Travel is one of my favorite pastimes. While I don’t get to do it very frequently, due to how expensive it can be, getting to experience and learn about new places, cultures and histories is something that I love to do.

This winter break, I had the privilege to visit my girlfriend’s home country of Spain to hang out with her family during the holidays. While this trip was more focused on hanging out with loved ones and less on big fancy trips to visit old historic buildings, I got to have a small taste of how the winter holidays are celebrated in Spain (pictured below). Here are just a few of the photos documenting my travels this winter.

– Becca Dunn, Opinions Editor

Over winter break, I was able to spend an afternoon in New York City to take in the sights. I saw a matinee of “Death Becomes Her” and grabbed dinner at local Irish Pub McCarthy’s.

The time I spent in the city was brief, and the city during the holidays is a busy enough time that the sheer amount of people keep you moving quickly, but there was still some beauty to be captured in the grimy chaos of Times Square.

Setup was well underway for the New Year’s Eve Times Square Ball Drop. Production cases cluttered the streets and large chunks of Times Square were completely blocked off. This led to narrowed walkways and the dense crowd pushed us forward to their destination.

“Death Becomes Her” is a phenomenal musical, teeming with incredible practical effects, stellar production design, clever and catchy musical numbers, and snappy comedic writing. Stars of the show Megan Hilty, Jennifer Simnard, Christopher Sieber and Michelle Williams all put on electric performances. It created a high energy show that you can’t take your eyes off of.

The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, originally The Globe Theatre, opened in 1910. It is a stunning piece of architectural work and you are transported into the world of the musical when you step into the auditorium.

After the show, the crowd rushed us back across Times Square (pictured above), and into McCarthy’s for dinner. The pub had two floors and the whole place was decked out for the holidays. The food and drinks were scrum-diddly-umptious. I left the city with my family with a belly full of warm delicious food, a mind full of fun memories, and an SD card full of city photos.

– Bonnie Duffy, Art & Life Editor