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<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>AP Images</span></p><p class="caption">Bags of blood plasma being examined in a laboratory.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Alkahest, a startup spun out of Stanford University, is exploring whether plasma could be used to treat people living with Alzheimer's.</strong></li><li><strong>The hope is to use parts of plasma to regenerate neurons in the brain, something the team has seen happen in animal models. </strong></li><li><strong>An early trial had somewhat encouraging results, prompting another trial that will start later this year or in early 2018. </strong></li></ul><p> </p><p>A startup spun out of Stanford University is looking to use the blood of young people to treat people living with Alzheimer's disease. </p><p>On Wednesday, the company, called Alkahest, came out with data that suggests the treatment could work in humans, after successfully seeing an effect in animal models. </p><p>Alkahest's work is based on research from Stanford neuroscientist Tony Wyss-Coray, who found that injecting young blood into old animals <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nm.3569">improved their cognitive function.</a> That ability is what declines in people with Alzheimer's, a neurodegenerative condition.</p><p>If used in humans, such a treatment would infuse components of blood from healthy, young donors into those living with Alzheimer's to regenerate neurons in their brains - an effect the team has seen happen in the animal models.</p><h2>Early results</h2><p>As part of an early-stage study of the blood treatment, nine participants with mild to moderate Alzheimer's got four weekly infusions of either blood plasma from 18- to 30-year-old men or a placebo saline solution. After a six-week break, they switched - the group that got saline got plasma and vice versa. Another nine people got the plasma over the entire course of the trial.</p><p><a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/11/blood-young-people-does-little-reverse-alzheimer-s-first-test">Science reports</a> that the trial found the treatment to be safe, but the participants getting the plasma didn't score better on cognitive tests. However, they did perform better on daily tasks according to surveys of their caregivers, who were asked to evaluate their patients.</p><p>A neuroscientist not affiliated with the study <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/11/blood-young-people-does-little-reverse-alzheimer-s-first-test">told Science</a> that those surveys need to be taken with a grain of salt, though, since the positive responses could be due to the placebo effect from caregivers paying more attention to the patients, since they knew they were taking part in a trial.</p><p>The full data will be presented on Saturday at an <a href="http://www.alkahest.com/2017/11/01/alkahest-to-present-clinical-results-from-plasma-study-in-patients-with-mild-to-moderate-alzheimers-disease-at-the-10th-clinical-trials-on-alzheimers-disease-ctad-conference/">industry conference</a>. </p><p>This isn't the first time the blood of younger people has been considered as a treatment, however. A startup called Ambrosia wants to use <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/young-blood-transfusions-aging-disease-ambrosia-2017-1">young blood transfusions to fight aging</a>. </p><p>Joe McCracken, vice president of business development at Alkahest, told Business Insider that the company was surprised to see that the technique was working at all in their early trial. </p><p>"This isn't a Eureka moment," he said. Even so, the trial was encouraging enough to lead the team to conduct another study, this time using just certain factors found in plasma.</p><h2>Why people are looking for new Alzheimer's treatments</h2><p>The search for an Alzheimer's treatment has been unsuccessful for years. </p><p>The latest failure came in September, when pharmaceutical company Axovant said its drug, intepirdine, failed a key late-stage trial.</p><p><span>Alzheimer's affects more than 5 million Americans, a number that's expected to balloon to</span><span> </span><a href="http://www.alz.org/facts/">13.8 million by 2050</a><span>. There are only four drugs that have been approved to treat the symptoms of the disease, and the most recent drug approval happened in 2003.</span></p><p><span>This has been a particularly <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-starting-alzheimers-disease-treatment-early-could-be-key-2017-2">tough year</a> for companies trying to develop Alzheimer's treatments. In February, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-lundbeck-gives-up-on-alzheimers-drug-rival-to-axovant-pill-2017-2">Lundbeck</a> discontinued two of its trials, Merck discontinued one of its studies, and Accera <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-acceras-alzheimers-trial-fails-in-yet-another-setback-for-disease-2017-2">failed a late-stage trial</a>. Axovant's trial results were the last major results to come out in 2017, with the next ones expected in 2018 and 2019. </span> </p><p>The setbacks have led companies to seek out other ways to confront the disease - Alkahest's use of young people's plasma being a prime example. </p><p>Alzheimer's researchers are also considering treatment regimens that begin much earlier in a patient's life. Research has determined that years or even decades before a person might show symptoms, amyloid beta deposits<span> </span><a href="https://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/2012-2013-alzheimers-disease-progress-report/biomarkers-reveal-alzheimers">can start to accumulate</a> in the brain - a characteristic of Alzheimer's disease. By the time we start seeing symptoms of dementia, some researchers think, it might already be too late to do much.</p><p>If that is indeed the case, finding ways to stop cognitive decline before symptoms surface could be a crucial development in Alzheimer's treatment. One such research effort is currently <a href="http://banneralz.org/research-clinical-trials/types-of-research-studies/alzheimer%E2%80%99s-prevention-initiative.aspx">going on in Colombia,</a> where scientists are testing an amyloid-related drug in an extended family with a rare genetic mutation that leads to early-onset Alzheimer's. That study is in people who are still considered cognitively healthy, so if the drug is able to prevent cognitive decline, it could be a breakthrough.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/uncomfortable-truth-about-alzheimers-2016-1">A man told the uncomfortable truth about what it's like to have Alzheimer's - and the video went viral</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Scientists are testing out how blood from young men could treat Alzheimer's

<br /> The mercury level in the country’s capital is soaring quite high this summer. And to escape from the heat wave, we decided to go out of the city. Being nearer to the <keyword id="52569" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="himalayas">Himalayas</keyword>, hills were our first preference. However, a new resort, <keyword id="4504487" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="le-reserve">Le Reserve</keyword> Corbett at <keyword id="94857" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jim-Corbett-National-Park">Jim Corbett National Park</keyword> in <keyword id="44522" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uttarakhand">Uttarakhand</keyword> in the foothills of the <keyword id="4504488" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="kumaon-himalayas">Kumaon Himalayas</keyword> made us change our mind. The rustic and wooden feel of the property with an asymmetric pool, as displayed on the internet, made us choose our April getaway at the jungle this time.<br />
<br />
This place is listed on most of the popular online portals; however you can contact the property directly over a call for better deals.<br />
<br /> There is a good part about <keyword id="18633" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Jim-Corbett">Jim Corbett</keyword> area. It’s hilly but without altitude. It’s colder than the city but warmer than hill stations. By road, <keyword id="66744" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ramnagar">Ramnagar</keyword> where the <keyword id="310615" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Le">Le</keyword> Reserve is located is less than six hours. And if you take the night train you would reach Ramnagar, the station that looks like RK Narayan’s dream town of <keyword id="75873" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Malgudi">Malgudi</keyword>, in five and a half hours.<br />
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On a Saturday early morning in the end week of April, we checked ourselves in at Le Reserve Corbett. The estate has recently been converted into a luxurious resort with jungles all around.<br />
<br /> Keeping in sync with the ambience of the place, wood has been extensively used. Right from the rooms to the front desk, the scent of pine wood is addictive. The owner <keyword id="4504486" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="karan-tewari">Karan Tewari</keyword> has done a commendable job here.<br />
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The concierge processed our booking and told us our room was on the first floor. The room is spacious enough with a bed is designed like a log. The cane furniture in the room gives it a typical cottage kind of feel. The first floor rooms have veranda that overlook the pool. We could see the sky gathering the grey clouds of midsummer and preparing for a heavy shower. Relishing over the tea, we were enjoying the chilled breeze coming from the upper Himalayas.<br />
<br /> All meals are served at the restaurant by the pool, Ambrosia. The chef is a local chap who knows cuisines well. While he served us Indian as well as Chinese during our stay for two days, I would any day choose his <keyword id="2710320" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kumaoni">Kumaoni</keyword> cuisine over anything else. Kumaoni dal or Kumaoni lauki masala (gourd curry) are the must try dishes at the place. If you are a non vegetarian, opt for chef’s choice of village chicken and you would definitely relish the delicacy.<br />
<br /> Soon after the lunch and a short afternoon siesta, we were ready for the jungle safari, the most important part of Jim Corbett trip. Le Reserve’s concierge will make all arrangements for you, if you want. The journey from the resort to the <keyword id="4504485" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="durga-devi-gate">Durga Devi Gate</keyword> of Corbett is nearly 15 kilometres and worth it, thanks to the open jeep cruising at 110 km/hr.<br />
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We returned from the safari right after the sunset and the high tea at the sprawling lawn of the resort has begun. There is a regular guitarist who would keep the place enliven. While he was singing songs from the yesteryears and we were sipping on whisky – both got blended into an addictive concoction. The tasty pakoras kept flowing in and soon after another big group joined us after their safari and they were sharing their experience. The lawn at seven o’clock in the evening has suddenly turned into a hunter’s lodge where people share their experiences after a long day of hunting.<br />
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Some of us started humming to the tunes of the songs, played by the guitarist. And the confident ones gradually started singing songs by themselves. An hour later, when few of the guests were still swimming in the 4.85 foot deep pool, a smiling staff came to us to inform us that the dinner is being served. Again the dinner consisted of dishes that were local and tasted heaven. As the night got darker, the guitarists have left and the bonfire at the lawn has just burnt out, you can hear some howls coming from far away. When inquired, one of the staffs informed us that often wild foxes and barking deer come near the highway and that’s the origin of the screams.<br />
<br /> The next morning, we walked for 10 minutes and spotted the <keyword id="390762" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kosi-river">Kosi River</keyword>, one of the tributaries of the Ganga right behind the resort. The summer months are dry and the river doesn’t have much water. On our way back, we spotted a herd of three spotted deer drinking water at the river.<br />
<br /> If you get into the pool, just be cautious, it’s 4.85 feet at one side. The pool isn’t suitable for diving, though. And there will be wild monkeys around you drinking water from the pool. <keyword id="7308" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Don">Don</keyword>’t be scared, it’s their place we have invaded.<br />
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Scroll through the images below to catch a glimpse of the experience. Photos sourced.<br />

Stay close to nature when you visit Jim Corbett National Park next time. Here's how

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Getty Images/Joern Pollex</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>To Jesse Karmazin, blood is a drug.</p><p>His startup, a Monterey, California-based company called <a href="https://www.ambrosiaplasma.com/">Ambrosia</a>, is currently enrolling people in the first US clinical trial designed to find out what happens when the veins of adults are filled with the blood of young people.</p><p>In many ways, he's right about blood's life-saving qualities. A simple blood transfusion, which involves hooking up an IV and pumping the plasma of a healthy person into the veins of someone who's undergone surgery or been in a car crash, is one of the safest life-saving procedures we have. Every year in the United States, nurses perform about <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/bloodsafety/basics.html">14.6 million of them</a>, which means about 40,000 blood transfusions happen on any given day.</p><p>But Karmazin, who has an MD but is not licensed to practice medicine, wants to take the idea of blood as a drug to a very different level. He wants to use transfusions to fight aging.</p><p>As a medical student at Stanford and an intern at the National Institute on Aging, Karmazin explained over a recent phone call, he watched dozens of the procedures be performed safely.</p><p>"Some patients got young blood and others got older blood and I was able to do some statistics on it, and the results looked really awesome," Karmazin told Business Insider. "And I thought, this is the kind of therapy that I'd want to be available to me."</p><p>So far, though, no one knows yet if blood transfusions can be reliably linked with a single health benefit in people. And researchers doubt Karmazin's trial will come away with sufficient evidence to point us in that direction.</p><p>"There's just no clinical evidence [that the treatment will be beneficial], and you're basically abusing people's trust and the public excitement around this," Stanford University neuroscientist Tony Wyss-Coray, who led a 2014 study of young plasma in mice, <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/08/young-blood-antiaging-trial-raises-questions">recently told Science magazine</a>.</p><p>For starters, to participate in the trial, you have to pay. And it isn't cheap. The procedure, which involves getting 1.5 liters of plasma from a donor between the ages of 16 and 25 over the course of two days, costs $8,000.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com/license/115577838">Joern Pollex/Getty Images</a></span></p><p class="caption">A bag of red blood cells.</p></div><p></p></div></div>According to the <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02803554?term=young+plasma&amp;rank=2">description registered on ClinicalTrials.gov</a>, Karmazin hopes to enroll 600 people in his trial, which he is conducting with physician David Wright, who owns a <a href="https://davidcwrightmd.com/">private intravenous-therapy center in Monterey</a>. Before and after the infusion, participants' blood will be tested for "biomarkers," a variety of measurable biological substances and processes which are thought to provide a snapshot into health and disease.</p><p>So far, Karmazin says he has done the procedure on 30 people. He claims many of them are already seeing benefits, from renewed focus to improved appearance and muscle tone.</p><p>But it's far too early to say if any of these claims are real. For one thing, when all the data is pooled and tested, it could end up being statistically insignifcant. For another, the alleged benefits could amount to a simple placebo effect, i.e. simply coming into a fancy lab in Monterey and paying money to enroll in the study could have made patients feel better. Whether or not the blood itself had any impact on patient's health is still up in the air.</p><p>Nevertheless, Karmazin, who was initially inspired by studies on mice, remains enthusiastically hopeful.</p><p>"I'm really happy with the results we're seeing," he said.</p><h2>Studies in mice don't necessarily translate into results in people</h2><p>Karmazin's leading motivation was a series of mouse studies that involve parabiosis, a <a href="http://www.nature.com/news/ageing-research-blood-to-blood-1.16762">150-year-old surgical technique</a> that connects the veins of two living animals. (The word comes from the Greek root word <em>para</em>, or "beside" and <em>bio</em>, or "life.")</p><p>One such study, <a href="http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/v20/n6/full/nm.3569.html">co-authored in 2014 by Wyss-Coray</a>, the same Stanford University researcher who recently questioned the validity of Karmazin's current trial in people, suggested that parabiosis could rejuvenate a part of the mouse brain where memories are made and stored.</p><p>"I think it is rejuvenation," Wyss-Coray <a href="http://www.nature.com/news/ageing-research-blood-to-blood-1.16762">told Nature in 2015</a>. "We are restarting the aging clock."</p><p>In September 2015, his clinical trial in humans in California became the first to start testing the benefits of young plasma in 18 people with Alzheimer's disease, but those results have not yet been released. Some of the funding for that small trial came from a company that Wyss-Coray started, called <a href="http://www.alkahest.com/about/scientific-advisory-board/">Alkahest</a>.</p><p>Other researchers on Wyss-Coray's team were much more hesitant to come to such conclusions.</p><p>"We're not de-aging animals," Amy Wagers, a stem-cell researcher at Harvard University <a href="http://www.nature.com/news/ageing-research-blood-to-blood-1.16762">told Nature in 2014</a>. Instead of turning old tissues into young ones, Wagers said they were simply helping repair damage. "We're restoring function to tissues."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-humans-have-different-blood-types-2016-12">Why we have different blood types and why they matter</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="Rxbjh5NzE60a-yZCfCZ2yJ6KNRJlAz-I" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

For $8,000 this startup will fill your veins with the blood of young people - but they have no idea if it'll have any benefits

<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://ambronite.com/blogs/news/12806785-restaurant-day-this-is-where-it-all-started">Ambronite</a></span></p><p class="caption">Arno Paula, Miika Perä, Mikko Ikola, Tapio Melgin, Simo Suoheimo, and Karoliina Heikkilä</p></div><p></p></div></div>Ambronite is a Finnish startup that aims to make it easy to give you the nutrition you need as quickly as possible.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><a href="http://ambronite.com/blogs/news/12806785-restaurant-day-this-is-where-it-all-started">Born out of a Finnish tradition called Restaurant Day</a><span>, in which participants can set up a temporary restaurant, Ambronite sold </span></span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">drinks that functioned as a healthy meal replacement. After selling out in six hours, they decided to turn it into a business.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The company is </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://indiegogo.com/projects/ambronite-real-food-drinkable-supermeal/x/4373414">currently raising money on IndieGogo</a> to build a customer base and sell its product around the world. A<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">t the time of this writing, it's just shy of totaling $100,000 in pre-orders, nearly double its $50,000 target goal. </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Ten Ambronite "meals" cost $89 and there is a day and a half of fundraising to go if you're interested in getting on board.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Ambronite co-founder Mikko Ikola caught up with us over Skype to fill us in on the company.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"We started out to develop the product for ourselves. All of us were busy and didn't want to resort to unhealthy eating," he told us. "Our team members come from different background. For Arno [Paula], he is a triathlete and has been interested in nutrition from that angle. Simo [Suoheimo], on the other hand, originally comes from above the Arctic Circle where many nutrition-dense ingredients grow, like berries and seabuckthorn, and knows quite a bit about them. For me, it was <a href="http://quantifiedself.fi/">the bio-hacking community that I ran</a>. I started to pay attention to my eating as I realized how much better it makes feel."</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>Screenshot</span></p></div><p></p></div></div><br /></span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Where <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/soylent-unboxing-2014-7">comparable meal replacement product Soylent</a> is synthetic and affordable, Ambronite is organic and premium. It is made out of real food products in powdered form, and the ingredient list is <a href="http://ambronite.com/products/product">readily available right here</a>. However, Soylent is about half the price of Ambronite, or a little over $4 per meal.</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><br /></span></p>
<p><span>"We think that the social experience of sharing dinner with your friends is not worth replacing. Instead, the busy moments when you rush through your business day, there's definitely a place for Ambronite," said Ikola.</span></p>
<p><span>He recommends mixing your Ambronite with banana, avocado, or apple juice for some sweetness. I tried a few servings over the weekend without any additives and was pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to mix and by its taste - I was expecting something overpowering and "healthy"-tasting, but Ambronite by itself is bland in a good way. I look forward to experimenting with some additives this week.</span></p>
<p>Ikola says Ambronite is about both time-saving and nutrition: <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"Ambronite is about convenience but very importantly also about healthiness. We've dug out the best ingredients nature has to offer. That perspective is very important to our team, as we developed the drink initially for ourselves."</span></p>
<p><span>What about the origin of the name? Ikola explains that it comes from "</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrosia">Ambrosia</a><span>, the nectar of the gods in Greek mythology. You might acquire immortality by enjoying it ;-)"</span></p>
<p><a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ambronite-real-food-drinkable-supermeal"><strong>There is still a day and a half of crowdfunding to go »</strong></a></p>

This Company Is Trying To Make A Better Version Of Soylent By Using Natural, Organic Ingredients

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><a href="http://www.moranyachts.com/Catalog/Yacht/?ID=81">Moran Yachts</a></p></div><p></p></div>Modern <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/yacht-of-the-week">superyachts can cost tens of millions of dollars</a>, and the wealthy people who have them custom-made are prone to coming up with some outrageous requests.</p>
<p>This summer, yachting journalists Frances and Michael Howorth asked some of the top names in the industry to answer the question:</p>
<p><strong>"What is the weirdest/craziest request you have had from a client during the building of his yacht?"</strong></p>
<p>Here are a few of the best answers, extracted with permission from the article <a href="http://www.monacoyachtshow.com/en/home/all-news/300-you-sail-me-crazy.html" target="_blank">"You Sail Me Crazy!," published by the Monaco Yacht Show</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Rodney Martin, Managing Director Fitzroy Yachts:</strong></p>
<p>"Owner's rep came on board late in the build, thought that the saloon cabin wouldn't be tall enough to accommodate the Owners cowboy hat, and asked us for a variation to raise the saloon roof by 100mm. The variation came back at several hundred thousand - and the next day it was approved by the owner!"</p>
<p><strong>Luca Bassan Antivari, President of Wally:</strong></p>
<p>"I recall one occasion that clashes somewhat with the laws of physics where an owner asked for at least two metres of cabin headroom using only one and half metres of height! Another wanted a lift capable of going up to the top of the mast with his guests so they could drink and watch the sun set. We managed to persuade him that a chopper would do it much more efficiently and safely.</p>
<p>"My favourite however, was the guest who wanted his 50 metre yacht to have a glass bottom so that he did not need to get wet while watching the fish. He wanted it to be a sort of sailing snorkeling, or snorkeling while couch potatoing experience."</p>
<p><strong>Vincenzo Poerio, CEO Benetti Yachts:</strong></p>
<p>"The Owner of Ambrosia III had a passion for astronomy and wanted a planetarium inside the sky lounge. He wanted it to simulate a real night view of the stars, planets and constellations. It had to be able to change and rotate (and open) according to the real boat position in terms of latitude and longitude. We did it of course, gaining at the same time a deep knowledge in complex astronomy!"</p>
<p><strong>Rupert Mann, Rainsford Mann Design Ltd.:</strong></p>
<p>"Over the years many a request has been far reaching and challenging but usually mixed with modicum of sanity but the bar was raised when a client requested we incorporate a mini version of the owners' suite for Bart, their pet monkey!</p>
<p>"The "Simeon Suite" as it became known, was even to have its own galley to enable Bart's favourite snacks to be prepared. Unfortunately due to international quarantine laws this idea never really got off the ground further than the paper it was designed on!"</p>
<p>For more crazy requests, <a href="http://www.monacoyachtshow.com/en/home/all-news/300-you-sail-me-crazy.html" target="_blank">read the full article here</a>.</p>

Yacht Builders Reveal The Craziest Requests They've Ever Received

Yacht Builders Reveal The Craziest Requests They Have Ever Gotten

<p>I go to Starbucks on the way to work every day. I know it's not the best coffee available, but for all its detractors, it's an efficient caffeine delivery mechanism.</p><p>Today I took the the long way to work to try <a href="http://www.philzcoffee.com/">Philz Coffee</a>, a San Francisco coffee shop chain <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/02/18/philz-coffee-funding/#4ySwe2:psv">that just finished a $15 million Series B round</a>. It's using the money to expand nationwide.</p><p>It's not every day you hear about a coffee chain getting venture capital money from firms that usually invest in tech companies. <a href="http://www.summitpartners.com/">Summit Partners</a>, which led the round, has invested in Uber, Belkin, and Arista. </p><p>Philz started up in 2003, so it grew up during the latest tech boom. But it doesn't deliver coffee by drone, accept Snapcash, or put Soylent in its drinks (as far as we know - although it does advertise a secret ingredient).</p><p>So why all the fuss? I decided to find out, and visited Philz' original shop in San Francisco's Mission district.</p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">T</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">he first thing I noticed after walking is in was the shop's walls. They're painted with clouds and covered with</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> colorful paintings:</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p>The couches, sofas, and tables opposite the coffee bar itself give Philz a calm, social vibe. There wasn't much of a line when I visited.</p><p>People were on laptops but it didn't seem like a place to do business. Everyone was relaxed and happy, not staring at their phones waiting for someone to call out their name.</p><p>Philz is a place for people who enjoy the experience of drinking coffee.</p><p>The blackboard menu was filled with an overwhelming number of blends, each with odd names like <span>"Silken Splendor," "It's the Best," and "Ambrosia Coffee of God." It wasn't clear what each one would taste like. </span>My barista told me each blend was made from two to seven coffee beans blended together and mixed with a mysterious blend of cream and sweetener.</p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">I say mysterious because t</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">he sign out front touts a "secret ingredient" and </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">they didn't tell me exactly how they do it. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span>There's plenty of food, too. Philz offers fresh-looking bagels, muffins, and pastries for about $2 to $5, which is reasonable. You could eat breakfast there if you wanted, but I got the impression that people come here for the coffee, and the food is just an added bonus. </span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">I finally chose a blend called <a href="http://www.philzcoffee.com/Online-Store/Medium-Roast-Blends/Philz-Coffee-Tesora">Tesora</a><span> </span><span>-</span><span> a medium roast, and Philz' first blend ever. I<span> saw Splenda behind the counter, but I got my coffee "Philz way," with medium cream and sweetener. </span></span><span><br /></span></span></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Philz Coffee's slogan </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">-</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> and possibly the secret to its success </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">-</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> is "one cup at a time." </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">I soon discovered that Philz isn't for the commuting worker. It's a slow process. I watched my coffee drip from its bag in one of the four brewing machines my barista was in charge of.</span></p><p>But once it was done, it was unlike any coffee I'd ever had. <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The coffee I'm used to tastes like coffee. But this </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">genuinely tasted like butter, nuts, and caramel. It was the smoothest coffee I've ever had.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">You definitely pay for the quality, though. My large was $4, about a buck more than I pay for something similar at Starbucks.</span></p><p>So while there's no obvious tech angle, Philz investors probably see an opportunity in the premium coffee market. It's possible that slower-moving sit-down coffee shops like this one will steal some customers from Starbucks, just like "fast-casual" food chains like Chipotle and Panera Bread have <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-mcdonalds-ceo-don-thompson-failed-2015-1">taken business away from McDonald's</a>. </p><p>It all depends on why you're drinking coffee. If you're in a hurry, just trying to wake up before a busy day, Starbucks has your back. But if you've got a little extra time and money to burn, I'd go to Philz almost every time.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/inside-eat-shake-shack-burger-fries-2015-2">We got inside Shake Shack and found out what the hype is all about</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="14aW1jczpuebzWfyY2nPhbJ8hRbcT8ZB" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

I visited the coffee shop that just raised $15 million from tech investors to see what all the fuss was about

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Andrew Stern</span></p><p class="caption">My drink: espresso doppio with one packet of raw sugar.</p></div><p></p></div></div>I'm 29 years old, and I made it through high school, college, my first, second, third, and fourth jobs, and graduate school (which coincidentally included my fifth and sixth jobs simultaneously) without drinking coffee. That's not to say I never used caffeine, but it was rare.</p><p>My caffstinence was not on principle; I simply hated the taste of coffee. It tasted like hot water mixed with dirt. It smelled delicious, but the taste failed to deliver on its olfactory promise.</p><p>Yet in my 29th year, I've become an avid coffee drinker. How did this happen? Well, my journey to the caffeinated promised land followed a roundabout course that began and ends in South America by way of New York City.</p><h3><strong>Summer vacation for (mostly) grown-ups</strong></h3><p>In the summer of 2014, between years one and two of grad school, I was in Brazil filming a documentary that would become my master's thesis film. Those five weeks were intense, intimidating, exhilarating, and imminently rewarding. To cap the trip off, I stayed in the country for weeks six and seven to attend a local soccer tournament called Copa do Mundo (known as The World Cup to Americans).</p><p>It was the second week of the tournament and my body was in open revolt. My three buddies and I were traipsing around the country, drinking until 2 or 3 a.m. routinely, then getting up (somewhat) early every day to either sightsee, watch a game, or go to a game. I was in a continuous state of physical and mental exhaustion. I had a nagging cough and my voice was perpetually hoarse. I felt like I had a permanent low-level hangover. On unfortunate days, the hangover was positively nuclear. Nevertheless, we had to soldier on; America needed us.</p><p>Near the end of the trip in Recife, Brazil, after the Americans had fallen to the Germans 1-0 the day prior, my buddies and I had claimed a spot at a restaurant/bar downtown to watch Brazil take down Chile in the morning game. Four or five hours later, the three of us still standing were like the walking dead. We were as tired as we were drunk, which is to say exhausted.</p><p>My buddy ordered an espresso to inject a little pep into his step. He urged the other two of us to do the same. I figured, <em>What the hell? We have to rally somehow...</em></p><p>Those two ounces changed everything.</p><p>First of all, the espresso (with one packet of sugar, since I'm not that hardcore) was downright delicious. It was so much richer in flavor and texture than coffee. It packed a wallop, too - we were back in action within 15 minutes.</p><p>We didn't need to use espresso again that trip, but the incident stayed with me.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>entreamigosobode.com.br</span></p><p class="caption">The site of my first espresso.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h3><strong>Life A.B. (After Brazil)</strong></h3><p>As it turns out, I didn't drink coffee again during my second year of grad school, either. That all changed with my first job out of grad school. I was hired by CNN on a four-month contract to help curate content for a mobile app concept they were toying with. And while it was an amazing opportunity, there's only so many hours one can stare at a screen reading other people's writing before your eyelids start to droop.</p><p>Luckily for me, the CNN Center in Atlanta has a Starbucks in the lobby - not around the corner, not down the street, in the lobby.</p><p>Schwing.</p><p>Every day, as my eyes got heavy around 3 p.m., I'd saunter on down to the Starbucks stand and grab a single shot of espresso with a half packet of sugar.</p><p>As my caffeine tolerance climbed, I bumped the order to a double with a full packet of sugar. That was enough caffeine to get me through the end of the day without amping me up to the point of getting the jitters. </p><h3><strong>An ocean of espresso in New York </strong></h3><p>When I started working in New York City, the habit followed. But instead of having one realistic option for walkable caffeine, Manhattan boasts an endless supply of roasts: Whether in the guise of giant chains, regional favorites, artisan baristas, or tiny restaurants that happen to have an espresso machine, the island is chock-full of coffee shops.</p><p>There was an ocean of espresso at my fingertips.</p><p>As fate would have it, the documentary film team I work on made going for an afternoon coffee a bit of a tradition. We were editing a film about Ikaria, Greece, where people drink one to two cups of Greek coffee every day. Doctors on the island claim it's a legitimate contributor to the islanders' exceptional longevity (they live up to 10 years longer than anywhere else on Earth). So, we should be drinking really strong coffee in small portions, too, right?</p><p>My producer and I started exploring the espresso/coffee shops in the Flatiron District around Business Insider's office. We'd go to a different joint most every day, which got me thinking, what exactly goes into making the perfect espresso? And why is there so much variety between espresso offerings?</p><p>So I set out to determine the secret to a non-coffee drinker's coffee drink.</p><p>I quickly realized I had no idea what I was doing.</p><h3><strong>The death of caffstinence </strong></h3><p>It came easily enough at first. I preferred espresso to regular coffee because the latter has neither a strong enough flavor nor a thick enough texture for my palette. Also, I'm lactose intolerant, which ruled out pretty much all of the other milk-centric coffee drinks (e.g., latte, cappuccino, macchiato, etc.).</p><p>My drink of choice was settled. Now, to find the perfect espresso.</p><p>The first espresso I ordered from a craft brewer was downright undrinkable. I still don't know enough about the eccentricities of the espresso brewing process to tell you why I hated it; I just knew the acrid, almost sour aftertaste was terrible. If I had to guess, I'd say it was overly concentrated past my taste buds' breaking point.</p><p>So fancy wasn't necessarily better. Check.</p><p>As I talked to baristas in the following weeks, I came to realize there are a lot of things that play into the flavor of a given espresso: the source of the bean, method of harvesting and processing the beans, style of the roast, coarseness of the grind, density of the pack, length of the extraction, exact temperature of the water… I'm sure I have yet to touch on every factor, so you can imagine my feelings of abject ignorance during this experiment.</p><p>The sheer variability notwithstanding, as I made the rounds of shops in walking vicinity, I do think I identified a few trends in the espressos I like the most.</p><p>First of all, I prefer a more robust, chocolatey flavor that's bitter without going into full acrid. There's a reason I liked the espresso in Recife so much - the Brazilian bean fits that flavor profile exactly. Subsequently, most of my favorite espressos are either single source Brazilian brews or are a blend with a Brazilian base (which also explains why I liked Starbucks' offering).</p><p>Second, I like a 4-ounce double-shot. Many artisanal shops pour a double as their standard, but in a 2-ounce pour, which is why I think it's too concentrated for me. Again, I could be totally wrong in that reasoning, but it makes sense conceptually.</p><p>In addition to loving Brazilian beans, the Italian espresso machines/barista methods seem to strike a chord with my taste buds.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Andrew Stern</span></p><p class="caption">I've learned that I prefer espresso pulled from an Italian machine.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The best espresso I've found to date is at a <a href="http://www.alvicolettonyc.com/">little Italian restaurant on 17th</a> between 5th and Broadway. It's not even a coffee shop; they just happen to stock great coffee beans and do whatever it is a great barista does to make liquid ambrosia. It truly is the nectar of the gods.</p><p>That's not to say hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurants are the only purveyors of excellent espresso. But, something about their bean + barista(s) + brewing method combination checks all of my espresso boxes.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Andrew Stern</span></p><p class="caption">Get a great espresso outside the coffee shop.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>If you find coffee too watered down and/or lacking flavor, yet you crave the payoff promised on other end of the delicious scents emanating from your local coffee shop, the right espresso might do you right.</p><p>Likewise, you might even love some of the more involved milk-centric drinks, but being as I can't drink them, you'll have to research those on your own.</p><p>If you're anything like me, though, look for a Brazilian-based blend, an Italian espresso machine, and a 4-ounce pour.</p><p>Like Julia Roberts in "Runaway Bride," the journey to your preferred style of eggs is an exercise in personal identity and self-discovery. Your ascent into espresso can be every bit as edifying (and delicious).</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/long-island-mansion-real-estate-wall-street-2015-9">There's a Gatsby-esque mansion on Long Island and it just hit the market for $100 million</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="Y2NTRrdzoVidbBQ8hFL0BPyn8gAZMaib" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

How a coffee hater found his perfect coffee drink (and maybe you can, too)

<p><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. -</strong> Elise Stefanik will always wonder how things would be different if she skipped science class.</p>
<p>She was in the Harvard University Science Center, going to a lecture that filled one of her requirements to graduate. On her way, Stefanik spotted Mark Zuckerberg, a fellow member of the Class of 2006 with whom she was vaguely acquainted and had mutual friends.</p>
<p>By that point, "Facemash," the earliest iteration of what would become Facebook, was well established within Harvard's campus community. As she walked down the hall to science class, Stefanik saw Zuckerberg trying to recruit people to come with him to California that summer to develop the project. By that point, there were only five or six students who had showed up.</p>
<p>"I remember looking and saying, 'Oh, that's interesting. That's an interesting project.' And I went on to my class," Stefanik, now the Republican candidate in New York's 21st congressional district, told Business Insider in a recent interview. </p>
<p>"I'm sure I will be telling my future kids this someday when they ask me, 'Mom, why didn't you invest in Facebook?'" she said.</p>
<p>A decade later, Stefanik isn't a Silicon Valley millionaire. But she is forging her own historic path in the American political landscape through New York's "North Country." On Tuesday, the 30-year-old Stefanik will likely become the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. A recent Siena College <a href="https://www.siena.edu/assets/files/news/CD211014_Crosstabs.pdf" target="_blank">poll</a> put her up 18 points on her Democratic challenger, Aaron Woolf.</p>
<p>On the trail in a sprawling district that spans from Saratoga Springs in the south, to Watertown in the west, and the Canadian border in the north, Stefanik is a rock star. Her appearances attract supporters who traditionally don't vote Republican - young voters and women.</p>
<p>The GOP's congressional leadership has already taken a keen interest in Stefanik - House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy have both fundraised for her. And last week, four leading Republicans in Congress came to the district to join her as she was endorsed by the US Chamber of Commerce. </p>
<p>Party leaders clearly believe Stefanik is important to the future of the GOP.</p>
<p>"For us, nationally, I think it's really important for my party and for the country to have voices from all over the country - new, young, vibrant voices," said Rep. Greg Walden (R-Oregon), the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee told Business Insider.</p>
<p>Walden was on hand for Stefanik's Chamber endorsement last week at Jeffords Steel and Engineering in Plattsburgh.</p>
<p>"We're really excited," Walden said. "It's her energy, and she gets it. She knows how to get things done. I just think it's going to be a huge, huge growth opportunity for us. To have an effective woman member on the Republican side - we've put a lot of effort and energy into recruiting women candidates. We need more women's voices in the Republican Party."</p>
<p>In all respects, Stefanik has this race in the bag. But it wasn't always that way. </p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p><strong>BLOWN AWAY</strong></p>
<p>Last August, Mark Westcott got a call out of the blue. Elise Stefanik, on the spur of the moment, asked him to meet up at the Starbucks off Exit 19 on Interstate-87.</p>
<p>Westcott, who lives in the town of Queensbury, holds considerable clout within the district. He is an elected official, the Supervisor-at-Large of the town of Queensbury. He's also a member of the town's Rotary Club and attends the First Presbyterian Church in nearby Glens Falls. He is also one of those people who "knows everybody" within the radius of a few close-knit towns.</p>
<p>Stefanik wanted to talk to him about running for Congress.</p>
<p>Westcott, a Republican, had met with other prospective candidates who were thinking about taking on incumbent Rep. Bill Owens, a relatively popular Democrat. Westcott had lunch in July with Matt Doheny, the Republican who lost to Owens by just 2 points in 2012. At the time, Doheny told <span>Westcott he</span> wasn't planning on running again.</p>
<p>He wanted to see what Stefanik had to offer. <span>Westcott</span> asked her about her childhood and working for her family's business, Premium Plywood Products, which her father founded when she was 7 years old.</p>
<p>Westcott also asked about her time at Albany Academy for Girls, where Stefanik attended prep school. And he asked about Harvard, where she attended on a partial academic scholarship and worked as a fellow under Ted Sorensen, President John F. Kennedy's former speechwriter.</p>
<p>"I was blown away by her. And then to think she has the courage to just show up ... call me out of the blue, ask to meet with me, talking about running against a popular incumbent," Westcott said. "I was like, wow. These are the types of people you don't usually come across. These are innate qualities in a person."</p>
<p>For Stefanik, those early days of the campaign were a struggle. She moved moved back upstate from Washington, D.C., in 2012 to work at her family's company. And she ended up running the early stages of the campaign while working full-time at Premium Plywood, where she focused on sales in northern New York. </p>
<p>Despite having a day job, Stefanik traversed the district, putting tens of thousands of miles on her Ford F-150 pickup truck. She made it a point to meet with others influential locals like Westcott; county leaders, elected officials, other people who were thinking about running for office. And she met with voters.</p>
<p>"A year-and-a-half ago, this was me in a car visiting small businesses and talking to community leaders by myself, taking on the gargantuan task of running against an incumbent," Stefanik recounted. "And here we are, a year and a half later."</p>
<p>After they met at Starbucks, Westcott took Stefanik for a drive - to downtown Glens Falls, SUNY Adirondack, and to Glens Falls Hospital, the area's largest employer. The last stop, though, was the most important. Westcott wanted Stefanik to meet his wife, his apolitical "barometer."</p>
<p>Westcott's wife was also impressed after meeting Stefanik. He came out as one of Stefanik's early backers and has stayed active volunteering on the campaign as its Warren County coordinator. Westcott has hosted fundraisers and meet-and-greets, and he set up the $25-a-person fundraiser featuring McCarthy last month at Full Moon Bar and Grill in Lake George.</p>
<p>"She has exceeded my expectations," Westcott said. "She is the future of this party."</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p><strong>'WHO DOESN'T LIKE A SNACK MACHINE?'</strong></p>
<p>Stefanik's first foray into <keyword id="6358883" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Politics">politics</keyword> came at Albany Academy for Girls, where she built a campaign for secretary of student council in sixth grade on a simple premise - bringing in a snack machine for the school.</p>
<p>She won that election and went to work on getting the snack machine. With a slight chuckle, Stefanik her success delivering on that promise to bipartisanship and listening to the concerns of people who would be affected by its implementation.</p>
<p>Along the way to installing the machine, Stefanik worked with Melissa DeRosa, an eighth grader at the time who would go on to become New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's communications director, to negotiate the deal. The snack machine became a revenue stream for the school, which got to keep a percentage of sales, and it helped pay for things like dances. </p>
<p>The campaign slogan wrote itself.</p>
<p>"Who doesn't like a snack machine?" Stefanik said.</p>
<p>From an early age, Stefanik was interested in the way politics and policy intersect to affect lives. Ahead of her graduation from Harvard's Institute of Politics, she broke from many of her peers who decided to go into the economic, finance, and consulting fields.</p>
<p>Stefanik didn't have a job lined up until the week before graduation. She was hired as a staff assistant in the White House under the administration of President George W. Bush. </p>
<p>She graduated on a Thursday. The next Monday was Stefanik's first day in Washington. She was supposed to have a routine meeting with Karl Zinsmeister, then the incoming head of the president's domestic policy council. Zinsmeister, as it turned out, was looking for a staffer to help him transition. </p>
<p>They both had ties to upstate New York - Zinsmeister is from Cazenovia - and he hired her on the spot. Stefanik still hadn't turned 22.</p>
<p>"He took a real risk and hired me, which was not the typical thing to do right out of college," Stefanik said. "I learned a lot very, very quickly."</p>
<p>Stefanik spent a year with the domestic policy council before joining the chief of staff's office. After the White House, she stayed in Washington, working at the Foreign Policy Initiative and co-founding Defending Defense, a group of think tanks opposing the automatic, across-the-board cuts of sequestration that came from the 2011 deal to increase the nation's debt ceiling.</p>
<p>She hopped on the campaign trail in 2012, serving as the policy director for former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty's brief presidential campaign. Later in the 2012 campaign, she served as the policy director for the Republican National Committee ahead of the party's convention in Tampa. After the RNC, the Romney campaign hired her to lead debate preparations for vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan. </p>
<p>Stefanik has already taken a lot of different paths to get to this point, but she thinks her set of experiences, plus the contacts she has made in Washington, will be important in making her a successful representative.</p>
<p>"I didn't think I was ever going to run for office," Stefanik said. "But I was disappointed in the 2012 elections. I think we need new candidates who are able to talk about a positive vision to getting our economy moving again. Specifically in upstate New York, where young people are leaving in historic numbers for lack of jobs."</p>
<p>She added: "We need new, fresh candidates. We need candidates who are able to reach out to young voters, women voters. I don't look like a normal congressional candidate."</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p><strong>'FRESH AND EXCITING VOICE'</strong></p>
<p>The dynamics of Stefanik's race changed completely in the first two months of the year. Owens, the Democratic incumbent, suddenly dropped out of the race in January. Afterwards, Doheny, who had previously told Westcott he wouldn't run, decided to jump back in.</p>
<p>After expecting a tough battle against an incumbent, Stefanik suddenly faced a potentially much more challenging primary in June followed by what seemed to be an open general election. </p>
<p>Once Owens bowed out, Republican leaders began taking an interest in Stefanik and her race. Romney endorsed her in May. Ryan stumped with her early the next month. The Karl Rove-backed super PAC American Crossroads spent more than $770,000 during the primary - all of it, <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/recips.php?cmte=C00487363&amp;cycle=2014" target="_blank">according to the Center for Responsive Politics</a>, attacking Doheny. </p>
<p>"Democrats had figured out the Matt Doheny playbook and we didn't want to see Republicans squander another opportunity at this seat again," Paul Lindsay, the communications director for American Crossroads, told Business Insider. <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"Not only was Elise clearly the only candidate in the primary who could win in November, she offered a fresh and exciting voice for the party. Obviously, we aren't the only ones who noticed her great potential."</span></p>
<p>Stefanik overwhelmed Doheny in the Republican primary, winning more than 60% of the vote. Republican leaders have kept up their interest. In September, Boehner visited Glens Falls for a fundraiser on her behalf. A couple of weeks later, she was tapped to deliver the weekly Republican address, the counterpoint to President Barack Obama's weekly remarks to the public.</p>
<p>Last week, at Jeffords Steel in Plattsburgh, four high-profile GOP members of Congress - Reps. Chris Collins (R-NY), Lynn Westmoreland (R-Georgia), Tom Price (R-Georgia), and Walden - walked alongside Stefanik as she toured the facility and was presented with a plasma-cut piece of steel inscribed with her campaign logo.</p>
<p>"You'll be the only member of Congress with a plasma-cut piece of steel with your name on it!" Westmoreland told her.</p>
<p>For Stefanik, there is a delicate balance between expressing frustration over the way Washington is being run and touting her relationship with Republican leaders and the benefits it could bring to the district. </p>
<p>"Members of Congress who want to get things done - they need partners who want to move the ball forward on big issues like fundamental tax reform, on regulatory reform, on putting together a replacement package for Obamacare," Stefanik said.</p>
<p>Stefanik credits her current lead to her persistence in the early days of her campaign. Her name, which had almost non-existent recognition a year and a half ago, has clearly penetrated throughout the district. At a Plattsburgh pizza restaurant called Bazzano's and at Ambrosia Diner in Queensbury two hours down I-87, residents were excited about the potential of a woman named Elise Stefanik representing their district.</p>
<p>Debbie Blake, a retired opera singer from Plattsburgh, came to a get-out-the-vote rally Thursday for Stefanik at her Plattsburgh campaign office, which is a makeshift space that occupies the front half of a local tattoo parlor. She remembers hearing Stefanik speak at a dinner last year, and she knew within five minutes she was "going to go somewhere." </p>
<p>"We need the kind of smart, experienced youth she brings," added Jody Lawson, a retired resident of Plattsburgh who described herself as a lifelong Democrat.</p>
<p>For Stefanik, one moment during the campaign crystallized why politics is the right path for her. She was at a roundtable with servicemen at River Hospital near Fort Drum.</p>
<p>They talked about their difficulties in their post-service lives, struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and thoughts and attempts of suicide. The service members discussed creative programs that provided flexibility and outside-the-box approaches toward dealing with their needs.</p>
<p>"I will take that with me for the rest of my life," Stefanik said. "This is why we need people running for office. So those groups have an advocate in Washington. That's one of the reasons why I'm running."</p>

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