A Peaceful Retreat in New York City
By: Angel Rosario
A worthwhile destination that may be hidden for some New Yorkers and tourists alike is Fort Tryon Park. This park, located in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, is peaceful and quiet, something that is hard to get nowadays.
There are many beautiful views to be had of the Hudson River and the George Washington Bridge. There is the Heather Garden, which has a variety of different flowers and plants, open spaces to have a picnic, The Cloisters, many benches to sit down and relax, and more.
Every walkway is lined with a variety of trees and vegetation. Across the park, there are stunning views of the cliffs of New Jersey. It’s easy to forget that this park is in the middle of New York City because buildings are not visible and traffic is not too audible, for the most part.
There are a variety of activities offered at Fort Tryon Park throughout the year. There are free walking tours offered every Sunday afternoon from 1pm to 2:30pm (every Sunday until October 31). Neil Mackey is one of the tour guides. It was interesting to hear some of the things that he had to say about the history of the park and some of the challenges to keeping a park looking as nice as possible.
The job is made more difficult since there are multiple parks for park workers to worry about. “We have to work sometimes in any park anywhere from 155th Street all the way to the top of Manhattan,” Mackey said when commenting about his responsibilities.
The walking tour began with a walk through of the Heather Garden. Mackey, an avid gardener, described the variety of plants and flowers in the garden – which included forget-me-nots, posies, and much more – and the challenge of maintaining a public garden. These challenges include the fact that there are some areas where people might step on the plants. The plants need watering and since there’s a huge variety, the amount of water and the type and acidity of the soil has to be adjusted to the correct amount in order for everything to grow. He spoke about the art of having different colors and plants that sprout during different times in order to have something new to look at throughout the year.
The linden terrace, named of course for the linden trees that are there, has a relaxing aura to it. It has a clear overlook of the Hudson River and across it to New Jersey. A very relaxing and cooling breeze blows across the terrace.
While the linden trees are nice to look at, Mackey stated that “linden trees are very messy trees.” They can drop a lot of seeds and that is exacerbated when there is as a lot of rain or wind. Part of the work that goes into maintaining the park is occasionally raking the seeds and leaves when the ground gets too messy.
Continuing with the tour, Mackey mentioned that the park fell into disrepair in the 1970s. He said that the park “…looked like a cave.” It was like a forest, the park was dark and everything was overgrown. Some of the bricks that line the trees on the linden terrace were missing, so they had to be reproduced and replaced. The restoration process was a long one, but they eventually got the job done.
Mackey then spoke a bit more about the history of the park itself. Margaret Corbin, for whom the Margaret Corbin Circle is named for, fought at the site after her husband, John Corbin, was killed in a 1776 battle. This battle was during the Revolutionary War and they were defending Fort Washington, which was being attacked by troops who were under British control.
There used to be estates on the site, and there is a visible portion of the former walkway where the horses trotted towards the estates (most of the former walkway is now covered because it doesn’t look as nice as it used to). A fire destroyed the last estate, and that led to the piece of land eventually becoming a public park. John D. Rockefeller bought the land and the piece of land across the Hudson River in order to keep the view preserved. It was gifted to the city in 1917.
Along with enjoying the park itself and the views it has to offer, Fort Tryon Park is also home to The Cloisters, a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art that hosts works from medieval Europe. As stated on the Met website, The Cloisters was described by Germain Bazin, former curator of the Louvre in Paris, as “the crowning achievement of American museology.”
It is definitely a beautiful museum to visit. It’s not a gigantic museum, so viewing everything it has to offer in one visit shouldn’t be too difficult. Admission to the Metropolitan Museum of Art allows for free same day admission to The Cloisters.
The majority of the pieces in The Cloisters are of a religious background from medieval Europe. There are a few outdoor areas, or cloisters, in the museum. These outdoor areas include plants and flowers and fountains. It’s enjoyable just sitting out there, listening to the birds, fountains, and enjoying the breeze.
Fort Tryon Park has an attraction for everyone. It’s a place that may be a little difficult to get to for some, but it is worth the trip. There’s a lot of history within the park and within The Cloisters and that history also brings beauty to that corner of northern Manhattan.