I'll be in NYC this weekend. A couple of friends have mentioned in passing that I should try and visit the Cloisters. What is this, WHERE is this and, if you've been, is it an attraction worth seeing?

The Cloisters is a museum located in Fort Tyron Park. This is the northern end of Manhattan. It is a branch of the Metropolian Museum of NY and it features medieval art and architecture. Suggested admission is $10 and I believe the admission covers a same day visit to the Met. It is closed on Monday. It can be reached by subway (A train) or bus (M4).
It is a long way from midtown - somewhere around 8 miles. It is in a nice setting and if interested in things medieval a worth while visit. I have never done the trip by either subway or bus - think subway would take about 30 or so minutes from midtown but then there is an uphill walk to the museum. The bus would proably take an hour from midtown but it leaves you off right in front of the museum.

Hi:
Check this website www.metmuseum.org for information.
If you are only here for the weekend, I might save it for another visit.
Take the M4 from Penn Station to the last stop. It is a long ride by bus. You'll go through all kinds of neighborhoods. Kind of interesting.
Welcome to NYC!

The Cloisters is my favorite museum in the city. Going there you feel like you have escaped the city for the day.

The museum is indeed medival and some of the collection is priceless. Several of the prize pieces are tapestries of unicorns that have been in every textbook on art history.

Also stop in to the lower level of the museum for the "Treasury" which is a wonderful collection of "saint reliquies" and extrodinary pieces of silver and gold.

There are also several gardens to explore and the views of the river and the palisades are beautiful.

There is the Unicorn Cafe which is a fun place to stop for a bit when leaving the museum and you will be walking through some lovely wooded areas, and yes you are still in Manhattan.

The subway ride is probably the easiest, I did that a couple of months ago and it took probably 30 minutes from midtown.

Have a great weekend.

The walk from the subway stop is relatively short and the hill is not very steep - perhaps a 5 -7 minute walk for most folks. If I recall correctly, you can get a free bus transfer with you metro card and take the bus that last leg rather than walking. The grounds and Fort Tryon Park are a beautiful setting with a fantastic view of the Palisades across the river (and a pristine undeveloped portio at that).

If you're at all interested in medieval art, definitely go there. I went for the first time last fall and couldn't believe I'd never been there. I felt transported to another place and time. One of the exhibits is the Campin altarpiece--see http://www.artchive.com/artchive/C/c...piece.jpg.html. It's in a room that's decorated with period pieces matching those in the painting. I happen to love that kind of stuff.

If medieval art isn't necessarily your thing, though, you might want to save a trip to the Cloisters for a trip when you've got more time.

Save it for when you have lots of time. This may not be the best season for the gardens and the incredible river-front site - but I would never discourage anyone from visiting this unique building and its treasures. The subway is definitely the quickest and you get a very unusual elevator ride to the street level (elevator attendants decorate their cars.)

Some advice: I went there last June on a weekend and could not find any vendors for food or drink inside the park or at the museum. The park snackbar was closed at 2PM. I plan to take a bottle of water next time.