New York Ground Zero Memorial Walking Tour

I'm a 9/11 survivor, a member of the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund. You will have my own experience of that day and the weeks afterward. After the attacks, I volunteered at what was then known as Ground Zero. I organized guides to give free walking tours to visiting first responders during the aftermath. After all, this is a deeply historic area of 400-year-old New York City. Colonial, Revolutionary War and early American historic spots are all around here. The tour begins in a church attended by George Washington.
You will see:
The Memorial Pools in the exact location of the Twin Towers
The Eleven Tears Memorial at American Express
A memorial for survivors who have since died of 9/11 syndrome
A sculpture that honors still-living survivors

You will be taken to places most guides don't know about: scenes where you can still see lingering damage from September 11 that has never been removed. It's still in plain sight, if you know where to look. Allow me to show you.

Meeting Point

70 Liberty St

70 Liberty St, New York, NY 10005, USA

Meet at the big red cube sculpture in the plaza.

What to expect:

Duration: 2 hours

St. Paul's Chapel

209 Broadway, b/t Fulton Street & Vesey Street, New York City, 10007-2977, New York

This little chapel is incredibly rich in not only September 11 history, but American and NYC history as well.
*Originally Church Of England, it predates the United States by about a decade.
*The original Great Seal of the United States (E PLURIBUS UNUM) hangs on its wall.
*A service was said for guest of honor George Washington on the day of his inauguration in 1789.
*All of the windows are original from 1766. Find out why none broke on September 11, despite virtually every other window breaking for blocks around!
*Firemen and engineers who cleaned up Ground Zero slept here until May of 2002.
*A Revolutionary general, born in Ireland and killed in action in Quebec, is entombed here, in the first American national monument.
I can't express how awesome a place this is.

15 minutes

American Express 11 Tears Memorial

200 Vesey St, American Express Headquarters, New York City, 10281-1013, New York

We will stop to admire the poignant memorial which remembers the eleven employees of American Express who were killed in the attacks on the Twin Towers.

5 minutes

FDNY Memorial Wall

124 Liberty St, , New York City, 10006-1008, New York

The firefighters' bronze memorial is on the wall of 10 House, home of Ladder 10 and Pumper 10. Six men from this firehouse -- literally across the street from the World Trade Center -- are among the 343 who lost their lives that day.
Each year on September 11, American flags are run up the flagpole above 10 House, saluted by members of the US armed forces, and given to members of the families.

5 minutes

9/11 Memorial Pools

180 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10007, USA

The American National September 11 Memorial is a 16-acre campus featuring a pair of 1-acre waterfalls. They face inward, the water disappearing from view as the victims have disappeared from our lives. Both are surrounded by panels inscribed with the names of all the dead; nearly 3000.
Your guide will show you which groups of victims are arranged on both sets of waterfalls. If you have loved one among those who passed, tell us in advance so we can take you to the proper panel.

You will also be taken to the new memorial that opened in 2019. This more simple memorial honors those who have died of the aftereffects of the Attacks, and those who have yet to die.

And we will stop by the Survivor Tree. It is one of the few survivors, found alive a month after The Attacks. You'll be shown the branches of new growth since that time.

Nearby, see Fritz Koenig's damaged but unbroken sculpture, World Trade.

And a scion of the chestnut tree that Anne Frank admired in "The Diary Of A Young Girl."

Also, the future Greek Orthodox basilica of Saint Nikolas. You will be shown the *very* last photo of the original church, with the burning towers looming overhead.

45 minutes

World Trade Center Station (PATH)

70 Vesey Street, New York City, 10007, New York

We will walk a ped bridge over the West Side Highway: More than 20 years later, damage to this bridge made on September 11 is still visible! The eastern end of the bridge was snapped off on that day. In the years after, a park was created at the exact height of the bridge. We walk from the 11 Tears Memorial, across this bridge, and into the elevated park. We will view the Fritz Koenig sculpture The Sphere, which was originally placed in a plaza between the Twin Towers, as well as a scion from the chestnut tree written about in Anne Frank's diary, and the new Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Nicholas.

10 minutes

World Trade Center Station (PATH)

70 Vesey Street, New York City, 10007, New York

The oldest Catholic church in the State of New York, Saint Peter's of 1804 is right across the street from The World Trade Center. The first known victim of that day, a priest, was laid on the altar moments after death.

5 minutes

World Trade Center Station (PATH)

70 Vesey Street, New York City, 10007, New York

US Post office, dating from the 1930s Works Progress Administration. Beautiful interior; exterior stone walls were scratched and scraped on September 11. The damage is still visible if you know where to look.

5 minutes

What's included:

• Tour Guide

Not included:

• Museum entrance is not included.