For most, Thanksgiving may bring to mind a cozy dinner at home, but I always think of arriving in New York City and my dad blasting Taylor Swift’s “Welcome to New York.” Let me elaborate.

Nearly every November, my family and I drive to New York to visit my dad’s relatives. When we get to the Holland Tunnel after the four-hour drive, my dad plays that song, as a sort of “welcome back” anthem. This is especially fitting, as he grew up there and loves it. Honestly, New York is like a home away from home for all of us, and it’s especially magical in the fall.

  These trips provide an opportunity to be immersed in the city’s culture, one that, not unlike Del Ray’s, is full of interesting people and great food, music and art. From picking up bagels and coffee for breakfast in the chilly mornings to strolling Central Park in the sunny afternoons, autumn has so much to offer, including museums scattered throughout the city. Strolling through MoMA or the Met have always been highlights of my Thanksgiving trips. Who could forget walking into the gallery displaying Van Gogh’s Starry Night, craning your neck to see the masterpiece surrounded by crowds of people?

Of course, there’s the iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. We make sure to watch it — whether we’re cuddled up on the couch in my grandparents’ small Manhattan apartment or street-level amid the festive crowd — as the huge balloons and whimsical floats glide along. There’s a certain magic in the air as you watch the well-known characters float through the sky, listening to the marching bands. The preparation for it is just as exciting as watching it. The afternoon before Thanksgiving, my family and I go to the barricaded street outside the Museum of Natural History to watch where one by one, the massive balloons are inflated.

After viewing the parade, we taxi to Grand Central Station for the train to my cousins’ house outside the city for Thanksgiving dinner. Viewing the Hudson River and the fall foliage out the window makes the trip speed by, and soon I’m enjoying a delicious meal with my cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles. This, along with so many other simple traditions — playing in Manhattan playgrounds with my siblings, dining at my family’s favorite neighborhood Italian restaurant — make me cherish my travels to New York at Thanksgiving.