Tag: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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 Forty-Two Private Members Nights at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) May 27th, 2025

Day Three Hundred and Forty-Two Private Members Nights at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) May 27th, 2025

What also is difficult is when two major museums have their Members Night on the same night. I had to do a lot of coordinating to go to both museums. What made it work is that both museums closed at different times with The Met closing at 10:00pm. I timed it perfectly.

Members Night at the MoMA ‘Behind the Flowers’ for the Hilma af Klint exhibition

The theme that evening was based on the Hilma af Klint exhibition

https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/5779

Going this evening took a lot of planning as I had to teach in the morning and cut the lawn on the afternoon. I was already exhausted by the time I left for the City at 4:00pm. Even on this gloomy afternoon, the weather held and it was a nice evening.

The area around the museum was in full bloom that early evening

The event opened early at the MoMA with their event from 6:00pm-9:00pm and the Met went from 7:00pm-10:00pm so I was able to enjoy both with a lot of walking in between. It was worth it as I was able to see several exhibitions on my bucket list before they closed. With work and finals, it had been tough to visit both of them.

People were enjoying conversation and cocktails when I arrived at the MoMA that evening.

I decided to start my evening at the Sculpture Garden on the first floor. The weather was cloudy but still it was a warm evening. People were conversing near the fountains and listening to music. The lines for the cash bar never let up and they were about thirty deep the whole time.

The Sculpture Garden at the MoMA

While I walked around the gardens and fountains I noticed a lot of the art that they were featuring was really unique, some of which I had not seen before.

The gardens with the poppies in bloom

This beautiful mosaic of a octopus did not have a name

This metal artwork was towards the back of the sculpture garden

The Met at night is quite dazzling

The entrance to The Met in the evening

Looking down Fifth Avenue at night

The entrance in the Rotunda was filled with fresh flowers and members chatting away. I even saw some of the members I had seen at the MoMA earlier.

The floral arrangements were spectacular

The beauty of the Rotunda in the evening

Maybe because these Members Nights were on a Tuesday evening, they both did not seem as crowded as they had been in the past. The museum was crowded but not as crowded as the past two Member’s Nights. I think that I arrived at 8:00pm most people were starting to leave. What was nice was that the MoMA night went until 9:00pm and The Met Night went until 10:00pm so it gave me the time to run through both museums.

I started my tour of The Met in the Greek Galleries looking at the Cycladic Art. I always loved the looks of these works.

https://www.metmuseum.org/departments/greek-and-roman-art

The entrance to the Cycladic Wing

The Cycladic Gallery in the Greek wing

Some of the interesting cases I admired that night

I then did a quick tour of the Roman Galleries which I had not toured in detail since the galleries opened years ago.

https://www.metmuseum.org/departments/greek-and-roman-art

Touring the Roman Galleries

Touring the Roman Gslleries

Touring the Roman Galleries

After the tour of the Roman Galleries, I headed to the Egyptian Galleries, I wanted to explore the galleries and get a drink at the Members Bar.

https://www.metmuseum.org/departments/egyptian-art

I love the Egyptian Galleries. I have been coming here since 1973 and have loved them ever since.

I love the ancient hieroglyphics

For the last two Members Nights, the Members Bar was in the Temple of Dendur. It is always so well lit and the music was wonderful. It is a nice way to end the evening.