Best Things To Do In New York: The Cloisters Museum Definitely Ranks Near The Top

There are so many museums in New York, it’s hard to find the best ones to visit. Well, if you love Medieval and early Renaissance art and architecture, start with the Cloisters – it’s a small part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection. Kyle loves the amazing art, and also how it’s located off the beaten path a bit, so it’s not over-crowded like the Met can be. It allows one to soak up the atmosphere of 1,000 years of history and mystique.

My favorite museum in New York City is The Cloisters – a small part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s enormous European medieval/Early Renaissance art collection, tucked away in the in the northside of Manhattan, near Fort Tryon Park. It’s location makes it a bit out of the way for most major tourist groups, so this museum is often much quieter and sedate than the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Cloisters’ setting is unique and much different in many respects from the much more imposing Metropolitan Museum of Art on Fifth Avenue. The building itself was reconstructed from French salavaged elements from medieval monasteries, helping to really situate you in the Middle Ages. Many of the stones you walk on, and many arched passageways have nearly 1000 years of history! Beyond the beautiful architecture, the gardens here are beautiful and intimate. In the courtyard of the building are many lovely and fragrant trees and plants – when I went there in the winter, there were winter crocuses in bloom. This museum also gets decked out for the Christmas holidays with charming and period appropriate boughs and wreaths and candles – a great Christmas alternative to the decorations in Rockefeller Center! There is an option to have a tour guide or audio guide, but being an adventurous art lover, I skipped both and examined the museum at my own pace. The Cloisters is famous for the Unicorn Tapestries – a series of intricate and fantastical tapestries produced in Northern Europe- which delight young and old. They are just breathtaking! However, I think a trip to The Cloisters would not be complete without seeing the Merode Altarpiece – a very famous painting produced by one of the most famous Netherlandish artists of the Early Renaissance. I remember reading about this work as an undergrad in college! It was so thrilling to see it – and so up close! Admission, like the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a suggested donation of $20. You could, if you wanted to just give them a dollar and you would still get admission; it just depends on your finances, I suppose. While the Met gets all the publicity, I find it overwhelming and too big. The Cloisters is much more manageable to see all in one day, and it’s a much quieter and relaxing experience!

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