Start: The Cloisters and Fort Tryon Park

Riding a bus is an excellent way to get to know a city. Indeed, during my days as a traveler, I often made it a point to ride the city busses of the cities I visited. I saw London, Berlin, Rome, Paris, and several other cities from the inside of a city bus. The advantage of sightseeing on a city bus is that it offers the chance to cover a lot of ground for very little money. Also, the real character of a city is laid bare inside the bus as passengers get on, fumble for coins, exchange banter, crowd together, and then get off at their destinations.

The M4 bus is one of Manhattan's best -- and most economical -- tourist activities. I enjoy riding the M4 sometimes just for fun because it offers an incredible cross-section of the variety of New York. It starts in bucolic Fort Tryon Park, runs through the Latin enclave of Washington Heights, skirts Harlem, traverses the intellectual (y)upper west side around Columbia, passes through the glamourous upper east side, and finally marches right thorugh the center of glorious midtown before terminating its run at Penn Station. Please enjoy this collection of photographs which I have assembled over several years of recreational bus riding.

We start at the Cloisters, where the bus awaits passengers right outside the Cloister's main entrance. Here, the bus heads away from the Cloisters. The lush greenery of Fort Tryon Park is evident everywhere. Somehow, this doesn't look like it should be in Manhattan, but it is.

People relax on the lawn in front of the Cloisters. The George Washington Bridge is visible in the background through the trees. Fort Tryon Park is steeped in history. For exaple, along the route, the bus passes the site of Fort Tryon, a British fortification used during the Revolutionary War. This plaque marks the spot.

A fairly recent event in Fort Tryon Park has been the opening of The New Leaf Cafe, which is a wonderful restaruant managed by the New York Restoration Project. This is a view of the restaurant's back side, facing the road. Across the road from the cafe is a lookout offering wonderful views of Fort George, Washington Heights, and Inwood. This is the view to the south-east.

Here is the view towards Fort George and the east. And here is the view to the north-east. The semi-circular building in the foreground is a new schoolbuilding; the trees in the middleground line the Harlem River; the Bronx is in the background. If you look carefully, you can see the round dome of the Great Americans Hall of Fame in the background (towards the right).

Continue with the bus tour.


We start at the Cloisters, where the bus awaits passengers right outside the Cloister's main entrance.	Here, the bus heads away from the Cloisters. The lush greenery of Fort Tryon Park is evident everywhere. Somehow, this doesn't look like it should be in Manhattan, but it is.


People relax on the lawn in front of the Cloisters. The George Washington Bridge is visible in the background through the trees.	Fort Tryon Park is steeped in history. For exaple, along the route, the bus passes the site of Fort Tryon, a British fortification used during the Revolutionary War. This plaque marks the spot.


A fairly recent event in Fort Tryon Park has been the opening of The New Leaf Cafe, which is a wonderful restaruant managed by the New York Restoration Project. This is a view of the restaurant's back side, facing the road.	Across the road from the cafe is a lookout offering wonderful views of Fort George, Washington Heights, and Inwood. This is the view to the south-east.


Here is the view towards Fort George and the east.	And here is the view to the north-east. The semi-circular building in the foreground is a new schoolbuilding; the trees in the middleground line the Harlem River; the Bronx is in the background. If you look carefully, you can see the round dome of the Great Americans Hall of Fame in the background (towards the right).