Newsies

Unwritten travel rule #37:  No stranger will ever hold your camera still.

McSorley's Old Ale House

Best bar ever?

A few fun facts:  It's the oldest continuously operating bar in New York

No decoration has come down from the wall since 1905.  There's actual photographs of Theodore Roosevelt and his rabble-rousers.  Remember the Rough Riders?

There are two kinds of beer.  Light and dark.  They taste the same as they did in 1859--both are good.

Women--not allowed to cross the threshold until 1971, when the Supreme Court ordered that they be admitted.  (A tip: men do all the ordering and paying here.)

Some of the regulars have been coming here a long time...and so have their mustaches!

There is sawdust on the floor.

The furniture is ALL older than you are.

Two beers with a plate of cheese, onions, and crackers -- sitting on the same chairs, leaning on the same table used by Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt -- $8.  I ask again... Best bar ever?

New Jersey

Today we drive through Manhattan...

...to New Jersey...

 ...to visit a man who spent hours in the Pacific Ocean at night to save scores of other men.

Manhattan

4th day of the trip, and we finally set foot in Manhattan!

I think I've taken a picture at this very spot every time I've been to New York.

5th Avenue and E 60th St.

It's the first time I've taken a picture here, though!

Shalen and Bethany's Wedding

These are actual pictures of the wedding, including people this time, and they start with sprucing up the barn...

Shalen's last moments as an unmarried man were spent in the company of his two Best Maids.  (This was about 30 seconds before the epic downpour.)

A little rain wasn't going to put out the candles...if anything, it made the wedding more fun!

Here's Bethany, spirits clearly undampened.

 Do you..? I do.  Do you... I do?  Well, then... Why don't you two just skip on out of here?

One eighth of the wedding party...

One half of the wedding party...

Basically, the wedding party was so big, I don't think ANYONE got a picture of the whole group!  Oh, and I guess I forgot to count the little superheroes that brought the ring in, too!

Did I mention the rain?

It didn't keep anyone from partying inside, that's for sure!

Best...photobomb...ever!

And they partied happily ever after...

Shalen and Bethany's Wedding

Awesome wedding!  All the guests were SOOO entertaining!  What a bunch of party animals!

New York 2

Good morning, New York!

I dunno about you, but I think this wedding is going to be fun!  After a leisurely morning we went to...wait for it... A FARM in the middle of Queens for Shalen and Bethany's wedding rehearsal.  

 Yup, right in the middle of Queens.

 Bethany, Shalen and Staci, one of the "Best Maids"...abusing their microphone privileges, no doubt!

Amie-san, Sara-san, and Katie-san.

Immediately following the rehearsal, we all surprised Shalen with a co-ed bachelor party.  Is the limo big enough?  I'm glad I'm not driving this beast around town!

 First stop...beer!

Next stop...the world's best pizza, and a completely stunning view!

In case you were wondering, Brooklyn Bridge Park is pretty much the perfect picnic spot.

Shalen and Best Maid Sara

And what bachelor party would be complete without this?

Good night, New York!