Languages are dying quicker than they ever have before.

By 2100, UNESCO estimates that half of the ~6,700 languages in the world may have disappeared.

Every two weeks, a language is lost after its final living speaker dies, the Living Institute for Endangered Languages says.

We lose a lot when a language goes extinct. Not only do written and spoken words disappear, but culture is also lost.

Languages can be translated for basic comprehension, but some words or phrases may be so specific to a culture that they are untranslatable.

Knowledge of the world and nature can vanish too. For thousands of years, indigenous groups have lived among particular animals and plants in nature. They have learned animals’ behaviors and experimented with different plants for medicines and cures. With so many indigenous languages undocumented, we lose valuable information about science and medicine when they go extinct.

In 2010, Boa Sr., the last fluent speaker of Bo, a language from the Bay of Bengal’s Andaman Islands, died at 85. Andamanese languages carry a rich history, tracing back 70,000 years to the first descendants of migrators from Africa. When Boa Sr. passed away, the language of Bo and the millennia of human heritage it represented also died.

National Geographic and Living Tongues have partnered on the Enduring Voices project to identify language hotspots — areas on each continent where languages are at the greatest risk of extinction — and help preserve these endangered languages.

Northern Australia

1. Aboriginal languages: In Northern Australia, the languages of Aboriginal peoples are very endangered. According to Australia’s Department of Aboriginal Affairs, 250 different indigenous languages existed in Australia when white settlers arrived in the late 1700s. Today, more than half are no longer spoken. The most threatened Aboriginal languages include Magati Ke, with three surviving speakers, and Amurdag, with one.

Central South America

2. Kallawaya— As dominant languages such as Spanish and Portuguese flourished, indigenous languages of Central South America died off. The Kallawaya, living in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia, have worked as traditional healers since the days of the Inca Empire and maintained a secret language that holds information on thousands of medicinal plants. The language is passed between generations, but fewer than 100 speakers exist today.

3. Chipaya— The Chipaya language has also suffered as more speakers shift to speaking Spanish. 1,000 – 1, 500 speak the language in the southern highlands of Bolivia.

Northwest Pacific Plateau

Along the west coasts of British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon, nearly zero children and few young adults speak the indigenous languages of their tribes. As the youth favor English, the indigenous languages become more endangered.

4. Siletz Dee-ni— In Oregon, the language Siletz Dee-ni used to be spoken by many natives, but now only one fluent speaker remains. At the Siletz Valley School, children are taught in the language twice a week in an effort to preserve it, according to this Huffington Post article.

The Daily Front Row has published an anonymous interview with a Hamptons live-in nanny who said she was only fed rice and Ramen noodles.

The New York nanny dished all about her Southampton employers, whose four children (all under 8 years of age) she is paid $250 a day to watch.

The entire interview is worth a read, but the most insane claim is that her employers only buy her rice and Ramen to eat in the house.

"All of the nannies in the past have been Filipino and they lump me in with them," she told interviewer Eddie Roche.

It's not as though the couple can't afford to buy her other types of food — the family also has their own live-in housekeeper who cooks the children's main meals, and the nanny says that the parents go out to dinner every night, either solo or together.

Here are a few other allegations from the article:

Red flags during the interview:"When I had my job interview the father pulled me aside and told me that when I worked for them I would have to make sure to babysit his wife, too, because she has no idea what she’s doing."

The absent mother:"She just goes shopping, or to the gym. They have a home gym, but she still goes to the gym in Southampton just to get out of the house. She shops and hangs out with her friends and goes to dinner while her husband is in the city working and I’m home with the kids."

The pervy father:"He has [hit on me], though I think it was unintentional — or he said it was, at least. He was drinking a lot and his wife and I are very similar looking. We’re both petite brunettes. He thought I was her and came up behind me and slapped my butt. I turned around and he looked really scared for a second, but then he smiled."

Read the rest of the interview at The Daily Front Row.

SEE ALSO: Meet The Residents Of 'Billionaire Lane' In The Hamptons

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We know it's early—you're just getting used to wearing shorts again, girls are finally developing their tan lines—but we here at GQ like to keep you ahead of the game.

And the truth is that the clothes that'll be the foundation of your fall wardrobe are already hitting stores.

That's what breakout British actor Eddie Redmayne is wearing here, in our annual preview: the six essential pieces around which you'll build your entire fall look.

The Topcoat That Tops All Coats

Camel is a rakish way to break up the charcoals of winter.

Which is why these coats bullied their way to the forefront of countless collections, from Burberry to J.Crew and Topman.

Coat, $4,195 by Burberry Prorsum. Shirt, $350, and pants, $795, by Burberry Prorsum. Sweater, $595 by Dolce & Gabbana. Tie, $210 by Michael Bastian. Watch by Cartier. Boots by Burberry.

Announcing The Return Of A Louder Plaid

After extolling the dark patterns we call shadow plaids, we're shifting allegiances.

All hail the louder, prouder Prince of Wales—it's easy to pull off if you pair it with a quieter shirt and tie.

Not Just for Roughnecks And Ramones Anymore

Mom was right: Motorcycles are dangerous.

But the motorcycle jacket? It's got that daredevilish aura without ever having hurt a soul.

FactSet has released its quarterly report on the stock holdings of America's 50 largest hedge funds.

Dell — which has received its share of press lately thanks to Carl Icahn's ploy to derail a takeover — was the largest addition for the group of 50 funds. That's largely thanks to Icahn's massive purchase of the stock.

Apple also saw large inflows last quarter, at $1.4 billion, after three straight quarters of outflows.

On the other hand, Google, the most widely held stock (64% of funds), saw $1.4 billion worth of its shares sold by the 50 mightiest funds.

We ranked the stocks by their aggregate value held by the top 50 hedge funds. We also include the number of funds holding the stock. And we start with #50.

50. Capital One is held by 19 funds

Sector: Financials

Market value held by funds (in millions): $1,689

Shares outstanding: 4.6%

Share of Top 50's aggregate portfolio: 0.3%

Source: Factset

49. Time Warner Cable is held by 17 funds

Sector: Consumer Discretionary

Market value held by funds (in millions): $1,697

Shares outstanding: 5.2%

Share of Top 50's aggregate portfolio: 0.3%

Source: Factset

48. Life Technologies Corporation is held by 19 funds

Sector: Health Care

Market value held by funds (in millions): $1,726

Shares outstanding: 13.5%

Share of Top 50's aggregate portfolio: 0.3%

Source: Factset

Kobe Bryant has listed mansion in Newport Coast, California for $8.6 million, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The 20,000-square-foot house includes a gym, shark tank, and outdoor entertaining area with a pool and a hot tub. It's being listed by ReMax's Jordan Cohen.

Kobe famously takes a helicopter to travel from Orange County to downtown L.A. If he moves closer to work those days may be over.

The view from the driveway

The ocean view

The pool area is the highlight

A report released today by brand consulting firm CoreBrand found that Delta is America's least respected brand among a group of 10,000 vice-president level corporate executives.

CoreBrand polled executives from top U.S. companies about how they felt about more than 1,000 brands based on their reputation, management, and investment potential. Then CoreBrand took the 100 brands its polling audience was most familiar with and ranked them by favorability to determine the 10 least respected brands.

Other lowlights include JCPenney and Best Buy.

10. Foot Locker

Foot Locker checked in as the 10th least respected brand, but its future looks bright. CoreBrand found that the sneaker emporium's favorability and familiarity have both improved steadily over the past five years.

9. Rite Aid

Ellen Sluder, CoreBrand's director of strategic and business relations, told Business Insider that Rite Aid's poor performance is due to oversaturation of the market by stronger performers, like Walgreens, and the expansion of pharmacy services by the likes of Wal-Mart and Target.

8. Capital One

Despite ponying up for a slew of celebrity endorsers, from Charles Barkley to Alec Baldwin, the creditor card and financial services company hasn't been able to shake its bad reputation.

"Capital One has used many celebrities, but each one is pushing a different product or service, so the message isn’t the same," Sluder said. "While they’re getting their message out their, it’s confusing."

While exploring New York City's terrifying past, we started to wonder how the city became safe again. New York's murder rate peaked in 1990. By the end of the 90s, violent crime in the city had dropped 56%.

We spoke with Berkeley Law School professor Franklin Zimring, who wrote "The City That Became Safe: New York's Lessons for Urban Crime and Its Control." He only gives "derivative credit" to former mayor Rudy Giuliani, New York's self-proclaimed savior, and instead, praises the police for the city's extreme turnaround.

"Broken Windows" Theory

Giuliani has suggested time and again that his administration saved New York City. During the 2007 republican primary debate in Orlando, he even said he "brought down crime more than anyone in this country — maybe in the history of this country" while serving as mayor, according to On The Issues.

The former mayor believes the "broken windows" approach changed New York City's streets for the better. This theory suggests police can make cities safer by cracking down on minor crimes like vandalism, which the Big Apple definitely did in the 1990s.

The broken windows theory stems from two criminologists George Kelling and James Wilson who suggested that minor disorder, like vandalism, acted as a gateway to more serious crime. By focusing on smaller offenses, often referred to as "quality of life" crimes, Kelling and Wilson thought violent crime and other less desirable issues would decrease.

"If the neighborhood cannot keep a bothersome panhandler from annoying passersby, the thief may reason, it is even less likely to call the police to identify a potential mugger or to interfere if the mugging actually takes place," the duo claimed in their Atlantic Monthly piece.

Several academic studies, however, have questioned, and even criticized, the effectiveness of broken windows.

Criticism For "Broken Windows"

When University of Chicago professor Bernard Harcourt and Georgetown University professor Jens Ludwig revisited broken windows, they reported criminologists knew very little about the theory's effectiveness. Even further, their paper found no evidence, outside of Kelling's work, to support that cracking down on minor offenses decreases more serious crime.

Aside from lack of evidence that cracking down on minor offenses reduced felonies, much of the new research found targeting minor crimes harms poor people as well as blacks and Hispanics.

A later paper, again by Harcourt and Ludwig, found that broken windows, albeit indirectly, led to a disproportionate number of drug arrests for blacks, The New Republic reported. From 1993 (the year that broken windows took hold) to 2000, misdemeanor arrests for smoking marijuana in public jumped from 10 per year to 644. At only 25% of the city's population, blacks accounted for over half of the arrests.

"It is definitely time for law enforcement to stop focusing on minor disorder and to target, instead, serious crimes involving guns and physical injury,"Harcourt wrote in Legal Affairs magazine.

Zimring, however, feels the police did just that, regardless of Giuliani's questionable ideas on crime.

"Derivative Credit" To Giuliani

"Years ago, we thought it was a myth that cops prevented crime," Zimring said. In theory, criminals could just commit crimes in corners of the city where cops didn't patrol.

"But crime is a heck of a lot more situational than we thought," Zimring explained. If a criminal wants to rob somebody on 125th and Lexington but sees a cop there, he'll probably just throw in the towel for the night, Zimring says.

When former Mayor David Dinkins came into office, he proposed a $1.8 billion plan to "fight fear" in New York and hired 8,000 new officers, the LA Times reported at the time. He also hired an effective new police commissioner, Lee Brown, who supported "community policing," the practice of having cops patrol neighborhoods to get to know people to solve problems — instead of just answering 911 calls. Crime's hold on the city really started to falter while Dinkins still sat in City Hall from 1990 to 1993. Data from NYC.gov shows the murder rate in New York City peaked in 1990 and dropped 30% by 1994.

To be fair, Giuliani also hired 3,660 new officers once he came into office, On The Issues found.

"The growth in police is a two-mayor phenomenon, and it really was extraordinary," Zimring told BI.

Other Theories

Other factors beyond the increased police presence could have caused crime to drop more drastically in New York than many other parts of America during the 90s. (The nation as a whole did get a lot safer then, too.)

First of all, unemployment dropped hugely in New York City — 39%  from 1992 to 1999, according to the National Bureau for Economic Research. Some researchers have found ties between low unemployment and a drop in violent crime.

Others credit an increased arrest rate for the improvement in New York City. Again, NBER reported that felony arrest rates rose 50 to 70% in the 1990s, which might have taken more criminals off the streets.

Regardless of other explanations on the table, Giuliani has stuck by broken windows.

"It worked because we not only got ... an improvement in the quality of life, but massive reductions in homicide," Giuliani told the Academy of Achievement, "and New York City turned from the crime capital of America to the safest large city in the country." 

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For some reason, Android just can't seem to shake its reputation for having worse apps than iOS.

While the iPhone got a jump-start on app development by opening the doors to developers in 2008, Android app makers have done an amazing job at playing catch-up.

From tracking your heart rate when you exercise to buying shoes, developers have created apps that take advantage of the features that make Android unique, including the minimalist aesthetic of the operating system itself and the large screens that are prevalent on many flagship devices from the biggest manufacturers.

That's why Google's Abhilash Kuduvalli created Android Niceties, a Tumblr page where he curates the Android apps with the best design. He hopes it can cause "inspiration and insight into Android UI conventions" for those looking at developing on the platform. We decided to follow his lead and picked out what we think are his best examples.

If you're a frequent Reddit user, BaconReader Premium is your best option for checking the site on your Android device.

While many apps have come out with their own unique takes on presenting the weather in a clean and good-looking format, the BBC's Weather app is a personal favorite.

Among the myriad note-taking apps available on Android, Catch Notes has the prettiest interface. Hopefully their competitors adopt some the interface elements when Catch Notes shuts down its servers at the end of the month.

Sometimes, it just makes sense to take a selfie.

Even executives running the biggest, buzziest tech companies have taken time out of their day to pose for their own camera. Thanks to Snapchat and Instagram, the rate of selfie-taking is only increasing.

Here are the selfies of some of the biggest names in tech, from Sergey Brin to Mark Zuckerberg.

Twitter co-founder and Square CEO is the selfie king. He took this one on Vine.

Thrillist CEO Ben Lerer took a selfie after a delayed flight got him worked up.

Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley and his fiance Chelsea Skees rightfully took this newly-engaged selfie.

According to reports, Apple is going to announce two new iPhones on September 10 – a cheap one called the iPhone 5C and a high-end model called the iPhone 5S.

The iPhone 5C will have a plastic case, and come in lots of colors.

Want to see what it will look like?

Lucky you!

Taiwanese tech site Apple Daily got its hands on an iPhone 5C. They made a video. We took screen grabs.

Here it is. It comes it four colors.

It's about 8.98 millimeters thick. That's thicker than the current iPhone 5.

At 124.55 mm, it's also a touch longer than the iPhone 5.

If you've ever wanted an easy way to know the alcohol percentage and primary flavor profile in your favorite beverage, look no further than the Periodic Table of Alcohol. 

Designed by Visual.ly user mayra.artes, the graphic breaks down drinks by type (Fermented, Mixed, and Distilled) and then by liquor (Cider, Beer, Wine, Tequila, Brandy/Cognac, Vodka, Rum, Whisky, and Gin). 

Each drink is color-coded and accompanied by an alcohol percentage in the upper right corner as well as a small illustration with its name below. 

And just like the regular Periodic Table, there are even two corresponding rows at the bottom that are separated from the main table. But instead of Lanthanides and Actinides, mayra.artes features mixed drinks and liqueur-based beverages, including Midori Sour, Jägerbomb, and Mudslide.

Check it out below:

SEE ALSO: 12 American Bars To Drink At Before You Die

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Hawaii became the 50th U.S. state 54 years ago today, when President Eisenhower signed the Hawaii Admission Act on August 21, 1959.

Today the youngest state is known for its varied cuisine, beautiful state parks, distinct cultural traditions, and thriving tourism industry.

We've gathered 21 vintage photos that show Hawaii was beautiful long before it became the nation's favorite vacation destination.

January 1890 - The Royal Palace at Honolulu.

September 1940 - the battleship USS Oklahoma in Hawaii during US navy Pacific Fleet maneuvers.

A man brings in his pineapple harvest after a long day (date unknown).

“The Post Ranch Inn is a serene, almost spiritual, place that feels miles in the sky. The majestic view of the Pacific Ocean and the misty bluffs of Big Sur from its cliff-side patio is like none other in the world,” says Anastacia Maggioncalda, a San Francisco–based film producer who honeymooned there with her husband, Steve.

See the coastal hotels >

While hotels and resorts have long leaned on Mother Nature to enhance their guest experiences, few wild assets rival that of prime waterfront real estate—be it on a sugary sand beach or a dramatic rocky bluff. Fortunately for travelers, there’s a lot of choice for those seeking a great coastal getaway.

Culled from Travel + Leisure’s annual World’s Best Awards, the following hotels were rated highly by readers—and come with ocean breezes, water views, and ultra-scenic shores. Asked to evaluate properties for categories including rooms/facilities, location, and service, survey-takers made it clear that a coastal location can be one of a hotel’s greatest features.

On Hawaii’s Big Island, the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Ka’upulehu is an intimate isolated resort spread among low-rise bungalows just steps from crystalline Pacific waters and a volcanic rock coast with black lava outcroppings. Bungalow 8 even overlooks a saltwater snorkeling lagoon.

For a New England spin on coastal living, check in to Rhode Island’s renovated Ocean House.  Expansive decks overlooking a private white-sand beach and manicured croquet lawns are a nod to old-time glamour, while the light-filled rooms suites have oversize soaking tubs and custom-made dark wood furnishings.

No matter your definition of what makes a great coastal hotel, from the Florida Keys to Oregon, there’s one clear characteristic that all of the properties flaunt: location, location, location

More from Travel and Leisure:

• World's Best Hotels
• Beautiful Lighthouses In America
• Best Outdoor Restaurants
• Best Gay Honeymoon Destinations
• Best Money-Saving Hotel Tips

#1 The Lodge - Sea Island, GA

Genteel lodge with 40 country-style rooms and on-site access to a legendary golf course. A bagpiper roams the grounds every evening.

Room to Book: Nos. 2 and 3 have enormous balconies that overlook the 18th hole at Plantation Golf Course.

Insider Tip: Guests have access to the amenities of the lodge’s sister property, The Cloister, including its 65,000-square-foot spa and the Georgian Room restaurant.

#2 The Cloister - Sea Island, GA

A historic 1928 Mediterranean-style resort with 4 pools, set on a secluded beach.

Room to Book: Beach Club suites have kitchens, fireplaces, and balconies.

Insider Tip: Take a 90-minute tour ($100 per person) of the salt marsh onboard the Cloister Belle, a restored antique yacht. You’ll see oyster beds and live shrimp.

#3 Elizabeth Pointe Lodge - Amelia Island, FL

Off the coast of Florida, the Elizabeth Pointe Lodge has configurations for every type of traveler. Each of the four suites of the nearby Ocean House opens onto a private deck. The Miller Cottage is built for families or groups, with two bedrooms and bathrooms, a living room, and a patio. And the 20-room Main House’s lawn fans out into beachgrass-tufted sand dunes.

Room to Book: No. 16 is a corner room with a rainforest shower for two and ocean views from the king bed.

Insider Tip: Set aside a day to tee off. Amelia Island has 117 holes of championship golf, including a PGA tournament course.

Every year the London Zoo weighs and measures its animals — a process that takes quite a long time for the zoo's 19,000 residents. A few of the prettier ones were brought out for the public and press to see on August 21.

The data they collect is not only important for the zoo and zookeepers in London, but is also used by other zoos and conservation groups.

Jae Jae, a Sumatran tiger, licks its lips as it approaches a height chart.

Keeper Paul Kybett dangles a piece of horse meat to entice the big cat to jump up next to a height chart so they can measure her.

Keeper Marcel McKinley uses worms to entice Tammy, a tamandua, to stay on a scale.

Bagels are one of New York's most iconic foods—and for good reason.

There must be something magical in the water here in New York that gets the perfect amount of chewiness outside and softness inside.

Our friends at Yelp helped us put together a list of the top 10 bagel shops in the city.

Yelp reviewers named the Upper West Side's Absolute Bagels their number one pick, but it’s pretty hard to go wrong with a bagel anywhere in New York.

#10 Penny House Café

732 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn
Prospect Heights

It may be a hole-in-the-wall, but customers go nuts for Penny House’s breakfast sandwiches and bagels, especially with the spicy tuna salad, and the shop’s Brooklyn-y vibe.

“Loved the lox and cream cheese bagel—perfect proportions,”writes Yelp reviewer Rachel M. “What a delightful spot. Playing NPR with yummy food and air conditioning? Yes please!”

Note: Yelp's search results are based on an algorithm that is designed to provide the best results based on a number of different factors including review text, ratings, and number of reviews. Because several factors are taken into account, this is why you may see a 3.5-star restaurant with 500 reviews showing above a 4-star one with 15 reviews.

#9 Murray's Bagels Chelsea

242 8th Avenue
Chelsea

The slogan for Murray’s Bagels is “we don’t toast.” That just goes to show how fresh their bagels are.

Try their new David Burke special, says Allison S. Named for the famous chef, it’s “their traditional lox but with ‘pastrami salmon.’ Gives it more a cured-salty taste. Absolutely satisfying.”

Note: Yelp's search results are based on an algorithm that is designed to provide the best results based on a number of different factors including review text, ratings, and number of reviews. Because several factors are taken into account, this is why you may see a 3.5-star restaurant with 500 reviews showing above a 4-star one with 15 reviews.

#8 Barney Greengrass

541 Amsterdam Avenue
Upper West Side

Barney Greengrass may not sound like the name of a bagel shop, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying a bagel with some of their specialty fishes like lox, whitefish, or tuna.

“The whitefish salad here on an everything bagel will CHANGE your life,”raves Michelle L. And just as an added perk, scenes from the movie “You’ve Got Mail” were filmed here.

Note: Yelp's search results are based on an algorithm that is designed to provide the best results based on a number of different factors including review text, ratings, and number of reviews. Because several factors are taken into account, this is why you may see a 3.5-star restaurant with 500 reviews showing above a 4-star one with 15 reviews.

We visited ESPN's headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut this week.

The compound is the nerve center of everything ESPN does. The top executives have offices there, the shows are shot there, the magazine is produced there, and thousands of staffers work there and live nearby.

It sounds like the Death Star, but there's actually a lot of neat touches and perks on campus, like the amazing cafeteria.

Say what you will about ESPN, but it keeps its people well fed. This place is nuts.

Welcome to ESPN Café

There's a basketball court out back

First thing's first, the food is all over the map

Things aren't looking good for Abercrombie & Fitch. 

The retailer reported that sales are down 10%, and outlook for the future isn't great either. 

Abercrombie has faced a stream of controversies that have eroded public perception of the brand. 

The company's exclusion of large women resulted in protests earlier this year. Abercrombie has also upset everyone from Taylor Swift fans to family groups to environmentalists. 

We revisited some of the retailer's worst moments. 

This post contains writing from former BI reporter Eric Platt. 

Abercrombie doesn't sell clothes for large women.

Abercrombie doesn't sell XL or XXL sizes for large women, despite offering them for men. It also doesn't offer above a size 10 in women's pants. CEO Mike Jeffries "doesn't want larger people shopping in his store, he wants thin and beautiful people," retail analyst Robin Lewis told Business Insider. 

After Business Insider's coverage highlighted the brand's exclusion of this group, the company faced a storm of public backlash. 

Prior to a legal settlement, Abercrombie was allegedly hiring predominantly from white sororities and fraternities.

Abercrombie and Fitch has faced a number of lawsuits over discriminatory hiring practices — including recruiting at predominately white sorority and fraternity houses.

In 2004, Eduardo Gonzalez, a lead plaintiff, said he was urged to apply for an overnight stock position and that the store manager favored two white applicants in a group interview. The company settled and said it would change its recruitment practices. 

Abercrombie managers reportedly made an employee with a prosthetic limb work in the stockroom.

But the lawsuits for Abercrombie do not end at the interview process. The teen retailer was also accused of shifting mostly non-white employees and those who were less attractive to the stock room, away from customers.

Then, in 2009, the company was rocked by a lawsuit in the U.K. when managers allegedly forced a 22 year-old employee with a prosthetic arm off the selling floor. 

Move over, SoulCycle — the latest spin craze in New York City is biking underwater.

Known as "aqua cycling," the exercise was invented by an Italian physical therapist years ago. Fans and adherents claim it fights cellulite, burns up to 800 calories in an hour, and there's no soreness the next day.

It sounds like the perfect workout, yet incredibly no one had heard of aqua cycling in NYC until Esther Gauthier brought it over from Europe this past April.

The French native had tried a similar underwater spinning class at Paris outpost La Maison Popincourt and knew she had found something special that New Yorkers would love.

"For over a year, I kept it to myself," she whispered to me in the airy Tribeca space that's home to AQUA Studio, New York's first and only aqua spinning gym, which I visited for a complimentary class last week. "I didn't want it to get out, I didn't want anyone to steal my idea!"

The downtown studio looks more like a chic spa than a gym. The space had been abandoned for years before Gauthier and her team knocked down three separate floors to create the loft-like studio.

After checking in at the front desk — where students are handed a towel and clear jelly shoes ($2 to rent) — we walked down a flight of stairs to the gorgeous locker room. The walls were lined with mirrors and vanities stocked with cotton swabs and hair dryers, and it smelled like the peppermint body wash in each shower stall.

As we changed into our swimsuits, I noticed a few women seemed to know each other from previous classes — Gauthier told me the studio already has a loyal clientele base even though AQUA only opened this past April.

We then trickled into the small rectangular pool down another flight of stairs where 15 bikes (from Italy, no less) were arranged. The trainer, Andia, floated around in the four-foot pool, helping new students slip their rubber shoes into the bike pedals and adjust the seats and handlebars to the perfect hip height, with the water lapping at our chests.

The lighting was dim, with candles lining the wall and pop music playing. Andia had us review the various positions (sitting, standing, bent over the bike, and a fourth position where we floated behind the bike while our feet were still on the pedals) before we began.

In some ways, it felt like a traditional spin class. There were sprints, music, and an instructor calling out various positions.

But there was no resistance knob — instead, you were pushing against the friction of the water.

Though I was skeptical about how good of a workout biking underwater would be, my muscles burned in a similar way to swimming laps or treading water. I definitely worked up a sweat, and my legs felt wobbly when I got out of the pool.

My favorite part was the splashing. We pushed the water back and forth, punched up through the water, and paddled with alternating arms. I was surprised to find that my arms also got a great workout, plus it was really fun (though I was soaked by the end of class).

There were a few cons with aqua cycling. One common complaint is that it's hard to hear the instructor over the water, music, and echoes of the basement.

Another is that since the bikes aren't secured in the water, they can sometimes lift off the ground or sway from side to side. It's hard to find — and keep — the right rhythm, and my bike moved a lot since I hadn't mastered the smooth rhythm necessary to keep the bike stationary.

But all things considered, I liked aqua cycling. It's a novel way to cross train, or a good exercise alternative for people with sports injuries, joint pain, or for pregnant women.

I also felt very relaxed after class. "Aqua cycling is a marriage between yoga and regular cycling," Gauthier explained. " It's the intensity of cycling, but then there's something about the water that's so soothing and adds the relaxation of yoga."

Gauthier said the studio is currently working on creating a class designed exclusively for men (AQUA will start accepting men in September, though men's changing rooms and a juice bar are still in the works), a strength training class, and a class for pregnant women. They're tentatively aiming to have these up and running by October.

After the 45-minute class was over, I took a shower with the peppermint body wash provided in the shower stalls, and left feeling tired, yet refreshed. I don't know about fighting cellulite, but at least two claims on the website are true — you'll have the best sleep of your life afterwards, and you won't feel sore the next day.

Interested in trying it out Aqua Cycling? Here's what you need to know:

• What to wear: I wore spandex shorts and a sports bra, but most women in the class were wearing swimsuits — either bikinis or one-piece suits. Bikinis are fine, but make sure your top is secure.

• You will get wet! Though the water only comes up to mid-chest, all the splashing will definitely still get you (and your hair) wet. Plan to shower afterwards, and bring a hairbrush.

• What to bring: An extra towel and a separate set of clothes are a good idea. Also remember to pack a bag to carry your wet swimsuit after class.

• Cost: The trial class is $34 for your first time, plus $2 for the shoes. A single class is $40, unless you choose to buy one of the studio's packages (then the cost ranges from $33—$38 per class).

• Who can go: So far, it's still women-only, but that will be changing in September. Men can sign up for the wait list by emailing AQUA.

SEE ALSO: 11 Great Accessories For Running Outdoors In The Summer

Join the conversation about this story »

In the first half of the 20th century, Jews were unwelcome at many resorts in the United States.

So beginning in the 1930s, middle class Jewish New Yorkers found a respite in rural Southeastern New York.

The so-called "Borscht Belt"— also known as the Jewish Alps and Solomon Country — was transformed by the Jewish community into a resort haven of their own.

Skiing, skating, swimming, and boating were all offered by the ritzy resorts. Little-known comedians including Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, and Joan Rivers all got their start doing stand-up comedy here. The community even inspired the film "Dirty Dancing."

In short, the Borscht Belt was booming.

But that all changed in the 1960s. Cheap air travel suddenly allowed a new generation to visit more exotic and warmer destinations. Grossinger's Resort, which once boasted 150,000 visitors annually and was known as the "Waldorf in the Catskills," abandoned its operations in 1986.

New York-based photographer Marisa Scheinfeld grew up in this community, vacationing in the Borscht Belt with her family every summer. She set out to capture the crumbling glamour of the once well-known destinations in her new exhibit "The Ruins of the Borscht Belt."

"While the project originated with my interest in the area's regional history and engages personal notions of memory, it also reveals the growth, flowering and exhaustion of things, and then their subsequent regeneration," Scheinfeld said in her artist statement. "The Borscht Belt was a haven for an entire cultural and social movement of people; its influences spread to mainstream American culture, entertainment and media."

The complete photographic works are currently on display at the Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy (LESJC) until October 27th in New York City, as well as on Scheinfeld's website.

The Borscht Belt was once a thriving Jewish resort community. It was even fondly referred to as 'the Jewish Alps.'

Source: Marisa Scheinfeld

Many middle class Jewish New York families would take their children here for vacations in the New York Catskills.

Source: Marisa Scheinfeld

The resort community was the inspiration for movies like "Dirty Dancing" and hosted comedians like Woody Allen and Joan Rivers. Through the 1930s, '40s, and '50s, it was thriving.

Source: Marisa Scheinfeld

Jenny From The Block had a house guest and didn't even know it.

John M. Dubis, 49, was arraigned on charges of burglary, criminal contempt, stalking and possession of burglar tools after making himself at home in Jennifer Lopez's pool house for one week.

The singer-actress was away when workers found him.

Lopez purchased the Water Mill mansion in the Hamptons for $9.995 million in May, the New York Post reported.

The 8,660-square-foot home was built in 2004, according to Zillow, and sits on three acres of property on Bay Lane with its own cul de sac, so it's incredibly private.

According to The Post, sources said Lopez liked that there was enough room to build a guest house or tennis court in the future.

But apparently, the pool house will do.

This is the Water Mill mansion Jennifer Lopez purchased for nearly $10 million in May.

The Hamptons property sits on more than three acres of land, with the pool house tucked in the far corner.

The pool house is fenced in by shrubbery and a gate.