Fort Tryon Park and The Cloisters
by Papa Bear
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| The Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park in Early Spring |
A Run to a Beautiful Place —
and Four Ways to Get There
"The Journey is the Destination" ... NO!
For this run "The Destination is the Journey"
Some times I just want to go somewhere. A favorite brunch spot, a
beautiful park, or maybe
the beach. And being a runner, I say to myself, "Hmm .. I wonder if I
could run there?" Often times we think "I'm training for a
marathon; my schedule says I gotta do 14 miles this weekend." That's
called focusing on the mileage. That's not me. I would more
likely say "How can I run to that place, get 14 miles (more-or-less) of
running in, find a nice place to eat afterwards, and have easy subway access to get home?"
That's what these "Runs to Beautiful Places" posts are all about. It's
the destination that comes first, not getting there. Forget
about your "life's journey" (and don't even think about your "life's
destination"!) This is about getting somewhere you want to be.
Fort Tryon Park is definitely one of those places. I've written many
reports on these pages about going through this place to get somewhere
else, but this
time I'd like to talk about just getting there, spending time enjoying
the beauty of the place and its setting, and perhaps taking
in a visit to The Cloisters, one of the most unique and marvelous
museums in the world.
So how do we get there? Let me count the ways ... well, in my many
reports of long runs I counted four different ways to get there
with varying distances — I know you haven't forgotten that factor — of
between about 7+ and 9 miles.
This is perfect for early marathon training. If you want to do more
miles, tack on some at the beginning or throw in a park
loop or two (see below). And if you're torn between one route and
another, no problem, go part way on one route and the rest on another.
For consistency they all start at Carl Schurz Park, but of course that's
up to you. Start where ever you live and join your preferred
route somewhere along the way.
A note on the photos: most of the photos were taken on visits we
made in March of 2012 and in June of 2013. So you will notice
some shots show spring foliage with fruit trees in bloom, and some show
the dense foliage and the flowers of summer. There is also
a December 2016 album which shows that Winter is no obstacle to beauty.
The Map
I like maps I almost always put them in my reports, often using the USATF
running route
maps, or sometimes using my own custom maps. I've generated maps for
hiking, for mountain climbing, for locating survey markers
and lately for runs.
This one is a bit different in that it shows four different routes on the same map. They are color coded:
red,
blue,
green and
purple.
They are described from west to east. Let's call them
"
the west side route",
"
the parks route",
"
the streets route" and
"
the South Bronx route".
Note: as if there were not enough confusion on the map, the part
from Carl Schurz to Central Park is common to three routes
("west side", "the streets" and "the parks"), and the part that goes up
to the north end of Central Park is common to two routes
("the streets" and "the parks"). The route colors sort of mush together
on these sections, sorry.
Look at the map for a minute and you'll "get" it. They all start in
Carl Schurz Park and the first 3
head over to Central Park before splitting apart and heading their own
way.
The 4th route heads up the river and over to the Bronx for a
bit before returning back to Manhattan. I've marked most of the parks
and other interesting points of interest. Although we are
focusing on the destination here, we should, of course, observe and
enjoy the places we are running through.
Four Routes to Fort Tryon Park
The Routes
Mileage: the mileage listed is approximate. Use your Garmin or iPhone if you need to know it to .1 miles. For the first three
routes, if you want
extra mileage, I suggest adding one of more reservoir loops (on the bridle path) which is 1.7 miles per
loop, or one or more inner loops of the park roads at 4 miles each.
Details: the report links included for each run have detailed directions. These can be quite valuable since the
directions here are cursory (remember, this is about the destination, not the journey).
-
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| The Little Red Lighthouse |
|
The west side route (red
line, about 8½ miles): Pretty easy to follow. Go
across the park to the west side on the bridle path at the south end of
the reservoir and continue west on 86th Street to Riverside Park.
Follow the path along the river all the way up to the GWB. Then take
the path up to the highway, cross
the pedestrian bridge, and cross on 181st Street to Pinehurst Avenue
(which starts with stairs). Then it's straight up on Pinehurst to
Fort Tryon Park. Details (many, many details) can be found in
The West Side Run
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| Highbridge Park |
|
The parks route (blue
line, about 9 miles): This route goes up through a series of
parks north of Manhattan which I call the "Escarpment" Parks" (5 of
them, not counting our destination). In each park you follow along
either the
top or bottom of a steep cliff (in two you go from the top TO the
bottom). Originally I devised this route for the legendary
Carl Schurz to Wave Hill Run, but a simpler version can be found
Run to the Tip of Manhattan. It's easy, but hard to explain in a few words. I suggest reading
one or both of these reports.
-
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Harriet Tubman /
St. Nicholas Ave. |
|
The streets route
(green line, about 8 miles): the easiest one of all. Just
take St. Nicholas Ave. from the park all the way up to 168th Street. Then follow Broadway up to the GWB bus station, go over to
Fort Washington Ave., and follow that up to Fort Tryon Park. Want more detail? Follow directions given
Run to the Tip of Manhattan.
-
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| The South Bronx |
|
The South Bronx route (purple,
line, about 9 miles): A route you have probably never
considered. Don't worry, the South Bronx is fine. From Carl Schurz
Park, follow the river up to 123rd Street, cross the pedestrian
bridge
and go over to First Avenue. Cross the Willetts Avenue Bridge and
zig-zag up to 144th Street. Go west on 144th Street across the tracks
and on to
the Grand Councourse. Follow this up to 161st Street with a side trip
through Franz Sigel Park. Go west on 161st and cross the
Macombs Dam Bridge to Manhattan. Take the highway ramp down from 155th
Street to the Harlem River and go north to Dyckman Street.
Go west on Dyckman, cross Broadway, and follow Riverside Drive to the
north entrance to Fort Tryon Park. You will have to run up a
steep hill to get to the main part of the park, sorry. It's easier than
it sounds, just zoom the map in and you'll get it.
See the report
To Wave Hill via the South Bronx for lots
of details. Note: the link takes you to a report of a run to Wave Hill which is in the Bronx.
Since we are talking about Fort Tryon Park here, which is in Manhattan, you need to stop there and skip the last segment of that
report. Save the Bronx run for another day.
The Destination: Fort Tryon Park and the Cloisters
Now for the best part!
Fort Tryon Park is one of the gems of Manhattan or for that matter, of the
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Fort Tryon Park Heather Gardens
|
whole of New York City.
The Park comprises 66.6 acres and sits atop some of the highest public land in Manhattan, providing views of the Hudson
River and the New Jersey Palisades.
In 1917, John D. Rockefeller purchased the land and hired Frederick Law
Olmsted Jr. to design a manicured landscape to preserve
the valuable views as a city park for all to enjoy. The modern Fort
Tryon Park opened in 1935, after years of transformation
and is the only northern Manhattan park with a design similar to that of
Riverside or Central Park. The Cloisters, a branch of the
New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, opened within the park in 1938, and
houses the museum’s medieval collection. Although the
majority of the park remains true to its Olmstedian design, the slopes
leading up to the park are largely naturally occurring
second growth forest communities.
Go into the park and head along
the walkway (not the road). This is the garden section and in the spring it's covered with heather and sedge and surrounded by
fruit trees in bloom. When we got there one day last spring, we arrived just as they were doing the "trimming of the sedge",
a once-a-year ritual attended by local school children. Who knew you had to trim sedge?
Next, head for the flag pole, which is on a promontory surrounded by a
stone rampart with stairs up to
the top. This point, one of the highest in Manhattan, has the most
fantastic views in all of New York City. Unobstructed 360° views
of the GWB, The Palisades, up towards Westchester, and east over much of
the Bronx. If you visit this park, you must climb
the steps to this point.
Keep heading north on the various pathways and you'll next see the
Cloisters, a branch of the Metropolitan Museum.
It's a treasure trove of medieval art and architecture. Coming off the
flag pole pinnacle, there is an open lawn surrounded by mature
trees. You can certainly see the hand of Olmstead in this area.
Spring and Summer Visit to Fort Tryon Park
You Can Run There in the Winter Too
We've also been there in the Winter. Last December (2016) Susan S. and I
ran up there on a very
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| Beautiful Browns and Golds |
cold day. We followed the "Streets Route" from
the Engineers' Gate in Central Park
as outlined above with a few small variations
(see the report here: A Cold Run to the Cloisters). I took no photos
at all along the route — it was too cold — but I took a few inside the
park and quite a few inside the cloisters. Notice the lack of foliage on
the deciduous trees. But
the brown and gold of the leaf litter and flower stalks have a special
winter beauty of their own. The next photo album gives
a really good sense of the grounds and what you'll see in this unique
museum of medieval art.
A Winter Visit to Fort Tryon Park
Here's a few links on Fort Tryon Park:
Parks Department and
Wikipedia.
The Cloisters
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| The Cloisters in Spring |
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| The Cloisters in Winter |
The Cloisters really deserves
a separate dedicated visit, since you could spend all day there. But
we have occasionally made a visit in a tired, post-run state, and it's
worth it. It's part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
and even though it has a suggested entrance fee, it's technically under a
pay-what-you-want policy, so you can pay a dollar if you're
cheap. I'm a member so I'm good.
What's it all about? It's basically built with fragments of ruined medieval churches with authentic art and appointments. The
rooms give you an idea of the original settings for the art. The most memorable thing to me is the
series of large tapestries made around 1500 AD which tell the mysterious and symbolic story of
"
The Hunt of The Unicorn".
Visiting The Cloisters will certainly put you in a world far removed from 21st century New York City.
And there is a beautiful interior garden which is a perfect place for silent contemplation. I hesitate to say where to
go and what to look at. Both photo albums give a good sense of what you'll see, better than I could discribe. What's that
saying? "
One picture is worth a thousand words." Especially true in this case.
Here's a good link giving some details:
The Cloisters.
Brunch?
There are couple of favorites of mine both to the north
(Indian Road Café), and to the south
(Coogans), but they are both a mile or more distant. I would suggest
you give the New Leaf Restaurant
your consideration. It's a little pricey, but to me it's a special
treat commensurate with the beauty of the park. It's in the park,
just south of the flag pole, down the slope to the east of the gardens.
And maybe bring a change of clothes or a clean shirt in
your pack. There is a bathroom in the basement of the restaurant,
accessible from the road.
Show me the way to go home
Across the street from the park entrance you can get an M4 or M98 bus, or take the elevator down to the A-Train.
What's not to like about this place?
This post is adapted from the report of the same name on Papa Bear's
Beyond Central Park web site.
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