Category: Members Events at the MoMA

Day Three Hundred and Seventy-Six Touring the Met-Cloisters at Christmas time ‘The Yule Tide Tour’-The Walking tour of the Museum January 4th, 2026

Day Three Hundred and Seventy-Six Touring the Met-Cloisters at Christmas time ‘The Yule Tide Tour’-The Walking tour of the Museum January 4th, 2026

I love the holidays in New York City. There are so many Christmas themed events to go to and decorated homes to visit. One of my favorite tours is at the Met Cloisters for their Christmas themed walking tours that take place from December through early January.

The Cloisters Museum & Gardens: A Branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

99 Margaret Corbin Drive

Fort Tryon Park

New York, NY  10040

(212) 923-3700

Open: March-October 10:00am-5:15pm/November-February-10:00am-4:45pm

http://www.metmuseum.org

https://www.metmuseum.org/visit/plan-your-visit/met-cloisters

Fee: Adults $30.00/Seniors $17.00/Children $12.00/Members & Patrons and Children under 12 are free (prices do fluctuate).

Museum Hours:

Hours: Open 7 days a week

March-October 10:00am-5:15pm

November-February 10:00am- 4:45pm

Closed Thanksgiving Day, December 25th and January 1st.

*Some galleries may be closed for construction or maintenance.

TripAdvisor Review:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d106609-Reviews-The_Met_Cloisters-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

The Cloisters Museum & Gardens: The Branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted to Medieval Art 99 Margaret Corbin Drive Fort Tryon New York, NY 10040

To finish my weekend of holiday festivities before the Epiphany, I took the annual Christmas walking tour of the Met Cloisters. The museum hosts an interesting walking tour of the history of the holidays during the Medieval era. Each tour has a different theme to it. There is the history of Christmas in that era, the use of plants and flowers in the decorating of the religious sites and the historic significance of the visit of the Three Kings.

Each tour guide incorporates the artwork, architecture and plants into the discussion. On average you will have about forty people on the tour.

The entrance of the Cloisters decorated for the holidays

The Christmas Tide Tour:

https://www.metmuseum.org/perspectives/christmastide-deck-the-halls

The entrance of the gift shop decorated for the holidays

The archways were decorated with seasonal plants and fruits. I read online that the volunteers went into Fort Tyron Park and collected ivy from the wild to decorate the museum. Every day the museum is open during the holidays these are replaced on a daily basis.

The entrance to the galleries decorated for the holidays

We started the tour with a discussion of plants that once decorated churches and ministries

With the change in attitude towards the Christmas holidays during the Middle Ages and its incorporation into church traditions, decorating for the holidays came back into style. The use of holly, evergreen and mistletoe became part of the Christmas tradition and to justify the decorating, they were related to Christian symbols.

The beauty of the life plants in winter

Each of the Cloisters were lined with fresh greens and potted plants giving each of the Cloisters its own special mood.

One of the Cloisters bright with plants

The stairs leading into the chapel decorated for the holidays

The chapel on the main floor decorated for the holidays

The colorful floral displays lining the window sills of the chapel

This led to a discussion about what each plant, flower and fruit meant in the Christian tradition, a clever way to justify decorating and celebrating during the holidays. Ivies, pine, winter flowers and even late season apples not only lined places of worship but gave a festive look and district smell to these buildings. A symbol of life in the cold winter months while they waited for the arrival of Spring.

The plant types that decorated the houses of worship

The flowers and plants lining the chapel

The decorative candle stands lining the walls of the chapel

We then toured the main Cloister, closed for the Winter but was lined with plants, flowers and greens brighting every corner of the building. These were examples of plants and flowers that would have decorated these halls at the holidays.

Walking the halls of the Cloisters

Touring the halls of the Cloisters with flowers and plants to celebrate the season

Walking the halls of the Cloisters

The flowering plants of the Cloisters

The flowering plants and vines that would have decorated churches in Medieval times

We then toured the Tapestry Room and discussed the use of plants in art form and the use of the detail as symbolism in art. These tapestries were meant to cover the drafty walls of palaces and bring in color and decoration to the stone walls.

The famous ‘Hunt of the Unicorn’ tapestry

We then took a detour to the outside gardens that are enjoying their winter slumber. These gardens were used by the cloisters for food, medicines and decorative use. They will start coming to life in a few months.

The Cloisters Gardens

The garden terrace over looking the Hudson River

The terrace gardens in the winter waiting to come to life

Then we went back inside for a discussion of the Three Kings and the Epiphany and its symbolism in art at the Cloisters. These are some of the works featured on the ‘Christmas Tide’ tour to symbolize that visit.

Some of the woodwork from that era

The Visitation of the Three Kings

The Visitation of the Three Kings depicted in stained glass

The Visitation of the Three Kings depicted in statuary

We visited the last of the Cloisters and discussed some of the plants in the collection

We were admiring the plants and flowers

A candelabra in the hallway of the Cloisters

As I exited the building that afternoon, there were potted plants at the entrance of the Cloisters. It was a real treat to walk around the building at the holidays.

The potted plants outside the entrance of the museum

On my way down the stairs and out the door to Fort Tryon Park, I took another walk down the stone steps and walked through Ann Loftus Park. This popular playground was quiet this time of year, awaiting the Spring and the wonderful warm afternoons ahead.

Walking through Fort Tryon Park

Fort Tyron Park

Riverside Drive to Broadway

New York, NY  10040

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park/history

Open: Sunday-Saturday 6:00am-1:00am

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d2305249-Reviews-Fort_Tryon_Park-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://visitingamuseum.com/tag/fort-tyron-park/

Ann Loftus Park in the winter time

Ann Loftus Park quiet in the winter

Ann Loftus Park upon leaving the park that afternoon. The quiet beauty of the Winter.

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fort-tryon-park/highlights/11234

https://www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/playgrounds/325

After the tour was over, I went to G’s Coffee Shop for second breakfast that morning.

G’s Coffee Shop at 634 West 207th Street

G’s Coffee Shop

634 West 207th Street

New York, NY  10034

(212) 942-0679

Free Delivery

Open: Sunday-Saturday 7:00am-9:00pm

https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Breakfast—Brunch-Restaurant/Gs-Coffee-Shop-205601462950934/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d17445018-Reviews-G_s_Coffee_SHop-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

G’s Coffee Shop 634 West 207th Street New York, NY 10034

My breakfast at G’s Coffee Shop

I love coming for breakfast at G’s Coffee Shop after a tour of The Cloisters. The food and service of this small ‘hole in the wall’ diner is wonderful. The meals are so reasonable and when you dine at the counter, you can watch the food cooked right in front of you. I had a wonderful Bacon, Egg and Cheese sandwich with a side of golden pancakes. What a great meal on a cold winter morning.

The Bacon, Egg and Cheese sandwich

The breakfast sandwiches here are so good

The pancakes were wonderful. The perfect comfort food on a winter day.

It was a really great tour and it was fun to walk around the neighborhood through the parks and seeing all the post Christmas decorations. Inwood is a really beautiful section of Manhattan with lots to do and see. It is the perfect place to spend the Christmas break.

Day Three Hundred and Fifty-Five Private Members Morning ‘Oasis in the City’ tour at the MoMA August 9th, 2025

Day Three Hundred and Fifty-Five Private Members Morning ‘Oasis in the City’ tour at the MoMA August 9th, 2025

The entrance to the Museum of Modern Art 11West 53rd Street in New York City

https://www.moma.org/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d105126-Reviews-The_Museum_of_Modern_Art_MoMA-New_York_City_New_York.html

The sign for the gardens

What I love about being a member of the museums in New York City is that there is an opportunity to see the museum in the early hours for private events. This morning I got up early to experience Manhattan on a spectacular sunny morning for the event ‘Oasis in the Garden’, a talk on the design, purpose and art in the MoMA outdoor garden.

We met inside the museum before the tour

Since the museum opened at 9:30am and there was no one at the museum at that hour, we had the outdoor garden to ourselves for almost an hour and a half.

The outdoor garden at the MoMA at 10:00am in the morning

Our tour guide led about fifteen of us through a history of the creation of the gardens, the purpose in the museum, its renovation in 2004 when I joined and the sculpture in the garden.

She also talked about taking her students here and that some of them wanted specific answers to what the art meant rather than forming their own opinion. It is funny how I see this in my own students.

What I liked about our tour group was that it was an older, very educated crowd of people who brought different opinions on how the art we were seeing should be thought about. From the time the artist created it to it modern interpretation by the ‘politically correct police’, I was amazed by the other members take on each piece of art.

The gardens are a refuge from the noise and crowds of the museum and the City

Video of the fountain

The Albert Giacometti ‘Talk Figure III’

Each piece of sculpture we touch upon was chosen specifically for the gardens and we talked about its place from when it was made to the modern interpretation and how they differ. Our first discussion was about the Albert Giacometti sculpture ‘Tall Figure III’. Some people talked about hunger and the stance on poverty. I asked if her students had different thoughts of the statue when it was made versus today.

She explained everything is seen differently through the artist’s eyes versus the modern I perception. It was hard to compare the two opinions without a debate. I thought today’s students needed to lighten up a little and stop taking art at face value and just enjoy it. The context of work over a hundred years ago is very different from how it can be looked at today.

We had time to talk and relax between art pieces and I swear the sound of the fountains relaxed me so much I almost feel asleep.

The fountains were so calming that morning

Video of the Japanese fountain

The August’s Rodin ‘St. John the Baptist Preaching’

We talked about the religious standpoint of the sculpture versus its place in modern society. I thought it was a naked guy hitchhiking. It’s funny how you see art.

The Jacques Lipchitz ‘Figure 1926-30’

With the ‘Figure’ many of the member talked about their interpretation of the modern take of Cubism and some members asked about whether these were arms and legs or something else.

The back of the gardens

The back of the gardens were so peaceful. I stood back from the tour so I could just hear the water rumble.

The Henry Moore sculpture ‘ The Family Group 1948-49

We discussed the modern family unit of today versus when the sculpture was created.

The back of the gardens

The Henri Matisse ‘The Back (III) 1913-16

The Aristide Maillol ‘The River’

We talked about the fall from God. One person said it looked like someone was tripping into the fountain. I thought that was clever.

The Jean Dubuffet ‘Study for Tower with Figures’

This was the last figure we discussed and we were asked as a group what was the first thing that came to our minds when we saw this. I said ‘Juxtaposed’. So much going on and a lot being said. We talked about children and their make up in the family unit. How they change things.

I have to say that I saw the art in a different light this morning. It was interesting to hear the artist’s interpretation versus what members thoughts were on what the art meant. I thought it was a good take away when we finished the tour. There were so many interesting opinions on the art. What I liked was the weather was so amazing, and it was so nice to be outside.

The garden as the public entered later that morning

I know I got a lot out of the tour. It’s always nice to see different points of view of what the art means and how we interpret it. This is why it is fun to be a member of the MoMA. It’s nice to see the museum when it is quiet and you can just take your time.

The gardens really are an “Oasis in the City”.