Roger Federer is skipping the clay season so that he can be as fit and fresh as possible for the 2018 Wimbledon Championships.

Even at 36, Federer continues to marvel on the courts, and he triumphed at the first major of the year, the Australian Open.

But to maintain his sporting dominance, Federer has to eat right. So what sort of food does a 20-time Grand Slam tennis champion eat?

Here's everything Federer likes to have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

SEE ALSO: People are asking who would win in a match between Roger Federer and Serena Williams — and the winner is clear

DON'T MISS: This is the one record Roger Federer has set that future tennis players will struggle to beat

This is 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer, who is widely considered as the best male tennis player of all time.

To start his day, Federer prefers to go sweet rather than savoury and reportedly enjoys homemade waffles with a fresh fruit compote on the morning of a match.

Source: The Guardian

To wash the waffles down, Federer has fresh juice, coffee, and a vinegar shot.

Source: The Guardian

Just hours after giving birth to her third child with Prince William, Kate Middleton made a fabulous public appearance dressed in a red Jenny Packham dress— the same designer she wore after giving birth to Prince George in 2013, and Princess Charlotte in 2015. 

And it's no coincidence that the Duchess ended up wearing the same designer to mark the special occasions: For many years, Jenny Packham has flawlessly tended to Middleton's exquisite taste in the form of regal gowns and sophisticated garments.

Take a look back at some of Middleton's most memorable ensembles created by her favorite designer.

In June 2011, the Duchess of Cambridge sparkled in a dreamy blush gown at the ARK (Absolute Return for Kids) 10th Anniversary Gala Dinner.

The glamorous number, dripping in metallic embellishments, had an iridescent quality.

Wearing a pale yellow frock, Middleton arrived at the Calgary Airport in Canada for the eighth day of the Royal Tour in July 2011.

Middleton accompanied her ladylike ensemble with a pair of classic nude heels.

In a vibrant teal gown, Middleton attended an event for Our Greatest Team ahead of the London 2012 Summer Olympics in May of that year.

Lacy cap sleeves and a billowing pleated skirt made this Packham dress an adventurous selection for Middleton.

• The United States is home to many different regions and subregions, and there's plenty of debate over which region certain states fall in.
• The US Census Bureau has used the same regional definitions since 1950.
• The bureau divides the US into four regions — Northeast, Midwest, South, and West — and nine subregions.

The United States is home to several different regions and subregions, each with its own unique history and culture.

But it's not always clear where one region ends and another begins. There's no consensus on whether the Dakotas are part of the Midwest, for example, or if Arkansas belongs to the South.

Luckily, we have the US Census Bureau, which has classified American regional divisions for more than 100 years. Since the 1950 Census, the bureau has used the same arrangement of four main regions and nine subregions.

The only changes happened in 1960, when the newly-admitted Alaska and Hawaii joined the Pacific region, and in 1984, when the North Central region was renamed the Midwest.

Take a look at how the Census groups the 50 states — and decide whether you agree with where your state ended up.

SEE ALSO: This map shows the US really has 11 separate 'nations' with entirely different cultures

DON'T MISS: 27 fascinating maps that show how Americans speak English differently across the US

THE NORTHEAST

The Northeast includes Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

New England is the northernmost part of the Northeast ...

New England consists of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

and the southern states in the region are considered Middle Atlantic.

The Middle Atlantic division consists of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

The White House grounds were on full display in their springtime glory as President Donald Trump hosted his first state visit last week, complete with a tree planting (and disappearance).

But there's much more to the 18 acres enclosed by the White House fences that the public doesn't get to see.

Aside from special events like the Easter Egg Roll and the national Christmas tree lighting, the gardens are only officially open to visitors two weekends a year. See inside the sprawling White House grounds:

SEE ALSO: Inside the presidential guest house — the 'world's most exclusive hotel' that's bigger than the White House where Macron is staying during his official state visit

SEE ALSO: Inside Number One Observatory Circle, the often overlooked but stunning vice president's residence where the Pences live

The White House grounds are part backyard and front yard for a first family, part staging area for official events.

Source: White House

They're actually a National Park. The grounds are part of President's Park, which includes the Ellipse across the street from the South Lawn. National Park Service workers have them maintained year-round since 1933.

Sources: National Park Service, The White House Historical Association

The South Lawn is the largest part of the grounds.

Sources: National Park Service, The White House Historical Association

• The United States is home to several "belts," including the Rust Belt and the Bible Belt.
• They are some of the many regions that share distinct characteristics and make the US so diverse.
• Some lesser-known belts include the Jell-O Belt and the Stroke Belt.

The United States can be divided and subdivided into countless regions, each sharing a unique set of characteristics that set it apart from the country as a whole.

You've probably heard of the Rust Belt, the region in the Midwest and Northeast where once-booming economies are on the decline. You may also be familiar with the Bible Belt, a stretch in the South where religion plays an outsize role in the region's culture and politics.

But what about the Jell-O Belt? Or the Stroke Belt? As it turns out, there are more than a dozen regions in the US that go by a "belt" moniker. 

Here are the most prominent "belt" regions in the United States:

SEE ALSO: This map shows the US really has 11 separate 'nations' with entirely different cultures

DON'T MISS: The US government clearly defines the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West — here's where your state falls

The Bible Belt

The Bible Belt is an area of the US where evangelical Protestantism plays an especially strong role in society and politics. People in the Bible Belt tend to be socially conservative and have higher church attendance rates than people in other parts of the country.

The Bible Belt is thought to include almost all of the Southeastern US, and runs from Virginia down to northern Florida and west to parts of Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri.

The Black Belt

The Black Belt is a region of the Southern US with a history of slave plantation agriculture and a high African-American population.

The term originally referred to a specific stretch in central Alabama known for its dark, fertile soil. That stretch eventually became associated with the slaves who tended to the land, and the term expanded to include the greater region where slavery and cotton farming was widespread.

Here's how Booker T. Washington described the evolution of the Black Belt:

So far as I can learn, the term was first used to designate a part of the country which was distinguished by the colour of the soil. The part of the country possessing this thick, dark, and naturally rich soil was, of course, the part of the South where the slaves were most profitable, and consequently they were taken there in the largest numbers. Later, and especially since the war, the term seems to be used wholly in a political sense — that is, to designate the counties where the black people outnumber the white.

Today, the term Black Belt generally encompasses a stretch of counties from Virginia down through the Deep South and including parts of Texas and Arkansas.

Corn Belt

The Corn Belt is a region of the Midwest that produces a disproportionate amount of the nation's corn.

The region stretches from Ohio to parts of Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas, and encompasses parts of Minnesota in the north and Missouri and Kentucky in the south. Iowa and Illinois could be considered the heart of the Corn Belt, as the pair accounts for a third of all the corn in the US.

• North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un rarely leaves his country.
• But when he does, observers have noted some of his unusual travel habits.
• They include his insistence on having a "personal toilet" and bringing a special noodle machine from Pyongyang.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has reportedly agreed to meet with President Donald Trump in the Korean demilitarized zone, according to news reports on Tuesday.

For Kim, the meeting will mark a rare moment in the public eye. The enigmatic leader visited the DMZ last week to meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-In, and in March he traveled to China to meet with President Xi Jinping, but otherwise has not left his native country since he took office in 2011.

Kim's previous turns on the international stage have revealed some of his curious travel habits, like his need for a "personal toilet" to accompany him and his insistence on bringing a special noodle machine on trips.

Read on to read about the unusual things Kim does when he goes on international trips.

SEE ALSO: Kim Jong Un reportedly agrees to meet Trump at the Korean DMZ

DON'T MISS: A chain-smoking Kim Jong Un was seen having just one cigarette break during the hourslong Korea summit — and his wife may have had something to do with it

A human motorcade surrounded his car

As Kim's car arrived at the start of peace talks with South Korean president Moon Jae-In last week, cameras caught an unusual sight: a fleet of 12 bodyguards, dressed in full suits and black dress shoes, surrounding the vehicle and running alongside it.

The "human motorcade," as some news outlets called it, kept pace with the vehicle and stayed in perfect formation as it drove around turns in the road until it finally came to a halt, giving the bodyguards a moment to catch a breath.

He rides a slow-moving, bulletproof train

Most world leaders travel by airplane, but much like his father and grandfather, Kim Jong-Un's preferred mode of transportation is private train.

Whenever Kim travels, as he did to China last month, three trains are needed: an advance security train, Kim's train, and another train for bodyguards and supplies, according to The New York Times.

Each carriage on Kim's 90 high-security carriages is bulletproof, and with all the extra weight, the trains top out at just 37 miles per hour, the Times reported.

He doesn't use public restrooms when he travels — he uses a 'personal toilet' instead

Apparently, Kim Jong-un doesn't use public restrooms when he travels, instead opting for a "personal toilet," Lee Yun-keol, a former member of the North Korean Guard Command unit, told The Washington Post. And the reason has nothing to do with cleanliness.

"Rather than using a public restroom, the leader of North Korea has a personal toilet that follows him around when he travels," Lee told The Post. "The leader’s excretions contain information about his health status so they can’t be left behind."

In 2015, South Korean news agency DailyNK reported that a customized bathroom is built into one of the cars of Kim's convoy of armored vehicles.

• The American breakfast biscuit sandwich renaissance is here, with more and more chains embracing the typically Southern breakfast meal. 
• Even national chains like McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King are offering them across the country. 
• We tried them all and found that Wendy's makes the absolute best, despite its limited breakfast menu. 

American tastes are changing, and fast-food chains are trying to keep up with the trends.

The biscuit, a classic cornerstone of Southern American cuisine, has long been a regional option at restaurants like McDonald's, Wendy's, and others of the fast-food ilk.

But now the biscuit is being embraced across the US as an integral breakfast item, even being folded into the myriad breakfast sandwich options.

We tried biscuit sandwiches from major fast-food chains to see which makes the best biscuit breakfast for your on-the-go morning meal.

SEE ALSO: What the FDA-recommended daily intake of 2,000 calories looks like at every major fast-food chain

ALSO READ: We tried the regional burger chain many people say is the best in America to see if it lives up to the hype

Burger King's bacon, sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit: a greasy, soggy, bland horror. The bacon is crispy, but the gelatinous square of sadness masquerading as an egg squelches any advances on the meat front.

Burger King's sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit: just as greasy, just as sad, but with the underwhelming and salty sausage patty sans bacon. The biscuit is thick and heavy, made all the more so by the viscous cheese.

McDonald's bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit: a tad soggy, but nowhere near the boggy marsh of Burger King's. The bacon is satisfyingly crispy — a rarity in fast-food breakfasts. But where is the real egg that makes the McMuffin so irresistible? Why must McDonald's use floppy egg squares for everything but the McMuffin?

• Cool small businesses emerge every day across the US.
• We put together a list of 15 small businesses that make people healthier, wealthier, smarter, or happier.
• Those small businesses include the independent bookstore Books are Magic and the beach-bound shuttle service The Free Ride.

Across the US, new small businesses are popping up every day. And they're rapidly revolutionizing areas like transportation, food, fashion and beauty, and gaming.

We scoured the web and asked our readers to identify some of their favorite small businesses (which the US government defines as employing 500 people or fewer). Below, we've listed 15 of the most innovative.

Since we're largely highlighting reader-nominated businesses, the companies on the list below aren't definitively the coolest small businesses in the country, but they are some of the coolest. Our criteria for inclusion, aside from having fewer than 500 employees, was that the companies had to improve society at large, meaning they make people healthier, wealthier, smarter, or happier. The businesses are not ranked.

Read on to learn about the small businesses that are making the world a better place to live.

SEE ALSO: A physics PhD and startup founder explains how entrepreneurs can get the most basic business advice all wrong

NextGenVest

What it does: Helps students navigate the college financial-aid process. Trained college students provide assistance to college applicants via text message.

Why it's cool: The graduating class of 2016 owed an average of $17,126 in student debt (in New Hampshire, that figure shot up to $27,167). But many students aren't necessarily aware of the financial burden they're taking on when they apply. NextGenVest is a way to get timely and accurate information in their hands.

Read more about NextGenVest here.

The Free Ride

What it does: Offers passengers free rides to some beaches in the Hamptons, the Jersey Shore, Santa Monica, and San Diego. How? Electric cars eliminate the cost of fuel and the service is sponsored by advertisers (like JetBlue, seen in the photo).

Why it's cool: Beach-goers no longer have to drive themselves crazy looking for (and paying for) a few hours of parking. Plus, electric cars mean the service is environmentally friendly.

Read more about The Free Ride here.

Eu'Genia Shea

What it does: This mother-daughter-run business sells high-quality shea-butter products while supporting fair wages for the female workers in Ghana who make those products.

Why it's cool: Eu'Genia Shea donates 15% of its profits back to their female workers in Ghana, either in the form of a retirement fund or an education fund for their children. Each product comes with a personal touch — Akuete and her mother package them themselves in her Brooklyn apartment.

Every year the movie industry goes to Las Vegas for CinemaCon, a convention where the studios show off their upcoming slate to the theater chains.

But it’s also where bold new innovations in the business are born.

Business Insider had a chance to look at a handful of them. From an interactive movie magazine to a company that’s looking to redefine the preshow experience at the multiplex, there could be a lot of changes coming soon to a theater near you.

Here are four things that grabbed our attention:

SEE ALSO: Thanks to Thanos, "Avengers: Infinity War" is Marvel's "The Empire Strikes Back"

4DX with Screen X

You may have seen a movie in 4DX (where the seats in the movie theater move with the action on screen) or a movie in Screen X (panoramic, 270-degree screen), but you’ve never done it at the same time!

That’s because both features have not been combined in any theaters yet. Business Insider got to experience a demo of a 4DX/Screen X viewing at CinemaCon and it’s certainly a different way to go to the movies. As your seat moves and rumbles with the action of, say, “Rampage,” you are immersed in the viewing as the movie picture expands to the sides of the theater.

There are 500 4DX screens in existence and 142 that are Screen X. It’s unclear when theaters will have the combined version (one is opening in South Korea), but it’s almost inevitable that it's coming.

myCinema

Though box-office numbers are high, there are fewer and fewer people coming to the movie theater. So myCinema thinks offering more alternative content to theaters could get more butts in the seats — especially during down times at the theaters.

Beginning in the coming months, Nagra — the digital TV division of Swiss company Kudelski Group — will launch myCinema, which will be offering thousands of shows, movies, and specials to movie theaters that can stream the content directly into their digital projectors. This will make the content easier (and quicker) for theaters to get compared to digital prints by services like Fathom.

With a library that will feature everything from kids content to faith-based titles to live concerts, you could see myCinema soon at independent arthouses that are always struggling to find audiences to come through the turnstile on a regular basis.

Noovie ARcade

Ever get to the movies early and have to sit through a bunch of boring commercials before the trailers start? National CineMedia hopes it has a better alternative.

NCM’s Noovie ARcade preshow lets you combine your phone with the big screen in front of you. Through downloading the ARcade app you are prompted to point your phone at the theater screen and play a variety of shooting, catching, and tossing games through your phone.

You are playing with everyone else in the theater who also has the app, so at the end of each game a leader board ranks everyone’s score.

Noovie ARcade has launched at 1,650 theaters nationwide through AMC, Cinemark, and Regal, as well as 50 regional and local exhibitors.

Check out if it’s available at your local theater next time you’re there.

You probably head over to Hulu for all the TV it has to offer. But the streaming service also has a lot of great movies, too.

From classics like "A League of Their Own" and "Dirty Dancing" to modern favorites like "Zodiac" and "Creed."

Scroll down to check out the 100 best movies to watch on Hulu right now.

Note: Numerous Hulu titles drop off the streaming service monthly so the availability of titles below may change.

SEE ALSO: The 25 worst superhero movies of all time, ranked from bad to unwatchable

“10 Cloverfield Lane” (2016)

If “The Cloverfield Paradox” on Netflix left you with a bad taste in your mouth, rewatch the best movie in the franchise (so far).

“13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi” (2016)

Michael Bay turns serious for a sec as he looks back on the six members of a security team who fought to defend the US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, during a terrorist attack in 2012.

“50 First Dates” (2004)

Following the box-office success of “The Wedding Singer,” Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore reteam for this cute romantic comedy.

Cambodia

Panama

The Bahamas

Forests are creepy enough in their own right.

Add some urban legends about murder victims who now roam the forest as ghosts, and you'll never want to wander through one again.

We rounded up 10 forests around the world that are thought to be haunted.

Aokigahara Forest, Japan

Sitting on the northwestern side of Mount Fuji, Aokigahara Forest (more commonly known as "Suicide Forest") is the definition of tragic beauty. Sometimes referred to as the Sea of Trees, it has been the site of numerous suicides, dating all the way back to the mid 1900s. 

In fact, a sign at the forest's entrance reminds visitors that "life is a precious gift" and to reach out if they are struggling.

The reason for its reputation could have something to do with the fact that Japanese mythology has long associated the forest with demons. Plus, the tightly packed trees make it easy to get lost and even hear, providing an exceptionally isolated destination.

Spiritualists in the country say Aokigahara is a hotbed of paranormal activity. But even if you don't believe in ghosts, you're likely to get spooked by the everyday items that litter the forest floor.

Isla de las Munecas, Mexico

As if forests weren't scary enough on their own, this one located along the canals of Xochimico, near Mexico City, is covered in dolls that hang from the trees. Local legend has it that the island's caretaker hung the first doll to honor a little girl that he had found drowned on the island (the doll was thought to be hers).

The caretaker then felt as if he was being haunted by the girl's spirit, so he continued to string up dolls in hopes of appeasing her. Fifty years and plenty of dolls later, he reportedly drowned in the same spot the girl did.

Today, the island has become a popular tourist destination. Visitors claim that the dolls move their eyes, heads, and limbs, and that they're possessed by spirits. 

Hoia Baciu Forest, Romania

It seems fitting that a haunted forest in Romania would be located near the unofficial capital of the country's Transylvania region — Cluj-Napoca. Hoia Baciu was first recognized for being haunted when a military technician photographed what he claimed was a UFO that appeared in a part of the forest known as "the clearing" in 1968.

The clearing has stumped visitors, locals, and even scientists for decades. It's a spot where nothing grows and nothing has ever grown, according to official records. What's even weirder though, is that the trees that do grow in the forest grow in odd patterns — zig zags and spirals that no one has ever been able to explain.

Brave tourists can tour the forest at night, though many have reported feeling an odd sense of anxiety or nausea, or the feeling of being watched.

Nearly two years ago, my husband and I did something I really never thought we'd do: We decided to buy a house.

After two decades of frequent moves, job changes, and bouncing around from New York to Beijing, and then to Heidelberg, Germany, we settled down in the Midwest and bought a gorgeous little mid-century home not far from where my husband works.  

I never really thought I'd buy a house and become a homeowner. I loved the freedom of renting, and buying a house is an enormous financial expense and responsibility.

But every time I walk through the front door, I still think buying this house was the best decision we ever made. Here's why:

SEE ALSO: 10 hard truths no one tells you about buying a house

We're going to be here for a long time

My husband and I moved around a lot over the past couple decades, so buying a home was never even an option for us. A change of jobs would have meant we would have to relocate to another city or country on short notice, and that would have been impossible if we'd owned a place. Even owning furniture made the process more difficult and expensive.

When we settled down with more long-term career plans, we knew it was also time to find a stable home. 

We have a kid, and she likes it here

The last time my husband and I made a big move, we had four suitcases and dozens of books. When we moved back to the US four years later, we also had a two-year-old. 

Having a baby made me more interested in the idea of stability and familiarity. My parents have lived in the same place since before I was born, and even though I'm a grown adult, I still walk into their house like I own the place. Buying a house meant our daughter would always have a place to call home, friends who lived nearby, and the opportunity to go to school in a great school district.

This is the house we picked, not the first house we could get into

Prior to buying this house I spent decades renting — and it felt like I was playing a hyperspeed game of musical chairs. There always seemed to be more renters than apartments, and I was always in a panic to find a place — any place — and sign the lease before it disappeared. Back then I considered myself lucky if I found something close enough to work and only a little bit over budget, never mind an apartment with everything I wanted inside. 

When I started looking to buy, however, I made a shopping list of everything I needed and everything I wanted before I took a serious look at my options. I toured dozens of different homes, all of which had some but not all of the qualities I wanted, before deciding which was best for my family. While I still didn't get everything I wanted, I had an incredible array of choices I had never felt I had while renting. 

• Some math riddles are so challenging even the smartest people struggle to answer them.
• Below are 12 challenging puzzles that will leave you stumped.
• They require basic problem solving and tricky math — see if you can figure them out.

1. House number

2. Egg equation

3. Card question

• The most popular baby names are tracked each year by the Social Security Administration.
• We compiled a list of the 10 most popular baby names for each decade since 1880.
• Some names, like "William," are consistently popular, while other names like "Emma" are experiencing a resurgence. 

Everyone wants their baby to be unique. But that doesn't always apply to baby names.

Every decade in the United States, new baby names become popular as older names fade out of style.

The Social Security Administration has been tracking the most popular baby names in the United States since the 1880s. We compiled a list of the 10 most popular names for each decade since then, and the data show some fascinating trends.

The name "Michael," for example, first entered the list of most popular names in the 1940s, and quickly became the most popular boy's name in America. It held the number-one spot for four straight decades from the 1960s to the 1990s, slipped to number two in the 2000s, and fell completely off the list for the current decade.

Other names are experiencing a resurgence. "Emma" was one of the 10 most popular girl's names in the 1880s and 1890s, but it didn't crack the list again until more than 100 years later, when it became the 3rd-most popular name of the 2000s. The name continues to rise in popularity, and is currently the most popular name of the 2010s.

Some names prove to have serious staying power, like "John," which made the top 10 for every decade from the 1880s to the 1980s, and William, which made the cut from the 1880s to the 1970s, as well as the 2000s and the 2010s.

Meanwhile, some names have a much shorter time in the spotlight, only appearing on the top-10 list for a single decade. They include "Jason" in the 1970s, "Amanda" in the 1980s, and "Brittany" in the 1990s.

Check out the 10 most popular baby names from every decade and see where your name lies.

SEE ALSO: Stephen or Steven? Lindsey or Lindsay? The 'right' way to spell 21 of the most popular names in the US

DON'T MISS: The most popular baby name the year you were born

'John' and 'Mary' were the No. 1 baby names in the 1880s.

Source: Social Security Administration

And again in the 1890s. This was the last appearance of 'Emma' in the top 10 for more than 100 years.

Source: Social Security Administration

John and Mary reigned through the 1900s, while names like 'Mildred' and 'Florence' made appearances on the girls' side.

Source: Social Security Administration

• Los Angeles is the US's second-largest city, and its sprawling neighborhoods have something for everyone.
• These are the best neighborhoods to live in in LA, according to someone who lived there for 12 years.
• Manhattan Beach, Glendale, Downtown LA, Silver Lake, and Monrovia top the list for different reasons.

Two things are always certain when it comes to living in Los Angeles, California: the cost of living is exceptionally high and if you wait long enough, you can always count on a neighborhood to spike in popularity. 

A dozen years back, Santa Monica was the toast of the town, with families and singletons alike flocking to the storied seaside city. Not long before that, West Hollywood was the freshest spot in the county. Back in the middle of the 20th Century, Hollywood was the place to be.

When I moved into Glendale back in 2005, it was like pulling teeth to get friends to come visit. Now it's one of the best destinations in Southern CA for dining and shopping and is the third most populous city in LA County, according to recent census estimates.

Sure, things might change in the next few years (in fact, they will), but these are five of the best neighborhood in Los Angeles right now, according to someone who lived there for 12 years: 

SEE ALSO: The 50 best places to live in America

Glendale is the best neighborhood in LA for raising a family

Yes, I'm a bit biased here. I lived in Glendale for 12 years and loved every day of it, especially those days on which friends who lived in Santa Monica or WeHo or Downtown also admitted it's a pretty cool neighborhood. 

Even better, Glendale is not only one of the safest areas of LA, but has been recognized by the FBI as one of the 10 safest cities in America. That might not make it cool, but if you're looking for a place where you know you can raise the kids without worry, safety is more important than anything else. And speaking of the kids, within a few miles of downtown Glendale you'll find the LA Zoo, the Norton Simon Museum, Travel Town, hiking trails in the San Gabriel Mountains, and plenty more opportunities for recreation.

The only real drawback to Glendale? It ain't cheap, not anymore. The current median home price is $809,000, and Zillow rates the Glendale housing market as "Very Hot." Median apartment rental rates are at $2,750. At least the recent construction of hundreds of apartment units means housing is available. 

Silver Lake is the place to be if you like having stuff to do

If your idea of a good time involves lots of coffee, cocktails, and one-off dining locations and doesn't involve quiet, restful nights at home, then Silver Lake is for you. 

It doesn't get much more East Side than Silver Lake, arguably the hippest of the hipster spots anywhere in Greater LA right now. The place is packed with great bars, hot restaurants, wine shops, an art gallery or three, and it's teeming with young people, both professionals and artsy-types alike.

A jog or stroll around the actual Silver Lake reservoir itself is always nice, and the region is home to many quaint and classic little homes, but really you move to Silver Lake because you want lots of stuff to do a short walk away. Parking can be tough, but everything is right down the block anyway, so don't sweat it. Do, perhaps, sweat the current median home sale price of $1,144,000 and the apartment rates often north of $3,000 per month.

The best place to buy some property is Monrovia

Home prices in Monrovia, CA are still within the spectrum of reason. Right now, the median listing price in Los Angeles is near $750,000. But the median price of single-family homes for sale in Monrovia is currently closer to $650,000.

So if you like the idea of spending a year or two less of your income on a home, Monrovia is a good place to buy. For now. 

In 2016, the LA MTA (now better known just as Metro) opened up a station connecting Monrovia to the rest of Los Angeles via the Gold Line. The new ease of access is surely going to drive home prices higher, especially as before the rail line opened, access to the city essentially required use of the often-standstill 210 and 605 freeways.

• Although many people see grocery shopping as a chore, knowing the best hacks will help make it a smooth experience for you.
• To get the freshest items, grab the produce and meat from the back of their shelves.
• Just because something is on sale doesn't mean you're getting the cheapest price possible.

The grocery store takes away a big chunk of your paycheck-and determines the fate of your weeknight dinners. Whether you’re picking up just a few things or stocking up for the week, there are plenty of simple ways to save time and money. We share insider tips to help your shopping spree go smoothly.

Never shop on Sunday afternoons

From shoppers making their way to and from to church and entertainers getting ready for the big game to procrastinators hitting the store before the weekend is over, Sundays are one of the most crowded times at grocery stores. Doing major shopping at peak hours is a bad idea; it’s never fun to fight the crowds, endure long lines and have to browse picked-over produce bins and sale racks.

When to go instead: basically, anytime. Off hours are typically first thing in the morning, late in the evening and during the week.

Always shop with a list

It’s easy to think you’ll remember every item you need once you’re browsing the store, but in the hustle and bustle of shopping there’s bound to be something you forget. Before you leave home, take stock of your pantry items and make sure you’ve got things like olive oil, pasta and other staples you might not buy weekly. Sketch out a few dinner ideas so you know what to grab (and save yourself from having to figure out what to cook on the fly after work). Check out these doable ways to start meal planning this weekend.

Plus, making a list beforehand lets you move more efficiently through the store. (Pro tip: If you organize your list by product type, it’s a breeze to pick everything up as you work through the aisles.)

Never shop hungry

On top of making it hard to concentrate, being hungry while grocery shopping can potentially cause an increase in your spending. Past research has proved that shopping for food on an empty stomach is a pricey risk. Hungry shoppers have the potential to buy items they don’t need or to fill their cart with unhealthy snacks. Instead, shop after meals or take along a healthy snack to enjoy while you shop.

Everyone, suddenly, is playing "Fortnite."

Your friends, and your partner, and your coworkers, and your favorite musicians, and even the Houston Astros.

Sure!

It's a real big deal, and there are plenty of broad reasons why that's the case. 

But some of the best things about "Fortnite" are the tiny details that you might not even realize — the Battle Pass challenges that keep you playing, or the intentionally cartoony art style that appeals to players of all ages.

Here are some of the smartest ways that "Fortnite" keeps tens of millions of people playing every day:

SEE ALSO: There's a simple, obvious reason 'Fortnite' is the biggest game in the world right now

DON'T MISS: ‘Fortnite’ requires 'more skill' than 'PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds,' according to top-streamer Ninja — here's why

1. The Battle Pass!

In "Fortnite," the goal is to be the last person alive out of 100 people. But it rarely goes as planned — you get shot, or accidentally fall from the top of a building, or whatever else.

Good news: Even if you lose in "Fortnite," you still make progress towards unlocking stuff.

But the experience becomes far richer with the Battle Pass, a paid addition to the base game that adds a faster, far deeper progression system. For $9.50, the Battle Pass offers weeks of challenges and corresponding item unlocks. 

You can collect letters spread out all over the map that spell out "Fortnite," as seen below, or land at several different regions on the main map.

Completing those objectives unlocks new outfits, or new dances, or a whole range of other loot. Some of these objectives are time-based, meaning you'll have to complete them sooner than later if you want those sweet, sweet unlockable items. But what these objectives really do is encourage players to explore the map, do things they wouldn't, use weapons they wouldn't, and much more. It's a smart way to encourage players to do more.

There's a progression system in "Fortnite" even without the Battle Pass, but paying for the pass is well worth the price. You get more stuff much faster, and a surprisingly deep set of additional challenges on top of that. The Battle Pass makes the entire "Fortnite" experience better.

2. Seasons.

Like professional sports, a handful of competitive online games now operate on "seasons." Don't think of these as corresponding to natural seasons — the fourth "season" of "Fortnite" just began, for instance, and runs through July 9. 

With these seasons come new Battle Passes, which are their own delight. But also, with the latest season came a massive change to the game's map after being struck by meteors. There are entirely new parts of the map, new items spawned from the impact of the meteor, and, of course, a massive crater smack in the middle.

It was the culmination of an ongoing meteor-based storyline that played out entirely through players studiously detailing what they saw while playing. 

Allow me to be entirely clear here: Players saw what looked like a comet appearing in the sky over the game's main map. Then, player reports of meteors hitting the ground at random began popping up. Then, suddenly, the game's creators at Epic Games released a trailer that showed a meteor hitting the game's map. 

And now, the one map in the game is fundamentally, permanently changed. It's community-driven stuff like this that makes "Fortnite" feel alive, and it's directly tied to the "seasons" that Epic has adopted.

3. Learn how to play better by spectating the player who killed you.

Dying in "Fortnite" is no fun, just like it's no fun in any other game, but at least in "Fortnite" you can quickly learn from your mistakes.

That's because, after death, your camera automatically leaps to the perspective of the person who took you out. 

Instead of simply dropping players back into the main menu, "Fortnite" instead automatically turns on a spectator mode. And when the person who killed you inevitably bites the bullet themselves, spectator mode continues on to the next person down the line until you're watching either the person who will win or the person who will come in second place.

Of course, you can return to the main menu at any time, but choosing to watch the rest of the match, and how it evolves over time, is fascinating. By the end of a given round, players are rapidly building towers, carefully sniping each other or raining down missiles (or any other number of things). It's quite a sight to see, especially if you've never won a round.

• Airplane travel allows us to get anywhere within hours, depending on your destination.
• For many, air travel is a comfortable and enjoyable experience. For others, it’s a trigger for anxiety and stress, with some even opting travel by other means.  
• If you’re scared of flying yet looking to conquer your fear, here are 5 ways to make yourself less scared of airplane travel.

A lot of us get nervous when it’s time to fly. In fact, some people are so scared they avoid airplanes altogether, despite the fact that air travel is much safer than riding in a car, according to the National Safety Council, a nonprofit public service organization.

Even if takeoff and landing make you sweat, there are ways to get over your fear of flying.

SEE ALSO: 11 truths about flying only flight attendants know

1. Catch some zzz's

Although I wouldn’t say that I’m afraid of flying, and I do it frequently, there’s something about being thousands of feet in the air that sometimes makes me uneasy.

A cramped airplane seat is not the ideal place to take a nap, but I’ve found it helps the flight go by faster and distracts me from my nerves.

2. Educate yourself about airplanes

Even if you’re not interested in becoming a pilot, learning more about airplanes could help ease your nerves, according to clinical psychologist Martin Seif.

Trying reading up on“how a plane flies, facts about turbulence, and the meaning of the various sounds and bumps during a normal flight,” Seif wrote on the Anxiety and Depression Association of America’s website.

A deep dive into the intricacies of a plane’s mechanics isn’t necessary, but reading about the noises you’ll likely come across on a plane, and more importantly, listening to them — which you can do in this Smithsonian article— could help prepare you.

Seif also suggests trying out virtual reality. For example, this this New York City-based program combines VR therapy and biofeedback to expose you to the experience of flying before you conquer the real deal.

3. Take advantage of therapy services at airports

Many major airports offer various types of therapy options — and some of those sessions include man’s best friend. The “United Paws” program brings therapy dogs to airports, and travelers are allowed to pet and spend time with them before their flights. Here’s a video of the pups interacting with passengers at Newark Liberty International Airport during the holiday season.

If you’re allergic to dogs or simply would prefer another type of furry friend, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport brings in miniature therapy horses twice a month, and San Francisco International Airport is home to a therapy pig.

If you're a Snapchat user, you've no doubt noticed the subtle quirks and hidden tools that are uniquely Snapchat. 

Chief among them: the seemingly random emoji that appear next to your friends' names, like this:

Those emojis are anything but random. In fact, they're Snapchat's way of helping you keep track of your relationships. Each emoji has a different meaning, and serves as a reminder of who you snap and how often you snap them. 

Snapchat calls them "friend emojis," and they exist to symbolize things like your best friends, or your ongoing Snapstreaks. The emoji are pre-set for every user (although they are customizable, too).

But it's not always easy to tell what the emoji mean.

So whether you're new to Snapchat or a veteran user, here's a guide to the meanings behind every Snapchat emoji. 

Alex Heath contributed to an earlier version of this story. 

SEE ALSO: Google made a new game that uses your phone's camera to hunt down emoji in the real world — here's how to play 'Emoji Scavenger Hunt'

The gold heart means you both are best friends.

Snapchat says a gold heart next to someone's name means you send the most snaps to this Snapchatter, and they send the most snaps to you, too.

A red heart means you have been each other's No. 1 best friend for at least two weeks.

Pink hearts mean you have been each other's No. 1 best friend for at least two months.