SAYA Young Women Visit The Met Cloisters

SAYA’s Young Women’s Leadership Program recently took a day trip to The Cloisters museum in Fort Tryon Park. During the visit, they spent time walking around the park, as well as taking in the museum’s art and exhibits. Below, one of the young women shared her experience:

“On April 23rd, my mom woke me up for my trip with SAYA to The Met Cloisters museum!  I was excited and restless to get going. I met my friends and got on the train to SAYA, where we met Ms. Riti. We headed out soon after, because none of us wanted to waste a moment of the beautiful day.

We took the train to 190th Street in Manhattan - the ride was long, but it was fun because we spent time talking to and sharing with Riti and each other. When we got off the subway, we decided to get some food to have a mini picnic at the Cloisters.

We walked into the park, where we kept climbing higher and higher - we were shocked to learn that the museum was once used by the military, which it’s walls are so high. The trees had white and pink blossoms, and the fresh of scent of the flowers made all of us nostalgic and brought back old memories of where we were born.

We continued walking and passed big houses made of bricks, eventually reaching a beautiful view of the Hudson River. We sat and had our picnic on a nearby lawn, and chatted about our life and the things we were doing on our spring break. After lunch, we headed into the museum itself. It was so beautiful! We saw amazing sculptures with intricate details, as well as many gold items from Spain, Germany, and other nations. There were gardens and terraces where people sat and enjoyed the view. After several hours, we headed back to the train station and started our journey back home.

All of us who visited the Cloisters that day were amazed by the beauty of the park’s nature and the complex artwork inside the museum. We realized that our generation sometimes misses this beauty, being so devoted to technology. Thanks to Ms. Riti and SAYA, I was able to take this trip and learn more about art and the world.”

- Antara (Tara)