Honeymoon Part I: The Best of Our New York and Washington DC Photos

Nobody can deface a subway advertisement quite like New Yorkers can.

A few interesting snapshots from the days before the wedding and our quick jaunt to New York and Washington DC with friends directly following the wedding:

Brendan's parents having dinner (appetizers are in the photo) at my parents' house the Thursday before our Saturday wedding. Note the matching shirts on both the moms AND the dads. Not planned, I swear!

We got married in Poughkeepsie New York, and so we took a walk on the new Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge, now a walking path/park with fine views of the Hudson River.

From here, Po-town doesn't seem quite so ugly (on the ground, much of it is a highway flanked with strip malls.)

The Mid-Hudson Bridge

After the wedding, we rented a car and drove to DC, which included a stop at the famous Arlington, VA "gas church". Note the gas station on the lower level. And yes, the Gas Church (Our Lady of Petrol?) is legitimately famous, though it's not known everywhere as the "Gas Church" as I call it. We used to live right up the street from it!

A cool dragon-inspired gate in DC's otherwise lackluster Chinatown (seriously, "Chinatown Attractions" include the traditional Chinese Fuddrucker's, the ancient Chinese Bed, Bath&Beyond and of course Chinese Starbucks.

What is now Chinatown used to be an otherwise normal neighborhood. This Wok 'N Roll (I only wish that name were a joke - and it's next to New Big Wong) was once the Surratt Boarding House, where Lincoln's assassination was planned.

The Navy Memorial's world map with view of the National Archives. Very feng-shui if you ask me.

Can you find the typo? I can!

Ford's Theater, with Emily and Becca on the right.

Ah, DC. Where the Crazies (and not-so-crazies) congregate to protest. This protester has had a manned station since the 1980s.

This horse is a fairly well-known DC landmark. Near it is a far funnier statue that, because of the particular reason why it's funny, I've chosen not to post here (northwest corner of Lafayette Park - see if you can find it).

What I love about DC (and New York) is the sheer amount of this kind of architecture - buildings spanning late 19th century, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, pre-war rowhouses, the works.

The World War II Memorial, which is...OK.

Honest Abe.

A young girl poses at the Lincoln Memorial

That evening we drove out to the 'burbs for a friend's birthday party, held for whatever reason out in Fairfax, VA (at a pretty good restaurant, at least). Meliheh seen here with Evan.

In New York, we enjoyed this establishment, with ornery old waiters and two kinds of beer: light and dark. Yes, it stayed open through Prohibition but was almost certainly not founded in 1854.

Ground Zero at sunset.

At a really good coffeeshop somewhere in lower Manhattan.

Being foreign, Emily didn't want to attract attention by looking like a tourist, and did her best to fit in.

Ah, Staten Island. Yeah, it basically looks like this.

Brendan on the ferry (because we had to play tourist)

Another classic Emily moment.

Emily and Becca outside the Stonewall.

Stone face near...I'm not sure actually.

Two graffiti'd buildings near Joseph's parents home in Soho. We are trying to figure out how to inherit his parents' apartment.

At Grimaldi's Pizza in Brooklyn (DUMBO I believe).

After a bit more Brooklyn Beer than is strictly advised.

Emily and Pizza

New York has its fair share of Crazies, too. This guy was down by Ground Zero and is honestly way more offensive than any mosque/community center could be.