The week of September 20-27 will see over 1,000 of the world's fittest athletes race for gold at the UCI Road World Championships, with historic Richmond, Virginia, playing host. This edition of road worlds, an event that leaves Europe only occasionally, offers a huge opportunity for US riders and fans.

It's only the second time they have been held on US soil — you have to go back 29 years to Colorado Springs, Colorado, for the first visit — and the US has an excellent shot at winning several medals, most notably in the elite women's road race with Wall Street analyst turned bike racer Evelyn Stevens and in the elite women's time trial with Olympic gold medalist Kristin Armstrong.

While the Tour de France is the world's most famous bicycle race, for many the road world championships are a more intriguing affair. Unlike the Tour, where just a handful of riders have a real chance at winning the overall and a few big-budget teams control the three-week race, road worlds are one-day events held at the end of a long, grueling season, and they are much more open and therefore more unpredictable.

It is not uncommon for Tour champions and stars of the sport to be beaten by so-called lesser riders. Winning the famous stripes, one of sports' greatest prizes, can land a rider a lucrative contract and make a career. To become champion you need world-class talent, endurance, racecraft, and motivation, but past winners and near winners alike will tell you that you need luck, too.

This year's eight-day, 12-race UCI Road World Championships will showcase over 1,000 cyclists from 75 countries. Each race crowns a new world champion, and each champion wears the rainbow jersey for a year until the next championships. Organizers in RVA expect 450,000 on-site spectators, with another 300 million people tuning in to see the races broadcast worldwide. Lending importance to this year's World Championships is next year's Olympics, because in Richmond we should get a preview of Rio 2016.

Scroll on for detailed course information, race schedules, the favorites, how to watch on TV and online, some insights into worlds' colorful history, and "the curse of the rainbow jersey."

Below is the complete schedule for the 2015 UCI Road World Championships

Sat., Sept. 19

Team Time Trial Training: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Time Trial Training: 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Sun., Sept. 20

Women’s Team Time Trial: 11:30 a.m. to 12:55 p.m.
Men’s Team Time Trial: 1:30 p.m. to 3:35 p.m.

Mon., Sept. 21

Women’s Junior Time Trial: 10:00 a.m. to 11:10 a.m.
Men’s Under-23 Time Trial: 11:30 a.m. to 3:50 p.m.

Tues., Sept. 22

Men’s Junior Time Trial: 9:30 a.m. to 1:05 p.m.
Women’s Elite Time Trial: 1:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.

Wed., Sept. 23

Men’s Elite Individual Time Trial: 1:00 p.m. to 3:35 p.m.

Thurs., Sept. 24

Road Circuit Training: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Fri., Sept. 25

Women’s Junior Road Circuit: 10:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.

Men’s Under-23 Road Circuit: 12:45 p.m. to 4:50 p.m.

Dominion Conquer the Cobbles Ride: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Sat., Sept. 26

Men’s Junior Road Circuit: 9:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Women’s Elite Road Circuit: 1:00 p.m. to 4:25 p.m.

Sun., Sept. 27

Men’s Elite Road Circuit: 9:00 a.m. to 3:40 p.m.

This map shows the 10-mile course for the circuit races — the elite men will race 161 miles and the elite women 80.5

The course is fast and technical with lots of turns and three punchy climbs in the last few miles. (See the profile below.)

"All road races will take place on a challenging, technical inner-city road circuit," organizers say. "The peloton heads west from Downtown Richmond, working their way onto Monument Avenue, a paver-lined, historic boulevard that's been named one of the '10 Great Streets in America,'" according to the official race website, Richmond2015.com. "Racers will take a 180-degree turn at the Jefferson Davis monument and then maneuver through the Uptown district and Virginia Commonwealth University.

"Halfway through the circuit, the race heads down into Shockoe Bottom before following the canal and passing Great Shiplock Park, the start of the Virginia Capital Trail. A sharp, off-camber turn at Rocketts Landing brings the riders to the narrow, twisty, cobbled 200-meter climb up to Libby Hill Park in the historic Church Hill neighborhood. A quick descent, followed by three hard turns leads to a 100-meter-long climb up 23rd Street. Once atop this steep cobbled hill, riders descend into Shockoe Bottom. This leads them to the final 300-meter-long climb up Governor Street. At the top, riders face a 680-meter false flat to the finish." See a bigger map here. Here's the schedule for the circuit races:

Thurs., 9.24.2015 | Road Circuit Training | 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Fri., 9.25.2015 | Women’s Junior Road Circuit | 10:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.

Fri., 9.25.2015 | Conquer the Cobbles Ride | 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Fri., 9.25.2015 | Men’s Under 23 Road Circuit | 12:45 p.m. to 4:50 p.m.

Sat., 9.26.2015 | Men’s Junior Road Circuit | 9:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Sat., 9.26.2015 | Women’s Elite Road Circuit | 1:00 p.m. to 4:25 p.m.

Sun., 9.27.2015 | Men’s Elite Road Circuit | 9:00 a.m. to 3:40 p.m.

These three spots will probably be the best places to watch the circuit races in person

Expect massive crowds on the trio of short, steep climbs that come near the end of each lap. Since the riders will be going (a bit) slower on the climbs, you'll get to see a little more of the action. But you'll want to arrive early.

When Adi Heyman was a teenager, she and her family converted to Judaism. After converting, they moved to Florida, where Heyman felt drawn to the tenets of “tzniut” — the Hebrew word for “secrecy” or “privacy,” and the word that describes the Orthodox Jewish tradition of dressing modestly.

That meant long skirts, long sleeves, and high necklines— even in the summer.

There was only one problem. Heyman, a freshman in high school, didn’t love the selection of clothing at the local Macy’s that fit that description. Much of those clothes were being marketed to women her mother’s — or even her grandmother’s — age.

“It was hard to know how I was supposed to dress,” Heyman remembers. “Am I supposed to buy a suit that a grown woman would wear? It seemed to be an impossible way of dressing for a teenager.”

Heyman subscribes to modern Orthodox Judaism.While she’s strict about following the Jewish mitzvot (commandments), the rules of modern Orthodox Judaism do not mandate that she cut herself off from the outside world — technology, pop culture, etc — as long as she can live within the guidelines of her religion, like going to temple, keeping a kosher diet, and dressing modestly.

Rather than settle for a boxy pant suit, Heyman decided to get creative. She sought out and repurposed vintage pieces with relaxed fits and longer lengths. A sleeveless dress could be fashionably paired with a turtleneck. Miniskirts were no longer so mini when she sewed on extra fabric or wore them with pants underneath.

Heyman, it turned out, had a major knack for style.

In 2010, she started a Facebook page called Fabologie to highlight modest looks on fashion runways. Five years later, it’s evolved into a blog with 100,000 monthly readers.

Photos of Heyman often pop up in the pages of the New York Times and Vogue, where she’s heralded for her chic looks.

Covered up in long dresses, ponchos, or voluminous skirts at New York Fashion Week, she fits in easily with the other fashionistas. Heyman, as a married Orthodox Jewish woman, never shows her hair, so she wears a blonde wig, complete with realistic roots.

Heyman is part of a growing community of Muslim, Christian, and Orthodox Jewish women who are using the internet to redefine what it means to dress modestly.

Thanks to social media, these women are able to connect through their mutual respect for religion and love for fashion, and inspire other women to do the same.

Yet at the same time, social media exposes them to the entire world — and all of the criticism that comes with being exposed. These women are well aware of those who question their lifestyle and who believe that religiously motivated codes of modesty unfairly oppress women.

“If you find modesty oppressive, it will be oppressive,” Heyman tells TI. “I was of the mindset, though, that said, 'let’s embrace this, let’s make it beautiful, let’s cheer on designers that are showing long skirts in New York Fashion Week, and let’s shop at Zara to show that modest skirts are mainstream.'”

Modesty has a different meaning depending on religion.

Modest Muslim women cover everything but their faces, hands, and feet. Orthodox Jewish women cover their elbows, knees, collarbone, and if they’re married, their hair. Modest Christian bloggers largely focus on making sure their knees and shoulders are covered. All these women also make sure whatever they wear isn’t too form-fitting.

But their objective remains the same: Respecting their religions comes with rules, and they want to make sure they follow those rules.

***

Before she started her company Haute Hijab in 2010, Melanie Elturk remembers “two Muslim fashion blogs … they weren’t even bloggers, they would just [alert other Muslim women] when there were skirts at Express with no slits,” she recalls. “I think there was a thirst for something that catered specifically to the modest girl.”

The hijab is an important part of a Muslim woman’s identity, said Elturk. “When somebody sees us [wearing a hijab],” she tells TI, “they immediately recognize us as somebody spiritual, someone who adheres to their faith.”

Haute Hijab started out as a place where Muslim women could buy fashionable hijabs. Where traditional hijabs are mostly black, Elturk created a line of colorful, patterned, more expressive pieces.

Elturk grew up in Detroit, Michigan, with a Lebanese Muslim father and Filipino Catholic mother. After her parents divorced when she was young, she was raised Muslim by her father, but only became truly religious later on in high school. By college, she stopped her previous practice of taking her hijab off on weekends and when visiting her mom. Dressing modestly and wearing the hijab had become a part of who she was.

“For me, it became so personal and I could never imagine taking it off,” she tells TI. “I really felt naked without it, like going outside without a shirt on.”

Today, the Haute Hijab Facebook page has nearly 200,000 likes and her online fashion brand has expanded beyond hijabs to skirts, dresses, and shirts that follow Islam’s code of modesty. She also emphasizes solidarity with other modest women.

“When I started [wearing my] hijab at the age of 13, what made it so easy was that I had a best friend in high school with me [also wearing hers],” she tells TI, explaining why she’s so passionate about supporting young Muslims who also wear the hijab. “If I didn’t have her, it would have been so much more difficult.”

***

Brooklyn-based sisters-in-law Mushky Notik and Mimi Hecht launched their Chassidic fashion label in 2012 after becoming dissatisfied with the fashion options available to them — especially in the summer when dressing modestly can become “particularly frustrating.”

Their line — Mimu Maxi— wasn’t just popular with Orthodox Jews, but customers of all faiths.

“We just want to make amazing pieces,” Mimi Hecht tells Tech Insider. “Yeah, they cover … but anyone could love it and wear it and look fabulous in it.”

Notik adds that some of Mimu Maxi’s customers don’t even realize the pair run a modest fashion company aligning with the rules of their faith until they find the website. “They just discover us on Instagram!”

But again, their work comes with a different set of controversies and considerations maybe not always present in other fashion companies.

In 2014, the women sent a lime green maxi skirt to Summer Albarcha, a Muslim fashion blogger at the site Hipster Hijabis, and then posted an image of Albarcha wearing the skirt on the Mimu Maxi Instagram account. (See the photo above.)

Some of Hecht and Notik’s fans were critical of their collaboration with a Muslim woman, but the Mimu Maxi co-founders stood by their decision to support and highlight women of all faiths who are active in the modest blogger community. 

***

Of course, on the internet, there will always be detractors.

When modest Christian blogger Elizabeth Roy of Downtown Demure created a blog post called “Modesty Test: Ask the Dudes” that requested Christian men’s opinions on what types of clothing would be considered immodest, she didn’t expect it to receive backlash.

But some people said Roy was putting too much emphasis on male approval.

“[They] completely ripped it to shreds and really bashed my blog,” Roy says. “That was surprising. I didn’t really realize how many people were against modesty and against the call for modesty.”

Women’s rights and feminism have become very front-and-center topics over the last several years.

Every day there’s a new story calling attention to the gender pay gap, or a company’s need for more females at its highest levels of management.

We speak out about men harassing women as they walk down the street. And we talk about our longtime widespread acceptance of many public school dress codes, wherein young women are told they must wear shorts, dresses, or tank tops of a specific length as to not distract "other pupils." (Read: young men.)

While we may have accepted those rules in the past, the world is changing.

Now these young women — using the same social platforms Heyman, Elturk, Hecht, Notik, and Roy all use to celebrate their modesty — are asking why they need to feel shamed into covering up. 

It’s not surprising that these religious yet fashionable bloggers are often looked at as part of the “problem” — that they’re feeding into a set of rules enforced by the patriarchy, and that they could liberate themselves more by ditching modest dressing all together.

But others would argue that by being able to express creativity within the guidelines of conservative religion is still revolutionary for Heyman, Elturk, Hecht, Notik, Roy, and dozens of women just like them; that they’re practicing their own form of feminism, while still practicing their faith.

***

Then there are those who don’t think these women are modest enough.

“Every once in awhile we’ll get some crazy comments on social media like, ‘you shouldn’t even be showing photos of women,’ or ‘you shouldn’t be wearing pants,” Elturk tells TI. She says those commenters are mostly people from overseas who believe in “hardcore right-wing Islam[ic]” rules that Elturk says she doesn’t adhere to.

These comment section controversies often remind these women that they aren’t blogging in a bubble; that there will always be someone more religiously observant who takes issue with what they’re doing online.

“When you grow up [in a country] where everyone is Muslim, you cannot compare that to growing up Muslim in America,” Elturk says of those who criticize her. “It’s so different … and so I don’t even respond. I could explain to them until they’re blue in the face, but they just don’t get it. They don’t understand what it’s like to be an American Muslim.”

Despite the criticism, it’s undeniable — these women are inspiring their readers and customers to express themselves and their religion through fashion. Every woman we spoke with said the feedback they get is overwhelmingly positive. Women around the world thank them not only for daily style inspiration, but for removing the burden of figuring out how to honor God — whatever and whoever that word means to them — while being themselves.

“Fashion — as much as I am a champion of it and I focus on it — really is a superficial thing,” Roy explained to TI. “It’s just clothing at the end of the day. But it’s amazing how a common passion, this interest in modest fashion, can help bring together women of different beliefs.”

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Every guy dreams of having the perfect man cave, a place where he can put up his feet, relax, and do whatever he wants.

We've put together a list of items that will make the place look classy, keep it entertaining, and transform it into a prime space for relaxation.

From a pool table made from the parts of a Ford Mustang to drinking glasses that won't ever spill, here are 16 items that can take your man cave to the next level.

SEE ALSO: An engineer spent 3 years building the ultimate high-tech man cave

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This coffee table book is one you'll actually want to read.

"Top Gear: The Cool 500: The Coolest Cars Ever Made" recounts the stories behind history’s best cars, from vintage motors to the supercars of the future.

The book weaves together rare archive photographs with commentary from the "Top Gear" staff to break down the technology behind how cars work.

"Top Gear: The Cool 500: The Coolest Cars Ever Made," $29.25, available on Amazon.

This ice set keeps drinks chilled without watering them down.

If you prefer ice in your drinks, use this mold maker to create ice balls that won't melt as quickly as cubes.

Just pour water in the night before and let it cool to make a classy ice display for your glass of Scotch.

Home-Complete Ice Ball Maker Mold - 4 Whiskey Ice Balls -Premium Round Spheres Tray, $6.99 for one tray and $9.99 for two trays, available on Amazon.

This decanter makes for an elegant table display.

To take your man cave from fratty to classy, add a decanter.

The stylish piece looks elegant when serving liquor, and its design is sure to catch attention.

Wine Savant Whisky & Wine Sail Ship Etched Globe Spirits Decanter, $26.95, available on Amazon.

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Unfortunately, flight delays are as unavoidable as they are unpredictable. While annoying enough at the best of times, they can have a disastrous domino effect for anyone with connecting flights.

Travelzoo used statistics from the Bureau of Transportation to determine what time of day is the best for avoiding flight delays.

They found that early flights tend to be the most on-time: Flights scheduled between 6am and 10am generally have delays under 10 minutes.

Flight delays tend to increase later in the day, peaking at almost 20 minute-delays around 6pm, after which they taper off slightly.

Saturday flights are said to be less delayed, with Fridays having the highest chances of delayed flights — around 30% of Friday flights depart behind schedule.

Check out Travelzoo's video below.

SEE ALSO: 8 ways to avoid paying an airline change fee

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After the wedding is over, every newlywed couple has to make a number of changes to start their new life together. 

Some cities in America are more conducive to those changes than others.

Rent.com has identified the 15 best cities in America for newlyweds by looking at the population of married adults and millennials, affordability of two-bedroom homes, crime rates, and the area's dining, culture, and entertainment offerings.

Here are the best places in America to spend your honeymoon phase.

SEE ALSO: Here's why Melbourne, Australia, is the best place to live in the world

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15. Alexandria, Virginia

Median Rent (Two-Bedroom): $2,600

Median Household Income: $82,856

14. Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky

Median Rent (Two-Bedroom): $775

Median Household Income: $48,637

13. Fort Collins, Colorado

Median Rent (Two-Bedroom): $1,100

Median Household Income: $50,316

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Getting to the Hamptons can be a real drag on the 1%. 

Blade, an aviation startup cofounded by former Sony and Warner Music Group exec Rob Wiesenthal and GroupMe cofounder Steve Martocci, aims to make it a little easier on you. 

Blade uses an app to crowdsource flights on helicopters and seaplanes that you can book seats on in an instant. Rather than have you spend hours on a slow train or in a cramped car, Blade's flights promise to get you out to the Hamptons in just 40 minutes. 

Destinations include Quogue, Southampton, East Hampton, Montauk, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and Cape Cod. You can even snag a seat on a helicopter going to one of the New York area airports, a five-minute ride the company calls Blade Bounce. 

Tickets range from $395 to $695 for a trip from Manhattan to the Hamptons, Blade's most popular destination. For a few hundred more dollars, you can do a custom charter flight to a destination of your choice, and you can even choose to fly on a faster aircraft if you'd like. 

Socialites, celebrities, and elite businessmen are catching on — Laura Prepon, Jon Hamm, and Olivia Palermo are just a few of the big names that have been spotted in one of Blade's three luxury lounges in Manhattan. 

Blade completed a $6 million Series A funding round in May of this year. Google chairman Eric Schmidt, Discover Communications CEO David Zaslav, IAC's Barry Diller, Alex von Furstenberg, Raine Ventures, and iHeart Media chairman Bob Pittman all contributed to the startup's most recent round. 

We wanted to see what the fuss was about, so Blade treated us to a trip to the Hamptons on a recent evening. 

SEE ALSO: The 'Uber of seaplanes' is taking elite New Yorkers to the beach

Our journey began in Blade's 34th Street lounge, where we found a comfortable setup of couches and stools along a sleek bar. Several men were already making themselves comfortable when we arrived. The average Blade client is 31 years old, and 55% are male. They come from a variety of industries, from finance and real estate to tech. "You can't beat the on-demand aspect," Jarrett, a Blade customer who works in Manhattan real estate, told me.

Customer experience (or C/X in Blade lingo) representatives Jessica Rooney and Erin Mulcahy were there to help. They're wearing uniforms that were custom designed by Jimmy Choo founder Tamara Mellon just for Blade. There are two separate uniforms: a denim romper that retails for $695 and a white jumpsuit that costs $895. Both are available for purchase on Mellon's site or at her pop-up shop in Southampton.

Check out Tamara Mellon »

Once you check in, you'll get a wristband that corresponds to your flight.

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Knowing how to greet someone when visiting another country can help you avoid an awkward encounter. 

From bowing in Japan to kissing on the cheek three times in the Ukraine, here is how you say hello in 12 countries around the world.

France: Kiss on each cheek

The common greeting in France is kissing on the cheek. Typically, it will be two kisses but the number of kisses can vary depending on the region.  As a common starting point, offer your right cheek and let the other person lead.

Japan: A bow 

In Japan, the preferred way to greet someone you're meeting is to bow to one another.

Argentina: Kiss on the right cheek

In Argentina, lightly press your cheek against the right cheek of another for a light kiss. 

The Philippines: Mano

When greeting elders, take their hand and press their knuckles against your forehead as a sign of respect.

Russia: A firm handshake

In Russia, a firm handshake is the standard way for men to greet one another in public.

Tibet: Sticking your tongue out

This tradition dates back to the 9th century and references the Tibetan king Lang Darma, who was known for his evil ways and had a black tongue. People still greet each other this way today.

India: Namaste 

This greeting is carried out by placing your hands together in a praying position with your fingers pointed upwards and bowing slightly when you say "Namaste." 

Ukraine: A triple kiss

Don’t pull back after a kiss on each cheek in Ukraine. Here, the custom is to kiss cheeks three times — left, right, left— to say hello.

Thailand: Wai 

Place your palms together at your chest and bow your head so that your thumbs touch your chin and your fingertips touch your forehead.

Greenland: Kunik

This one is a greeting typically done with those you’re close with. To perform it, place your nose and upper lip against the cheek or forehead of the other person and take a breath.

Botswana: An elaborate handshake

To say hello in Botswana, extend your right hand and take the other person’s hand in a typical handshake position.  Next, grip the other person's hand so that your thumbs interlock and raise your right arm up. Finally, return to the handshaking position for one more shake.

When breaking the handshake, you will do the handshake again, click the thumbs together and sometimes bring your arm to your heart as a sign of connection. 

New Zealand: Hongi (touching noses)

Known as hongi, this traditional Māori greeting in New Zealand is done by pressing your nose and forehead to another person's at the same time. 

SEE ALSO: 5 cultural faux pas Americans make while traveling abroad

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It's been 14 years since the attacks of September 11, 2001. But for millions of Americans, haunting memories of that day are still fresh, and many lives were changed forever. 

On 9/11, terrorists hijacked four planes and were able to crash two of them into the World Trade Center's twin towers in New York and one into the Pentagon.

The remaining jet crashed in Pennsylvania when passengers overpowered the hijackers.

A day that started out with clear blue skies ended with a mass of twisted, smoldering metal where the Twin Towers once stood, leaving 2,977 people dead in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, along with the 19 hijackers.

"14 years after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, we honor those we lost," Barack Obama wrote on Twitter on Friday morning. "We salute all who serve to keep us safe. We stand as strong as ever."

September 11 happened over a decade ago. The Washington Post's Aaron Blake tweeted that a quarter of Americans are too young to remember it. I have three kids who have no memory of it at all — they weren't born yet.

But we certainly don't want to forget, even as we get on with our lives. So in memory of that day, here are 20 images that capture what no American should forget. And as someone living in New York City at the time, here's what it was like to witness the tragedy as it unfolded.

The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were a familiar sight to New Yorkers. For decades, you looked up, and they were there. It was a reassuring sight. I visited the towers many times and gazed upon them many more.

On the morning of September 11, I had just finished voting in Brooklyn when I looked up and saw that one of the towers was on fire. Just a few minutes later, a second plane crashed into the other tower. Something was very wrong.

President George W. Bush was at a school event when he was informed. The expression on his face says it all. No one in the government knew how serious the threat was.

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Psychologists call it "thin slicing." 

Within moments of meeting people, you decide all sorts of things about them, from status to intelligence to promiscuity.

If you're trustworthy

People decide on your trustworthiness in a tenth of a second. 

Princeton researchers found this out by giving one group of university students 100 milliseconds to rate the attractiveness, competence, likeability, aggressiveness, and trustworthiness of actors' faces.

Members of another group were able to take as long as they wanted. While other traits differed depending on time spent looking, trustworthiness was basically the same.

If you're high-status

A Dutch study found that people wearing name-brand clothes — Lacoste and Tommy Hilfiger, to be precise — were seen as higher status than folks wearing non-designer clothes. 

"Perceptions did not differ on any of the other dimensions that might affect the outcome of social interactions," the authors wrote. "There were no differences in perceived attractiveness, kindness, and trustworthiness." 

Just status.

If you're straight or gay

People can read a man's sexual orientation in a twentieth of a second — the minimum amount of time it takes to consciously recognize a face. 

"The rapid and accurate perception of male sexual orientation may be just another symptom of a fast and efficient cognitive mechanism for perceiving the characteristics of others," wrote study authors Nicholas O. Rule and Nalini Ambady.

Well-written literature transports us to and helps us experience faraway places that we've never been to but would love to visit.

From the classics to more modern stories, there are plenty of travel books out there to feed your wanderlust.

We've rounded up some of the best stories out there, written by authors who have traveled across America, Africa, Asia and more.

SEE ALSO: 30 movies that will inspire you to travel the world

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'On the Road,' Jack Kerouac

A classic — and probably one of the best-known travel stories of all time — "On the Road" chronicles the journey of Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty, two "beats" who head west from New York City across the country during the 1950s in search of fulfillment.

It's not about where the two end up, it's about the journey that gets them there.

Buy it here >

'The Great Railway Bazaar,' Paul Theroux

First published in 1975, "The Great Railway Bazaar" is the perfect book for lovers of train travel.

Author Paul Theroux chronicles his grand and unique journey via train from London through Europe, the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia; Theroux rides on everything from the Orient Express to the Trans-Siberian Express. 

Buy it here >

'Into the Wild,' Jon Krakauer

In order to write "Into the Wild," Jon Krakauer retraced the steps of Chris McCandless to figure out the story behind his death.

McCandless made his way from Virginia up to Alaska all on his own without many of the resources most travelers use. It's a sad story, but one of a traveler looking for himself and for freedom.

Buy it here >

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Whether you want to relive the glamour  of the Roaring Twenties or just want to see what life is like for a Russian billionaire, this $100 million property on New York's Long Island has got you covered.

First built in 1928, this 8-acre Long Island estate has all of the modern luxuries you would hope to get in a home of that price.

"This is truly a premier residence that offers the discerning buyer immense privacy less than an hour away from New York City," listing agent Diane Polland said in a press release announcing the $100 million listing. 

The estate was previously owned by Tamir Sapir, a Russian émigré who made his fortune in New York real estate. He died in 2014.

The current owner, whose identity is shrouded in mystery by a limited liability corporation, bought the estate in 2013 for $15.85 million, but they never moved in. 

SEE ALSO: America's most expensive home for sale just got a gigantic price chop

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One of the largest and most expensive homes on Long Island's North Shore is up for sale again.

Located in the village of Kings Point, the 8-acre estate lies about 25 miles from Manhattan.

Much of that acreage is taken up by manicured lawns and gardens. Long, winding driveways lead to the several different structures situated on the property.

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The NFL has some secrets that even the biggest football fans may not know.

Produced by Jenner Deal.

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Completed in 1973, the original World Trade Center complex was dubbed a "dream come true" by Governor Nelson Rockefeller at the official ribbon cutting ceremony on April 4.

After the September 11, 2011 terrorist attacks left a hole in New York's skyline, ideas started spewing about what and how to rebuild.

Years later, One World Trade stands in its place. It's not just the Western Hemisphere's tallest building — it has also become a symbol of American pride.

See how the original World Trace Center evolved into today's Freedom Tower after the attacks of 9/11. 

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Construction on the original towers began in February 1967 with less than a $500 million budget. Architect Minoru Yamasaki designed two 110-story tall towers that were to be constructed as hollow structures supported by steel columns.

Source: New York State Education Department, History.com

The Port Authority and New Jersey Engineering Department aided in the complex's construction. Over 10,000 workers were involved in the building of the complex, which included both towers and a five-acre outdoor plaza with a 25-foot-tall Fritz Koenig sculpture.

Source: New York State Education Department, History.com

There were 43,600 windows in the twin towers and over 600,000 square feet of glass. Each building accommodated 50,000 workers and around 200,000 daily visitors.

Source: New York State Education Department, History.com

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Business Insider is looking for a paid intern to work on our Strategy section.

BI interns spend their time researching, writing, pitching, and producing stories, and they get an author byline for every post they write. They also help editors find irresistible stories from our partners — including The Atlantic, Slate, Inc., and Entrepreneur— to share with our readers.

We're looking for people who are ambitious, smart, funny, fast, and consume huge amounts of digital media. You should be comfortable working on multiple stories per day and building your own audience and personal brand through social media.

Ideal candidates will be insatiably curious about the psychology of success, how to get ahead in your career, how women can have it all, whether college is worth it, the management science behind companies like Google and Facebook, and the habits of rock-star businesspeople like Warren Buffett and Sara Blakely. 

When it comes to qualifications, a journalism background and experience writing for a news site always helps, as do copy-editing skills and light HTML and Photoshop experience. Knowledge of social media and previous writing experience are both useful, too.

APPLY HERE with your cover letter and resume if interested.

Please note that this internship requires that you work in our Manhattan office. The internship term runs for approximately six months, with some flexibility on start and end dates. Interns are encouraged to work full-time (40 hours a week) if their schedule allows.

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After much teasing, Bentley's Bentayga SUV is finally here. The British luxury automaker released official photos of the first off-roader in the company's century-long history this week. The Bentayga will make its official world debut later this month at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show.

The Bentayga will join the Continental GT, Flying Spur, and the flagship Mulsanne in its lineup. With luxury SUVs now a must-have for high-end automakers, companies such as Rolls-Royce and Lamborghini have announced plans to jump into the market.

The Bentayga is the first of the three ultra-luxury SUVs to arrive over the next year or so. Bentley chairman Wolfgang Dürheimer told Business Insider earlier this year that the company will build 3,600 Bentaygas in its first year — and that the company has more orders from the US alone.

The 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show will run from September 17 to 27.

SEE ALSO: Rolls-Royce is calling this the 'sexiest' car it has ever built

The Bentley Bentayga is the first SUV to emerge from the hyper-luxury brands of the world.

The Bentayga gets its name of the Roque Bentayga, a rock formation in the Canary Islands.

Together with the Lamborghini Urus and ...

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For any tennis fan living in New York, the first two weeks of September are the greatest of the year. The world's most elite tennis players come to Queens to compete in the final, most electric Grand Slam of the year: the US Open.

I've attended in the past, but have never lived in New York until this year, meaning I could go mid-week rather than planning a weekend trip around the tournament.

I bought a night-session ticket a month in advance for about $40 — and only later did I find out that the US Open was featuring free-grounds-admission day on the second Thursday of the tournament, a first in Open history.

Grounds admission doesn't grant access into Arthur Ashe Stadium, where the headliners play. The day would mostly feature doubles matches and juniors, and the tennis center would likely be claustrophobically packed with fans. Regardless, I had to capitalize on this freebie.

Having already been to the night session during week one of play and scouted out the grounds, I felt prepared to do this day on the cheap.

I spent $5.50 on transportation and splurged on a $15 souvenir, and it was the farthest $20.50 has ever gone for me.

Here's what I got to see:

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I woke up to dark skies, wet streets, and an inevitable rain delay at the Open, but the ominous weather would end up working in my favor.

With no indoor courts and an incomplete retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium, rain would mean no tennis for the day, but I decided to trek from my home in Manhattan to Queens anyway. I put $5.50 on my Metro Card — enough for a round trip — and headed out around noon.

A little under an hour later, the 7 train dropped me off right at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens. Normally, the boardwalk to the courts is packed — but not today.

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On the outside, this giant fruit resembles something out of the Jurassic era and smells like sweet, rotting onions.

But don't be fooled: The fruit, known as a jackfruit, is being hailed as a "miracle" crop that could save millions from starvation. And the unique fruit inside of it is just the beginning of the jackfruit's many wonders.

Jackfruit is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world — one fruit can weigh between 10 to 100 pounds and contain hundreds of seeds that are rich in protein, potassium, calcium, and iron — all of which are important for bodily growth.

This enigmatic fruit is native to South and Southeast Asia; it is rare to find jackfruit in the United States. Luckily, Chinatown in Manhattan sells whole, fresh jackfruit.

To get a first-hand look at this leathery, prickly food, Business Insider trekked from Flat Iron to Chinatown where we spotted a jackfruit being offered by one of the many street vendors. The vendor was selling it for $2.50 per pound.

It is common to purchase freshly-sliced jackfruit by the pound, but we were on a mission to learn everything we could about this monster fruit, so we bought the whole, uncut 10 pounds of it.

Here's more about the strange but beneficial fruit.

'It's a miracle'

Nyree Zerega is a plant biologist at the Chicago Botanic Garden who has studied the genetic diversity of jackfruit tress in Bangladesh.

"In Bangladesh, where jackfruit is the national fruit, it is often considered the second-most important crop after mangos," Zerega told Business Insider. "And if you have space to grow something, you almost always have a jackfruit tree — due to both its valuable fruits and timber."

Besides food, the jackfruit tree provides some of the following:

• The leaves from jackfruit trees can be a source of food for goats and other farm animals.
• The bark has an orange color, shown in the picture to the right, that was traditionally used as a dye for monk's robes.
• The trees produce a sticky latex substance that can be used as glue.
• Wood from the trees can be sold or used as timber.

As popular as jackfruit is in Bangladesh, it is avoided in India, where it is thought to have originated and where it could bring copious amounts of food to millions of people who are starving and malnourished. That's why the jackfruit tree — which can grow up to 150 jackfruits over the two harvest seasons it typically has each year — is so important.

A single jackfruit can yield hundreds of the small, yellow, fruit lobes (or bulbs) — each of which contain a highly nutritious seed. The fruit itself is a good source of Vitamin C while the seeds are rich in protein, potassium, calcium, and iron. About one-fifth of a pound of the fruit has approximately 95 calories.

"It's a miracle. It can provide so many nutrients and calories – everything," Shyamala Reddy, who is a biotechnology researcher at the University of Agriculture Sciences in Bangalore, India, told The Guardian earlier this year.

"If you just eat 10 or 12 bulbs of this fruit, you don't need food for another half a day."

Dry it, fry it, juice it, BBQ it — just don't let it go bad

A single fruit could feed your family for an entire meal, Zerega told Business Insider. That's partly due to its size, but also because of the many different ways that people have learned to prepare the jackfruit. It can either be eaten ripe, when it is soft, fruity, and delicious, or unripe, when it resembles more of a potato.

In Bangladesh and other parts of Southeast Asia, jackfruit is served in dozens of ways. Jackfruit curry, stir fry, juice, chips, ice cream, and even baking flour — made from drying and grinding the seeds or fruit — are just a few examples of jackfruit’s remarkable versatility in the kitchen.

However, jackfruit does not keep for more than a few weeks after harvest, Zerega said, so a good way to preserve it (if you're not going to make a jackfruit feast like the one in the photo below) is to store it in cans or dry it out into chips.

Here’s a table displaying over a dozen different styles of jackfruit preparation:

Though jackfruit is still widely unknown in the US, it is cropping up in the vegan and vegetarian communities because of the flavor that unripened jackfruit adopts after an hour or so of cooking, which resembles that of pulled pork.

Zerega hasn’t tried the increasingly popular BBQ jackfruit sandwich, but some of us at Business Insider did, and you can see our assessment in the video below!

A growing movement

While millions of households in Vietnam, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and elsewhere across South and Southeast Asia are incorporating the jackfruit into their dishes, India remains reluctant.

Reportedly, up to 75% of jackfruit grown in India goes to waste partly because the fruit goes bad if it's not eaten or preserved within a few weeks.

But more than that, jackfruit has a bad reputation to overcome.

"Historically, jackfruit has a reputation for being a poor man's fruit," Zerega said. "It's not the kind of thing that many people would ever think of buying because it grows everywhere in certain parts of India."

Fortunately for the fruit, it has a growing number of fans advocating for it, trying to raise awareness for its nutritional value.

"My country is silently allowing [the] lion’s share of our jackfruits to rot," Shree Padre, who lives in the Indian state of Kerala, told Business Insider in an email. "This disturbed me."

Padre is the editor of a 27-year-old Indian magazine called "Adike Patrike" and over the last six years he has orchestrated 16 issues dedicated to the jackfruit. Padre also helps organize jackfruit festivals in India.

"Countries like Vietnam, Philippines, and Malaysia are minting money from jackfruit. Sri Lanka proudly calls it [the] 'tree of rice'," Padre said. "But ironically, in [the] motherland of jackfruit, we still haven’t understood jackfruit's importance."

The future of jackfruit in India

Because of its versatility, Padre estimates that farmers in India could earn about $151 per jackfruit tree because of all the different products you can make with its bark, fruit, natural latex, and more.

"It has five raw-materials in one," he said. "No other crop of the world will come near to the number of products and recipes that can be made from jackfruit."

One jackfruit tree could bring in more than half the average monthly income for an Indian worker, which is $295, according to the International Labor Organization. (The average American monthly income is $3236.)

What’s more, jackfruit trees are generally easier and cheaper to cultivate than other popular staples like wheat and corn because they don't have to be replanted every year, Zerega said.

"As long as it's growing in a climate that is conducive to its survival ... jackfruit is relatively easy to maintain," she told Business Insider.

However, for India, making a business out of selling jackfruit like the Vietnamese have done will be difficult, at first, which is why India locals should first focus on eating the fruit

Zerega says that harvesting and processing jackfruit is currently very laborious with little mechanization, and while farming and exporting jackfruit could grow to be a lucrative business for India in the future, it is also important to focus on it as a valuable food source within the country.

"A lot of underutilized crops like jackfruit have a ton of potential to produce food more locally and more sustainable, so there's not as much reliance on imports from other countries. This local market development is important to focus on," Zerega said. "But ultimately they can also provide countless opportunities as valuable export products."

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Jackfruit is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world. It has been called a "miracle" fruit because it provides so many nutrients and calories and is relatively easy and cheap to cultivate. 

The fruit tastes like a cross between a pear and pineapple when ripe but more like a potato when immature. Perhaps the most popular way to eat jackfruit in the US is to cook it for a few hours at which point it takes on both the texture, flavor, and look of pulled pork. We tried the raw fruit alongside some barbecue jackfruit, ordered from Candle Cafe, to see if it lives up to its reputation

Produced by Alex Kuzoian

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Housing eats up a lot of our paycheck, but just how much?

We turned to the Economic Policy Institute to find out, which recently released a 2015 Family Budget Calculator measuring the annual cost of necessities to live a secure yet modest lifestyle.

The calculator estimates the costs of housing, food, child care, transportation, healthcare, other necessities, and taxes.

In this case, we looked specifically at the how much the EPI estimates a family of four and single people are paying for monthly rent in the most expensive metropolitan areas in the US.

Housing costs are based on the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) fair market rents, and include shelter and all tenant-paid utilities (excluding telephone service, cable, and internet). Studio apartments were used for one-person households, and two-bedroom apartments were used for families with two children.

(Read the full methodology for the budget calculator on the EPI website.)

Of course, if you're looking to buy in a major metro, that may cost you more. As for renting, here's how much you can expect to pay per month in the 11 most expensive metro areas in the US:

SEE ALSO: Here's how much it costs for a family to live in 20 major US cities

11. Santa Rosa

Monthly cost of housing:

4-person family: $1,251

Single person: $820

10. San Diego-Carlsbad

Monthly cost of housing:

4-person family: $1,354

Single person: $939

9. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim

Monthly cost of housing:

4-person family: $1,398

Single person: $896