a full-sized option.

Second, given its amazingly small size when folded and its ease of control and solid when in use, the Colugo Compact is a great price at just $285. It costs less than half as much as many comparable strollers I've tested out over the years with no appreciable drawbacks or missing features. There's a basket for storage, the seat reclines, the wheels lock reliably, and so on.

And third, the company's commitment to customer service makes the overall Colugo shopping experience a pleasure. Colugo calls itself the "Warby Parker of strollers." The founder and CEO Ted Lobst wanted to make the stroller shopping experience "less overwhelming for parents." Thus Colugo offers an almost unheard of 100-day trial. You can use your Colugo Compact for more than three months and, if you don't like it, you can send it back for a full refund.

Owning one myself, however, I can tell you the chances you sending it back are pretty low. The chances of you popping your Colugo Compact in its backpack, strapping your kid in a car seat, and heading out for an adventure? Pretty high.

And if you want to take it from a few other parents, consider a review left by a mom named Elizabeth who called her family's Colugo "super sturdy and... very easy to use" or a dad named Daniel who said it's "the best compact stroller" he has ever used, loving how it's "compact when folded" and so easy to collapse.

Pros: Folds with one hand, fits into a backpack, excellent customer service

Cons: Not suitable for newborns

Buy the Colugo Compact Stroller for $285



The best multi-age travel stroller

Why you'll love it: The Joolz Hub Stroller folds down small enough for travel, yet it's capable enough to serve as the only stroller your kid ever needs.

Let's lead with the only two issues to be found with the Joolz Hub, and I say this as a satisfied owner of this exact stroller. One, it's pretty heavy at about 25 pounds. And two, it's pretty pricey at nearly $700.

That said, it folds down smaller than many strollers and you will certainly get your money's worth. That latter point is true as you can use the Joolz Hub from the very first days of your baby's life through the time when he or she weighs 45 pounds.

The Joolz Hub can be outfitted with a bassinet for newborns, a seat insert adding extra support for babies, and then as a standard stroller with a reclining backrest and adjustable footrest for kids well into their toddler years. It can accommodate multiple brands of car seat, too, when outfitted with connection hardware.

Say, that sounds like many standard-sized strollers out there, doesn't it? Well, when in use, the Hub is the same size as full-sized options. But when folded up, it is small enough to fit in any car's trunk, into an overhead bin on a plane or luggage rack on a train, or to sling over your shoulder using the included carrying strap.

While the Joolz Hub is indeed much heavier than most travel strollers, the fact that it packs down small enough for travel and that it offers the full range of capability of larger strollers you would never travel mitigates the weight to some extent. As noted, the years of potential service make that price easier to digest, too.

A writer from BabyVillage called the Joolz Hub ideal for people who "use a combination of public transport and [their] own car" as it fits in luggage racks or trunks so well, and went on to note the stroller's deft maneuverability.

Pros: Works from newborn through toddler, good storage basket, smooth and stable even on varied terrain

Cons: Heavy, expensive

Buy the Joolz Hub Stroller at Buy Buy Baby for $679



The best ultra lightweight travel stroller

Why you'll love it: Weighing in at just 14 pounds, the Maxi-Cosi Lara Stroller won't weigh you down as you log the miles during a vacation, holiday travel, or just an epic journey across town.

In case you're not 100% up to speed on stroller weight ratios, let's just get one thing clear: A stroller that weighs 14 pounds yet can safely support kids weighing up to 50 pounds is crazy impressive. The Maxi-Cosi Lara Ultra Compact Stroller is the lightest weight stroller on our list, yet it also has the highest maximum weight limit rating among the hardware reviewed here. 

Now, the Lara isn't the most versatile stroller out there. This is much more of a traditional umbrella stroller than, say, the highly versatile Joolz Hub. It has smaller wheels that won't do well on anything but hard surfaces (though a suspension system will absorb some of the jolts and jostles that come with cracks in the sidewalk or the errant twig or pebble) and it's not suitable for use with newborns, but for the family with a child aged six months through the toddler years, it's an overall capable option that's yours for a fair price.

But again, what's the real selling point here? It's that 14-pound weight. The fact that the stroller collapses small enough to be slung over the shoulder doesn't hurt, either. The included parent cup holder and dual storage baskets? Now we're just adding icing to the cake.

A mom named Renee left a review on Bed, Bath & Beyond's website calling the Maxi-Cosi Lara a "traveling family's dream stroller" thanks to how easily it "can fold and unfold," the shoulder carry strap, and "canopy that extends far enough down" to provide full shade.

The product testers from PishPoshBaby noted how the Lara "takes just one hand" to fold down and highlighted the "two baskets for all your stuff."

Pros: Amazingly lightweight, folds down small, dual storage spots

Cons: Not great on varied terrain

Buy the Maxi-Cosi Lara Ultra Compact Stroller at Bed Bath & Beyond for $187



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