Last week my sister and I ventured up to New York City again to see our brother and friends.

This trip has become a bit of a tradition, and over the years we’ve expanded our NYC palette to include experiences that lead us to venture away from what many would consider a typical NYC vacation experience. That said, we also emphasize taking time to relax and go with the flow. This always leads to great experiences, no matter the itinerary.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip:

I love the subway. It’s not always neat, it’s not always clean, nor easy to maneuver or navigate, but it’s where every walk of life crams into a tube to get wherever they are going and no one cares. It’s humanity and anonymity at the same time, and from my once a year or so perspective, each ride is a tiny sample of NYC worth paying attention to.

Requisite subway pic.

A post shared by Carlos Escobar (@cescobar78) on Nov 3, 2017 at 9:06am PDT

We took a train from Grand Central on this trip, which afforded us the opportunity to partake in the Whispering Arch as complete strangers egged us on. Oh, and I took this unrelated picture.

Grand Central

A post shared by Carlos Escobar (@cescobar78) on Nov 3, 2017 at 9:55am PDT

Here are my brother and sister at the Storm King Art Center near Beacon, where we basked in the glory of fall foliage. #LeafersPorVida

STORM KING Siblings. #Leafers

A post shared by Carlos Escobar (@cescobar78) on Nov 3, 2017 at 5:51pm PDT

We tend to have great luck with weather on our trips, but this time around we ALSO had great timing. Not only was fall foliage in full effect, but much of NYC had transitioned to holiday mode, providing the opportunity to see things like The Rink at Rockefeller Center for the first time.

Prometheus

A post shared by Carlos Escobar (@cescobar78) on Nov 4, 2017 at 1:13pm PDT

We went to the “Top of the Rock“, then we took a guided tour of Rockefeller Center, that is, the complex of buildings, sculptures, artwork, and history of the property and neighborhood. It was fantastic, and as guided tours do, it opened our eyes to perspectives of the city we hadn’t experienced; like Atlas facing St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Atlas and St Patrick’s Cathedral. #escoleaf17

A post shared by Carlos Escobar (@cescobar78) on Nov 4, 2017 at 1:51pm PDT

It was an amazing trip. We had great new AND traditional experiences, we ate well (perhaps a bit too well), and most importantly, we spent quality time with each other.

Back in TX after an amazing trip to NYC! I’m happily exhausted, hungry, and I’m pretty sure I picked up an accent!

A post shared by Carlos Escobar (@cescobar78) on Nov 6, 2017 at 10:23am PST