One of the most iconic buildings in the city of Toronto, this seat of the Toronto municipal government is sometimes referred to as the New City Hall. This is actually the fourth in the history of the municipal government. 

Located at Nathan Philips Square, this was recently the venue for the Raptors 2019 Victory Parade. Toronto's New Year celebrations are also held here.

Below is a picture taken from the front of the city hall and it shows the old city hall which is now a court house. 

As the site of Toronto's first Chinatown, the public space (below) in front of the City Hall is popular to many visitors from all over the world who enjoy having a taste of the street hot dogs and have a selfie in the reflecting pool and the Toronto arch.

With 45,000 sq. meters of physical space, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is one of the biggest galleries in North America. It has over 80,000 works of art to engage whatever interest you have as these collections span from the first century to the present. There are varied forms as well but I think the sculptures are amazing. 

What is even more amazing is the way this art museum was designed. Inside spaces connect to the outside as you can see in the pictures below. Because of this, the visitor finds the art pieces with amazing background. One does not feel cooped up in a museum on a beautiful day.

Address: 317 Dundas St. West
​Hours: 10:30-9:00 pm
​For more info, go to: ago.net

When our friend in New York asked us if we want to go to the Cloister, our first reaction was, Why go to a convent? To our relief, this is far from being one. It is a museum, a part of the MET in New York.

It is just called the Cloister because it was designed as a cloister to house the treasures that were from the medieval times mostly taken from old Churches and monasteries in France and Spain and to evoke the feeling of being in a monastery which during that time, housed most of the treasures of the time.

Located in Fort Tryon Park in Washington Heights in New York, this place can easily be reached by subway which is faster or by bus (M4) from Manhattan with  the Cloister as its last stop. Just be prepared to sit on the bus longer. Though the trip is long, the quiet, calm and history the place offers is worth all of that. You can spend the whole day here, bring a picnic and enjoy the gardens, the displays and the river meandering right around the front of the Museum.

Besides, it will give you a glimpse of the lively Latino section of Bronx, New York. Because we took the subway going, we got out into the streets of Bronx and then, walked to Washington Heights. For me, it was a surprise to be speaking in Spanish when asking for directions and to hear Spanish as the language in the streets. Simply shows how metropolitan New York is.

Below is the entrance to the Museum. You can see that it is part of the Met so keep your tickets. You can use it at the Met the next day or if you were first at the Met you can use your ticket from the Met to see this place.

As it is in the vicinity of a huge park with the amazing view of the Hudson River, you can spend a day here to enjoy nature, the beautiful landscape and the calm and quiet which is a contrast to the busy streets of downtown Manhattan.

The arches are decorated by pillars from the old abbeys of the medieval times.

The display is divided into four cloisters: the Cuxa, Saint-Guilhem, Bonnefont and Trie. It holds around 5,000 works of art depicting the medieval period especially the Romanesque and Gothic. 

The Cuxa cloisters were originally at the Benedictine Abbey of Sant Miquel de Cuixà on Mount Canigou, which was founded in 878 in the northeast French Pyrenees.

The Saint-Guilhem cloisters were taken from the site of the Benedictine monastery of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, and date from 804 AD to the 1660s.

The Bonnefont collection were originally from several French monasteries, but mostly come from a late 12th-century CistercianAbbaye de Bonnefont at Bonnefont-en-Comminges, southwest of Toulouse. You can see the Chapter Hall of the Abbey in the picture above.

The Trie cloisters was compiled from two late 15th- to early 16th-century French structures. Most of its components came from the Carmelite convent at Trie-sur-Baïse in south-western France.

The tapestry collection featured an impressive  unicorn display like the one below.

Altar and altar pieces are some of the most prominent displays as you can see below.

Below is the Langon Chapel assembled from one of the old monasteries  in 12th century France.

Address: 99 Margaret Corbin Dr, New York, NY 10040, USA

Sources:
​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cloisters
​

In the ruins of the World Trade Center now stands a Memorial to remember those who have died in the September 11 attack. The Memorial has the names of each one of these innocent persons who happened to be there doing their everyday work or just visiting. 

Amidst these ruins is also one unexpected survivor. Here it is:

Designed by Santiago Calatrava, the Oculus is the main building and within is this 4 billion transport hub called the World Trade Centre. As you can see in the picture above, it is an organic form rising amidst the various towers and the Memorial which stood on top of the September 11 debris.

The Oculus consists of white ribs interlocking high above the ground, looking like an eagle rising from the ashes. Inside is even more breath taking. Below is a view of the Oculus from the Memorial Fountain.

To go in, you must go to the Brookfield Place and from there go inside this 4 billion Station. As you go in, you immediately see the expanse and lightness of the building. You feel you are lifted up as you go inside and as you go up and have a view of the Station from the upper floor, the sight is astounding as you can see below.

Inside the Oculus is also the Westfield Trade Center where stores and restaurants offer retail. What we enjoyed most was having a light lunch of soup and sandwich in Epicerie Boulud, a cafe owned by the famous Michelin star restaurateur, Daniel Boulud.  

If you haven't been yet to the September, 2011 Memorial, then, you're in for a very enjoyable visit of the Memorial and the Oculus. 

Address: Church St, New York, NY 10006, USA