Cloisters

My older daughter sent me the following information about one of her favorite places in NYC:

Beautiful, peaceful, and less than an hour away from Manhattan, Cloisters is one of the crown jewels of the NY museums.
A museum within a museum, it was pieced together from five European medieval abbeys and contains some wonderful and rare examples of medieval art that date from the twelfth through the fifteenth century. Among Cloisters' masterpieces are an early fifteenth-century French illuminated book of hours, The Belles Heures of Jean de France, Duc de Berry; a richly carved, twelfth-century ivory cross attributed to the English abbey of Bury Saint Edmunds; stained-glass windows from the castle chapel at Ebreichsdorf, Austria; and of course, the famous Unicorn Tapestry.

The moment you step in, you feel like you're transported back into the Middle Ages and even if you're not much into medieval art, the museum collection is admirable. Don't forget to check out the Cloisters' Treasury, a room tucked away in a corner of the museum, right before you step out into the gardens. It's where the real gems of the place are stored, including the Cloisters Cross. Seeing them all in one room may take your breath away. They are incredible in real life! If you're lucky, you may catch one of the staff-guided tours during the visit. The schedule of the tours is available at the front desk. The Cloisters museum and gardens offers highlights tours, gallery talks, family workshops, and special events for visitors of all ages. During our visit, we were able to listen to a child's author read his book about a medieval knight and then take part in a "spot that piece of art" treasure hunt that enabled the kids to learn more about the legends and history of the Middle Ages.

I think it's best to visit the Cloisters in the summer, when the gardens are in full bloom. The beautiful grounds right outside of the abbey's walls also make for a great picnic area and get that picnic basket ready because- and this is the only downside to this wonderful place- the cafeteria offers very limited, very expensive, and very unappealing choices!

Museum's suggested entrance fee for adults is $25, which of course means that you can pay as much as you would like. To learn how to get there go to

http://www.metmuseum.org/en/visit/visit-the-cloisters/getting-to-the-cloisters.

The High Line in NYC

I’d like to invite you for a nice walk on The High Line along the Hudson River. 

The High Line is a public park built on a 1.45-mile-long elevated rail structure running from Gansevoort St to W. 34th St. on Manhattan's West Side.
What used to be a freight rail line in operation from 1934 to 1980 has been turned into a very pretty park raised above the city streets with views of the Hudson River and the city skyline.
The High Line runs through three of Manhattan's most dynamic neighborhoods: the Meatpacking District, West Chelsea, and Hell’s Kitchen/Clinton. You can find the detailed map on http://www.thehighline.org/about/maps. 

You can bring you own food basket or enjoy the various eateries along The High Line  from http://www.thehighline.org/about/high-line-food.

By the way, New York’s City’s hugely successful High Line isn’t the first elevated urban railroad bed to be converted into a much-loved linear park.  The elevated park in Paris la Promenade Plantée was the model for the High Line.

Projects similar to the High Line are now in early stages in St. Louis, Philadelphia, Jersey City, Chicago, and Rotterdam.

Time off

Because this is a holiday week and many have taken off, I have decided to take off as well. I hope everyone enjoys their holiday and time off. Stay cool during this heat wave. I will see you all next week.