If there has been one casualty of the Great Recession, it's the "American dream "– the idea that no matter where you come from, everyone has a fair shot at a good life.

Study after study has painted a picture of a much different reality, but none has been as clear as a new report on income mobility out of Harvard University this week.

In "The Economic Impacts of Tax Expenditures," researchers looked at how economic and social factors impacted the upward mobility of children raised in the 1980s and 1990s. 

Above all, family life and the social structure offered by religious beliefs played the most pivotal role in children's outcomes.

"For instance, high upward mobility areas tended to have higher fractions of religious individuals and fewer children raised by single parents,"  the researchers write. "Each of these correlations remained  strong even after controlling for measures of tax expenditures." 

There were other factors contributing positively to upward mobility. In areas where poor people were segregated from the middle class, researchers found children had a lesser chance of moving up the income ladder, the found. 

A good school system also helped. Wherever school children scored highest on standardized testing and school districts spent more per student, dropout rates were lower and children had higher rates of income mobility.

On the flip side, they found that tax credits for the poor and higher taxes on the wealthy actually played a much smaller role in improving the lives of their children over time. 

The researchers downplayed the role of geography in dictating upward mobility, but there were some regional trends. Regions in the Southeast and Midwest were found to be toughest for upward mobility, including cities like Atlanta, Charlotte and Cincinnati (see map above). Kids living in Northeast and Western cities like New York, Boston and Seattle had better odds of moving up. 

So where do we go from here?

If you're an Atlanta parent with teenagers at home, moving them to another city or state won't really do much good. The researchers found that after the age of 13, moving didn't do much to improve children's chances at higher income mobility. And switching neighborhoods matters significantly less as children get older, as well.

The researchers signed off on the study with this big fat disclaimer:

"We caution that all of the findings in this study are correlational and cannot be interpreted as causal effects. What is clear from this research is that there is substantial variation in the United States in the prospects for escaping poverty...Understanding the features of these areas – and how we can improve mobility in areas that  currently have lower rates of mobility – is an important question for future research that we and other social scientists are exploring."

They're being a little humble here. Study after study has seemed to confirm their findings over the last decade or so. Most recently, a telling report  by Washington, D.C.-based think tank, The Hamilton Project, highlighted economic data that showed how income inequality factored deeply into children's' social mobility in America.  In that report, they drove home the notion that access to education and a sound family structure also gave children the best shot at winding up better off than their parents. 

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In today's New York Times, restaurant critic Pete Wells knocked iconic Upper East Side restaurant Daniel from four stars to three after finding that servers treated famous guests differently from unknown ones.

The food, he noted, was still phenomenal — if somewhat overdecorated with "dollhouse garnishes." 

With Daniel Boulud's emporium down to three stars, there are just five restaurants left in New York City with four-star reviews from The New York Times.

They are:

• Del Posto: Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich, and Lidia Bastianich's upscale Italian restaurant near the High Line got four stars from Sam Sifton in October 2010. He declared: "Del Posto’s is a pleasure that lasts." The five-course dinner menu is $115 per person.

• Eleven Madison Park: Critic Frank Bruni granted four stars to Eleven Madison Park in August 2009. Restaurateur Danny Meyer sold the restaurant to chef Daniel Humm in 2011, and The Times has yet to revisit. The dinner tasting menu is $195 per person.

• Jean Georges: Bruni visited Jean-Georges Vongerichten's eponymous restaurant in 2006 and found it to be a notch above any of the other restaurants in Vongerichten's empire, writing, "while the food at Jean Georges may no longer be novel, it still thrills, and this restaurant still presents an experience unlike others around town." The three-course dinner tasting menu is $118 per person.

• Le Bernardin: In May 2012, Wells assigned four stars to Eric Ripert's midtown east restaurant, writing, "no other restaurant in the city makes the simple cooking of fish (and the fish at Le Bernardin is cooked simply, when it is cooked at all) seem so ripe with opportunities for excitement." The four-course dinner tasting menu costs $130 per person.

• Per Se: Wells gave a top rating to chef Thomas Keller's restaurant at the Time Warner Center in October 2011, calling it "the best restaurant in New York City." The prix fixe dinner menu costs $295 per person.

SEE ALSO: The 25 Most Expensive Tasting Menus On Earth

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Forbes released its 2013 college rankings today, placing California schools Stanford University and Pomona College in the top two spots and moving Harvard University down towards the bottom of the top 10.

Forbes notes that there are many major shifts currently happening in higher education, but one overlooked change may be "the rise of non-Ivy League, West Coast colleges." With an apparent dig at U.S. News & World Report's rankings— which most recently had Harvard and Princeton tied at the top spot — Forbes writes that they are looking at "output" over "input."

We're not all that interested in what gets a student into college, like our peers who focus heavily on selectivity metrics such as high school class rank and SAT scores. Our sights are set directly on ROI: What are students getting out of college.

This might help explain the selection of the top two schools. Forbes notes that Stanford and Pomona both stand out as schools with high retention rates — 98% and 99% — and average starting salaries for graduates — $58,200 and $49,200.

Although U.S. News releases separate lists for universities and liberal arts colleges, Forbes pits the schools against each other, causing smaller schools like Swarthmore College to beat out Harvard and MIT. Williams College, the top liberal arts school on U.S. News' rankings, places third for the smaller schools on Forbes' list and ninth overall.  

Here are Forbes' top 10 schools for 2013:

1. Stanford University
2. Pomona College
3. Princeton University
4. Yale University
5. Columbia University
6. Swarthmore College
7. United States Military Academy
8. Harvard University
9. Williams College
10. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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Wi-fi. It's all around us, quietly and invisibly powering our access to the world's information. But few of us have a sense of what wi-fi actually is, let alone what it would look like if we could see it.

Artist Nickolay Lamm, a blogger for MyDeals.com, decided to shed some light on the subject. He created visualizations that imagine the size, shape, and color of wi-fi signals were they visible to the human eye. 

"I feel that by showing what wi-fi would look like if we could see it, we'd appreciate the technology that we use everyday," Lamm told me in an email. "A lot of us use technology without appreciating the complexity behind making it work."  

To estimate what this would look like, Lamm worked with M. Browning Vogel, Ph.D., an astrobiologist and former employee at NASA Ames. Vogel explained the science behind wireless technology, which is provided in captions under each illustration.

The caption for the above illustration describes the size of a wi-fi energy field, and how a signal is transmitted:

Wifi is an energy field that is transmitted as waves. The waves have a certain height, distance between them and travel at a certain speed. The distance between wifi waves is shorter than that of radio waves and longer than that of microwaves, giving wifi a unique transmission band that can't be interrupted by other signals. Wifi waves are about 3 to 5 inches from crest to crest. The crests of waves is translated to a 1 by a computer, and the the troughs equal a 0. Chains of 1s and 0s that can be translated into the letters, numbers and codes that make up websites, email and other internet content. Typical wifi waves decrease in amplitude as they travel further from the source which is why the waves are larger to the right and smaller to the left, assuming the source is somewhere near the right of the image. This image shows an idealized wifi data transmitted over a band that is divided into different sub-channels, which are shown in red, yellow, green and other colors. 

The wi-fi visualizations are set in Washington, DC. Lamm used data from a map on DC.gov to approximate the size and shapes of wi-fi networks over the National Mall.

Wifi waves travel through space as rapid, data encoded pulses or waves. A freeze frame of these pulses would show that the pulses are about 6 inches apart (as shown by the lightly colored bands traveling through space in this image). Wifi routers are basically antenna that can send data over multiple frequencies all at the same time.

These multiple frequencies are shown as blue, green, yellow, and red colors that pervade the space around the mall. The data from these multiple frequencies swirls around in space as shown here, but can be translated using a common tag system understood by wireless devices.

Wifi occupies the radio frequency band of the electromagnetic spectrum between actual radio waves and microwaves (used to listen to the game, and cook your dinner, respectively).

This frequency band means that wifi boxes and computers can send and receive data as electromagnetic wave that have a 3 to 5 inch distance distance between each pulse of the wave. The wifi pulses are shown here as multicolored spheres radiating out from the source, near the right of the image. Wifi transmitters are basically an antenna equipped with a transmission protocol that splits the frequency band into several segments, referred to as channels.

Data can be transmitted over each channel or in order to send and receive greater quantities of data at faster rates. Although color represents its own unique, visible segment of the electromagnetic spectrum, we use red, orange, yellow and other colors to show the invisible wifi channels that make up the overall wifi signal. Wifi fields are usually spherical (like the one here) or ellipsoidal and extend about 20-30 meters, assuming a typical off the shelf wifi box.

Wifi routers or antenna can be attached to trees, buildings, lamp posts and other structures. A typical outdoor router can project its signal 300 feet or more from its location. Objects such as trees can obstruct the signal such that it has to be augmented by multiple wifi routers placed in different positions. Multiple routers can create a field that extends all the way across Washington DC's National Mall as shown here.

Wifi routers affixed to buildings, lamp posts and other object create a circular data field around them. These antenna have an omnidirectional signal that extends equally in all directions, shown as the circular bands. Wifi broadcasts at a frequency between radio and microwaves, meaning that the waves or pulses are about six inches apart, as shown by the colored, circular bands. 

Lamm, a 24-year-old student from Pittsburg, is focused on using illustrations to bring attention to topics that are otherwise overlooked, he writes on his website. His projects combine art and research, and he often collaborates with other artists, including his mother.

In the last couple months, his projects have visualized what Barbie would look like as a normally proportioned woman, what the average human might look like in 100,000 years, and what New York City would look like on other planets.

As far as wi-fi goes, he's not the first artist whose curiosity was piqued by the invisible force.

Early this year, Austrian artist and architect Peter Jellitsch measured radio waves to record the wifi activity in a New York apartment over 45 days. (You know, the maddening pattern of how it cuts out and then comes back and is really strong and then is barely working again.) He used the data to sculpt an object that's a physical depiction of a wifi signal.

A couple years before that, a team from the from the Oslo School of Architecture and Design visualized wifi signals in a Norwegian town by "light painting" them. They created a long rod with 80 lights that lit up according to the signal strength of the wifi network, and filmed the result.

Lamm's depiction might be the most comprehensive, though. It's the first to incorporate shape, size, and color into the image, he told me. "I was surprised, wi-fi isn't as simple as I thought it would be." 

Now Read: 'Cut Up' Brings The Best Of YouTube To The Museum >

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Bow ties have gone from being an old-fashioned accessory to a must-have apparel item for many hip young trendsetters.

But for many, tying a bow tie remains an old and lost art.

David Goldberg, Founder and CEO of Freshneck.com (a Netflix-like subscription service for ties, bow ties, and other accessories) took us to the showroom of Alenford, an online retailer of fine Italian-made shirts, to learn how to properly tie a bow tie.

Watch below for step by step instructions:

Produced by Daniel Goodman

SEE ALSO: How To Pack A Suit

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Carl's Jr. announced it will offer the Strawberry Pop-Tart Ice Cream Sandwich for a limited time at all of its restaurants.

The family chain tested the dessert at a number of Southern California locations in the spring, but discontinued it until cries for its return on social media grew to a loud roar, according to Nation's Restaurant News. 

“It’s very rare when a new menu item that is being tested in a small number of restaurants goes viral to the degree this one did, but that’s exactly what happened with the new Hand-Scooped Strawberry Pop-Tarts Ice Cream Sandwich,” Brad Haley, chief marketing officer for Carl’s Jr. parent CKE Restaurants Inc., told NRE.

Carl's Jr. and Pop-Tarts promoted the the ice cream sandwich at Comic-Con this week and continued to use social media to get the word out on the dessert's return.

The 320-calorie Pop-Tart dessert, is a deal, at just $1.49.

Here's how the treat was promoted at Comic-Con:

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Each year it seems like hotel prices keep shooting up, with the price of an average hotel room rising about 3% in 2012 alone.

But even though hotel prices keep rising, a new study by J.D. Powers shows that hotel guests are not only satisfied with their hotel stays, but they're actually the happiest they've been in seven years.

J.D. Powers surveyed over 68,700 guests who stayed in a North American hotel — including everything from luxury hotels to budget properties — between May 2012 and June 2013. They measured how satisfied people were with the hotel based on their experience with reservations, check-in/check-out, guest rooms, food and beverage, hotel services, hotel facilities, and cost and fees.

Overall guest satisfaction got a 777 on a 1,000-point scale, up 20 points from the prior year's survey. This is the highest score for the industry since 2006, showing that hotel guests are more satisfied with their stays today than they have been in years.

"The fact that guest satisfaction has turned a corner is great news for an industry that has struggled to sufficiently meet guest expectations in the past few years," said Rick Garlick, global travel and hospitality practice lead at J.D. Power. "Many hotel chains are finally benefitting from the long-term investments they have been making to improve their properties in terms of staffing, rooms and facilities."

The results also show that guests are most satisfied when they have positive interactions with hotel staff members, meaning that hotel service is still of the utmost importance. 

On the other hand, guests were most dissatisfied with hotels when they had issues with Internet connectivity or access, showing that Internet service is one of the most important amenities to guests.

SEE ALSO: The 10 Best Hotels In The World

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Read the original article on Thrillist >

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It's National Tequila Day, which means you have a few solid hours to imbibe in tequila shots or creative tequila cocktails before sleeping it off ahead of work tomorrow.

For those of you who prefer your tequila shaken up in a tasty margarita, we took an office poll and rounded up 12 of our favorite margaritas around New York City.

Some of these are fruity, some are crazy strong, and still others are classically delicious with fresh lime juice and the very best tequila.

Did we miss a great one? Sound off in the comments below. 

The best classic margs are at Empellón Cocina in the East Village.

105 1st Ave.

If you're looking for a tasty, strong, and classic margarita, Empellón Cocina has you covered.

Enjoy your House Classic $12 margarita with their fresh guacamole and pickled jalapenos.

The fruitiest margs are at Dos Caminos locations around the city.

Multiple locations, including 675 Hudson St.

There are a lot of delicious, fruity margaritas in NYC, but Dos Caminos always serves them strong and not-too-sweet.

A few must-try versions include the prickly pear for $11, and the blood orange, lychee, and passion fruit for $12.

The strongest margs are at Pianos on the Lower East Side.

158 Ludlow St.

Just having one of Pianos margaritas will have you feeling buzzed.

We recommend stopping at your second $3 drink, though — things can get hazy from there on out.

It’s been about a year and a half since units at One57 went on sale, and it seems that every few months Gary Barnett, the developer of the 1,004-foot-high tower, touts a new milestone for signed contracts.

The most recent figure, which Barnett let slip in June, pegs the development at 70 percent sold. Still, with no public listings and closings still months down the road, there had been no cold, hard evidence of actual sales, until now.

At least 15 of the tower’s 94 apartments are in contract, according to a state filing, though many of them are not the deals trumpeted in press accounts, such as the Bill Ackman-led investor group that purchased the so-called Winter Garden penthouse for more than $90 million, or the Chinese parents who snapped up a unit for their toddler to use as a university student.

The information comes from a document Barnett’s Extell Development quietly filed with the New York Attorney General’s office in March for what is known as an effectiveness amendment, which in this case lists the buyers (some of them limited liability companies) of 15 of the units. The filing is required as evidence that at least 15 percent of the sales at 157 West 57th Street are bona fide as part of the process to approve a condominium or cooperative offering plan, known as declaring it effective.

In May, the AG’s Real Estate Finance Bureau, which reviews such plans, declared Barnett’s condo plan effective.

Barnett’s tower is in a race to swipe buyers and media attention from rival 432 Park Avenue, the condo tower being built by CIM Group and Macklowe Properties. Extell won the race to break ground first and to have the plan declared effective, though 432 Park will surpass One57’s height by close to 400 feet.

Among the buyers Barnett has wooed are a surprising number of apparel executives. For example, Richard Kringstein, co-owner of outerwear manufacturer Herman Kay, made a deposit to buy unit 48A, a three-bedroom with 3,228 square feet, for $17.5 million on Feb. 17, 2012.

David Beyda, CEO of Town and County Linen, and Victor Azrak, who sold his clothing licensing firm American Marketing Enterprises to Li & Fung in 2007 for a reported $128 million, also purchased at One57. Beyda made a deal for the two-bedroom 40F for $9.6 million on Jan. 13, 2012, while Azrak inked his deal later that month to pay $6.9 million for the two-bedroom 44B.

Azrak did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Extell declined to comment, other than to restate that 70 percent of the units had been sold. Beyda declined to comment.

Click on chart to see the complete PDF of buyers and pricing at One57

When filing an effectiveness amendment, a developer can choose to list any contracts that add up to 15 percent of the sales, regardless of when the deals were signed, real estate attorney Adam Leitman Bailey said. That may explain why Extell chose not to name the buyer for the 90th-floor penthouse, whose identity is still a mystery, or Quebec billionaire Lawrence Stroll’s reported purchase of unit 85 or his Hong Kong business partner Silas Chou’s deal for unit 82.

Still, Extell did include two full-floor penthouses on the list, although the buyers used LLCs for the purchases, masking their identities. In December 2011, the month the development hit the market, One57 86 LLC put down a meager 5 percent deposit to hold unit 86, with a purchase price of $46.5 million; and Tower 83 LLC put more than $10 million down in October 2012 to purchase unit 83 for $52.58 million.

In addition, One57’s offering prices for units on the same floor differ sharply — some by more than 50 percent, according to a review of five versions of Schedule A pricing documents filed with the AG’s office over the past 22 months. That is a stark contrast with 432 Park, where most prices per square foot on a single floor varied by less than 2 percent.

For example, on the 42nd floor, the 1,037-square-foot C line unit is priced at $3,171 per foot, while the neighboring 3,228-square-foot A line unit is priced at $5,499 per foot, more than 42 percent higher.

And on the 46th floor, unit 46A is selling for $19.5 million, or $6,041 per square foot. But a buyer can snap up the much smaller unit next door, 46B, for just $4,380 per foot, or 28 percent lower.

On the higher floors, with just two units, the price differential is between 11 percent and 12 percent. The more expensive units in the A line face the park without an obstruction, while the B line (the foot of the L on the L-shaped upper floors) will always have the A line units in the view. For example, unit 66A has a price of about $7,562 per foot, while 66B has a price of $6,797 per foot.

In contrast, on the 39th floor of 432 Park, which has three units, the 4,082-square-foot 39A has a price of $4,557 per foot, while the 1,422-square-foot 39D has a price of $4,641 per foot, a differential of just 1.9 percent. On the 50th floor of 432 Park, which has two units per floor, there is just a 1.7 percent price per foot differential.

“Twelve percent is a huge floor-level adjustment assuming all views are the same, so part of that has to be view as well,” said Jonathan Miller, CEO of appraisal firm Miller Samuel, speaking generally and not about a specific building. “One to 2 percent is the typical spread we see for floor level, all other amenities being equal including view.”

More from The Real Deal:

1. Richard Gere lists Hamptons estate for $65M 
2. In Hudson Square, developers are snapping up sites following a major rezoning 
3. MTA to sell Soho parking lot for $26M to Madison Capital 

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New Orleans is renowned for its vibrant drinking culture, with everything from rum distilleries using only natural ingredients, to craft cocktail bars from the 1920s to wine shops offering live jazz and tastings in their backyard.

What’s unfortunate is that many visitors to the city head straight to Bourbon Street for their nightlife needs, never leaving to explore the venues the locals drink at.

The following is a list of some of the drinking establishments I visited during my trip to New Orleans, all recommended to me by locals as their favorites.

Bacchanal

600 Poland Avenue, Bywater Neighborhood

While Bacchanal is actually a wine shop, the venue expanded to create something more experiential by littering their expansive backyard with chairs and tables and adding a stage. The space is illuminated by small bulbs strung from tree-to-tree, creating an ambient effect. Purchase a bottle of wine and head out back where you can socialize with strangers or simply enjoy their nightly live jazz music. What’s really interesting is that while these local performers may do covers on the jazz club-lined Frenchmen Street, at Bacchanal you’ll only hear them play their own original music. Don’t forget to order some food to pair your vino, as they serve upscale farm-to-table fare like grilled whole branzino with fennel, citrus, calamata olives, golden raisins; braised pork shoulder with hominy, iceberg lettuce, Mexican oregano, queso cotija; and braised butternut squash with san marzano tomato, oregano, fregula and sherry vinegar. The venue is open until midnight each night, although their most popular night to go is Sunday.

The Three Muses

536 Frenchmen Street, Marigny Neighborhood

For those who want to experience New Orleans’ jazz culture and farm-to-table food and drinks in a laid-back yet ambient setting Three Muses is the perfect place. Except for Tuesdays when they’re closed, the Three Muses features live jazz performances each night. Moreover, their drink menu consists of thoughtful handcrafted cocktails created with housemade ingredients. Sip their “Luisas Husky Revenge” made with Zaya rum, housemade ginger beer and basil-lemongrass bitters; the “Orange Blossom Sazerac” crafted with house-infused vanilla Sazerac rye whiskey, Cointreau and housemade orange-fennel seed bitters; or the “Suspiciously Absinthe” with Toulouse Red Absinthe, housemade grapefruit-dill bitters and hibiscus grapefruit soda. Best of all, you can savor the flavors of your handcrafted cocktail and tasty tapas without the interference of nicotine, as the Three Muses is a smoke-free establishment. I recommend getting there as early as possible, as they don’t take reservations and the bar is a local favorite.

Cure

4905 Freret Street, Uptown

For those who love old-fashioned cocktail bars, Cure delivers. Based on a time when cocktails grew from home remedies, mixologists make handcrafted cocktails using quality product and precise methods. Best of all, the food and drink experience is one based on health and enjoyment instead of simply getting a quick, cheap buzz. Some of my favorite cocktails off the menu include the “White Witch,” crafted with Cocchi Americano, Barsol Primero Pisco, Strega and Witch Bitters; the “Ms. Camille” featuring Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon, Marolo “Milla” Chamomile Liqueur, sparkling wine, honey and lemon; or an “Escana Cao” featuring Rare Wine Charleston Sercial Madeira, Germain Robin Craft Method American Brandy, Peychaud’s Bitters and orange peel.

The Country Club

634 Louisa Street, Bywater

At the Country Club in New Orleans, you can experience what it’s like to party with your clothes off — literally. First you’ll enter a big house with a bar and numerous rooms. Not too many people hangout inside, however, as outside you’ll find an in-ground pool, sauna, Jacuzzi, bar and clothing-optional atmosphere. You’ll pay $8 to go into the back (it’s $2 extra if you want to rent a towel), and no photos are allowed once you exit the house. While I expected it to be similar to a wild spring break experience, the truth is it was really chill and subdued. It’s mostly locals, many from the LGBT community, and nobody will gawk at you if you decide to walk around naked. Once you get used to it, it’s actually pretty easy to go up to strangers as you would at a normal bar and have a conversation. In fact, it’s almost as if people are trying really hard to act natural and not stare, as I actually get more leers when I go to clubs fully clothed. It was a really liberating experience and something I highly recommend when visiting New Orleans.

French 75

813 Bienville Street, French Quarter

Part of the famous Arnaud’s Restaurant, French 75 was once a gentlemen-only club when it opened in 1918. While its philosophies have changed with the times (women are now allowed inside), much of the decor as well as the precision with which they make cocktails has not. In the room you’ll find monkey lamps, dark varnished woods, a vintage bar, low tables and settees and tiled floors, taking you back to the 18th century. Moreover, guests can enjoy classic cocktails and new creations featuring seasonal products. Try the namesake “French 75″ crafted with Courvoisier VS, sugar, lemon juice, Moet and Chandon; a “La Louisiane” with rye whiskey, vermouth, Benedictine, Herbsaint, Angostura and Peychaud Bitters; or a “Caibiscus” with Cachaca, Calernum, hibiscus tea, grenadine and lime Juice. To further step back in time, Arnaud’s features a number of dishes that have been on the menu since 1918, some of which include Shrimp Arnaud, turtle soup, Oysters Rockefeller, Trout Meuniere Amandine and fried soft shell crabs.

Spotted Cat Music Club

623 Frenchmen Street, Marigny Neighborhood

For a quintessential New Orleans jazz and blues experience, the Spotted Cat Music Club is a must. It almost feels like you’re hanging out in someone’s garage; well, someone who has some pretty talented musician friends. The venue features live music from open to close, with no cover charge and a one drink minimum. And as drinks are also affordable, it’s a great way to experience New Orleans culture on a budget. The Spotted Cat Music Club is also a great drinking spot for its location, as its on a strip of jazz clubs and bars and right next door to an artisanal night market that goes until 2am.

The Saint

961 St Mary Street, Lower Garden District

The Saint is a dive bar that plays really great dance music from a mix of genres, with rotating DJs and live music. It’s the type of place where the bartenders are covered in tattoos and have that kind of unfazed, cool look I always wish I could pull off (though you can try by buying one of their screen print T-shirts). The crowd is energetic and inside everyone is dancing, while drinks are reasonably priced with regular drink specials offered. When it gets too hot, you can head to the outdoor bar and get some fresh air. They also host regular karaoke nights which are popular with the locals. And if you want to play some games, the bar offers a Photobooth as well as some classic machines. Best of all, there’s no cover and it’s open until 6am.

Bar Tonique

820 N Rampart Street, French Quarter

Located on the outskirts of the French Quarter near Treme, Bar Tonique is unlike any other classic cocktail bar in New Orleans. Instead of featuring a dimly-lit room or slightly-pretentious atmosphere, Bar Tonique can almost be considered a dive bar — but not quite. Although its atmosphere is more “neighborhood hangout” than “sophisticated speakeasy,” it still serves cocktails made using high-quality product, careful measurements and a well-balanced story. Friendly mixologists love chatting with patrons about the drinks, so feel free to ask questions and learn more about the New Orleans’ craft cocktail culture. And while most quality cocktail bars refrain from happy hour specials, Bar Tonique features a different craft cocktail each day served at $5. Where else in New Orleans can you get a cocktail for under $10 that isn’t drank from a solo cup or yardstick? Some of top drink choices to sample at Bar Tonique include the “Rampart,” featuring Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey, Aperol Apertivo, Averna Amaro, Fee Bros. Whiskey-Barrel Aged Bitters and lemon peel; the “Hot Whiskey Skin” made with Knappogue Castle 12 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey, sugar, hot water and clove-pierced lemon peel; and the “Blanche Dubois” crafted with Death’s Door Gin, Senior Curacao, house-made orgeat, strawberries, lemon juice and spearmint.

Celebration Distillery

2815 Frenchmen Street, St. Roch Neighborhood

One of only a handful of distilleries in New Orleans, Celebration Distillery is an artisanal distillery crafting the famous Old New Orleans Rum. It’s the perfect place for those who want to do some day drinking while also getting to know true New Orleans’ drinking culture. While most distilleries are essentially blending facilities, Celebration Distillery actually manufactures their rums from raw materials. They make a range of rum products, including the light-bodied “Crystal” white rum with sweet Louisiana sugar-cane molasses and pure vanilla; an “Amber” rum that blends three different rums with hints of oak & molasses and deep caramel notes; their “Cajun Spice” with hints of nutmeg and ginger and a kick of cayenne and cinnamon; a “10 Year Special Edition” (available only at the distillery); and their “Gingeroo” containing natural ginger that’s great for use in mixed drinks. Distillery tours of the distillery are offered daily Monday through Friday at 12pm, 2pm and 4pm. The tour is $10 per person including tastings and lasts about 45 minutes. Reservations are recommended.

Bourbon House

144 Bourbon Street, French Quarter

While technically on Bourbon Street, Bourbon House is a sophisticated venue at the beginning of the street, just off of canal, that will take you away from the debauchery of the road (although you’ll still have great people watching views from inside the venue). Along with fresh seafood and farm-to-table dishes (try their oysters topped with local caviar!), they offer over 100 bourbons, many of which are small batch and limited production labels like Michter’s Single Barrel 10 year, High West Son of Bourye, Parker’s 6th Edition, Hirsch Small Batch and Woodford Double, to name a few. For a personalized experience, tell your server what kinds of flavors you enjoy for a fitting recommendation, or sample a flight to find your favorite bourbon. Along with their bourbons, this Dickie Brennan establishment serves up craft cocktail creations like the “Streetcar,” featuring Gentleman Jack Bourbon, Cassis, blueberry compote, lime, and vanilla sweet water; the “Blood Orangeita” made with Dos Lunas Silver Tequila, Solerno Blood Orange, lemon and lime; and their “Frozen Bourbon Milk Punch” made with milk, bourbon, vanilla extract, simple syrup, vanilla ice cream and nutmeg which provides a creamy dessert drink with a kick.

Essential Travel Information

Getting Around

New Orleans is a fairly walkable city, even when you’re exploring neighborhoods outside of the French Quarter. That being said taxis are relatively affordable (United Cab: 504-522-9771), while the streetcar is just $1.25 each way or $3 for a day pass and features four different lines: St. Charles, Canal Street, the Riverfront and Loyola Street. Each originates from the downtown area but takes you to different parts of the city.

Where to Stay:

After staying here myself, I highly recommend the newly renovated Staybridge Suites New Orleans French Quarter Downtown. Room categories include studio suites, one bedroom suites and two bedroom suites, all with full kitchens, plush bedding, flat-screen television and well-lit workspaces. Moreover, it’s only a 15-minute walk from Bourbon Street, allowing you to experience the iconic attraction while still being far enough way that sleep isn’t impossible (trust me, Bourbon Street is loud no matter what time of day it is). Located in New Orleans’ Central Business District, it’s only a few blocks from the French Quarter, Superdome, New Orleans Arena, WW11 Museum, Aquarium, restaurants and shopping, Harrah’s Casino and the convention center. When you’re not out exploring, they also offer a range of complimentary amenities like an expansive daily breakfast buffet; dinner, wine, beer and soda social reception on Tuesdays through Thursdays from 5:30pm to 7:30pm; Wi-Fi; business center access, a fitness center; laundry facilities; local calls; and an outdoor pool.

For those who love a good deal, Staybridge Suites New Orleans French Quarter Downtown offers some great packages available through September 30, 2013:

• Casino Package: Includes two nights stay, $20 in casino tokens and the complimentary amenities listed above.
• Lagniappe Package: Includes two nights stay, a $25 gas card and the complimentary amenities listed above.
• 3 Nights In New Orleans Package: Include three nights stay starting at $94.99 and free parking.

SEE ALSO: Where To Eat, Drink, Party, And Shop In Berlin

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Lobbying groups for fraternities and sororities fought against various pieces of legislation that attempted to address hazing and sexual assault on campuses, according to an article by Bloomberg's David Glovin.

The article, which goes through several tragic stories of hazing-related deaths and the ensuing efforts to mitigate the practice, is worth a read in its entirety. But the most shocking takeaway is how Greek advocacy lobbyists have worked to stop governmental efforts to ostensibly make college safer.

Although the Fraternity and Sorority PAC — known as FratPAC— states on a partner website that it "supports candidates who promote legislation that encourages hazing mitigation," Glovin argues that the lobbying group works behind the scenes to make sure these bills never make it to the floor. 

"Traditional college fraternities" claim that national hazing legislation "would infringe on student rights and that existing state criminal laws are sufficient," Glovin reports.

One prominent FratPAC supporter told Bloomberg that "since fraternities and universities have strong anti-hazing policies, federal legislation isn’t needed."

Bloomberg's article also states that FratPAC lobbied against the U.S. Education Department when they tried to broaden the limits for investigating sexual assault.

"[When] the Education Department told colleges to require less evidence before responding to allegations of sexual assault, fraternity leaders were among those who met with department officials to complain that the new policy threatened student rights," Bloomberg reports.

We reached out to FratPAC for comment but have not heard back.

The graph below shows which fraternities and sororities most of FratPAC's funding comes from:

Read the full article at Bloomberg >

SEE ALSO: America's Most Intense Colleges

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Bottle & Bottega business partners Stephanie King-Myers and Nancy Bigley say that the hardest part about turning a small business into a franchise is finding the right people. 

"You have to be diligent about saying, ‘no.’ There are people who will want to buy into your brand, but we say ‘no’ more often than we say ‘yes,'" Bigley said. "It has to be the right person, and if we’re not comfortable with that person, it’s better to say no for the long-term. That’s tough when you’re trying to build."

Started by King-Myers as a mobile model in 2009, Bottle & Bottega brings art lessons and wine together in a single space (Bottega is an Italian word for a studio where a master artist paints and students come to learn).

The start-up quickly hired Bigley, a franchise industry veteran who has worked for corporations like Dunkin' Donuts and The Dwyer Group.

Within two years, Bottle & Bottega had undergone a name change (previously "Bottle & Brushes"), started franchising, and hugely over-performed: their three-year business projection paled in comparison to their actual growth. 

Though the duo has eight—soon to be nine—franchise and corporate studios under their belt, as they pursue "slow, but aggressive growth." 

King-Myers also weighed in on the challenges of working remotely, a trend gaining traction in some workplaces and losing ground in others. 

"The thing about it is, you have to be disciplined," King-Myers said. "You really have to set your hours and when you own your own business, you really have to make time for yourself to walk away from your business ... It’s great because you’re building something and watching it grow, but it’s so important to achieve that balance."

While King-Myers told Business Insider that she had no regrets about the pace of their growth, Bigley said that she wished for a few extra hands in the beginning stages. 

"We were really wearing ourselves thin," Bigley said. "You’re brand new, you have these projections and you’re exceeding the projections and then you think, ‘is this going to last?’ and the last thing you want to do is bring somebody on earlier than you anticipated and then things might not last, then all of the sudden you don’t need that person."

Bottle & Bottega has locations in Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, and Florida, though the team is on the cusp of domestic and international expansion. 

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In the minds of wealthy investors, $1 million is nothing to call home about.

According to a UBS survey released today, investors consider $5 million to be the new benchmark for financial success. Once you're past $5 million, you've truly reached financial independence and don't have to worry about how or where you spend it, they reason.

"It's about being able to do what you want to do when you want to do it," explains Emily Pachuta, Head of Investor Insights, UBS Wealth Management Americas.

Getting to that point is the hard part. Investors who weren't spooked by the recession have likely started making up for lost ground, but there are some who are so dubious of the market's ups and downs that they've increasingly turned to cold hard cash. Cash holdings have increased about 3% since 2010 to 23% of portfolios.

More findings from the study: 

Nearly 70% of investors with more than $1 million in investable assets do not consider themselves wealthy.

They're most concerned about saving for long-term health care, but providing for children and grandchildren comes a close second. 

Long-term care planning: only 33% are highly prepared and 36% are not prepared.

4,500 investors were surveyed, each with a minimum of $1 million in assets or available to be invested.

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Brad Hammonds has become something of a Flickr celebrity for "Falling Through Space," a series of photos that show him falling through the air in precarious poses.

Hammonds is an expat who lives in the Czech Republic and currently works as a teacher. He only pursues photography as a hobby, a fact that surprises many who have seen his impressive photos, which we first read about on Flickr's blog.

He photographs bodies (usually his own) falling in various positions and against numerous backdrops.  "The idea comes from the concept of emotional delay and how one can never truly experience the full sensation of any moment until it has already passed," said Hammonds in an email to Business Insider.

He alters the photos as little as possible, but in order to keep himself safe and have the images look as cool as they do, a little digital manipulation is required. Although many people try to guess how he does it, Hammonds won't reveal his secret.

"The most common question I get is 'how?' " he said. "I feel satisfied when a viewer asks me, 'didn't that hurt?' It lets me know I've succeeded."

Here you can see Hammonds on a bridge in a photo he's dubbed "Dive." He first became interested in photography while living in South Korea last year, and many of his other photos focus on travel.

Hammonds isn't the only star in these photos — here we can see a woman who looks as though she's about to fall into the water at any second.

For Hammonds, every minute detail is important. He considers lighting, background and wardrobe choices, among other things.

1. We’ll tell strangers anything.

You’ll often feel trapped. At work, you live in a 20-foot-long space — there’s nowhere to hide.

Unless you’re slammed, you’ll have no choice but to listen to every customer’s backstory, often from birth to present, and offer the appropriate comments in the appropriate places.

When a 47-year-old man asks you to read (all of) his ex’s text messages and intricately decipher what each one translates to in girl-speak, you’ll have to do that. And seeing as this man is probably a regular, and you’ve watched his relationship crumble in front of you over the past year anyway, you’ll probably be able to do this pretty accurately.

When a hipster nursing his PBR pounder flamboyantly tells you about the time, in the ’90s, when his best friend’s roommate saw Neutral Milk Hotel, you will actually have to acknowledge them. And that will be tough.

Housewives will parade in on their girls’ night out looking for a key lime martini and a person to vent to. Online daters will sit down awkwardly with an eye on the door, searching for a person they’ve only met in invisible land.

You’ll meet a slew of characters and listen to (or overhear) a million stories. There’s nowhere to run, so in turn you’ll play a character too.

2. We want to get personal.

Every shift, some interchangeable out-of-towner will ask you where you’re from. You’ll impress them by answering that you’re from a “small town in Maine” and it’s “on the Penobscot River” just “two hours north of here.”

Their head will tilt slightly to the side as their shoulders drop gently. In their eyes, your reply has shriveled you into a frail peasant girl who grew up milking a goat for her dinner.

You would think that your sudden reveal of your quaint upbringing in Central Maine would secure you a little extra on the tip. But you’re just dreaming — it’s 15 percent all the way.

3. We all want special treatment.

Everyone thinks they’re the exception to the rule. “It’s just 6:15, can’t we get happy hour?” No. “The third drink’s on the house, right?” No. “Come on, I just left my ID in the car.” Absolutely not, kid.

This is a business. Enough said.

4. We never want to be tourists.

At least once a shift, you’ll get an out-of-towner leaning over the bar with a hush-hush way about them. Under their breath they’ll ask you, “So where do the locals go?”

You might think, To my bed. At 2AM. After I eat an entire tray of nachos.

But instead, you’ll rattle off a list of local hotspots. The same ones you rattled off yesterday to that couple from Ohio.

But you might, just to shake things up, throw in that tavern down on Commercial, where your Uncle Steve has been sitting drinking Bud heavy since 1981, it’s karaoke night every night, and the place is lit by one single light bulb.

5. We’re afraid to try new things.

“How’s the Fish and Chips?!” they’ll ask as if they just found a hidden ruby on the menu. It’s fried fish, people. With French Fries. It can’t really be bad. But seriously, we have kimchi- and pecan-encrusted barbeque spare ribs on our menu, and you want pollock?

6. We’re all looking for an escape.

This won’t be as evident in what people tell you as it will be in how much they will drink in front of you. “I’m just gonna have one,” says the roofer just getting off work. “I’ve got shit to do tomorrow.”

Seven beers later he’s stayed an hour past closing and I now know the name and body type of every prom date he had in high school.

7. We want to be served.

It’s in the flick of the wrist, the tap of the glass, the stunned look when you tell them we don’t have White Zinfandel. We go to restaurants to be served. Where everything is taken care of.

On Saturday night, we visit a little personal paradise, where a fairy provides us with new silverware after every bite, everyone laughs at our jokes, and the obscure bourbon that we read about on the internet flows freely and everyone is impressed when we order it.

8. We just want to check out.

We don’t always want to be social. Sometimes we want to sit at the end of a bar, play Words with Friends against our mother, and drink a glass of Pinot Grigio alone. That’s not too much to ask.

In fact, as a bartender you’ll welcome these characters. The ones where it pains them to even tell you what they’re drinking. Because at many times, it pains you to even ask. You’re job is hyper-social, and any moment when you don’t have to entertain someone’s story gives you a breath all to yourself.

9. Math is hard for us.

“You poor girl! You’re busting your ass for these people,” a woman might say to you, looking up from her Coors Light. You might think, Sweet! Someone acknowledges how hard I’m working. What you don’t know is that that little comment right there, that was your tip. It was verbal. It felt good, right? That’s all you need.

While you’re mixing four drinks at once, inches away from where they’re sitting, in complete earshot, that same woman might show her 70-dollar check to her husband and ask him for some quick math advice. And he might answer her “Eight fifty.” It might take all the willpower you’ve harnessed to not put down the two shakers in each of your hands and ask, “Show me your work. How did you come up with that calculation?”

You’ll have to get used to this, it will happen often. Those people might even become regulars.

10. We’re all friendly people.

We go sit at a bar because we want to relax, be around familiar faces, and escape from the routine. It feels good to have someone pour you the usual and it feels good to be greeted by name. As a bartender, you learn the importance of these little comforts and it makes you happy to provide them to your customers.

There will be times when you might want to break a bottle over the counter and threaten someone with it, but for the most part your job is breezy. People keep coming back to see you because you’re fun, you make them laugh, and they genuinely enjoy your company. People are good, and for the most part they’ll treat you right.

And when you get a chance to sit on the opposite side, you’ll treat your bartender right too.

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Real estate blog Curbed Hamptons is reporting that Richard Gere has listed his North Haven home for a whopping $65 million.

The 6.3-acre estate, known as Strongheart Manor ,was built in 1902, and comes with two guest houses, an outdoor fireplace pavilion, and a dock that looks out on the water.

It's been renovated and expanded to include twelve bedrooms and over 12,000 square feet of space, and is currently available through Sotheby's International Realty.

And though the home is nice, we can't help but agree with Curbed Hamptons that the house is rather normal looking, and not worth the outrageous $65 million price tag.

Welcome to Richard Gere's $65 million Strongheart Manor.

Source: Sotheby's International Realty

It has over 12,000 square feet of space inside with three fireplaces.

Source: Sotheby's International Realty

Here's a look at one of the guest bedrooms with views of the ocean. There's also two additional guesthouses if you feel cramped.

Source: Sotheby's International Realty

Aston Martin is turning 100 this year, and it's having a whole lot of fun to mark the occasion.

After releasing a fleet of special edition cars and a 100-car parade on the world's scariest racetrack, the British luxury mark decided to up the ante.

So it headed out to Kensington Gardens, a London royal park, and hosted the largest single gathering of Aston Martin cars in history on Monday.

550 Aston Martins in one place, worth about £1 billion ($1.54 billion).

"Exclusivity is a key part of the Aston Martin mystique — we have made only around 65,000 cars in our entire 100-year history to date," said CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez. "To see so many of these rare beauties gathered together in London was a truly historic occasion."

Some cars were arranged along a boardwalk in chronological order, while others sat separately as part of themed displays. As many as 550 Aston Martin vehicles were in attendance and were worth up to $1.54 billion in total. 

The event was the culmination of a week-long program that is part of a full year of celebration in honor of the famous automaker's 100th birthday.

Entry to the event was free, and upwards of 50,000 Aston Martin owners, enthusiasts, and casual visitors were in attendance.

A centenary timeline display in chronological order dominated the boardwalk.

Attendees were able to see how Aston Martins have evolved over time.

It’s a plan so audacious many Chinese don’t even think it’s possible, but that didn’t stop Changsha-based construction company Broad Sustainable Building from breaking ground Saturday on the world’s next tallest building, to be completed in just nine month’s time.

The firm, a wholly owned subsidiary of Broad Group, initially set a goal of 90 days for the 208-floor, 838-meter (2,749-foot) Sky City tower. As nearly everyone predicted, however, that never panned out.

Saturday’s long overdue stone laying ceremony reignited suspicions about the project, with many Chinese saying they didn’t think the new plan for nine months of construction was possible either. By contrast, the world’s current tallest building, the 829.8-meter (2,722-foot) Burj Khalifa in Dubai, took five years to complete.

“Placing the emphasis on fast progress means sacrificing quality,” architect Lu Meng warned on China National Radio. “Human beings can’t always decide everything.”

His fears echoed those of many others who believe Broad Group is aiming for spectacle rather than structural integrity. China, after all, has experienced numerous infrastructure failures in recent years, largely blamed on rapid construction schedules.

Even the People’s Daily, the official mouthpiece of China’s ruling Communist Party, criticized the “blind worship” of ultra-high skyscrapers on its Sina Weibo account, China’s most popular microblogging platform. Research group Emporis predicts that China will boast four times as many skyscrapers as the U.S. within five years, and Broad Group hopes to redefine how they’re made.

The company -- whose founder Zhang Yue is said to have commissioned a classical palace and replica Egyptian pyramid on the firm’s corporate campus -- insists its first skyscraper project is sound. Yue issued an open letter on Broad Group’s website to address concerns, saying the construction will be so quick because 90 percent of the building is made from Lego-like units pre-fabricated in a factory, while just 10 percent involves on-site construction work.

Some 20,000 workers will spend four months producing the units, while 30,000 workers will finish fabricating them and complete other construction on-site for another four months. The entire project is estimated to cost $850 million (Burj Khalifa cost $1.5 billion) and is expected to be complete by next April for an opening date in June.

The resulting tower will be able to withstand a magnitude-9 earthquake, high winds and fire for more than three hours, according to its developer. The massive structure will contain six floors underground and 202 above to accommodate some 30,000 people transported by 104 high-speed elevators. The Sky City is meant to be just that, a city, with a vertical garden, schools, an elderly care center, malls, a hospital and offices, as well as apartments and hotels on the upper levels.

Broad Group gained worldwide attention two years ago when it constructed a 30-story hotel in just 15 days using similar prefabricated units stacked on top of each other. It announced plans for Sky City soon after, though construction has been delayed several times following claims that the initial 90-day plan was too ambitious and that the grounds on the edge of Changsha would not be able to support the immense weight. Interestingly, the South China Morning Post claimed there were still sheep grazing on the construction site on July 1.

Beyond the structural concerns of building a skyscraper so fast with relatively untested technology, others are worried the project is more ostentatious than practical given the current Chinese economic slowdown. The People’s Republic is already littered with newly constructed ghost towns and empty megamalls, including the world’s largest.

“The obsession with being number one is actually a manifestation of a lack of confidence,” columnist Wang Qi wrote in the People’s Daily earlier this week, according to a Bloomberg translation. "For example, in Europe and the U.S., no matter how vigorous their economies, they don’t madly pursue ‘the tallest building.’ The reason is that their strength does not need to be proved via ‘the tallest building’ and ‘the largest project,’ because they’ve already won the respect and admiration of small countries.”

China’s “tallest building” schemes are plentiful and ever-changing. Recently announced projects include the Shanghai Tower (632 meters/2,073 feet, due 2014), the Golden Finance 117 in Tianjin (597 meters/1,958 feet, due 2015), Ping An Finance Center in Shenzhen (660 meters/2,165 feet, due 2016), and the Greenland Center in Wuhan (636 meters/2,086 feet, due 2017). By contrast, the United States’ largest tower, the soon-to-open One World Trade Center, is just 541 meters (1,775 feet).

SEE ALSO: The Tallest Buildings In The World

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On Tuesday, a hot air balloon carrying 11 people caught fire and crashed into a lake in the Netherlands.

After the balloon caught fire, the driver steered the vehicle into Lake Gooi, near the Dutch city of Almere. The wind then dragged the basket along the water until it hit the shore, when witnesses and emergency services rushed over to help the passengers.

Fortunately, only two people were hurt with minor injuries.

Dutch police and the Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ETI) are still investigating the cause of the crash, according to SkyNews.

A passerby caught the whole thing on camera:

SEE ALSO: Chilling Video Of The Hot Air Ballon Crash In Egypt

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