As Ursula the sea witch famously said, "Don't underestimate the importance of body language."

Some tricks, like remembering to smile, are pretty easy to implement in your everyday life.

However, there are other techniques that, while relatively commonsense, are somewhat trickier to tackle.

Still, they can make a huge difference.

Here are eight body language hacks that can be tricky to master, but will definitely pay off forever once you do:

SEE ALSO: 11 signs someone is lying to you

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1. Mirror the person you're speaking to

Mirroring — or aligning your body to match the position of whoever you're speaking to — can be a tough skill to master. But doing it shows admiration and agreement, says Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer at CareerBuilder.

It can be hard to do this subtly, without looking like you're mimicking or mocking someone, but this is definitely a good trick to employ if you're really trying to make a good impression.

2. Walk with purpose and energy

Not everyone walks with confidence. Some of us shuffle through life with a slumping, awkward gait.

And it can be tough to change the way we walk. But if you take some steps to improve it, you can help to ensure that people don't make snap judgments about your confidence, attractiveness, and trustworthiness, according to Scientific American.

3. Maintain good eye contact

It's all in the eyes.

People with a shaky gaze often come across as anxious, distracted, or dishonest. And it can be tough to master the skill of maintaining eye contact, since it's a very uncomfortable and unnatural thing for some people. But it's a practice that can help you immensely in life.

Luckily, there are some simple techniques for maintaining better eye contact if you feel your stare isn't cutting it.

In "How To Talk To Anyone," author and communication expert Leil Lowndes advises that you should "pretend your eyes are glued to your conversation partner's with sticky, warm taffy."

Once you master this trick, you'll immediately see an improvement in your face-to-face communications with others.

For over a century, Coney Island has been attracting New Yorkers and tourists alike to its sandy beaches, fun carnival foods, and amusement rides.

Coney Island opened with just one roller coaster in 1895, but by 1904 had three amusement areas with many different rides: Dreamland, Luna Park, and Steeplechase Park.

When the New York subway connection to Coney Island was built in 1920, the neighborhood became a place that people of all races and social status could visit, which upset the crowd of wealthy people who were previously known to migrate to that area.

Over the years, Coney Island has undergone many changes, yet it still remains a popular place for tourists and locals. Below, see vintage photos of the popular amusement park.

Courtney Verrill contributed reporting to an earlier version of this article.

SEE ALSO: Incredible photos of New York City when it was covered in farmland

The boardwalk was built to accommodate visitors in 1926. On some days, the park was so packed that there were no places to sit — even on the sand.

Source: Luna Park

The Cyclone roller coaster has been operating for almost 90 years. It officially opened in 1927.

The amusement areas at Coney Island — Dreamland, Luna Park, and Steeplechase Park — made it the largest amusement area in the nation from the end of the 19th century through World War II.

Under Armour is trying to get out of a rut.

Sales have slowed, and shares are have lost 50% of their value in the past year. 

The latest hope for salvation is the newest entrant in the Steph Curry series of basketball shoes: the Curry 4. Though it won't go on sale until October of this year, the shoe debuted on the court during the NBA finals worn by its namesake athlete.

The shoes have generated significant buzz and favorable comparisons toward its predecessors, the Curry 3, which is generally considered uninspiring, and the Curry 2, which was relentlessly mocked on the internet.

We have a bit of a wait to see if the buzz pays off, but some analysts aren't expecting much. Sam Poser of Susquehanna International Group called the shoe good, but "not good enough" to fix Under Armour's woes. 

Under Armour is desperately looking for a foothold into the lucrative fashion-oriented sportswear market, and is hoping the new Curry shoe gives it the cache of its biggest competitors, Nike and Adidas. CEO

Kevin Plank has admitted that Under Armour needs to include "more fashion," and the consumer has been demanding more. They are hoping the Curry 4 can turn around their struggling shoe business.

Unfortunately, it may be too late for the Curry franchise. Basketball shoes are out of fashion, and even Jordans haven't been moving off the shelves.

"It's no secret in terms of sort of the fashion trends changing and the fact that over the past couple of years, we've seen skinny jeans and joggers and getting to a place where you don’t necessarily want to wear big, bulky basketball shoes," said Josh Luber, the CEO of sneaker resale platform StockX, in a conference call with Jefferies Group.

SEE ALSO: Nike and Adidas are making huge investments that should terrify Under Armour

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Everyone knows that parenting is simultaneously wonderful and stressful and changes your life forever. But unless you really press your parent friends, they might not tell you the juicy details of child-rearing.

Over on Quora, people with kids of all ages share the stuff they only learned after becoming parents. Some of it's good; some of it's ... less good. If you're expecting a kid, or thinking about having one in the not-too-distant future, read on to find out what no one else will remember to tell you — or have the guts to share.

SEE ALSO: A psychologist says 4 factors determine whether you're ready to have a kid — but most people focus on just one

'You'll develop a new sense of what you consider gross'

"You'll eventually notice baby barf on your pants and think, 'Eh, not bad enough to change to go to the store.'

"You'll go out in public and realize you have a little poop on your sleeve, shrug your shoulders, and continue your shopping.

"You'll show up in three-day old clothing to drop kids off at daycare and not even flinch."

— Janice Schwarz

'Your child could be exactly like your partner'

"After conceiving, carrying, and delivering our baby, when she finally arrived, I expected her to be ... well, like me!

"When I first laid eyes on her, my thought process went: Thank goodness we are all alive, I need sleep, and then, wow, she looks a lot like Jay.

"That first night she slept 'skin to fur' with Dad. They frequently snoozed together. Nobody told me how often I'd find her out of her crib and in his arms, nor how cute I'd find this."

— Mira Zaslove

'Nobody told me how much my emotional range would expand'

"In just the first year, I would have feelings I'd never even imagined myself capable of, good and bad ...

"Your little baby can make you feel lower than low, exhausted, upset, inept and angry, and the next minute you can feel like everything on earth was smiling on you; you hurt from laughing and your heart feels like it's literally going to explode."

— Valerie Fletcher

Barron Trump, 11, has said goodbye to Trump Tower and moved into the White House.

First Lady Melania Trump announced the transition on Twitter, writing, "Looking forward to the memories we'll make in our new home #Movingday."

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has been home to several "first kids," who are in the public eye almost as much as their parents. They dictate fashion trends, appear on their parents' behalf at embassies around the world, and sometimes host senior prom in the White House East Room.

But when the first family departs their famous address, the spotlight typically turns away from them. Here's what the first kids of the past are up to today.

Melissa Stanger contributed reporting to a previous version of this article.

SEE ALSO: Trump says this private boarding school gave him more military training than the Army could

Caroline Kennedy is seen as a possible candidate for a congressional seat in New York.

Daughter of John and Jackie Kennedy

After a lifetime of training in diplomacy, Caroline Kennedy served for three years as the US ambassador to Japan. During her tenure, former President Barack Obama strengthened his relationship with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Caroline stepped down in January 2017.

The former attorney also serves as honorary president of the JFK Presidential Library and has written nine best-selling books on constitutional law, American history, and poetry.

In May 2017, the New York Daily News reported that Kennedy is considered a 2018 run for a congressional seat in New York, but those rumors are unconfirmed.

Lynda Bird Johnson Robb advocates for equal rights for women and minorities.

Daughter of Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson

At 73, former First Lady of Virginia Lynda Bird Johnson Robb is the oldest living child of a US president. In the '70s she chaired the President's Advisory Committee for Women to help carry out President Jimmy Carter's mandate to promote gender equality. 

Robb, whose father signed the 1964 Civil Rights Act and 1965 Voting Rights Act, gave a speech at the 50th anniversary ceremony of the March on Washington and attended the remembrance banquet for the 50th anniversary of the "Bloody Sunday" assault in Selma, Alabama.

Luci Baines Johnson chaired the private holding company her mother founded 70 years ago.

Daughter of Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson

Like mother, like daughter: Luci Baines Johnson took the helm at LBJ Asset Management Partners in the late '80s and turned the business around in the midst of economic crisis.

She makes dozens of speeches each year to support the causes that were close to her family. In February 2017, she attended a gathering in Austin, Texas, to show support for the Muslim community there. A marcher who met Luci shared a post about their encounter that went viral. 

About one in eight Americans eats pizza on any given day. And an increasing number of them are ditching legacy brands like Domino's and Pizza Hut for innovative fast-casual chains.

MOD Pizza is one of them. Founded by a former Starbucks executive in 2008, the chain more than doubled in size over the past year. In 2015, Technomic named MOD the fastest growing chain in the restaurant business,with its sales increasing a whopping 220% during the year.

Like competitors Blaze Pizza and Pieology, MOD prepares and bakes personal pizzas on a Chipotle-like assembly line, where customers can pick from dozens of toppings.

We recently visited a MOD location in Daly City, California, to see if it's worth the hype.

SEE ALSO: A vegan fast-casual chain you've never heard of is expanding nationwide — and that should scare legacy brands

Innovation in pizza delivery is in no short supply. These days, you can order a pizza by speaking to an Amazon Echo, texting a pizza emoji, or poking whatever this thing is.

Source: Business Insider

But in 2007, restaurant entrepreneur Scott Svenson saw "a shocking lack of innovation" in pizza consumed outside of the home. He and his wife, Ally, saw a business opportunity.

At the time, Svenson was working as president of Starbucks' European division. He and Ally previously started a Seattle coffee company that was acquired by the coffee giant in 1998.

Svenson decided to take a risk and leave Starbucks to pursue his entrepreneurial itch.

The couple founded MOD Pizza a year later out of Seattle. Today, the fast-casual chain has 227 locations across the US and the UK and expects to grow by another 60 stores in 2017.

See story here.

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If you feel a twinge of jealousy each time you read about another successful person who wakes up at 4 a.m. to meditate, jog, read a novel, and eat two grapefruits, take heart.

You don't need to add that much time or energy to your current morning routine to be happy or productive.

In fact, plenty of the habits that can help you start your day take five minutes or less.

We found a bunch of those habits on the Quora threads, "What can I do in 5 minutes in the morning to make my whole day better?" and "How can I improve my morning routine?"

Below, check out some of the simplest routines to start your day feeling refreshed and ready to tackle whatever challenges come your way.

SEE ALSO: 7 things not to do when you first wake up

Take 3 deep breaths

That's a tip from Jusice Setlodi. Sleep doctor Michael Breus gave us the same advice— breathing deeply as soon as you wake up jumpstarts your respiratory system.

Make your bed

Raviteja Chirala says he loves coming home to a neatly made bed.

Meanwhile, journalist Charles Duhigg writes in his book "The Power of Habit" that making your bed can help increase your productivity for the rest of the day. That's because it's a "keystone habit" that can "spark chain reactions that help other good habits take hold."

Meditate

Science suggests meditation has myriad benefits, from helping you deal with stress and negative emotions, to boosting your memory, to strengthening your immune system.

But meditation doesn't necessarily mean sitting in silence for hours on end. As Ariel Banayanpoints out, "sitting for five minutes to detach from the thoughts of your mind will have a profound impact on your day."

If you're unsure how to get started, the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center offers some free guided meditations, some of them five minutes or shorter.

You've probably heard of Ibiza, Corsica, and Santorini. But are you familiar with Formentera, Juist, or Saaremaa? Flying well under the tourist radar, these islands are a must-visit for anyone who feels that they have exhausted Europe's typical destinations.

Even if you haven't done much traveling in Europe, though, these breathtaking islands are well worth the detour.

They boast laid-back cultures, quiet charm, and an unspoiled nature that simply cannot be matched by the European mainland.

So pack your best camera and get ready for an adventure.

Brittany Kriegstein contributed reporting to an earlier version of this article.

SEE ALSO: 27 photos that show why New Yorkers are ditching the Hamptons for a hot destination to the north

Juist, Germany

Juist is one of seven inhabited East Frisian islands at the edge of Germany's Wadden Sea. Its miles of natural, windswept beach have earned it the nickname "Töwerland" (meaning "magic land") in the local dialect. Although the Wadden Sea can be chilly, activities like hiking the mudflats and soaking in thalassotherapy spas make for a different kind of island experience. 

Formentera, Spain

If Ibiza is the older brother who throws the craziest parties, Formentera is the chilled-out, hippie younger sister. Even though the two are only an hour's ferry ride apart, they differ completely in atmosphere. Go to Formentera to have pristine Spanish beaches all to yourself. Experience local wildlife, go for a sail on turquoise waters, or swim over to Espalmador, a tiny neighboring island where you can slather yourself in revitalizing sulfurous mud.

Sardinia, Italy

Just below Corsica, Sardinia mixes the best of Italian food and culture with an island paradise. Snorkel past ancient Roman shipwrecks, hike to crumbling lighthouses, or take in the sapphire ocean framed by dramatic hills. When you're done, eat top-notch seafood with your toes in the sand at a beachside restaurant, and wash it all down with some local Limoncello.  

I tried my first meal kit through Blue Apron in August 2014, and it was life-changing.

Meal kits — or deliveries that contain groceries and accompanying recipes — can get a bad rap. One of the biggest complaints from first-time users that I often hear is that they require too much work. (This is partially due to the widespread misunderstanding that the service targets "lazy" consumers). 

Some critics also complain about the excessive packaging, since many of the ingredients are individually wrapped.

About 100 companies are now offering meal kits, but analysts are still unsure as to whether they are a passing fad.

Blue Apron is the biggest meal-kit service in the US, but it has been losing money. While the company's revenue more than doubled to $795.4 million last year, it posted a net loss of $54.9 million.

The company has shipped 159 million meals since its inception in 2012. The company said Monday it expects its upcoming initial public offering to be priced at $15 to $17 per share, giving it a valuation as high as $3.18 billion.

After three years and hundreds of meals of cooking with Blue Apron, I wholeheartedly disagree with all the critics. I think meal kits are permanently changing how we eat and buy food, and I don't think they are ever going to go away. (Before I explain why, let me clarify that I was not paid to write this review. I have never received free food from Blue Apron and I have no affiliation with the company whatsoever.)

Before Blue Apron, I thought I knew how to cook. This was because I mainly stuck to simple recipes like casserole dishes and I often used a crock pot, which requires no cooking skills.

I wanted to learn more about making food, but I didn't want to pay for — or make time for — expensive cooking classes and no matter how many cooking shows I watched I just couldn't find the motivation to try and replicate a celebrity chef's meal in my own kitchen.

Then I tried Blue Apron and everything changed.

The beginning — as any novice chef who has tried Blue Apron knows — was rough. The food prep alone, which consisted mostly of washing, chopping, slicing, and dicing ingredients, took me 45 minutes per meal at first, and I got three meals a week. The process was exhausting and confusing at times, and for the first couple weeks, I questioned whether it was more work than it was worth to eat some home-cooked yuzu kosho-glazed chicken drumsticks or pistachio-crusted catfish with date vinaigrette.

But I stuck with it, and now I'm addicted.

Over the course of a couple months, and with the help of Blue Apron's "how-to" videos on knife skills, I cut my prep time down to about 10 minutes or less per meal. The big, illustrated recipe cards that come with the meals helped me learn about the ingredients I was using and figure out how the food should look at each step along the way.

Three years later, I'm now completely confident in the kitchen and find that 95% of the meals I cook are better than something I might order in a restaurant. (For what it's worth, my husband and most trusted taste tester agrees.)

I have also started venturing away from Blue Apron recipes and coming up with my own concoctions in the kitchen because I've learned over time which ingredients pair well together, and I have memorized various cooking processes for the hundreds of different ingredients that have landed on my doorstep each week. 

The biggest surprise for me with Blue Apron — and the reason why I have stuck with it so long — is that it has changed my diet for the better.

I cook with dozens of different ingredients every week, including tons of leafy greens and vegetables, healthy grains like farro, freekeh, and quinoa, and many healthy ingredients I never even knew existed (I'm looking at you, celeriac, tatsoi, black rice, Tinkerbell peppers, and Thai basil).

The ingredients arrive in perfectly measured proportions, so I don't waste any food or overeat with a second serving.

My proteins are more balanced because each week I typically receive one seafood dish (such as catfish, cod, or salmon), one pork or steak dish, and one chicken or turkey dish. I get a healthy serving of vegetables with every protein.

Best of all, I don't have to spend hours planning dinners and grocery lists every week, thanks to the box that Blue Apron drops on my doorstep every Monday.

Outside of teaching me how to cook and saving me time and trips to the grocery store, the service saves me a lot of money.

The dinners cost $20 each for two people, and if I tried to recreate the meals on my own at the grocery store (which I have done several times) they always cost me more. The deliveries have also corresponded with a sharp drop in the amount I'm spending at restaurants every month. 

On top of all the benefits, Blue Apron's customer service has been top notch. You can cancel your membership at any time, without any penalties. You can also cancel deliveries if you'll be out of town or just don't like any of the recipes being offered that week. If there is every anything wrong with your delivery, Blue Apron is likely to reimburse you for the entire cost of the package.

So I'm admittedly obsessed with meal kits. It's one of the easiest, cheapest, and least time-consuming ways to eat gourmet, healthy home-cooked meals.

That's why I don't think this is a passing fad. 

The meal kit market is currently estimated to be about $1.5 billion, according to NPD Group, and could grow by as much as $5 billion over the next decade. 

Blue Apron isn't the only company doing this. There's also Plated, Hello Fresh, Sun Basket, Purple Carrot, and tons of others.

As consumer tastes continue shifting toward healthier eating, the opportunity for these companies will only get bigger.

SEE ALSO: One of America's food staples is going through a terrifying change

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If you open your closet and any of the 25 articles of clothing on this list are inside it, the reality is that you need to start throwing things in the garbage.

Perhaps also consider building a dumpster fire.

Each item on this list has no place in an adult male's wardrobe. Some of these pieces have simply outstayed their welcome; others have been and always will be fashion abominations. You probably just didn't know it when you purchased them.

We're not asking for much here. We're not asking you to go out and buy the newest trend or throw money down on a pair of designer shoes.

We're just saying that in these cases, less is most definitely more.

"Going out" shirts

This is the male equivalent of a girl's "going out" top. It's the shirt in your wardrobe that you think makes you look as if you're ready to party.

Maybe it has some pinstripes. Maybe you think the color is awesome. Maybe it's just black —don't wear that anymore.

Whatever it is, it's probably too much. Your regular shirts should be fine enough to "go out" in. Don't try so hard.

Embroidered jeans

Unless you bedazzled your jeans yourself and want to show off your handiwork, there's really no reason to wear jeans with any kind of detail on the seat.

Plastic flip-flops

If you do own a pair of plastic flip-flops, you should be putting them on when your feet hit the sand at the beach, and then promptly taking them off once you leave. 

That's because they are for children.

First, they'll introduce you, then they'll pay for your wedding. 

To celebrate LGBT Pride Month– an annual, month-long commemoration of an LGBT demonstration that took part in 1969 in New York – Tinder is offering LGBTQ couples, who met via its app, the chance to win $100,000 to go toward their dream wedding.

Tinder is asking couples to post a photo of themselves on Instagram with a description of their story, and tag Tinder in this.

The posts will be judged by Michele Visage, a singer, actress, and judge on RuPaul's Drag Race TV show, where drag queens compete for the title of America's Next Drag Superstar. 

 Visage has also agreed to officiate the wedding. 

The competition will run throughout June and winners will be announced on 5 July. Tinder will then work with the winning couple to help plan their wedding, a spokesperson for the dating app told Business Insider. 

Tinder has posted Instagram photos to show how couples should apply:

SEE ALSO: Inside the secret version of Tinder for celebs and other VIPs — here’s what the invite-only 'Tinder Select' is like

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This year, the United Nations proclaimed 2017 the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development — aiming to help promote hotels and resorts that are both environmentaly friendly and socially conscious.

For its current, June and July issue, National Geographic Traveler magazine is celebrating the best of the best eco-friendly resorts across the world.

Below, ten of our favorites from their "21 Places to stay if you care about the planet" round-up. Captions by National Geographic Traveler.      

SEE ALSO: Snap CEO Evan Spiegel and supermodel Miranda Kerr are honeymooning on a luxurious island in Fiji

The Brando: Located in French Polynesia, is late actor Marlon Brando's eco-dream brought to life, the private island is run on 100% renewable energy sources, including solar power and coconut oil. Guests can join naturalist guides to explore Tetiaroa atoll, once the sacred retreat of Tahitian royalty, with giant coconut crabs and temples. The Obama's and Snap CEO Evan Spiegel, along with his wife Miranda Kerr have all recently been spotted there.

The Brando

Coral Caye: Director Francis Ford Coppola opened Coral Caye last year in Belize, surrounded by a rainbow of sea life.

Coral Caye

Jetwing Vil Uyana: Nature reigns at Jetwing Vil Uyana in Sri Lanka’s famed Cultural Triangle, home to the gray slender loris, among the world's tiniest primates.

Jetwing Vil Uyana

On June 17, the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, delivered the commencement speech at the University of California, San Diego.

His central theme throughout the speech was the idea that world peace depends on inner peace— you can't solve global issues without first attending to your own emotional life.

To a lot of people, even self-mastery might seem like a herculean effort; never mind getting rid of war and poverty across the planet. But the Dalai Lama proposed a formula that can help with both: education and warmheartedness.

"Education alone [does not] guarantee to bring that," he said, referring to both inner peace and world peace. "So warmheartedness is very very essential."

He went on:

"Combine warmheartedness and this brilliant brain. Combine these two. Then, firstly, individuals themselves [will] be happier, more calm, more relaxed. And then to others also, that kind of attitude will automatically bring more friends. …

"A happy family [and a] happy society ultimately very much depends on our inner peace. So inner peace — just mere education [does] not necessarily guarantee to bring inner peace. With warmheartedness, then inner peace comes."

The selection of the Dalai Lama, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 and is the spiritual leader of Tibet, as UCSD's commencement speaker was highly controversial. Many Chinese students at UCSD protested the Dalai Lama's visit, since they believe he is a separatist who wants to split China from Tibet, Quartz reported.

Still, the Dalai Lama focused his message on peace and on cultivating compassion for other people.

"So now, the time comes," the Dalai Lama said. "Pay more attention to promot[ing] [a] deeper human value. That's compassion."

Watch the Dalai Lama's full commencement speech here »

SEE ALSO: The Dalai Lama just launched a website to help you achieve inner peace

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Today is National Martini Day in the US. In celebration, we deep dive into the somewhat murky mystery of the drink's origin. 

Competing stories surrounding the martini's origin come from both the East and West Coast of the US. Despite the cocktail's recipe being documented in the 1880s in Harry Johnson's "Bartender's Manual" (the first guide to the bartending trade), there's still some debate as to where it came from.

Its West Coast origins involve stories of gold miners going to the bar after striking it rich. On the East Coast, however, its rumored origin story takes place in the heart of New York City and involves the wealthy Astor and Rockefeller families. 

The storied birthplace of the martini is The Knickerbocker Hotel, which was opened by John Jacob Astor IV in 1906, in New York City's Times Square. Back then, rooms averaged around $3.25 per night, and writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald and George M. Cohan were frequent guests.

Guests would enter the Knickerbocker's speakeasy via a door located underground in the Times Square shuttle stop. The door, though no longer functional, can still be seen in the Times Square station today. Once they entered, they'd see bartenders who were busy serving a roster of guests that included oil tycoon and millionaire John D. Rockefeller.

It was Rockefeller who was supposedly served an eponymous cocktail by then-bartender Martini di Arma di Taggia. Made with gin, dry vermouth, sweet vermouth, citrus bitters, orange bitters, and garnished with a lemon twist, the original martini recipe is still served at the new bar inside the recently reopened and landmarked Knickerbocker Hotel today.

While Astor died in the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, the Knickerbocker Hotel didn't close until 1921, and the building went through several renovations, including a stint as the Newsweek Building in the '40s and '50s.

The hotel reopened as the Knickerbocker Hotel in 2015, after a $250 million renovation, according to a spokesperson. 

SEE ALSO: I wrote about the Old Fashioned's 'comeback' and a bunch of people from Wisconsin freaked out

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For a long time, Bernal Heights was the best kept secret in San Francisco real estate.

Short commutes into downtown, relatively affordable homes, and 360-degree views from atop its hills made it a desirable place for artists, musicians, and tech workers to settle down.

But the residential enclave located south of the city's pricey Mission District and Noe Valley has seen a surge in popularity in recent years, driving the median sale price of a single-family home to $1.36 million, up 75% from five years ago. In 2014, real estate site Redfin named the north slope of Bernal Heights, an area that's densely packed with million-dollar homes, the hottest neighborhood in America based on increases in search traffic to local listings.

I recently spent the afternoon in Bernal Height's northern end to see what the buzz is about.

SEE ALSO: Tour the little-known California 'micro-hood' that's suddenly the hottest housing market in America

Bernal Heights has a small town feel while still being in a centrally-located part of San Francisco.

It sits south of the city's downtown and is bisected by Cortland Avenue, a main shopping strip populated by small markets, cafes, restaurants, and hair and nail salons.

I start my day north of Cortland at Café St. Jorge, a Portuguese-inspired coffee shop and restaurant where I find young people catching up with friends and working on laptops.

If you're an avid fan of HGTV's "Fixer Upper," a trip to Waco, Texas, should be on your radar.

Joanna and Chip Gaines have been fixing up dilapidated homes in Waco on their TV show since November 2015. The success of the show has transformed the town into a full-fledged tourist destination.

The couple has since opened a massive town center where visitors can shop for home goods inspired by the show. There's also a bakery and a handful of trendy food trucks. 

But possibly the number one reason to visit Waco is that you can stay in one of the home that Joanna and Chip have renovated. Some are available for short-term rentals on sites like Airbnb and VRBO.

This attraction might not last forever. A spokesperson for the Gaineses told local newspaper Waco Tribune-Herald that they have changed their contract terms to prevent homeowners from turning their renovated homes into rentals immediately. 

“We want to honor our national viewing audience. We want to do remodels for clients’ homes. That’s the true intent of our show, and we want to ensure that does not get lost in this new vacation rental trend," the spokesperson said.

The new terms apply to homes appearing in the new fifth season of the show.  

Here are some "Fixer Upper" homes that are available for rent:

SEE ALSO: I traveled to Waco, Texas, to see the town that has been transformed by HGTV's hit show 'Fixer Upper' — here's what it's like

Gorman House was featured on the first episode of Fixer Upper. It was uninhabitable when the Gaines' started work on it. Now, it's a five bedroom house with a wrap-around porch.

Source: Magnolia Market

The house is currently listed on Airbnb for $375 a night for a minimum of two nights. One-night stays cost $475. These prices exclude tax and service charge fees.

See the listing here on Airbnb.

The house has the Gaines' signature open-plan kitchen and breakfast bar combo.

Sneakers are more popular than ever, and they're starting to supplant once was once the keystone of ever man's professional wardrobe.

As sneakers rise in both prominence — and price — men are spending the hundreds of dollars they would typically spend on dress shoes. These aren't your typical athletic sneakers however — instead of the latest release, they're often luxury versions with soft leathers and designer logos.

Neiman Marcus CEO Karen Katz told analysts that sneakers now account for 50% of the men's shoe business at the department store chain, according to the New York Post.

Execs in Silicon Valley almost exclusively wear high-priced sneakers, like Lanvin and Common Projects, that Neiman's sells. Silicon Valley is the birthplace of the casual work wardrobe, so it's no surprise that its leaders are dressing down and sneakers have become a cornerstone of that. In the San Francisco area, the top selling style on luxury consignment platform TheRealReal is a Louis Vuitton high top sneaker.

As the casualization of the workplace continues, it's not surprising to see sneakers gain a foothold. These more expensive sneakers usually look the part, with minimal branding that can fly under the radar unlike your yellow and orange Nike shoes. The idea of what a sneaker can be — understated, clean, and luxury — has changed, and it matches the new casual American workplace. Sneakers go a lot better with denim, after all.

Looking up and down Manhattan's 5th Ave, you see a lot more office drones wearing sneakers than anything else — especially in warmer, more casual sneakers. As time goes on, it'll probably be more useful in identifying the office hierarchy if you can pick out a Lanvin sneaker than a Gucci Bit Loafer.

It seems the "debate" over whether men can wear sneakers has been settled. It's a resounding "yes" — as long as the sneakers are subtle, leather, and luxurious.

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With four years under its belt, the "Rich Kids of Instagram" blog and Instagram account is still at it, curating photos of the lifestyles of the wealthy.

Although it's only June, those featured on the blog are already deep into their summertime celebrations — complete with private jets, luxury cars, and beach vacations.

Take a look at what the "Rich Kids" are up to thus far:

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Some are off to Malaysia.

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Others are staying in the US, flying in private jets to Sarasota, Florida.

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Helicopters are also a popular form of transportation.

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