[Mom – September 30, 2019 – Today was an art museum day for Shane and me. We wore Bill out at Coney island yesterday so he stayed at the hotel for some much needed sleep. We started our day at The Cloisters which was quite an experience seeing the old abbey that was brought over to the USA from somewhere in France. The art collection there was fabulous. We then took a trip to the Met for another wonderful art experience. After the Met we took a walk through Central Park. All around, it was a beautiful day. I got to spend time with my son while seeing things I had only seen on TV, the movies or read about in a book.]
The Cloisters is a museum I have wanted to visit since my first time in New York City back in 2010. The problem is that it is located in Fort Tryon Park way up at the northern tip of Manhattan in the Washington Heights area and takes a lot of time to get to (take the A subway to either 190th St or Dyckman St OR the 1 subway to Dyckman St). The museum is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and houses their European medieval architecture, sculpture, and decorative arts collections, with a focus on the Romanesque and Gothic periods.
The coolest part is that the entire museum is housed in four 12th-15th century French abbeys and cloisters that were purchased by American sculptor and art dealer George Grey Barnard. They were acquired for the museum by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., dismantled in Europe between 1934 and 1939, and moved to New York.
It was a special treat to be able to see this wonderful and quiet place with my mother. We both agree that it did not feel as if we were still on the island of Manhattan, because there was zero hustle and bustle around us.
