• I live in Arizona, and I've visited the Grand Canyon with my family multiple times.
• First-time visitors often don't give themselves enough time to explore or skip visitor centers. 
• Don't forget to pack for drastic weather conditions and download the National Park Service app.

The first time my family visited the Grand Canyon, we pulled over at a popular lookout, ogled over its sheer size and vastness for an hour, took pictures, then drove home.

But we knew there had to be more to visiting the Grand Canyon. After all, it welcomed over 4.7 million visitors in 2023 and 2022.

Fortunately, we've had more chances to go back since we live in Arizona.

Since then, we've made more meaningful trips to this iconic national park and found that most first-time tourists make eight common mistakes when visiting the Canyon.

Some tourists aren't aware there are 4 entrances to the Canyon

The North Rim, open May through October, is less touristy and offers breathtaking vantage points. Grand Canyon West features the world-famous Skywalk, a glass walkway on a canyon's edge.

However, significant drive times between these two entrances make them less approachable for first-timers.

I recommend starting at the seemingly less popular East Entrance and taking the Desert View Drive, a 23-mile scenic road. Along the way, stop at sights like Duck on a Rock, Grandview Point, and Moran Point, then end at the South Rim's famous Grand Canyon Village.

Another way to access the South Rim is via The Grand Canyon Railway, which begins in Williams, Arizona. The ride takes a little over two hours, and tickets must be purchased in advance.

My family took the train during a heat wave, so we opted for the vintage Pullman rail car during the breezier morning and an air-conditioned car on the return trip.

Visitors forget to enjoy the sweeping views from multiple vantage points

Once you're in Grand Canyon Village, board a complimentary shuttle. Located throughout the village, they run about every 20 minutes on seasonal schedules.

I highly recommend taking the Hermits Road route, accessible via the red-line shuttle. It will bring you to many great overlooks, including Mohave Point, Abyss, and Hermits Rest.

Since the shuttle is hop-on,hop-off, tourists can take their time at each viewpoint before boarding the next available bus.

A lot of people don't give themselves enough time to see everything on their itineraries

Summer is peak tourist season here. With thick crowds, be prepared for shuttle lines and traffic congestion.

To make the most of your trip, start your day early — a sunrise over the Canyon is a must-see! — and consider staying overnight at one of the lodges or campsites, which should be booked far in advance.

First-timers often skip the visitor centers and the historic lodges

The visitor center has an introductory 20-minute video on the Canyon, the junior ranger program, and helpful guides.

And wandering through the lodges at the South Rim was a true highlight of our last visit. The lodges offer a sense of the park's history since its earliest days of tourism in the late 19th century.

El Tovar Hotel — built directly on the rim — first opened in 1905. A cross between a Swiss chalet and a Norwegian Villa, this charming architecture has hosted notables such as Theodore Roosevelt, Albert Einstein, and Oprah Winfrey. The hotel also has the only fine dining in the park, with a small veranda overlooking the South Rim.

Another favorite of mine is the rustic-style Bright Angel Lodge, first established in the 1890s. You can also dine here or meander through its gift shop.

Tourists don't plan for drastic weather conditions

Depending on the season, temperatures can range from below-freezing to triple digits, so plan accordingly.

Bring a refillable water bottle (water stations are throughout the park), a waterproof jacket/poncho, wide-brimmed hat (or beanie for colder days), and comfortable shoes.

I wish more visitors stayed cautious and respected the Canyon

With so many steep drops and high temperatures, the Grand Canyon can be dangerous, and people have died or gotten hurt while visiting.

Don't attempt a trail without training and proper gear and footwear — and watch out for icy conditions in the spring and high temperatures in the summer.

Also, be aware that wildlife, such as deer, squirrels, and mountain lions, call the rim their home. Keep your distance, and don't feed them.

Overall, just be cautious, and remember, no photo opportunity is worth your life.

Many hikers overlook the fact that trails are easier to go down than up

All trails start with steep switchbacks, a section of trail for climbing a steep hill, and many underestimate the time and energy it'll take to get back to the rim until it's too late.

Give yourself more time than you need, and consider choosing a stopping point instead of hiking the full trail.

On my last trip to the South Rim, I strapped my 5-month-old into the baby carrier, grasped my 5-year-old's hand, and hiked with my husband about a ½ mile down the Bright Angel Trail to enjoy the scenery.

Because we'd determined a stopping point beforehand, we didn't overdo it, and now we have bragging rights that we "hiked" the Canyon.

Don't underestimate the power of the National Park Service app — or a paper map

The National Park Service app is available offline and includes activities, interactive maps, up-to-date news, alerts, park tours, and more.

Even so, we still carry a paper map with us when we go to the Grand Canyon. It's available for free at the visitor center or when you check in to any of the hotels and lodges.

• Úrsula Alvarado, a 52-year-old Peruvian-American artist, lost her home when she got divorced.
• She moved into a studio, but was quickly priced out of Alexandria, Virginia.
• She applied to a nonprofit community and now pays $1,500 a month for a two-bed apartment.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Úrsula Alvarado, a 52-year-old Peruvian-American artist who lives in Alexandria, Virginia.

The following has been edited for length and clarity.

In 2016, I had just divorced my husband of 30 years and was forced to live at a friend's place. I was homeless.

My friend told me I could stay at hers indefinitely until I got back on my feet. But I felt frustrated because I didn't know where to go.

Coming from Peru, and as an immigrant, I wanted to pursue the American dream. For that, I needed to become independent and live in my own place.

My divorce hit me hard

When I came to the US for the first time in 2011, I arrived without knowing anything. I came here with a lot of excitement, but it didn't quite work out. I endured almost six years of bad marriage.

It was a marriage of over 30 years. He came to the United States first. I left my art business in Peru to be with him.

In 2016, I got a divorce. It was very hard. I had to leave his house. I eventually moved into a tiny studio apartment in Alexandria that cost me $1,700 a month.

The only requirement was to pay three months' rent upfront, so I took it.

But rent started going up by $100 each time landlords renewed the tenancy agreement. I felt financially and emotionally affected.

My daughter and I felt deprived of privacy, so we decided to move out. But we couldn't find anything. We were priced out of the city.

A friend told me: "Why don't you apply for housing with Affordable Homes & Communities?"

I went, and the building manager at the time told me that she was going to put me on the waiting list because there were so many people waiting to rent.

I was on the applicant's list for about eight months. They eventually called me.

I was very excited. I fell in love with the building structure. I loved it.

The moment I walked in, I felt like I was in paradise.

I have two rooms, a bathroom, and a small kitchen. It's not big, but I have more room for myself, and I wanted my daughter to have some privacy.

We'd just come out of a difficult situation. We wanted something for ourselves.

But what I fell in love with when they opened the door were the windows and the light.

I am an artist. It's the perfect place to paint, with pine trees outside my window changing colors every season, a school outside the building, and Latino shops.

I realized it was the perfect place for me when the pandemic hit. All the residents and I were like in a freezer for almost two years of confinement.

My distraction was the windows and painting — watching the seasons and the weather change.

I am only paying $1,500 a month in a city where the average rent is at least $2,100, and my rent has never gone up.

There are weekly meetings with all the neighbors, including Paul Bernard, president and CEO of AHC since 2022, so we can express our concerns.

This, for me, is very valuable.

One imagines that a partly government-funded building must be neglected and full of people with poor living conditions. This one is not.

Once, an Uber driver asked me, '"Oh, do you live here?" He was stunned that I was living in one of the country's most expensive cities.

Now, when I think back to that time with my husband, the words he said that made me feel so small have made me stronger.

I felt fear, I felt very lonely. Not anymore.

Correction: June 27, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misstated the year Paul Bernard became president and CEO of AHC. It is 2022, not 1965.

• A few years ago, my teen came out as nonbinary.
• I had to first learn what nonbinary meant to my teen and how I could be a better ally.
• We also take our child to safe spaces, while ensuring our home and school are safe for them, too.

A few years ago, our youngest child shared they were nonbinary at 13 years old.

At the time, I didn't know what that meant and didn't know anyone to turn to for advice. As their mother, I felt lost, confused, and uncertain of how to support my child.

Over the last few years, my teen has taught me what nonbinary means — going beyond the definition. They've helped me understand how to be an ally, how to support, how to help face day-to-day challenges, and how to be a safe space.

I had to first learn what nonbinary meant

The day they shared that they were nonbinary, I started searching for definitions and experiences to have an educated conversation with my child.

I found a definition that spoke to me. The Human Rights Campaign defines nonbinary as "an adjective describing a person who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman. Nonbinary people may identify as being both a man and a woman, somewhere in between, or as falling completely outside these categories."

I learned that my child is the true expert on their own experiences and meanings. From there, I asked my teen to share what nonbinary means to them and their preferred pronouns.

My child uses they/them pronouns, and it was tricky for me to use the new pronouns at first. But whenever I made a mistake, I learned to quickly correct myself. I also learned to be OK with my child correcting me when I make a mistake.

Ultimately, my teen told me they are not a fan of labels and prefer people to know them not by their gender, sex, or sexuality — but by them as a person.

I had to learn what it meant to be an ally to my kid

Being an ally can entail various actions, such as using the correct pronouns and name, educating yourself, creating safe zones, and educating others.

Early on, I made the mistake of relying on my child to tell people and explain what nonbinary means. I didn't realize the burden I was placing on my kid. Now, we check in with each other to see if they want me to share, if they want to share, or if they want to say nothing unless necessary.

Other times, I proactively tell people. I've shared what nonbinary means with colleagues, friends, grandparents, and other parents. Educating others increases awareness which is key to building a more accepting and safer world for my child.

Our child also wears a pin almost daily that says, "They, Them, Theirs." When we are out, this pin is a friendly reminder for everyone to use the proper pronouns.

We have found and frequent safe spaces

Our local coffee shop proudly displays a Progress Pride flag, signifying it's a safe and accepting place. They also have gender-neutral bathrooms, and that's important to my teen.

Another place with gender-neutral bathrooms? Their therapist's office. The facts and statistics on suicide rates among LGBTQ+ are distressing. Therapy provides some peace of mind. They have someone they trust, and I know they regularly speak with a trained professional.

I also learned to ensure that my house is a safe place, too. I make it clear to visitors that this is a safe space by displaying pride flags outside and inside. Also, we always ask and use our child's friends' preferred names and pronouns.

Finding and creating these safe places for my child has been helpful in feeling accepted and supported.

We had to learn how to navigate high school

High school — for any kid — is an opportunity for them to explore, learn about themself, and find their people.

This can be challenging for LGBTQ+ young people, especially those who are nonbinary, like my teen.

We've had to discuss the dynamics of bathrooms, locker rooms, and lunchrooms. I wanted my kid to feel like their school was another safe space, so we discussed accommodations with their guidance counselor.

One accommodation our high school makes is allowing my child to change in the nurse's office and use a staff gender-neutral bathroom.

All of these lessons have helped my child feel safe in a world that isn't always accepting of nonbinary people.

• Stunning gardens and parks are found worldwide, featuring unique flora and design elements.
• In Cornwall, England, the Lost Gardens of Heligan is home to sculptures straight from a fairy tale.
• Some of the world's oldest gardens are located in the ancient city of Sigiriya in Sri Lanka.

While some people are lucky enough to have a green thumb they can use to create elaborate gardens in their own backyards, others need a little more help. Luckily, there are plenty of expertly curated gardens and parks around the world that are open to the public.

From Norway's Tromsø Arctic-Alpine Botanical Garden — the northernmost botanical garden in the world — to Sigiriya, an ancient rock fortress in Sri Lanka that boasts some of Earth's oldest landscaped gardens, there's a verdant enclave to suit every taste.

Plus, enjoying time outdoors is great for your health. Spending time in nature can improve short-term memory and ability to focus, reduce stress and inflammation, and help eliminate fatigue. Marc Berman, associate professor of psychology at the University of Chicago, co-authored a 2019 study on the cognitive benefits of nature and told CNBC in 2023 that taking time to do something in nature can be viewed as "an investment."

"That 20 or 30 minutes in nature might make you more productive than just working straight through. Even losing that time in nature, you might make it up by being more productive," Berman said.

Here are 25 of the most beautiful gardens and parks around the world to inspire you to take some much-needed time to stop and smell the roses.

Butchart Gardens in Victoria, Canada, is known as the "city of gardens."

Spanning 55 acres, Butchart Gardens features 900 varieties of plants, according to its website. The land was once owned by The Portland Cement and the company's owner's wife, Jennie Butchart, transformed the area into the gardens that are enjoyed today by a million visitors a year. 

Located in Asheville, North Carolina, the Biltmore gardens are part of a sprawling estate.

According to The Biltmore Estate Timeline, George Vanderbilt purchased the land for the property in 1888 and hired Frederick Law Olmsted, who was responsible for the design of Central Park in New York City, to design the gardens.

Biltmore also provides potential visitors with a blooming guide, explaining what months flowers will be in bloom for. If your favorite flower is roses, for example, the best time to visit is May; but if your favorite is the sunflower, July is the best time to visit, according to the estate.

The Gardens of Versailles in France were built by the "king of gardeners" in the 1660s.

André Le Nôtre — described by the Palace of Versailles as "king of gardeners and Gardener to the King" — was charged with designing the property's expansive gardens. Per the palace's website, thousands of workers helped orchestrate the design, which involved trees imported from various regions of France.

Le Nôtre's plan was so complex that it required that the gardens be replanted about once every 100 years. Louis XVI and Napoleon III each did their part to revitalize the grounds, and the most recent restoration followed a severe storm in 1999 that affected more than 10,000 trees, according to the palace.

Located in Lucca, Italy, the Torre Guinigi is a 14th-century tower topped with an array of holm oak trees.

The medieval tower was built for the Guinigi family and adjoined to their palace; in Italy, it was common for wealthy families to build commission towers to see who could build the tallest and most desirable, per Expedia. As of 2024, the Torre Guinigi is one of the few structures from the time period remaining in the city.

To ascend the tower, you'll need to climb 230 steps, but the view is worth the effort. Plus, you'll be able to relax in the shade of the trees, which scholars believe are symbols of rebirth and power.

Le Jardin Majorelle in Marrakech, Morocco, is known for the distinctive color of its fountains and garden walls: "Majorelle blue."

According to the location's website, the garden was cultivated by the French painter Jacques Majorelle over the course of 40 years. He frequently used the vibrant cobalt blue pictured above on garden walls, fountains, and other features, and subsequently trademarked it "Majorelle blue."

Le Jardin Majorelle is also known as the "Yves Saint-Laurent garden," CNN reported, because the fashion designer and his partner, Pierre Berge, bought the property in 1980, saving it from demolition 18 years after Majorelle's death.

Located in Lisse, Netherlands, the Keukenhof offers scenic fields of flowers that bloom each spring.

Located between Amsterdam and the Hague, Keukenhof is one of the world's largest flower gardens. Each year, more than 7 million bulbs are planted in the fall, including 800 different varieties of tulips, the Tulip Festival Amsterdam reported.

Open from March to May, Keukenhof bursts to life with colorful blooms every spring; this year, the garden's displays were reported to be "extra festive" in celebration of the garden's 75th anniversary.

The Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden in Pattaya, Thailand, is home to a miniature version of Stonehenge.

From animal sculptures to topiary trees, Nong Nooch also hosts traditional Thai dance performances and martial arts demonstrations, Expedia reported.

Located in Enniskerry, Ireland, the Powerscourt Gardens date back to the 13th century.

Situated 30 minutes south of Dublin in County Wicklow, Ireland, the 47-acre Powerscourt Gardens are divided into distinct areas, including the Italian garden, the Japanese garden, and the walled garden, according to the estate's website.

The country estate used to be the home of the Viscount Powerscourt, a noble title in Ireland. On a more morbid note, visitors can take a break from walking through curations of roses, lavender, and tulips to see the pets cemetery, which the estate reports is "believed to be the largest pets' cemetery in any private Irish garden."

Las Pozas, located in Xilitla, Mexico, is full of eccentric sculptures such as staircases that lead nowhere.

Las Pozas ("The Pools") is a sculpture garden created by Edward James, an English poet and artist who also supported surrealists like Salvador Dalí and René Magritte, Atlas Obscura reported.

James built Las Pozas on a coffee plantation near Xilitla, in Mexico's Huasteca region. While the property once housed his collection of orchids and exotic animals, he began work on the sculpture garden in the 1960s.

It was co-designed with his friend Plutarco Gastelum, who built most of the sculptures. The site contains more than 30 structures, including plant sculptures and aforementioned winding staircases that lead nowhere.

Located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the Dubai Miracle Garden has dubbed itself the largest natural flower garden in the world.

The Dubai Miracle Garden features 60 varieties of flowers. Spanning about 18 acres, the garden usually attracts more than one million people each year, CNN reported in 2017.

Its vibrant floral displays — which have included a life-size Emirates Airbus A380 — change seasonally.

Located in Medellín, Colombia, the Joaquin Antonio Uribe Botanical Gardens feature 35 acres of flowers, plants, and wildlife.

One of the gardens' highlights is the orchid display, housed in the award-winning "Orchideorama," a honeycomb-like structure that preserves the plants and also is home to the butterfly farm, The Guardian reported in 2017.

The ancient city of Sigiriya, found in Sri Lanka, dates back over 1,500 years.

The palace ruins of Sigiriya — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — sit atop a mountainous rock that stands over 600 feet tall, per Sri Lanka Travel.

Some of the oldest landscaped gardens on the planet are nestled among the site's intricate network of staircases and reservoirs.

In San Francisco, the California Academy of Sciences Living Roof houses a variety of plant life.

The California Academy of Sciences is home to an aquarium, planetarium, and natural history museum, but one of its most interesting features is the Living Roof, designed by renowned architect Renzo Piano.

"The idea was to make the roof of the new museum like a piece of the park flying. I also wanted to play with natural light, and with transparency, so that from the inside of the museum you can see where you are," Piano told the Academy.

The Academy's website reports that the roof spans 2.5 acres and is covered in seven hills "lined with 50,000 porous, biodegradable vegetation trays made from tree sap and coconut husks," filled by an estimated 1.7 million plants.

In Singapore, Changi Airport is home to a butterfly garden with over 1,000 butterflies, signature plants, and a waterfall.

Named the 2023 Skytrax Airport of the Year, Singapore Changi Airport is home to a number of gardens and nature-inspired attractions, including a butterfly garden with more than 1,000 butterflies, a sunflower garden, and a koi pond.

The indoor greenery reflects Singapore's nickname, "City in a Garden."

 

 

The Garden of Cosmic Speculation is a science- and math-themed garden in Dumfries, Scotland.

The Garden of Cosmic Speculation was designed by architecture theorist Charles Jencks and his wife, Maggie Keswick, at their home near Dumfries, Scotland, Atlas Obscura reported.

It comprises 40 areas where visitors can explore bridges, sculptures, and other architectural works inspired by scientific and mathematical phenomena like black holes and fractal geometry. Per the garden's website, the property is only open to the public once a year, usually in May.

Located in Tromsø, Norway, the Tromsø Arctic-Alpine Botanical Garden is the world's northernmost garden.

Per the location's website, Tromsø Botanical Garden has plants from every continent, such as its "mascot," the Himalayan blue poppy, which is native to Asia, and the white-eyed ice plant from southern Africa.

The roof of the ACROS Fukuoka Prefectural International Hall in Fukuoka, Japan, is covered in a forest of trees and plants.

Both a building and a park, ACROS — which houses a music hall, a conference center, and more — was spearheaded by Emilio Ambasz, an Argentinean architect and industrial designer, Greenroofs.com reported.

ACROS is crowned by 15 stepped terraces, each of which contains gardens for a relaxing escape from the city. The building celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2020.

 

In Cape Town, South Africa, the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden features a winding walkway that allows visitors to view the trees from above.

The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) reported that the government first designated land at the estate of Kirstenbosch for a national botanical garden in May 1913.

One of the garden's most notable features is its canopy walk. Built from 2013 to 2014, the walkway spans more than 400 feet and lifts visitors nearly 40 feet above ground to offer excellent views of the flora, such as fynbos, a type of vegetation native to the southern tip of Africa.

The Master of the Nets Garden in Suzhou, China, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The garden is one of the Classical Gardens of Suzhou, designed to "recreate natural landscapes in miniature," UNESCO reported. Dating to the 12th century, it features a labyrinth of windowed courtyards that give the illusion that the site is more spacious than it really is, Lonely Planet reported.

Located in New York City, the High Line is a former elevated freight railroad track repurposed into a public park.

Stretching 1.45 miles, the High Line is one of New York City's most popular attractions, drawing an estimated 8 million people a year according to the Institution of Civil Engineers and featuring 150,000 plants, trees, and shrubs.

 

Located in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France, the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild Gardens is known for its variety of themed gardens.

The Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, a Venetian-style villa, was built by Rothschild Baroness Béatrice Ephrussi in the early 20th century, per the villa's website.

To make the land suitable for a garden, workers used dynamite and large amounts of soil to level the land. The French formal garden was the baroness' priority, featuring waterfalls, ponds, and a "Temple of Love" inspired by the Petit Trianon at Versailles.

After the baroness' death in 1934, architect Louis Marchand was chosen to design the estate's other themed gardens, which range from a Florentine garden with a marble angel statue to a Spanish garden with Mediterranean pomegranate trees and bird of paradise flowers.

The Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne in Australia is home to over 8,500 plant varieties.

Some of the plant species that call the Melbourne Gardens home include cacti and succulents, roses, camellias, and rainforest flora, the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria reports.

Many Australian Open winners including Aryna Sabalenka, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, and Caroline Wozniacki have posed at the garden with their trophy.

Portland, Oregon, has its very own tranquil Japanese Garden.

Divided into eight unique spaces, the Portland Japanese Garden's website notes it has been "a haven of serenity and tranquility" for over 50 years.

The sand and stone garden, for example, is based on the aesthetic principle known as yohaku-no-bi, "the beauty of blank space," while the strolling pond garden was popularized by aristocrats and feudal lords during the Edo period (1603–1867).

In Cornwall, England, the Lost Gardens of Heligan is like a fairy-tale come to life, featuring some whimsical garden sculptures.

Located on a Cornwall estate that was originally built in the 1200s, the Lost Gardens of Heligan — famous for its whimsical stone statues, like the sleeping Mud Maid — live up to the name.

During World War I, the estate became overgrown due to neglect. However, the property was never sold or developed. Fortunately for plant lovers everywhere, workers restored the forgotten gardens to their original glory in the 1990s.

Today, there is a jungle area filled with bamboo tunnels and pleasure grounds that feature historic plantings from around the world, Heligan's website reports.

The House of Claude Monet in Giverny, France, features the flower and water gardens that inspired some of his most famous paintings.

Monet lived in this Giverny home from 1883 to 1926, and helped design its famous gardens, including the water lily pond that would become the inspiration for his timeless work of art, "Water Lilies," which now hangs in the Musée de L'Orangerie in Paris.

The garden was inspired by Japan and includes plants like bamboo, maple, Japanese tree peonies, weeping willows, and of course, water lilies, the location's website reports.

• Helen Zhao bought a tiny London studio for $416,000 to be closer to her family. 
• A year after moving in, she had the 312-square-foot studio redone to fit her lifestyle and needs.
• She can now unfold a bedroom, a living room, a dining room, and an office out of one small space.

Step aside, Barbie, there's a new dreamhouse in town.

No, it isn't bubblegum pink — rather, a bold shade of green — but it is tiny, sustainably built, and personalized for its owner, Helen Zhao.

Zhao, a 32-year-old software engineer, told Business Insider she bought the East London studio in 2020 for £328,000, or around $416,000, to be closer to her sister, brother-in-law, and twin nieces, who had just moved to the area.

Navigating London's real-estate market on a tight budget isn't for the faint-hearted. When Zhao did, the next hurdle became figuring out whether she had enough left in the bank to turn the 312-square-foot studio into a space that could accommodate her work-from-home lifestyle, dinner parties, and overnight guests.

Over a year after she bought the studio, Zhao came across Sara L'Espérance and Michael Putman, founders of the architectural design firm SUPRBLK. They helped her create a home tailored to her needs — and for under £25,000, or around $31,709, no less.

Take a look inside Zhao's house, which she called her "Green Dream."

When Zhao moved in, the studio was essentially one big room.

Although the studio was relatively modern and got good light, Zhao wasn't exactly in love with it when she first moved in.

Zhao said the previous owners had set up the apartment "in a way where the whole thing was just a bedroom."

But when she came across L'Espérance and Putman, reading an article about a "visually stunning" home they'd bought and redesigned using "clever ways to utilize the space," Zhao realized her home had the potential to be something more.

Inspired, she contacted the couple to see if they would transform her 312-square-foot studio — which also has an 86-square-foot balcony — within her tight budget.

L'Espérance and Putman wanted to get a sense of Zhao's personality and lifestyle before making major design decisions.

L'Espérance and Putman had relocated to Canada when Zhao got in touch, but taking on a renovation from afar wasn't an issue. It was the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, so they were doing most of their work from home, L'Espérance told BI.

But before taking Zhao's project on, the architects had her fill out their standard client questionnaire to learn about herself and her lifestyle.

Zhao was very "thorough" with her responses, L'Espérance recalled.

"We got a sense of what she liked doing, where she works, and what are important things to her," she said. Sustainability was a factor, as was having a home that she could work in but also switch off, relax, and entertain guests whenever she was off the clock.

While it always seemed feasible, the architects were a little wary as they'd never renovated a home that tiny, L'Espérance said. "So it was like, 'Can we do this? Can we get her everything that she's asking for and in such a small space?'"

The renovated space is deceptively simple, housing four rooms — a bedroom, living room, dining room, and office — in one.

The redesign Putman and L'Espérance managed to pull off in Zhao's studio focuses on the living area since her budget stretched too thin to also redo the kitchen and bathroom.

"The bathroom and kitchen, whilst maybe not 100% to Helen's taste, were quite neutral and new," L'Espérance said.

Using smart design tricks, they managed to completely transform the living space so that it now has multiple configurations.

In other words, the layout can shift depending on what Zhao is using it for.

Zhao said there's the "work mode" layout, where a desk can be pulled from a column stacked with shelves to the left of the front door.

"It's quite light, so you can do that quite easily," she added. "It feels like you're putting away work, which is really great."

Folding the desk back up transforms the apartment into a more relaxed "lounge mode."

Finally, there's the "dinner party mode," for which Zhao pulls the sofa out 90 degrees and pulls out a hidden table. When completely folded out, the table can seat up to five people.

The architects and Zhao considered different designs before the final iteration, which L'Espérance likens to a "transformer robot."

L'Espérance and Putman showed Zhao an array of design concepts before narrowing it down to two similar but different arrangements.

One was slightly more complex and would have cost more, while the other was "a little more minimal, a little less built, and it was going to be quite a lot cheaper." Given her budget, Zhao ultimately went for the latter as she said she "always liked minimal living anyway."

The fact that Zhao had already lived in the apartment for over the year ended up working heavily in their favor, L'Espérance said.

"I actually think it's a mistake to renovate a place before living in it a bit," she said, noting that it takes time to get a feel for a home and what you want to change within it.

"It's nice to buy a place and do it up right away, but I think people find that then they don't get it quite right," L'Espérance said.

To maximize storage, nearly every aspect of the apartment has multiple hidden uses.

"Previously, Helen essentially had a rack with her clothes kind of right at the door and then sort of boxes," L'Espérance said. "That's why the design solution was that everything had to serve more than one function."

A sofa couldn't just be a sofa, she added, "it had to do two or three things because otherwise, it wasn't working hard enough."

With that in mind, she and Putman designed the studio to be chock-full of secret storage spaces. There are drawers and cabinets discreetly accessible by the front door, storage boxes beneath the sofa, and shelves above the bed.

The bed, which is behind the sofa and raised on a small platform, also conceals a large storage space beneath it, where Zhao said she keeps things like "Christmas lights" that she doesn't use every day. Later, she added curtains for an extra bit of privacy and light control.

Storage, L'Espérance joked, is the "sexiest component" of a home.

"It's important to be able to have spaces that you can shut the door, and your mess can kind of live behind," she said.

Not only is there enough storage for Zhao, but there's also plenty of space for her partner, who moved in after the renovation was complete.

It took only two months to finish the project, in part because Zhao was pretty hands-on.

The architects and Zhao employed a joiner — basically, a woodworking expert — to build the living space's nifty multi-use components out of Valchromat, a substance made from recycled pinewood and mill waste.

The new living space took two months to install, but most of the elements were built off-site, so Zhao only had to vacate the premises for one week.

Because they were in Canada, L'Espérance said she and Putman relied on Zhao to be their eyes on the ground.

"Helen was really, really hands-on, which was amazing," L'Espérance added. "It was more than a kind of client, architect relationship. It became like Helen was almost managing the project."

Zhao, who is into arts and crafts, also took the lead in giving her new home its distinct paint job.

The architects proposed painting the living space green early in the design process, something L'Espérance was "quite nervous" about doing as she worried Zhao wouldn't be a fan of the "bold" color.

But there was a method to the madness, L'Espérance said. Since the apartment faces south, it gets lots of sunlight, which means a moodier color like green can minimize glare. The color is also reminiscent of "nature," which is "important" to Zhao, L'Espérance said.

Zhao heard them out. After receiving the paint samples, she tested how it interacted with different liquids and food products because she knew it would be used on surfaces people would eventually eat and drink — and spill — on.

"She had put turmeric on it and spilled wine on it, and oil — it was so amazing," L'Espérance said.

Post-testing, it was up to Zhao to paint the entire space. Lucikly, she has a penchant for arts and crafts, so was up for the task — with guidance from L'Espérance.

Some have nicknamed Zhao's tiny home the "Green Machine," but it'll always be the "Green Dream" to her.

Zhao didn't grow up playing with Barbies or owning a Barbie Dreamhouse. She was more of a Lego fan, a slight foreshadowing of the studio she'd eventually call home.

Like Lego bricks, aspects of her studio can easily be taken apart, stuck together, and shifted around to create multiple layouts.

It's no wonder her home was dubbed the "Green Machine" during the 2024 Don't Move, Improve! architectural competition, which recognizes London's most innovative home redesigns.

But to Zhao, it'll always be her "Green Dream," a living space suited for her needs that she has no intention of ever giving up. Well, unless her nieces leave East London.

"The only massive thing that could happen that would sway me is if my nieces moved away," she said. "I love them!"

• Elon Musk's politics may seem to be all over the place, but he's demonstrated a consistent pattern.
• As far as political donations are concerned, he's been splitting his bets since the early 2000s.
• While he's kept donating to both parties, Musk has also more openly embraced the GOP.

Though Elon Musk may appear these days like your typical right-wing billionaire, that hasn't always been the case. 

The Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI CEO's rightward lean is actually the culmination of a political evolution that's been playing out over decades.

And as one of the richest and most powerful people in the world, Musk's political stances carry a great weight.

Musk's political donations dating back to 2002 fit neatly into just a single landing page on OpenSecrets, a nonprofit organization that tracks money in politics. And he's contributed to both sides of the political aisle. 

Though Musk historically hasn't been big on political donations, he's publicly said that he weighs in on politics when it could affect his businesses. And 2024 may have the biggest effect on Musk yet. 

Ever since Trump left the White House, the billionaire has increasingly inserted himself into debates over hot button topics, waged a largely one-way feud with President Joe Biden, and cozied up to Donald Trump. 

Here's how Musk got here.

The early years: From apartheid-era South Africa to Tesla takeover

Musk, 52, has said very little publicly about apartheid, the system of racial segregation that became the defining issue of his childhood in the Republic of South Africa.

His father, Errol — who inherited wealth from half of an emerald mine he used to own — was elected to Pretoria City Council in 1972, running under the anti-apartheid Progressive Party. The apartheid system was a major motivation behind the younger Musk's decision to leave South Africa for Canada in 1989, according to Ashlee Vance's 2015 biography of the billionaire. 

Growing up in the primarily white suburbs outside of Johannesburg, Musk was also surrounded by censorship and disinformation about the government's treatment of Black people, The New York Times reported in May. His mandatory government service was what first exposed him to the reality of the situation, according to the Times, who spoke with a high school classmate of Musk's about the insulated experience.

"People, at some point, realize that they've been fed a whole lot of crap," Andrew Panzera, who was in Musk's German class, told the Times. "At some point you go, 'Jeepers, we really were indoctrinated to a large extent.'"

Musk's political coming of age during the pre-social media era remains much of a mystery. But then his profile rose with the sale of his company X.com, a competitor to PayPal co-founded by Musk, and his subsequent takeover of Tesla as owner after joining founders Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning with a $6.5 million investment in 2004.

Musk's politics pre-Trump

Musk has long argued for small government and advocated for laissez-faire economic policy, calling the US government the "ultimate corporation" at a CEO summit in December 2020. In terms of donations, he's been in a relative holding pattern from his early years in Silicon Valley up to the present, donating moderate sums of money to politicians from both parties. 

"I get involved in politics as little as possible," Musk said at a 2015 Vanity Fair event, adding that, "There's some amount I have to get involved in," due to his business interests. 

He donated $2,000 each to former President George W. Bush and his 2004 Democratic challenger, former Secretary of State John Kerry. Musk also donated to California Democrats up and down the ballot, but still gave the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) $25,000 ahead of the 2006 midterms.

Another example of Musk hedging his donations came in the buildup to the 2008 presidential primaries, where he contributed to both Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in their contentious race.

Musk didn't donate to either Clinton or Trump during the 2016 cycle.

The billionaire also started out as a heavy Trump skeptic, saying in October 2015 that it would be "embarrassing" if Trump won the GOP nomination, much less the presidency.

"I don't really have strong feelings except that hopefully Trump doesn't get the nomination of the Republican party, because I think that's, yeah … that wouldn't be good," Musk said at the Vanity Fair event. "I think at most he would get the Republican nomination, but I think that would still be a bit embarrassing."

But more recently, Musk has taken a different approach to the Trump-dominated GOP. His latest donations have all been to Republican candidates and causes, with Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware being the last Democrat to receive any Musk donations back in 2020.

Musk's politics during Trump's term

Starting in 2017, Musk's donations began to skew Republican, with the billionaire spending nearly seven times more on GOP campaigns than Democratic ones. He also accepted positions on two of Trump's White House councils and tweeted his support of Rex Tillerson's nomination as Secretary of State.

While Musk previously said he supported Hillary Clinton's campaign promises on the environment and climate change, he defended his decision to attend Trump's business council meetings so he could raise the issue along with the January 2017 travel ban affecting Muslim-majority countries. He then stepped down from the councils in June 2017, citing Trump's decision to leave the Paris Climate Accord.

"Climate change is real," Musk tweeted. "Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world."

Musk largely stopped mentioning Trump from that point until much later in his presidency, when Trump attended a SpaceX launch for NASA in May 2020.

Musk during Biden's presidency

In the last few years, Musk's flirtations with the Trump-led GOP have been ramping up.

In mid-2022, Musk said he voted for a Republican candidate for the first time in a Texas special election, adding that he expected to see a "massive red wave" in the year's midterms. Musk's Texas voter registration does not show party affiliation, but he's argued on X that the Democratic Party has drifted further from the center than the GOP.

In the closest thing Musk has offered to a 2024 endorsement, he tweeted in June 2022 that he was leaning toward supporting Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president. DeSantis, who has since dropped out of the race, joked that he welcomed support from "African Americans," referencing Musk being South African.

Musk also said in July 2022 that Trump shouldn't run for president again and instead just "sail into the sunset."

But the billionaire has since changed his tune. 

After taking control of Twitter, now X, at the end of 2022, Musk reinstated Trump's account on the platform. Musk called Trump's expulsion from the platform following the January 6 riots a "morally bad decision" and "foolish to the extreme."

Though Musk has not outright endorsed Trump for president, he appears to be getting close. Musk has repeatedly criticized Biden, calling the president a "damp sock puppet" last year and hosting an "anti-Biden brain trust" meeting with Republican billionaires this April. 

Musk also recently had breakfast with Trump, along with Nelson Peltz, where the trio griped about voter fraud and Biden's performance. 

And, after Trump's felony conviction last month, Musk went to bat for the MAGA leader. 

"Indeed, great damage was done today to the public's faith in the American legal system," Musk wrote in a post on X.

"If a former President can be criminally convicted over such a trivial matter — motivated by politics, rather than justice — then anyone is at risk of a similar fate," Musk added, echoing Trump's own narrative that the conviction was an act of political persecution.

Trump has even been reportedly chatting up Musk about an advisory role in his cabinet if he wins this November. And that's not the extent of the pair's burgeoning chumminess — Musk said earlier this month that the former president sometimes calls him on the phone out of the blue. 

While Musk has been more bullish lately about support for the GOP, his history of donations and past comments show that he has tended to position himself wherever he thinks power and influence are heading.

• My fiancée and I spend about $40 buying groceries at Aldi each week.
• In the summer, I love snacking on green grapes, mandarin oranges, and bananas.
• Some of our favorite easy meals are tacos, sandwiches, and stir-fries.

My fiancée and I live in a small Midwestern town with limited grocery options. But, thankfully, we have an Aldi, which I frequent once a week.

Two years ago, we could get by on a grocery budget of $20 a week, but rising inflation changed all that. Although food prices are finally starting to stabilize, according to the USDA, they aren't supposed to drop much this year.

These days, my grand total at Aldi usually clocks in at or under $40.

On my most recent trip, I picked up 17 items for just about $39 before tax. Here's everything I got and how we'll use it.

Penne rigate: $1

Reggano's penne rigate is a great budget option for pasta night. At $0.98 a box, I always add some to my cart.

The penne is especially good with a homemade tomato sauce. In a pinch, I'll keep it simple with olive oil, garlic, Italian seasoning, and Parmesan.

Mixed greens: $2.90

I'm a big fan of Simply Nature's resealable, premixed salad boxes. During a busy workday, it's easy to grab a handful of leaves, throw in dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, and chunky blue cheese, and have a quick and light lunch.

Plus, I think $2.89 is a fair price for this healthy staple.

Shredded cheddar cheese: $2.20

Happy Farm's thick-cut shredded cheddar is a must in our household.

A bag costs $2.19, and it's great for melting onto scrambled eggs, tacos, and sandwiches — all of which we eat frequently.

Flour tortillas: $2

I go back and forth between corn and flour tortillas. Right now, I'm on a flour kick.

A 20-count of Pueblo Linda's small fajita tortillas costs $1.99 at Aldi.

They toast up great in a pan or soften perfectly in the microwave for 10 to 20 seconds.

Frozen Asian veggies: $2.10

Season's Choice steamed-broccoli stir-fry is a good frozen veggie option to pair with any meal, especially at $2.09 a bag.

As an impatient cook, I simply throw this mix in a pan with a dash of olive oil and cook until it's sizzling.

The water chestnuts are a nice touch — I never buy the crunchy vegetables on their own, but I love eating them.

Frozen ground turkey: $2.75

The possibilities are endless with Kirkwood's all-natural ground turkey, but we like to use it as the protein in our tacos.

A pound costs $2.75, and we like to cook the whole thing in a pan with a can of black beans, diced onions, garlic, and cumin. We serve everything on lightly browned flour tortillas and top it off with shredded cheese.

Black beans (two cans): $1.65

My partner and I love black beans. At $0.81 a can, it's easy to stock up on these bad boys.

The beans are great in our taco mix, a bean-based salad, a breakfast burrito, or as a side dish.

Café Bustelo: $3.85

When it's time for morning coffee, I use a moka pot, which requires thinly ground espresso.

I think Café Bustelo is the perfect coffee for this brew method, and it keeps me energized well into the afternoon.

A 10-ounce bag is $3.85 at Aldi, and if I'm lucky, it'll last me through the week.

Whole milk: $1.70

I usually drink almond milk, but we still get a lot of use out of a ½ gallon of Friendly Farms whole milk.

It only costs $1.70, and it's thick enough to serve as a creamer for my espresso, light enough to drink on its own, and great for oatmeal or baking.

Wheat bread: $1.25

Honestly, I hate buying bread. If it were practical to make it ourselves every week, I would.

Until I figure that out, I find myself grabbing Aldi's cheapest loaf for our weekly sandwiches.

L'oven Fresh's split-top wheat bread cost me $1.25 on this trip.

Peanut butter: $1.80

Peanut butter is a necessity in our house — we probably eat it with a spoon more often than we should.

A small jar of Peanut Delight's no-stir creamy peanut butter is $1.79 at Aldi. When I'm not eating it out of the jar, I like to put a small dollop in my morning oats.

Oats: $3.95

I usually grab a large box of Millville rolled oats for $3.95.

At breakfast, I tend to add honey, cinnamon, and brown sugar to the cooked plain oats.

Bananas: $1.45

When I need a fiber fix, I love a plain banana. One bunch cost me $1.43 on this Aldi run.

Sometimes, I'll let them ripen, freeze them solid, and blend them with milk and a dash of peanut butter. If you get your ratios right, the end result tastes like peanut-butter-banana ice cream.

Eggs: $1.55

Eggs are a staple for a healthy breakfast or a quick lunch. Goldhen's large grade-A eggs cost me $1.54.

I eat them scrambled, fried, poached, over easy, or hard-boiled.

They're a cheap source of protein — our dog, Peppa, even occasionally enjoys them.

Mandarin oranges: $4

I can never eat just one mandarin orange. In fact, I usually eat two at a time.

A bag costs $3.59, but it's worth it. I like to eat them as a healthy dessert.

Green grapes: $3.45

Green grapes never last me a week, especially in the summer. I'm snacking on them right now as I'm writing this.

They're the perfect hydrating snack, so I never bat an eye at paying $3.42 for a bag.

Dark chocolate: $2

When the day is over, and I've done everything I need to do, there's nothing better than a square of dark chocolate.

A $1.99 bar of Moser Roth's 85% dark chocolate is always in our fridge. Paired with a glass of cabernet, it's the perfect treat.

• Republicans regularly portray Joe Biden as feeble and unable to serve as president.
• Ahead of his debate with Trump, they're changing course — even saying he'll be on drugs.
• It's a recognition that they've set expectations too low for Biden, and it could backfire.

Day in and day out, Republicans portray Joe Biden as a man who's too old and enfeebled to carry out the duties of the presidency.

It's probably their most potent attack, given that most Americans are concerned about his age. At 81, Biden is the oldest person to ever serve as president, and there's no denying that he shows it at times.

But now, ahead of a high-stakes debate with Donald Trump on Thursday, some Republicans are adding a twist to that narrative: Biden may show up under the influence of drugs.

The most outspoken of the bunch is Rep. Ronny Jackson, a staunch Trump ally who previously served as White House Physician from 2013 to 2018: The Texas Republican sent a letter to Biden demanding that he take a drug test ahead of the debate.

There's also the more anodyne version of the theory, pushed by Republicans like Rep. Eric Burlison of Missouri, who speculated that Biden's advisors were "going to jack him up on Mountain Dew."

Why are Republicans bothering to talk about this at all?

It may be because they realize their portrayal of Biden as enfeebled may only work in the president's favor at the debate.

It all goes back to the State of the Union

"A little before debate time, he gets a shot in the ass," Trump said at a rally in Philadelphia on Saturday. "He'll come out all jacked up, right? All jacked up."

"I'm sure he'll be prepared," Trump later added. "Whatever happened to all that cocaine that was missing a month ago from the White House?"

This sort of thing isn't new for Trump. In 2016, he suggested that he and Hillary Clinton should submit themselves to a drug test, and in 2020, he suggested that Biden was on drugs when he debated his Democratic primary opponents.

What's new is the embrace of that theory by rank-and-file Republicans, most of whom seem to have been taken aback by Biden's relatively strong performance at the State of the Union address in March.

"He was very different in the State of the Union than he has been for the last three and a half years in public," Jackson told Business Insider.

"I remember walking into the State of the Union and thinking, 'We're going to see sleepy Joe,' and we saw jacked up on Mountain Dew Joe,'" Burlison told Business Insider. "I think that he's going to be attentive, alert, because it's going to be game on."

When Biden spoke to Congress, he had been facing one of the worst months of his campaign. Special Counsel Robert Hur's report had characterized the president as an aging man with a poor memory, and liberal pundits were openly discussing the merits of replacing him.

Biden managed to reset the narrative with a State of the Union address that was energetic and highly political. While it didn't result in a lasting lead for the president, it gave him a modest bump in polling.

The president has been in debate prep for days, and he's likely looking to snag a similar opportunity on Thursday.

Neither Burlison nor Jackson went so far as to admit that they're playing an expectations game with Biden, but both men acknowledged that it's an important factor.

"Probably, the expectation has been set too low," said Jackson. The Texas congressman predicted that Biden would either be "sleepy" or "jacked up" at the debate, but acknowledged that the president could land somewhere in the middle. "If that happens, I mean, then it's a win for him, right?"

"I don't think we ought to underestimate [Biden]," said Burlison. "Trump's team should be fully prepared, and not be planning for sleepy Joe."

• In the last few months, Pompeii archaeologists have announced many impressive findings.
• The announcements include an unusual fresco of a child and charcoal drawings of gladiators.
• The discoveries give insights into daily life prior to the volcanic eruption nearly 2,000 years ago.

Before the Mount Vesuvius eruption buried it in ash and rocks, Pompeii's Region IX was a bustling region full of elegant homes, bakeries, and other shops.

This year, the Pompeii Archaeological Park unveiled several new discoveries from the area, including a stunning blue shrine, children's drawings of gladiators, and incredible fresco paintings.

"The new excavations give us a sense of how much still remains to be found," Caitlín Barrett, co-director of Cornell University's Casa della Regina Carolina (CRC) Project at Pompeii, told Business Insider.

Photos show some of these latest discoveries from Region IX, offering a glimpse into what life was like in Pompeii nearly 2,000 years ago. While much has changed over the millennia, some things, like dinner parties and kids' doodles, still seem familiar.

Region IX holds both the beauty and brutality of Ancient Rome.

For hundreds of years, volcanic debris preserved Pompeii after the eruption in 79 CE.

Early excavations, starting in the mid-1700s, focused on the city's artwork rather than objects related to daily life, said Barret, a National Geographic Explorer who wasn't involved in the latest research. This meant experts often overlooked those who didn't own these luxury items.

People from a range of social classes lived in Region IX, Barrett said. "There were very wealthy people who could afford houses covered in beautiful wall paintings," she said. "And there were also individuals who led much more difficult lives, like the enslaved people who were compelled to work in a bakery that was sealed with iron bars across the windows."

Several new discoveries come from the area known for its chaste lovers.

Since 1912, archaeologists have known about the House of the Chaste Lovers. It's a two-story building in the area known as Insula 12 — insulas are distinct collections of buildings, similar to a modern city block.

This fresco depicts a couple sharing a romantic moment amongst others at a feast. It's such an iconic image that Insula 12 is also called the Insula of the Chaste Lovers.

This insula covers about 28,000 square feet and includes several impressive houses.

The House of the Chaste Lovers recently reopened after a renovation project that began in 2017. Several new findings from the insula are now on display. Visitors can gaze down on them from a newly raised walkway.

Experts found a "chilling" portrait of a hooded child with his pet.

In early June, Pompeii Archaeological Park experts revealed what they called an "unusual" painting of a young child wearing a hood. He's surrounded by grapes and pomegranates and is accompanied by what appears to be a pet dog.

During this time period, dogs were typically depicted hunting or on guard, but the one in this painting seems more like a playmate, according to a report in the E-Journal Scavi di Pompei.

Pomegranates can be a symbol of death, archaeologist Sophie Hay noted on X, which may indicate the owners of the house wanted to memorialize a deceased child. She called the painting chilling, pointing out the toddler's "haunted gaze."

Thousands of years ago, children made their own gruesome artwork.

Recent excavations can also tell us about how some children played in Ancient Rome.

In the Insula of the Chaste Lovers is the House of the Colonnaded Cenaculum. Thousands of years ago, children used charcoal to depict gladiators and a hunting scene on the courtyard walls of the house.

Psychologists from Federico II University of Naples examined the artwork and estimated that the child, or children, who drew them were around seven years old.

The gladiators in the drawing seem to be in combat, and a pair of hunters with spears are facing off against what looks like two wild boars.

The children may have seen fights in a nearby amphitheater.

In the same courtyard, a younger child of perhaps five made other charcoal drawings, including the outline of a hand. There are also images of boxers mid-fight, according to the researchers.

These weren't necessarily scenes taken from a child's imagination, according to Pompeii's experts.

Children may have watched fights and executions in a nearby amphitheater, "thus coming into contact with an extreme form of spectacularized violence," Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of the Archaeological Park, said in a statement.

Wealthy people had rooms decorated to impress guests.

A few streets away from the Chaste Lovers block is Insula 10, which has its own enormous residence.

One impressive home in Insula 10 incorporates many rooms, including an elaborate one for dining and a lavishly decorated shrine.

The Insula 10 residence's dining room has black walls covered in well-preserved frescos and could have held a couple dozen guests, Zuchtriegel told NBC News.

Its size and decor were meant to impress, according to a press release from the Pompeii Archaeological Park.

Most people lived in simpler housing, Barrett said, either in rented apartments or rooms or lofts above shops. "And even within wealthy households, the enslaved inhabitants would have lived in much more difficult conditions, sleeping on small and uncomfortable beds within cramped storerooms," she said.

Guests could discuss the frescoes during dinner.

The images depicted on the dining room walls include scenes from myths and literature. "The paintings would have given people something to talk about over dinner," Barrett said.

One shows the Trojan prince Paris meeting Helen, then queen of Sparta. It was this fateful pairing that sparked the Trojan War, according to legend.

In between the couple are a servant woman — "who is giving Helen a very dubious look," Barrett said — and a dog facing out from the fresco. "I love that dog breaking the fourth wall," Barrett said. "His dismayed expression tells you everything you need to know about what's going to happen next!"

The frescoes captured images from mythology and literature.

The black room has another fresco related to Greek mythology. Cassandra sits on the right, despairing that she won't be able to stop the Trojan War. The God Apollo, who looks at her in the painting, cursed her so no one would believe her prophesies.

Archaeologists are working to preserve these and other Pompeii frescoes by treating them with glue and putting up temporary roofs to protect them from the elements, according to the BBC.

While the frescoes are incredible, Barrett said more ordinary objects can be just as important to document.

"The burned figs and dates found in front of a household altar might not be as eye-catching as the frescoes, but they tell us about the daily rituals that connected people to their gods," she said.

A vivid blue shrine showcased the owner's deep pockets.

Another part of the residence with the black dining room held a more private space. Yet it seems the owners spared no expense in decorating the room, which may have served as a shrine.

The owners had it painted blue, which would have been very rare and expensive at the time.

"Having a whole room painted in blue would have made a major statement about the wealth of the house owner," Barrett said.

Paints were typically made from natural materials like minerals or plants. The "Egyptian blue" pigment was synthetic and therefore pricier. "So it was not only valuable but also high-tech," she said.

The owners seemed to be updating the room at the time of the volcanic eruption. A pile of oyster shells was found near other building materials, Barrett said. The workers may have been planning to crush them and add them to plaster to make an ivory-white pigment.

A third of Pompeii's archeological site is still unexcavated, so there will be plenty more to learn as the rest is unearthed.

• The Baltic states and Poland have called for a defense line along Europe's border with Russia, per Reuters.
• They said it would protect the EU from Russia's "military" and "hybrid" threats.
• Frontline NATO countries are facing intensifying Russian hybrid warfare threats.

NATO member states Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Poland have urged the EU to build defensive infrastructure along its 700-mile-long border with Russia and Belarus, according to Reuters.

The leaders of the four countries, which all share a land border with either Russia or Belarus, called for "extraordinary" measures to protect them and their allies.

"Building a defense infrastructure system along the EU external border with Russia and Belarus will address the dire and urgent need to secure the EU from military and hybrid threats," they said in a joint letter sent to the EU chairman, per Reuters.

They said the plan should be discussed at a two-day summit in Brussels starting on June 27, during which time EU leaders will discuss defense funding, among other items.

Given the size and cost of the effort — which some EU diplomats estimate would be about $2.7 billion — bloc-wide action is needed to support it both politically and financially, the letter said, per Reuters.

It didn't specify exactly what military or civilian means should be deployed.

Front-line NATO countries have faced intensifying Russian hybrid warfare threats, unconventional methods that Russia seems to be using that blur the line between war and peace and that fall into what is called the "gray zone."

Recent examples include Russia's coast guard removing buoys demarcating the territorial waters between Russia and Estonia on the Narva River in May, a day after a leaked Russian proposal outlined plans to redraw Russia's territorial waters with Estonia, Lithuania, and Finland.

The Baltic region has also experienced increased jamming of commercial aircraft's satellite navigation systems, which seems to be coming from Russia.

Meanwhile, EU officials have accused Russia and Belarus of driving migrants toward Lithuania's border with neighboring Poland.

Influence operations have also targeted all three Baltic countries, with Estonia experiencing a rise in sabotages that damaged an undersea gas pipeline and telecommunications cables between the country and Finland in October.

In response to these threats, and the threat of a potential Russian invasion, NATO and European countries close to Ukraine and Russia have started drafting their own defensive plans to protect their borders.