Two years ago in November, I took my 8 months-old Pomeranians Mimi and Momo on their very first overnight trip ever: to the great New York City, of all places. It was during the pandemic, and I had a lot of trepidation around the trip, for many reasons, but mainly because it was the first time I’d ever flown with a dog, let alone two dogs. And it was the first time Mimi & Momo would sleep in a hotel. And finally (but certainly not lastly), it was the first time my small town rural Texas born-and-raised puppies had even stepped foot in a town as large and bustling as Manhattan, New York.

Two years later, this time around, we arrived the great city of New York for the 3rd time, with gained confidence and ease. Since that NYC trip in November 2021, I’ve taken Mimi and Momo all across the country to: Washington D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Pennsylvania, just to name a few.

Now that we’ve traveled by plane a number of times, Mimi and Momo definitely know what’s up when it comes to air travel now. Momo has always been a good airplane rider — the time he flew, he just fell asleep in my lap, whereas Mimi, on the other hand, was a fluff ball of anxiety. I do not medicate my dogs before nor during our flight, so how they react to the plane ride is their natural temperament. Mimi still is the more anxious one of the two when it comes to riding airplane, but I was very surprised that this time around, she rode the flight to and fro NYC like a champ, sleeping the entire way. We’ve come so far in terms of air travel, and we still have long way to go and many more places to see!

Anyways, the purpose of our first trip to NYC in 2021 was simply because I wanted to visit the city. As mentioned, it was during the pandemic, and I hadn’t ridden a plane since 2019! But at the time, everyone thought Fall ’21 would be the end of COVID-19, so I was itching to get of town. And what better way to get Mimi and Momo used to flying and traveling than bringing them to NYC, the most dog-friendly city on Earth? (That’s a joke — although there are probably tens of thousands of dogs in Manhattan.)

The purpose of our trip to NYC this fall of November 2023? Technically, it’s Mimi & Momo’s trip! I struck a PR deal with a luxury hotel, and they specifically noted to bring Mimi and Momo with me. That’s why, technically, Mimi & Momo are special invited guests of this whole trip, and this trip is for them.

I’d actually taken them to NYC earlier this year in May 2023, and although we did visit and stroll along Central Park, I didn’t make it to Literary Walk near Bethesda Fountain that time around; but this time around during the Fall, I made it an essential place to stop by, so we can re-create our famous Autumn in New York photo for a second time!

Same location, different feelings.

There are many differences between the captures I took in November 2021 vs November 2023. First of all, the foliage colors in November 2021 were more vibrant, and funnily, the photos taken at the time was even later into the month, and the leaves still have not fallen,

We were very lucky two years ago. This year, it was earlier into November, and the leaves not only have fallen for the most part, but also, there were still a lot of green left. It’s said this is because of the intense rainfall NYC had gotten during early autumn.

On top of foliage differences, another difference that I’d only realize post-production was that the shots taken in November 2021 were on an 85mm lens, and this year, I didn’t bother packing my 85mm, thinking I wouldn’t use it. In retrospect, I do regret not packing the 85mm, but I think I made do with the 50mm.

Mimi & Momo and Mama’s Autumn Photoshoot in Central Park, Manhattan, New York

Autumn Dusk

We’d gotten there around late afternoon, which thanks to the end of Daylight’s Saving, it was already getting dark. I’ll admit was not the best time in terms of photography lighting, but we made do, and I think the lighting turned out to be not too bad. I utilized flash.