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Step Aside, New York — Orlando Is America's Food Truck Capital

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people lining up for food trucks in orlando

Now that it's almost summer, food trucks are about to start rolling onto streets across America.

“Food trucks are popular due to their convenience, adaptability, and low barrier of entry,” Ross Resnick, founder of Roaming Hunger, a website that keeps tabs on all things street food, told Business Insider. “Although food trucks do not have the décor that a traditional restaurant might have, food trucks make up for it by offering interesting ways to deliver food to people in concentrated areas.”

According to Roaming Hunger’s database, there has been a 197% increase in number of food trucks nationally from 2011 to 2013. In major markets like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York, food trucks seem to be everywhere. But turns out, some unexpected cities are leading the boom in the mobile restaurant industry.

We asked Resnick and his team to provide us with numbers for each of the 32 U.S. cities he covers for Roaming Hunger, not including street food carts or hot dog stands. And though certain cities like Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and Austin lead the pack when it came to the sheer number of food trucks (269, 172, and 156 food trucks, respectively), when we factored in populations, Orlando turned out to have the most food trucks per resident.

FOOD TRUCKS business insider rankingOrlando was followed by Miami, Washington D.C., Minneapolis, and Austin to round out the top five.

New York — the city that Business Insider anticipated to be the mecca for food trucks — not only came in 6th for number of food trucks (110, compared to Los Angeles’s 269), but was also the lowest-ranking city on the entire list once its enormous population was factored in. For every 100,000 people, New York only had 1.3 food trucks.

SEE ALSO: 34 Things Every New Yorker Should Do This Spring

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Here's How Much You'll Spend On Dinner At America's Best Restaurants

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Business Insider recently released an exclusive list of the 45 Best Restaurants In America

Of the top 15 restaurants, eight are located in New York City and three are located California, but there are also top restaurants in Chicago, Florida, and Maine.

And dining at these restaurants doesn't come cheap: an average meal at Le Bernardin, the #1 restaurant in America, costs $169 per person, according to Zagat — and that's a bargain compared to some of the other restaurants on this list, like Coi ($228), The French Laundry ($297), and Per Se ($325).

The map below shows the locations of the 15 Best Restaurants In America, as well as how much it costs to eat in them:

Best Restaurants in America_05

SEE ALSO: The 45 Best Restaurants In America

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The Underrated Suit Accessory That No One Gets Right

Check Out Jim Chanos' Sweet Chinese Yuan Cuff Links

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Just because Jim Chanos is short China, doesn't mean he doesn't appreciate the country.

In fact, he has a sick pair of Chinese yuan cuff links. He wore them as he sat on a panel at SALT Las Vegas 2014, the biggest hedge fund conference of the year.

The cuff links are made by London shop Benson and Clegg. They'll turn any coin into some cuff links, you just have to bring them a coin that's been newly minted. Chanos also rocks a pair of New York state quarter cuff links he had made.

The yuan's below:

jim chanos yuan cuff links

 

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The Interior Design Of Airbus' New Corporate Jet Is Truly Ingenious

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Airbus_ACJ319_Elegance_Lounge_3_01

Airbus's new ACJ319 Elegance corporate jet has a truly ingenious interior.

The new jet's cavernous, 79-foot-long cabin will be bookended by the obligatory galley and bathrooms at the front, and a luxurious private bedroom at the rear.

But Airbus did something smart with the middle of the plane: it divided the interior into three separate zones that can be customized with various off-the-shelf modules.Airbus_ACJ319_Elegance_LoungeCustomers can choose from pre-designed modules for dining, conducting business, socializing, and even for watching movies.

Airbus's modular concept is a fundamental departure from traditional corporate jet design, which emphasizes individuality and customization. The company's off-the-shelf modules will not only simplify the sometimes daunting interior design process for would-be buyers, but also allow existing owners to upgrade and modify their jets' interiors with ease.ACJ319 SharkletsThe plug-and-play interior may signal a shift in the way future buyers appoint their jets' interiors. Since all the modules are designed and built in-house at the Airbus Corporate Jet Center in Toulouse, France, the Elegance interior could become a new revenue driver for the aerospace giant. 

Aesthetically, the new interior is truly elegant; the design is plush without being gaudy, and luxurious without sacrificing practicality. Airbus_ACJ319_Elegance_Conference___DiningBased on the A319 airliner, the ACJ319 is powered by pair of CFM56 turbofan engines that give the eight-passenger jet a range of 6900 miles and a top speed of roughly 600 mph. According to the Robb Report, ACJ319 Elegance with its pre-designed modules will have a price tag of around $80 million; a full $7 million less than one with a fully customized interior. Airbus_A319_Elegance_office

SEE ALSO: 10 First-Class Airplane Seats That Are Nicer Than Your Apartment

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This Innovative Lock Aims To Create The 'Airbnb Of Bikes'

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Skylock

San Francisco startup Velo Labs is launching a funding campaign for what may be the most advanced bicycle lock in the history of bicycle locks, according to NPR.

The company claims its Skylock will start "the age of connected cycling." The lock comes with a corresponding app that allows cyclists to share their pass code with other riders, allowing them use their bike while its stationary.

Eventually, the access wouldn't just be limited to friends and family. Velo Labs said the bike share could be managed in a whole community.

"We definitely see the idea of being able to open this to anybody, allowing anybody to 'Airbnb' their bikes," Jack Al-Kahwati, cofounder of Velo Labs, told NPR. "If you wanted to start your own informal bike-share, it's completely possible right out of the gate."

And you don't have to memorize a combination to unlock your bike  you just have to press a button on your phone.

However, if you can't be bothered with that, the app can go keyless through Bluetooth, where the lock opens when you walk up to it.SkylockAnd that's just one hi-tech feature. The lock has sensors that can tell if someone is holding onto your bike too long, potentially trying to steal it. If that's the case, the app will send you a text alert.

Additionally, if it senses a crash-like movement when you're riding, the app sends a message asking if you if you're OK. If there's no response, it will reach out to either rescue agencies or emergency contacts.Skylock accessAnd if all that still doesn't impress you, the lock is powered by built-in solar panels, making it "virtually chargeless," said Al-Kahwati.

Skylock is looking to ship by early 2015 for $159. After the "introductory period," the makers say the price will rise to $250.

SEE ALSO: The World's Largest Helicopter Can Lift An Airliner With Remarkable Ease

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This Street Art Animation Is Completely Mesmerizing

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INSA artIf you were to pass British artist INSA's street art in your local neighborhood, you wouldn't think there was anything especially remarkable about it. 

However, the internet sees things differently.  

In an "online meets offline" creative endeavor, the artist turns his street paintings into online GIFs.

To accomplish this, INSA  usually under commission by different brands  paints several layers onto outdoor canvases around the world, records each image, and then transforms them into animated, moving GIFs.

"Mixing retro internet technology and labor intensive painting, INSA creates slices of infinite un-reality, cutting edge art for the tumblr generation," the artist says on his blog. 

Check out some of his mind-boggling creations below:

INSA art

INSA art

INSA art

INSA art

INSA

INSA art

INSA art

SEE ALSO: A Woman Quit Her Job To Travel For 2 Years And Took These Incredible Photos In Africa

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These Are The Coolest Small-Business People In America

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OR Taylors

Billy Taylor and Brook Harvey-Taylor, a husband-and-wife team from Portland, Oregon, are this year's winners of National Small Business Persons of the Year. 

Pacifica, their all-natural scents and cosmetics company, has become a massive success after pivoting their business. 

This honor was announced today by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) as part of the National Small Business Week awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. Every year, the SBA selects a finalist from every state and U.S. territory, and from that group chooses a national winner.

The Taylors founded Pacifica in 1997 as a vegan candle and perfume company, and by 2008 they were bringing in $12 million in revenue. But then the economy crashed and distribution channels changed. They decided to expand the company beyond scents and move into beauty. 

But in order to make the change, Pacifica had to do something it had never done in its young history: Take on credit. They turned to Umpqua Bank in Oregon, which, with the backing of the SBA, was able to provide the crucial capital.

The beauty products launched last year and can be found at Target, Ulta, and natural-product specialty stores.

Pacifica has continued to grow. Revenue has increased 25% every year for the last three years, and it now has 110 employees.

Beauty "is an extremely challenging category with far more failure than success," Billy Taylor tells Business Insider, noting how few companies have been able to launch natural beauty products for the mass market.  

So, as entrepreneurs do, the Taylors decided to make the investment, put the product into the marketplace, and see what happened.

"It's selling very well," Billy says. "Most beauty brands are backed by massive amounts of marketing, so for a beauty brand to sell on just product recognition in retail is very significant." 

Also significant is the way Billy and Brook have been able to integrate their personal and professional lives. Billy says that he'd always imagined that he'd run a family business, and when he and Brook got hitched, they started dreaming up business ideas until they found one that stuck: Pacifica. 

"We are a unique couple in that our lives can be completely intertwined, and we can deal with that," Billy says. "We complement each others' strengths and weaknesses. We just fit together." 

SEE ALSO: Meet The 53 Best Small-Business People Of The Year

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How To Be Happy – A Practical Guide To Happiness For The Regular Guy

Here's Everything You Need To Throw The Ultimate Bagel Brunch

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bagel

We have a tradition here at BA: The morning after a staff party, when we're all feeling a little worse for wear, the test kitchen lays out a spread of bagels, cream cheese, and all the fixings.

It gets us back on our game and gives us a chance to recount the previous night’s karaoke highlights, all without any actual cooking.

We asked the folks at San Francisco's modern Jewish deli Wise Sons for a few ideas, like an easy, kicky horseradish schmear, to help impress.

Turns out it's time for some new traditions.

The Ultimate Bagel Buffet

You can pull this off without a single homemade ingredient. Here's what we like to buy for a party of eight. Set up your toaster near the sliced bagels: To toast or not to toast is a very personal decision.

Bagels: Obviously. Get a dozen; be sure to offer a variety (but go big on Everything, the superior bagel). Buy them the morning of.

Cream Cheese: Buy 8 oz. plain cream cheese to serve alongside the doctored cream cheese here. Let it soften at room temperature and transfer to a plate or bowl—never serve it straight from the package.

Smoked Salmon: Get 1 lb. smoked or cured salmon from a Jewish deli or specialty grocer.

Other Smoked Fish: Round out the spread with an additional 1 lb. smoked fish. Try a mix of the classics—smoked whitefish or sable—and some less traditional picks like smoked trout or smoked mackerel.

Cucumber and Radish: Thin slices of cucumbers and radishes (you’ll need a hothouse cucumber and a handful of radishes) add refreshing crunch.

Capers: For salty, briny punch; we love Delicias brand, a BA Seal of Approval winner.

Onion: Thinly slice 1 small red onion.

Dill: Any fresh tender herb will do, but dill is especially good with salmon.

Tomato: Slice a couple beefsteak tomatoes—but only when they’re in season!

Lemon: Cut a lemon into small wedges for squeezing over a dressed bagel.

Salmon Roe: It is a party, after all. About 4 oz. should do it; nestle the tin into a bowl of crushed ice to keep it cool.

 

If you'd rather go the homemade route, here's your complete menu.

Horseradish Dill Schmear

bagel brunch troutThrow this spread together a day in advance—the flavors will meld and intensify as it sits.

INGREDIENTS 

8 oz. whipped cream cheese (about 1 cup)
½ cup finely chopped fresh dill
¼ cup prepared horseradish Kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

Mix cream cheese, dill, and horseradish in a small bowl; season with salt.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Salad with Mint and Hazelnuts

bagel brunch strawberry saladStrawberries and rhubarb are a power duo in pie; here raw rhubarb plays a tart counter to sweet strawberries.

INGREDIENTS

½ cup blanched hazelnuts
2 rhubarb stalks, thinly sliced on the diagonal
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon Cointreau or fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 pounds strawberries, hulled, quartered
¼ cup torn fresh mint leaves


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°. Toast hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Let cool, then chop.

Meanwhile, toss rhubarb, sugar, Cointreau, and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Let sit until rhubarb is slightly softened and releases its juices, about 30 minutes. Toss with strawberries, mint, and hazelnuts.

24th Street Spritz

bagel brunch spritzAn herbaceous, refreshing—and alcoholic—take on Dr. Brown’s Cel-Ray soda.

INGREDIENTS
4 celery stalks, chopped
1 cup sugar
¼ cup celery seeds

1½ cups gin
⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
Seltzer or club soda
8 celery heart stalks (from 2 bunches)
8 lemon wedges

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
Cheesecloth (optional)

DIRECTIONS

CELERY SYRUP
Bring celery, sugar, celery seeds, and 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer until celery is soft and liquid is reduced by half, 30–35 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pressing on solids. Strain celery syrup again, if desired, through cheesecloth-lined sieve (to make liquid clearer). Syrup can be made 2 weeks ahead. Cover and chill.

COCKTAIL
Stir gin, lemon juice, and 1 cup celery syrup in a large pitcher. Divide among glasses filled with ice and top off with seltzer. Garnish with celery stalks and lemon wedges.

 

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Meet The Creators Of SRSLY, A Hilarious Web Show About Life In NYC

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Alexandra Fiber and Danielle Gibson are the masterminds behind SRSLY– a comedic web series loosely based on their semi-glamorous lives in New York City.

It's like HBO's "Girls," but in easily digestible two-minute episodes. (SRSLY launched about five months before "Girls" premiered.)

Rather than wait around for open auditions and casting calls, Fiber and Gibson took charge of their careers by getting together with their NYU classmates to create what would become SRSLY.

Produced by William Wei. Originally published in April 2013.

NOW WATCH:  11 Icons Of American Pop Culture Who Are Actually Canadian

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This Hidden iPhone Feature Will Literally Turn Heads

How A New York City Pizza Place Is Using Tech To Improve The Dining Experience [PHOTOS]

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pizza vinoteca

Pizza Vinoteca isn't your typical pizza place. The restaurant, which opened in March just off of New York City's Union Square, is taking a high-tech approach to creating quality pizza, with features like an army of iPads and a system that can calculate your wait time.

"There are three aspects to our restaurant, as you can see by our name: pizza, wine, and technology," Pizza Vinoteca CEO Ari Malcolm said to Business Insider during a recent trip to the restaurant. "We really try to take the technology and not only make it more useful for operations, but also have it be as user-friendly for guests as possible." 

The food is delicious, too, with interesting combinations like a shrimp pizza topped with green zucchini and yellow squash, and a meatball pizza served with kale pesto. The infrared grill gives the pizza a crunch that's a distinctly modern take on the traditional Italian dish.

When you enter the restaurant, you'll see a bank of touchscreens.



The restaurant has a custom app to streamline the process of ordering food for takeout.



As you scroll down, you'll see descriptions and prices for each of the menu items. There are four categories of pizza, a selection of salads and paninis, plus bombolini and gelato floats for dessert.



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People Can't Figure Out This Odd New England Saying About Kittens

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There's no better place than Times Square to find out what people think of an obscure expression used solely in Vermont and Maine.  Check out the entertaining responses we gathered, some of which were surprisingly accurate.

Camera by Alana Kakoyiannis. Sound by Justin Gmoser. Text by Melia Robinson. Originally published in December 2013.

NOW WATCH: 11 Icons Of American Pop Culture Who Are Actually Canadian

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The 10 Happiest Cities For Recent College Grads

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College Students Graduates Graduation

'Tis the season for caps and gowns.

An estimated 1.6 million students will graduate with a bachelor's degree this year — and hundreds of thousands of them will flee to new cities to begin their professional journeys.

But, new research by CareerBliss shows that those grads will be far happier in some cities than others.

CareerBliss analyzed more than 25,000 independent reviews from employees with jobs that require less than two years of work experience to determine which cities have the greatest number of young professionals with high levels of career-related happiness.

Those who provided reviews were asked to evaluate 10 factors that affect workplace happiness, including their relationship with their boss and coworkers; compensation; growth opportunities; company culture; daily tasks; and control over the work they do on a daily basis.

They valued each factor on a five-point scale and those numbers were combined to find an average rating of overall employee happiness for each respondent. The scores were then sorted by location. CareerBliss took into account the average cost-of-living-adjusted salary, which they found by looking at the median pay for new grads in each city and the cost of living in each area, measured by the American Council For Community and Economic Research.

"We work with experts and millions of users to understand where grads are finding rewarding and fulfilling careers. And it is no surprise that the heart of Silicon Valley — San Jose — ranks No. 1," says Heidi Golledge, CEO and cofounder of CareerBliss. "Technology jobs in this region offer unique experiences for today's young grads, as well as incredible opportunities to learn and earn."

Here are the 10 best cities for new grads, in terms of overall career happiness in conjunction with the average cost-of-living-adjusted salary: 

10 HAPPIEST CITIES FOR COLLEGE GRADS

 

SEE ALSO: The 10 Highest-Paying Jobs That Don’t Require A Bachelor's Degree

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A New York Artist Created A Giant Sphinx Made Of Sugar As A Commentary On America's Racist Past

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Artist Kara WalkerSugar is a cheap, seductive pleasure. But its sweetness belies a bitter history. For centuries it was a commodity harvested by slaves and refined into something white. Lately sugar has also become the villain of choice in the campaign to fight obesity. Leave it to Kara Walker, a provocative American artist, to turn the crystals into a work of art.

Last year Ms Walker was asked by Creative Time, a New York-based non-profit organisation that specialises in presenting art in public spaces, to create something for a cavernous disused sugar factory in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Ms Walker was a clever choice.

For more than 20 years, she has been making work that is visually compelling even as it condemns some of the darkest moments of America's slave-owning past. Her best-known pieces use Victorian-looking silhouettes to depict brutal, racist scenes from the antebellum south. Surprisingly, these works don't nag. Rather, they are repulsively titillating, as if she is seizing skeletons from the country's closet and making them dance.

Ms Walker, now 44, has had her share of big museum shows, but she has never before filled a space as large or as freighted with history as the Domino sugar factory. More challenging still, she decided to confect her work out of the sweet stuff itself, in all its sticky grit.

The full name of the installation (capital letters included) says it all, and perhaps too much: "A Subtlety, or the Marvelous Sugar Baby, an Homage to the unpaid and overworked Artisans who have refined our Sweet tastes from the cane fields to the Kitchens of the New World on the Occasion of the demolition of the Domino Sugar Refining Plant".

The work itself is more subtle, and more powerful. A procession of amber-coloured boy sculptures, five-feet high, sweet-faced and creepy, guide visitors to the main attraction. At the far end of dark factory, hunched and glowing, is a gigantic sugar-coated sphinx.

With stereotypically black features, her hair wrapped in a bandanna, she crouches suggestively--perhaps submissively, despite being more than 35-feet high. Her powdery skin contrasts with the molasses-caked walls. A saccharine smell hangs in the air.sugar statue

A monumental mammy sphinx hardly sounds nuanced.

And yet the work is both surprising and complex, evoking not only the slaves of the sugar trade, but also the women who became sex toys, as disposable as lollipops.

Like the sphinx in Egypt, this one presides over a site of ruins--after the show ends on July 6th, the factory is destined for the wrecking ball.

A shiny new waterfront development will be raised in its place.

Working with sugar was a challenge. Sculptures either melted or broke into pieces. Some of the boy figures fell apart days before the show opened. "No one works with sugar," says Nato Thompson, the curator. "Now we know why."

But for Ms Walker the real work involved transforming her ideas for the piece (which could sometimes be "finger-waggingly angry") into a work of art. Her aim was to create something that would be "sweet on the eyes", albeit a bit tough going down.

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What It's Like To Dine At The Best Restaurant In America

10 Awesome Restaurants In 'Silicon Beach'

11 Shockingly Accurate Predictions From Nostradamus

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Nostradamus Prophecies

French apothecary and purported prophet Nostradamus may have his skeptics, but you can't deny his ideas have staying power.

He wrote his first book, "Les Propheties," in 1555, and publishing companies still roll out copies today. There's even a "Nostradamus For Dummies."

In the text of his book, each four-line block, called a quatrain, attempts to predict the future.

While logic might suggest Nostradamus' claims could apply to almost any event, some of them come eerily close to reality. In these 11 cases, we couldn't ignore his speculative prowess.

The Death of Henry II

Prediction:

"The young lion will overcome the older one,
On the field of combat in a single battle;
He will pierce his eyes through a golden cage,
Two wounds made one, then he dies a cruel death."

What happened:

France's King Henry II lined up to joust Gabriel, comte de Montgomery, seigneur de Lorges, a nobleman six years his junior, in the summer of 1559.

In their final pass, Montgomery's lance tilted up and splintered into two shards. One went through the king's visor and hit his eye, and the other lodged in his temple. Henry suffered for 10 days before dying in his bed.

Some reports say their shields displayed lion emblems, though disagreement exists. Skeptics also claim "field of battle" in the quatrain probably shouldn't apply to the friendly jousting match that killed Henry II.



The Great Fire of London

Prediction:

"The blood of the just will be lacking in London,
Burnt up in the fire of '66:
The ancient Lady will topple from her high place,
Many of the same sect will be killed."

What happened:

On Sept. 2, 1666, a small fire in Thomas Farriner's bakery on Pudding Lane in London turned into a three-day blaze that consumed the city. It became known as the Great Fire of London.

Peasant deaths weren't recorded at the time, but many historians claims at least eight people died in the blaze. Thousands of houses and businesses burned, as well. 

"Blood of the just" might refer to the elimination of millions of flea-carrying rats that spread the Black Death. That deadly plague died out during the Great Fire.



The French Revolution

Prediction:

"Songs, chants, and demands will come from the enslaved
Held captive by the nobility in their prisons
At a later date, brainless idiots
Will take these as divine utterances."

What happened:

In 1789, the French people decided they'd had enough of aristocratic rule. They revolted, storming the Bastille, a Paris fortress used as a prison. The fall of the Bastille, which symbolized the monarchy's abuses, marked the height of the French Revolution.

The peasants quickly took control of Paris and enforced their demands by kidnapping the royals. Some of them were even beheaded.



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The Famous House From 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' Finally Sells For $1 Million [PHOTOS]

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ferris bueller's day off house

It's one of the most recognizable houses from the movies, but no one has been willing to buy it ... until now.

The house, where Cameron Frye lived (and totaled his dad's beloved 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder convertible) in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," has finally sold for $1.06 million after five years on the market, Crain's Chicago Business reports.

The home, in Highland Park, Ill., had initially been listed for $2.3 million, and its asking price at the time of the sale was $1.2 million, according to CBB.

While there's no word yet on the buyers of the glass-and-steel, 4-bedroom home, it's safe to say they won't forget to use their parking brake.

Most people will recognize this glass garage from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." Luckily for the new owners, the glass has been repaired.



The home is located in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, close enough to the city for a quick spin during a school day.



Designed by architect James Speyer, the house consists of two separate buildings.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider






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