The Cloisters I

I thought everyone had heard of The Cloisters. "Come to The Cloisters" was drilled into my head when I was a kid watching WPIX NY. That commercial along with "Come to Palisades Park" was run about a million times a day. My parents brought me to Palisades Park but never The Cloisters. It was too far to drive up the Hudson River to see some creepy building. For the record, I discovered on this trip, according to Ms. GPS, it's a mere 12 miles from my Brooklyn home. Of course those miles are NYC miles so actual distance means nothing.

Looking at this view from the Cloisters grounds it's hard to believe if you drive 1/3rd of a mile you're smack in the middle of the city insanity.



I always believed The Cloisters was where monks had lived in the past, or even still lived in. I was wrong. The Cloisters is a medieval abbey-style museum built in the 1930's which showcases art and architecture from the Middle Ages. When I realized there wouldn't be any monks, past or present, who wanted to speak with me, I put my digital recorder away.



Here are some shots taken outside of The Cloisters...











We did splurge for the $20 to get behind the walls so I'll post some indoor shots soon...