People love to visit New York City.

But tourists, especially those seeing the Big Apple for the first time, often get sucked into expensive and overrated tourist traps.

These are the places you should skip, and alternatives that are more authentic, cheaper, and more fun.

Instead of seeing the sights from the top of the Empire State Building, take in the city skyline (for free) on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade.

The Empire State Building has great views of the city, but it’s not worth the expensive ticket and long lines.

A better way to take in New York’s amazing skyline? Go across the Brooklyn Bridge to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. It’s free, beautiful, and one of the best places to see NYC’s skyline, day or night.

Instead of being gouged for “Italian” food in Little Italy, go to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx.

Little Italy is a sad little strip nestled right above Chinatown. The real Little Italy — with its amazing Italian-American food— is on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx.

You can find fresh cheese at Casa Della Mozzarella, an amazing selection of fish at Cosenza’s, and a slew of fantastic Italian-American bakeries.

Instead of taking a pedicab ride, rent a Citi Bike.

Pedicabs are a part of life in NYC, especially around Central Park and midtown where it can be hard to catch a cab. But they can be expensive and slow.

We recommend trying a Citi Bike. You can sign up for a day pass for $10 and ride around the city yourself. Read more about how to use a Citi Bike here.

Instead of waiting months to have high tea at the Plaza Hotel's Palm Court, have a tea party at Bosie Tea Parlor. 

High Tea in the Plaza Hotel’s Palm Court is iconic, but even with a reservation, you’ll likely be waiting for your table and tripping over tourists in the process.

Your tea and pastries will be much cheaper at Bosie Tea Parlor in the West Village. High Tea for two is only $55 and comes with 2 teas of your choice, three types of sandwich, macaroons, scones, and cake.

Instead of battling tourists at Central Park, head to the more low key (and gorgeous) Prospect Park.

Don't get me wrong, Central Park is great, with Shakespeare Gardens, grassy knolls, and a gorgeous double skyline with skyscrapers rising above the trees. But man, is it crowded.

Brooklyn’s Prospect Park was created by the same architects — Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux — but they had much more free reign with their Brooklyn design and were able to create a real pastoral haven. With woods, a lake, and a mile-long meadow, anyone who visits Prospect Park will forget they’re in NYC for a little while.

Instead of cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery, try the amazing cookies at Levain Bakery.

Magnolia Bakery's cupcakes may be tasty, but with its long lines and recent health code violations, this tourist stop is highly overrated. A much better option is the beyond-delicious Levain Bakery on the Upper West Side.

The cookies are gigantic (they look more like scones than cookies), and though they cost $4 per cookie, they are the tastiest, softest, and most scrumptious cookies I've ever tried. Try the chocolate chip and walnut cookie and thank me later.

Instead of going to Century 21 for discounted designer fashions, hit up a real NYC sample sale.

The racks at discount designer store Century 21 can be fun to pick through, but more often than not these stores are chock full of deal-seeking shoppers and tourists, long lines, and picked-through inventory.

A better idea is to hit up some of NYC’s amazing sample sales. There’s usually always something going on 260 Fifth Avenue (sign up for email updates here) or in SoHo — Racked NY always has a great rundown.

Instead of spending a fortune to ice skate at Rockefeller Center, skate at the less-crowded McCarren Rink in Brooklyn.

To skate at Rockefeller Center, it costs $27 for an adult ticket ($15 for kids) plus $12 for skate rental. That’s a total of roughly $40 to skate with 150 other people for an hour and a half.

McCarren Rink in Brooklyn is a better option that is both less crowded and cheap. It costs $8 for adults ($4 for children), skate rental is only $5, and you can skate as long as you want.

Instead of watching the city flash by on a tour bus, go walk around.

New York City tour buses can help new arrivals get a feel for all of NYC’s neighborhoods, but a much better (and healthier, cheaper) option is to just walk around.

From the Upper West Side to the Financial District, every area in New York has a distinct personality. If you want a more in-depth look at each neighborhood, there are walking tours you can sign up for.

Instead of going clubbing in the Meatpacking District, head to where all the cool kids are in Williamsburg.

The Meatpacking District may be where certain celebrities, big shots, and models hang out, but for the rest of us, it’s expensive and you may not even be able to get past the door.

Williamsburg has awesome (and cheaper) bars and nightclubs like Output, plus way less pretentious and annoying people. There's a wide variety of nightlife, too, from watering holes for cocktails snobs to drunk bowling.

Instead of sharing a frozen hot chocolate sundae at Serendipity III, have a romantic night at The Chocolate Room.

The made-from-scratch treats at The Chocolate Room in Brooklyn far exceed those at Serendipity III, and the ambiance is much more romantic. Perfect for a birthday or a date, the restaurant is dimly lit and cozy.

If you’re not sure what to order, try the brownie sundae and their ice cream sandwiches. All their cakes — from classic chocolate to chocolate almond — are also delicious.

Instead of Grimaldi’s Pizza in DUMBO, head down the street to Juliana’s Pizza.

Grimaldi's has slowly become more and more of a tourist trap through the years. Patsy Grimaldi sold Grimaldi’s pizza parlor in 1998, but he opened another little pizza place down the street recently that he calls Juliana’s.

And while Grimaldi’s is just okay, Juliana’s is the real gem  — its ingredients are fresh and vibrant, the pizza isn’t greasy, and they make a truly amazing sauce. Don’t forget to try the homemade Brookie deserts (a combination of a brownie and cookie).

Instead of seeing sex toys and exhibitionist exhibits at the Museum of Sex, go to a burlesque show at Galapagos Art Space.

The Museum of Sex might raise eyebrows, but it's underwhelming, crowded, and not worth the price for admission. If you’re in the mood for a risqué attraction, get tickets to a burlesque show at Galapagos Art Space.

With fire breathing, aerial performances, “tantric yoga,” and more, this will definitely be a far more entertaining way to spend your evening. Plus, the venue is gorgeous.

Instead of going to Times Square, go literally anywhere else.

Seriously — this city is huge with plenty of boroughs, neighborhoods, shops, restaurants, and cultural attractions to explore.

Walk through Times Square if you must, take your pictures, and then never, ever go there again.

SEE ALSO: The Best Tourist Attraction In Every State

DON'T FORGET: Follow Business Insider's Life On Facebook!

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New York City's Financial District is the economic center of the entire U.S. But the area is a hidden gem when it comes to bars, pubs, and brew houses.

We set out to find the coolest watering holes by reading Yelp reviews, surveying FiDi locals, and checking the places out on our own.

From the Full Shilling on Pearl Street to Beckett's on Stone Street, here are the best places to drink in the Financial District.

121 Fulton Street

121 Fulton St.

If early day drinking is more your style, then 121 Fulton Street can get your weekend started right with its incredible brunch special: Every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., it offers a $30 breakfast that includes all-you-can-drink mimosas and Bloody Marys.

Beckett's Bar and Grill

48 Stone St.

Located in a building that's been around since 1603, Beckett's combines old-school style and new-school drinking with two floors and 24 TVs.

From March to November, Beckett's transforms into one of the best outdoor bars in the city by putting out benches and tables right on Stone Street.

The Dead Rabbit

30 Water St.

Don't let the morbid name fool you. The Dead Rabbit is a lively establishment with one of the most fully stocked taprooms in the city.

There's also a classic parlor with 72 "historically accurate" cocktails and a grocery store that sells many oils, spreads, and dry goods.

New York of the 1970s and early '80s was a gritty place of stunning contrasts. Nowhere was this more apparent than between Manhattan's thriving disco scene and the impoverished neighborhood of Bushwick, Brooklyn, which looked more like Beirut than New York.

Photographer Meryl Meisler was living in New York at the time, off a government grant to document Jewish New York. With no steady job to go to, she began frequenting the bustling disco scene, always bringing her 35mm camera to the clubs. Later, she moved out to Bushwick, where she saw how just how much a city can change in only a few miles.

Her recently published book, "A Tale of Two Cities: Disco Era Bushwick," highlights this divide and displays her photography from both scenes. We spoke to Meisler, who gave us permission to publish some of her photos.

Meisler said nothing she witnessed at the clubs surprised her, such as this interesting attire from a 1978 shot at Les Mouches.

She frequently rubbed shoulders with celebrities, such as the Village People, pictured below in 1978. Another celebrity she encountered often was artist Andy Warhol, although she said when one was out at the disco "everybody was just like everybody else."

Once her grant ran out and freelance work became sporadic, Meisler took a job teaching art at a public school system in the dangerous area of East New York, effectively ending her run at the disco. She later worked at a school in Bushwick, a neighborhood she'd heard looked like "Dresden in 1945"— referencing the German city that World War II firebombings decimated.

The neighborhood had experienced the highest levels of looting, rioting, and arson after the citywide blackout in the summer of 1977. After the blackout, 27 stores along Broadway Avenue in Brooklyn had been destroyed and fires had spread to many residential buildings.

Meisler quickly took an interest in improving the lives of her students. She had a lot of freedom about what she could teach, and she decided to focus her art curriculum on the neighborhood.

Meisler could never shake the obvious contrast between the fire-ravaged neighborhood of Bushwick and the extravagance at clubs such as Studio 54 in Manhattan. That club is where she snagged this photo of Shirley MacLaine and Bella Abzug at Abzug's birthday party in 1979.

Meisler ended up teaching in the neighborhood for 14 years. During that time, she also took pictures of human moments like this exchange between two young men.

To be sure, it was exciting for Meisler to be a part of the exuberant Manhattan disco scene of the late '70s.

Even so, she found the truly rewarding experience was serving, and capturing moments of, underprivileged children of Bushwick at a time when the neighborhood was the most dangerous part of the city.

SEE ALSO: 26 Vintage Photos That Show How New York Has Transformed Since The 1970s

DON'T MISS: Once-Gritty Bushwick, Brooklyn Is Turning Into A Hipster Paradise [PHOTOS]

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Wayne Rooney recently signed a new $104 million contract that will keep the striker with Manchester United until 2019.

The contract will undoubtedly help Rooney and his wife maintain their lavish lifestyle.

Rooney may not have the Hollywood appeal of David Beckham, but he and his wife have expensive tastes with homes all over the world and an extensive car collection with high-end price tags.

Rooney will head to Brazil this summer to play in the World Cup with England.

It looks weird now, but Rooney got his start playing for Everton when he was just 17.

When Rooney was transferred from Everton to Manchester United, he was making £45,000 a week or about $3.9 million a year.

SOURCE: The Guardian

Rooney recently caused quite a stir when he was given a new 5.5-year contract that will pay him £300,000 a week, or about $26 million a year.

£

On Wednesday, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office canceled six trademarks belonging to the Washington Redskins after finding the name disparaged Native Americans.

But while the Redskins ownership continues to defend the legitimacy of its name and logo, other major American brands have backed away from offensive mascots like the Frito Bandito, a stereotypically Mexican, armed robber who hawked Fritos in the 1960s.

We've taken a look at some of the more offensive logos and mascots in history.

Kim Bhasin and Karlee Weinmann contributed reporting to this story.

Aunt Jemima, 1889-Present

Company: Aunt Jemima/Quaker Oats

In the late 1800s, the Missouri newspaper editor Chris L. Rutt decided to name his brand of self-rising flour after "Aunt Jemima," a song performed by minstrel actors.

A former slave named Nancy Green was later hired to portray Aunt Jemima as a "mammy," a minstrel show caricature that female slaves as smiling, happy homemakers.

The Aunt Jemima name is still used today, but the face that currently graces the brand's merchandise has been re-imagined to be less offensive.

Source: The Jim Crow Museum Of Racist Memorabilia

Chief Blackjack (1928-1987)

Organization: St. John's University

The Queens, New York-based college began calling its sports teams the Redmen in the early 1920s and adopted the Chief Blackjack mascot in 1928 when two students found a statue of him outside a cigar store.

The school used a variant of the wildly offensive logo you see here up until 1987, finally ditching the Redmen name in 1994 after pressure from Native American groups. The school's teams are now known as the Red Storm.

Source: St. John's University, Jay Rosenstein Productions, New York Times

Darkie, 1933-1989

Company: Darkie Toothpaste

The name and mascot of Darkie Toothpaste, founded in Hong Kong in 1933, were also "inspired" by the minstrel show. 

The brand quickly became popular in Asia, and in 1985, Colgate-Palmolive purchased a 50% stake for $50 million. Four years later, the conglomerate heeded the call of shareholders and activists and changed the name to Darlie, swapping the minstrel logo for one of a racially ambiguous man.

Darlie remains popular in China, where its Chinese name still translates to "Black People Toothpaste."

Source: Newsweek

Luis Suarez is probably the third-best player on earth going into the 2014 World Cup.

On the field he's smart, hard-working, and exceptionally skilled on the ball.

But a number of ugly incidents — including two separate biting fiascos and a racism controversy — have turned him into the most despised player in the world.

Looking through a list of his most outrageous scandals, it's easy to see why so many people will be rooting against him and Uruguay in Brazil.

He bit an opponent while playing for the Dutch team Ajax in 2010. He was banned for 7 games.

Source: BBC

He also bit Chelsea defender Branislov Ivanovic during a game in 2013, resulting in a 10-game suspension.

Source: Mirror

In the 2010 World Cup semis, he punched a shot off the line against Ghana with his fist and got a red card.

Really expensive and worryingly empty. That's what we thought about Atlantic City's Revel Casino Hotel when we visited in February 2014. It was not a good combination.

Now, the megacasino has filed for bankruptcy, the second time it has done so in the past two years.

Revel is reportedly telling employees it will shut down this summer if it doesn't find a buyer.

The complex cost $2.6 billion to build, and is New Jersey's second-tallest building. It opened in April 2012, but 11 months later was forced to file for bankruptcy.

We photographed the beautiful interior of the casino while reflecting on how it and the rest of Atlantic City fell on hard times.

Pulling into the Revel Casino in Atlantic City, there is a lot of free parking, even for a Saturday afternoon in February.

The casino's troubles were obvious from early on, such as when Morgan Stanley wrote down a $932 million loss on the project in 2010, well before it opened in 2012.

The Revel lost more than $70 million during its first two fiscal quarters of 2012 and filed for bankruptcy in February 2013. Now, just over a year later, it has filed for bankruptcy once again.

Some of the tech industry's most famous tech entrepreneurs got their start at Stanford University. 

And that's not by accident. 

Whether it's through programs like StartX, an accelerator that offers students the help of different mentors and experts in the industry, or through the classes they take, it's almost a sure bet that if you're reading about a successful tech startup, its founders got their start at Stanford University. 

Stanford University's gorgeous campus is in Palo Alto, California, which is about an hour south of San Francisco. It's on what Bay Area folks call "the Peninsula."

The road leading to the university is called Palm Drive.

And there's a mall nearby, almost on the campus itself, called the Stanford Shopping Center.

Many of us have snapped photos of our food at one time or another, to varying degrees of success.

But these 10 photographers take photos of their food for a living, and they're attracting huge followings on Instagram.  

Niche, a startup that helps brands partner with popular social media creators, helped us compile a list of the most-followed food photographers on Instagram. 

From food collages to designs that look like rainbows, these photographers make their food appear almost too beautiful to eat. 

Brittany Wright is a Seattle-based food photographer whose professed goal is to teach herself to cook anything and everything. Her photos feature lots of fun pops of color, and she often arranges her food to look like a rainbow.

(@wrightkitchen, 38K followers) 

Trish Papadakos runs a housewares company called Trish + Co., but she also takes some amazing pictures of food. The Toronto-based photographer shares photos of things she's cooking as well as dishes she tries out at local restaurants.

(@trishpapadakos, 45K followers)

Beth Kirby is a freelance stylist, photographer, and recipe writer living in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The photos on her Instagram account have a rustic, southern feel to them.

(@local_milk, 48K followers)

Sometimes words just aren't enough to convey what you have to say.

People tend to use emoji in both normal and unorthodox ways, and the emoji you use actually says a lot about you. 

Enter Emojinalysis, a Tumblr blog that tells you what's wrong with your life based on your recently used emoji.

Click here to find out what your emoji say about you >

Dan Brill, the creator of Emojinalysis and copywriter at ad agency Droga5, felt inspired to start this project after realizing that his recently used emoji were a bit concerning, he told Business Insider.

There was a lot of booze, distressed faces, and things exploding. That made him question if he was actually OK. But instead of dealing with his own problems, Brill decided to instead analyze other people's. 

"Mostly I just try to tell a good story," Brill said. "It's sort of like a crime scene investigation. You're picking up a bunch of seemingly disconnected things and trying to see what fits together. Except instead of fingerprints it's a Blowfish and 'Cat with heart-shaped eyes.'  I try to look beyond the smileys and the hearts, the stuff everyone uses, to see what can make each person's analysis uniquely deranged. But it's also important to stress I have absolutely no psychological training and I really have no idea what I'm doing."

All descriptions are via Emojinalysis. 

Joe is going borderline crazy.

Joe, 26

Some concerning stuff in here. The threesome of Pile of poop, Smiling face with sunglasses and Fire denotes a Bart Simpson-esque mischief streak that’s troubling at your age. There’s Cat with wry smile, an emoji that’s literally never been sent before 4:00am. And the choice of regular Monkey over a three wise monkey may indicate a dangerous lack of empathy. I’m not saying you’re crazy, Joe. But that Cyclone at the center of things isn’t a coincidence.

Diagnostic emoji: Playing card black Joker

Prescribed emoji: Closed lock with key

All descriptions are via Emojinalysis. 

Carey is just asking to go to prison.

Carey, 36

Remember those scenes in Homeland when Abu Nazir would text Brody? This is what I imagine those texts looked like. Skull. Ghost. High voltage sign. Fire. Japanese ogre AND goblin. I don’t know who you’re sending these to or what your plans are, EmoJazir. (No spoilers I’m still in Season 2). But I’m forwarding this to the appropriate parties just in case.

Diagnostic emoji: Warning sign

Prescribed emoji: Oncoming police car

All descriptions are via Emojinalysis. 

If you see Melody on the street, run the other way.

Melody, 27

Funny that your name’s Melody since this collection is the emoji equivalent of a Nicki Minaj verse. Like, crazy “Monster" Nicki, not emo "Pills N Potions" Nicki. Smiling face with heart-shaped eyes and and Kiss and Cocktail glass and Pouting face and KNIFE and GUN AND SYRINGE!!!!! Honestly, I have no idea what to make of this. You scare the hell out of me. I’m done.

Diagnostic emoji: Imp + Microphone

Prescribed emoji: Exclamation question mark

All descriptions are via Emojinalysis. 

Freshmen at colleges across the U.S. are settling into their dormitories as a new school year kicks off. But campus living is nothing new: Harvard's oldest dorm is nearly 300 years old.

Dorms have modernized over time. Today, students can expect to find wireless Internet, air conditioning, and cheerful study rooms on move-in day. But some things haven't changed much. A century ago, students still slept in single beds, hung family photos on their walls, and hung out with friends in their dorm rooms.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison's archives department recently put together a fantastic collection of photos showing how student housing has changed over the past 110 years. They kindly shared their collection with us.

This woman's dorm room from 1898 isn't much different from modern day dorms: Pennants, books, and a chair for studying.

Photographs and mementos kept things homey in this room, in 1899.

Male students raised a glass in a boarding house or fraternity in this 1909 photo.

Thank God for Friday—the gateway to a new adventure. Celebrated in movies and songs, the weekend looms large in the imagination.

It seduces us with the heady possibilities of recreation, relaxation, and romance.

It’s our eagerly anticipated escape valve, a release from the daily grind.

For some city dwellers, the siren call of a nearby beach or a house in the country is irresistible. Yet over time, even that can become routine. Every so often, we need to get away from the usual, without making it seem like work.

That’s where Travel + Leisurecomes in. We sent intrepid reporters across North America to scout out easy weekend getaways, and their discoveries range from an affordable nine-room New England inn in tiny North Haven, ME, to renovated bungalows in the hills of Santa Barbara, CA.

Vancouver

Snowcapped mountains and expansive bays form the backdrop for the Northwest’s greatest boomtown—a city of diverse neighborhoods that embraces both outdoorsy culture and innovation.

The 2010 Olympics sparked a major development frenzy, and along with new restaurants and boutiques came renovations of several landmark hotels. Make your base downtown’s 1927 Rosewood Hotel Georgia($$$), with revamped Art Deco–inspired rooms and a slick, dark-wood-and-gold paneled restaurant run by star chef David Hawksworth.

From there, it’s a leisurely stroll to Stanley Park, where you can hike along the 14-mile Seawall Trail. Or head to the Victorian Gastown neighborhood to see Native American art galleries such as the three-story Hill’s Native Art, which showcases ceremonial masks and totem poles, limited-edition prints, and bentwood boxes.

The Skytrain at nearby Water Station will take you to suburban Richmond, home to Vancouver’s Asian culinary scene: dim sum temples; noodle huts; Korean barbecue joints—you’ll find them all here. Don’t miss the standout mushroom dumplings and clay-pot chicken at local favorite Jade Seafood($$).

For the city’s best shopping, the indie district around King Edward Avenue is full of one-off gems. Look for vintage leather clutches and bags at Front & Company and contemporary crafts at Walrus.—David A. Keeps

North Haven, Maine

Sometimes a single hotel can put a relatively unknown destination on the map—and so it was with the cheerful Nebo Lodge($) and the three-mile-wide Penobscot Bay island of North Haven, an hour’s ferry ride from Rockland.

The nine-room property has all the trappings you’d expect from a classic New England island escape—gray wainscoting, shady porches, cast-iron beds, and claw-foot tubs—but the imaginative food of chef Amanda Hallowell is reason in itself to visit.

Summertime North Haven regulars such as novelist Susan Minot and artist Eric Hopkins have come to sample her hyper-local dishes—a peppered-mackerel Caesar salad and a pickle plate of sweet beets, celery, and fennel, to name two. What to do when you’re not eating?

Live the pine-shaded, salty Maine fantasy, of course: bike the island’s 30 miles of roads, climb to the top of Ames Knob, laze on the beaches of Mullen’s Head Park, and explore pint-size Main Street. Find Ping-Pong and evening concerts at Waterman’s Community Center; made-in-Maine ceramics at North Haven Gift Shop(207/867-4444); and farther south, the new Fox I Printworks, which stocks quirky T-shirts silk-screened with lighthouses and tractors.

Don’t leave town without a stop at the North Island Museum, where you’ll learn about the area’s evolution from a Native American territory to the lobster-fishing hamlet it is today. —Kate Sekules

Springdale, Utah

It’s just a 2 1/2-hour drive from Las Vegas to this small town on the Virgin River, but the desert gets empty and wild surprisingly fast.

Springdale is the anti-Vegas: serious canyoneers mingle with fine-art photographers at weekly gallery openings, the Springdale Fruit Company sells organic fruit smoothies, and plein-air painters head to workshops at the Zion Canyon Field Institute.

The biggest draw, however, is nearby Zion Canyon, a narrow funnel of 2,000-foot-high sandstone walls glossy with a crimson patina and top-heavy buttes that appear to shoot straight up from earth to sky.

By far the best place to stay is the understated Desert Pearl Inn($). Like the rest of Springdale, it’s authentic without trying too hard: reclaimed old-growth Douglas fir floors and a tawny palette of neutrals provide a soothing retreat from the blazing red rock outside.

During late spring and summer, crowds are a fact of life here, but the guides at Zion Adventure Company can steer you through the lesser-known hikes. If you absolutely must trek the popular, precipitous, and occasionally terrifying 5.4-mile-long Angels Landing Trail, do as the locals do and set out at dawn when it’s cooler and quieter.

You’ll be back in time for slow-cooked-pork burritos at Oscar’s Café($$), a swim in the hotel pool, and a well-earned siesta on your private terrace. Springdale comes alive in the evenings when residents gather for sweet-potato tamales and fresh tilapia at the Bit & Spur($$) and Saturday-night music festivals at the O. C. Tanner Amphitheater.

Before heading back to Vegas, swing by the Red Mountain Resort(treatments from $60) adventure spa—there’s no better way to end the trip than with a regionally inspired hot-stone massage. —Katie Arnold

Fighting in eastern Ukraine between pro-Russian separatists — bolstered by militants with less-than plausibly deniable ties to Russia — and the Ukrainian government is continuing despite a soon to be implemented unilateral cease-fire. And even with a cease-fire in place, the fighting has only escalated in recent days as separatists continue to shoot down Ukrainian aircraft. 

The Ukrainian army is still shelling rebel positions in the east, with particularly heavy fighting in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Although the government has tried to limit civilian casualties, civilians in these regions are paying a heavy toll for more than two months of fighting. 

Collateral damage, suffering infrastructure, and displacement have become facts of life for those living under separatist control in Ukraine's east. As Russia moves to place thousands of troops along the Ukrainian border again, it's possible the situation will further deteriorate. 

Residents of Slaviansk face shortages of basic resources.

Many are forced to collect water from communal pumping stations.

Shelling has caused significant damage to the city's infrastructure ...

Regardless of where you may reside here in the States (or elsewhere in the northern hemisphere), one thing is for certain. Summer is here and it is hot.

Whether you’re wearing a suit on Wall Street or rocking Silicon Valley casual, it can be hard to keep yourself looking composed after a foray into the blistering heat and humidity.

But that isn't to say you have to look like a sweaty mess any time you get indoors. Here are a tips for staying fresh that you can use wherever you are.

First and foremost: Stay hydrated.

Water is preferable. Beer can be used as needed.

Source: The Fine Young Gentleman

Wear suits with open weave fabrics like high twist wools, fresco, linen, and cotton.

Your average wool is not the most breathable fabric, even in lighter weights. Look for natural fabrics that have open weaves like high twist wools, fresco, linen and cotton. The difference in a suit made of a high twist wool or linen compared to one of worsted wool is remarkable.

Source: The Fine Young Gentleman

Have your spring and summer suit jackets half lined or self lined.

This will allow more air to penetrate your jacket and keep you cooler.

Source: The Fine Young Gentleman

Every year, thousands of students graduate from college, eager to go out and make their marks in the world.

Whether on campus or on the big screen, some of this year's college graduates are already making a name for themselves.

We've profiled a dozen of this year's best and brightest, ranging from student journalists to military leaders to an international moviestar.

Andrew Arsht and Andrew Markoff are some of the best debaters in the country.

Andrew Markoff and Andrew Arsht were debate partners at Georgetown University, accomplishing the rare feat of winning the National Debate Tournament twice — their sophomore and seniors years.

After winning the tournament as sophomores — only the second team ever to do so — the partners took home the Rex Copeland award for the best yearlong record their junior year, winning the tournament again this year. "This year's win was the best possible finish to my debate career," Arsht told Business Insider.

While both agreed it was bringing home the first place title to Georgetown's after the program's 20 year drought was a highlight, the second win as seniors, Markoff said, "doesn’t get any less cool."

Markoff is currently working at Dropbox and Arsht is working as a research assistant at a law firm.

Abbey Crain and Matt Ford wrote a newspaper feature that changed their school.

No college newspaper story had a bigger impact this year than University of Alabama graduates Abbey Crain and Matt Ford's report on segregation in the school's sororities.

Their article in student newspaper The Crimson White — titled "The Final Barrier: 50 Years Later, Segregation Still Exists"— was an in-depth look at racial segregation in the school's sororities. Within days of publication, Crain and Ford's story made national headlines and pushed the UA administration to instate "continuous open bidding," which allowed all students — including traditionally excluded minority students — to join the school's almost exclusively white Greek system.

Originally, the piece had been planned to cover what should have been a historic moment of inclusion, as an objectively impressive black female student seemed poised to break the racial barrier of Greek life. However, she was not accepted to any sorority.

"Matt and I prepared to write a celebratory piece on bid day," Crain told Business Insider. "When that didn't happen, we knew we had to do something on this."

Crain and Ford are both currently planning on moving to New York City to pursue careers in journalism.

Lindsey Danilack was responsible for 4,400 cadets at West Point.

United States Mililary Academy cadet Lindsey Danilack served as first captain of the Corp of Cadets this year, the highest position in the military students' chain of command.

As first captain — also called "brigade commander"— Danilack was responsible for implementing a class agenda for all 4,400 cadets and acting as a liaison between students and the West Point administration. Danilack was also only the fourth woman to serve in the position.

Danilack is also involved with sexual assault and sexual harassment prevention efforts, founding a program called Cadets Against Sexual Harassment and Assault raise awareness among cadets.

Danilack now plans to attend flight school and one day go to Harvard Business School.

Danilack was previously featured on Business Insider's list of impressive West Point students, with reporting from Melia Robinson and Melissa Stanger.

For Americans looking to mix in a little dental work with their vacations, there is no better place than Vicente Guerrero, a small Mexican border town better known by its nickname: Los Algodones (translation: Molar City).

Mexico is a top destination for so-called medical tourists from the United States who go South of the Border for significantly cheaper dental work, eyeglasses, plastic surgery, and prescription drugs. In Los Algodones, some 350 dentists work within a few blocks of the city center, NPR recently reported.

Photographer Andrew Waitsrecently headed down to the town for a day to figure out why it has become a bustling medical mecca.

Waits shared a number of the photos with us here, and you can check out the rest at his website.

Many people travel to Los Algodones because they don’t have insurance, and they can get treatment and medication there at a fraction of the cost in America.

Visitors can drive across the border or park in a large holding lot and walk into Los Algodones. Parking is $8 per day, and the town is right across the border.

After parking, visitors walk through customs. You can generally bring whatever you want with you to Mexico, but you are checked more closely upon your return.

The demand for firearms is going up.

That's what gun-maker Smith & Wesson is telling its investors.

The company just published a new 46-slide presentation highlighting the health of the company and the industry.

It includes tons of information showing America's ever-increasing love for guns.

We pulled the most interesting slides.

The number of background checks for guns has trended higher in most of the last decade.

We just saw the second best May for background checks in history.

There's lots of interest for rifles and shotguns.

Grocery stores are changing dramatically. 

While much has been discussed about how tablets and other technology will be implemented in stores, the core merchandising strategy is also shifting. 

As consumers distance themselves from the supercenter model, stores are becoming more intimate, with emphasis on prepared foods and local merchandise. 

Traditional grocery stores will begin to disappear in the future, Christopher Studach, creative director at King Retail Solutions, told Business Insider. 

"There will be the cost-focused stores and the lifestyle-focused stores," Studach told us. "What this means is very few conventional (or 'middle of the road') grocery operators left."

King Retail Solutions recently designed a cutting edge example of a lifestyle store, Fresh St. Farms in Canada. 

The store is on the forefront of modern merchandising. 

Here's the exterior of the store. Note it is much smaller than the average Supercenter. Consumers are seeking more personal, intimate experiences, according to King.

The grocery store has a high-end coffee shop that uses local and sustainable products. Offering a personal experience is key because grocery stores are competing with online retailers like Amazon.

The store has a grill with freshly-prepared foods. More grocers are offering high-quality prepared foods to make their store a destination in the digital age.

If there's one thing you should know about Apple, it's that the company prides itself on design.

Jony Ive, Apple's senior vice president of design, has played a large role in shaping the company's design since he joined the company in 1996. 

From the original iMac to the iPhone, Ive has lead Apple's aesthetic efforts for its most successful products.

His words not only speak to those in the design industry, but also provide some insight as to what it's like to be part of Apple.

We've gathered some of I've most inspiring and interesting quotes taken from media appearances, various keynotes, and Leander Kahney's book. 

SEE ALSO: There's An Incredible Link Between Beats Audio And Apple's Design Leader Jony Ive

"The thing is, it's very easy to be different, but very difficult to be better."

via Leander Kahney, "Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple's Greatest Products."

"There is beauty when something works and it works intuitively."

via The Telegraph

"Good is the enemy of great."

via Wired UK

This summer's box office is running 10.8 percent behind last year's as we near the midway point.

That's not a shock. Last summer was the biggest in history, with $4.8 billion in domestic grosses. And while this year has its share of strong sequels, there's been nothing comparable to “Iron Man 3,” which topped $1 billion worldwide, or “Despicable Me 2,” which did nearly the same.

That said, there have been some major success stories.

Click here to see the takeaways »

Fox's Marvel mutant mashup “X-Men: Days of Future Past” was the first summer movie to hit $200 million domestically and is still going, and the studio scored a counter-programming coup with teen drama “The Fault in Our Stars,” which has taken in $85 million — on a $12 million budget.

Also read: ‘X-Men’ Kicks Off Fox's Stellar Summer

Sony has bounced back from its very tough summer 2013 with “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” and “22 Jump Street.” And it has “Think Like a Man Too,” horror thriller “Deliver Us From Evil” and the Cameron Diaz comedy “Sex Tape” — all potential No. 1 movies — yet to come.

Disney gave up the May summer kick-off slot it's had for the past couple of years to Sony and Spidey, but scored with Angelina Jolie‘s fairy tale update, “Maleficent.”

Last year at this time, Warner Bros. had three of summer's top ten movies in “Man of Steel,” “The Great Gatsby” and “The Hangover Part III,” with “The Conjuring” and “We're the Millers” on the way.  But this year, other than its Legendary Pictures co-production “Godzilla,” it has been tough sledding.

Also read: The Most and Least Liked Summer Movie Actors – Tom Cruise, Vin Diesel, Morgan Freeman, Channing Tatum

Tom Cruise‘s “Edge of Tomorrow” has been a domestic disappointment, Adam Sandler‘s comedy “Blended” missed and the Clint Eastwood-directed musical “Jersey Boys” isn't going to be breaking any records. “Jupiter Ascending,” the sci-fi epic from Andy and Lana Wachowski, has been pushed to February 2015.

Universal connected with one R-rated comedy, “Neighbors,” but Seth MacFarlane's “A Million Ways to Die in the West” was a misfire. The studio has five openings set for July and August.

Paramount and Lionsgate sat out the first half of summer, but the former is about to make a major splash with “Transformers: Age of Extinction” on June 27.

Also read: The Most and Least Liked Summer Movie Actresses – Jennifer Lawrence, Angelina Jolie, Mila Kunis, Shailene Woodley

There's still more than two months left of summer left, so things will change. But here's what we've learned so far.

Marvel Means a Massive Box Office

The season's two highest-grossing movies so far are Fox's “X-Men: Days of Future Past” ($208 million domestically, $770 million worldwide) and Sony's “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” ( $199 million, $702 million worldwide) and both are based on the comic book giant's superheroes. Also, Disney's “Guardians of the Galaxy" is looking very strong ahead of its Aug. 1 debut.

Ignore Women at Your Own Peril

Predominantly female audiences have driven two movies — “Maleficent” and “The Fault in Our Stars” — to No. 1 openings in the middle of superhero season. And strong turnouts by women had a lot to do with the breakout first weekends of R-rated comedies “Neighbors” and “22 Jump Street.” Melissa McCarthy's comedy “Tammy,” which debuts on July 2, should continue the trend.

Release Dates Have Been Key

This summer has seen seven different movies open at No. 1 and no film has held the top spot for more than a week. You could say that's an indication that none of this season's tentpoles have been strong enough to dominate, and that's true. But give credit to the studios, who have done a great job of picking their opening dates and timing their marketing campaigns.