Private 9/11 Memorial Tour with NYPD First Responder
Description
Experience Ground Zero through the eyes of a retired NYPD first responder who was there on September 11, 2001. This private walking tour offers a personal and respectful perspective on one of New York City’s most significant days. Led by a retired NYPD officer and Ground Zero survivor, the experience shares firsthand stories, personal memories, and the realities faced by first responders during and after the attacks. Your guide will share rare Ground Zero photographs while leading you through important locations around the World Trade Center site, including places many visitors overlook. Learn about the rescue and recovery efforts, the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan, and the lasting impact of 9/11. The tour begins at St. Paul’s Chapel and continues through the 9/11 Memorial area, including the Survivor Tree, FDNY Ten House, and other meaningful sites connected to September 11th. This is more than a sightseeing tour — it is a personal experience guided by someone who lived through it.
Tour Options
Itinerary
St. Paul’s Chapel opened in 1766 as an outreach center for Trinity Church’s expanding congregation. It was a “chapel-of-ease” for those who did not want to walk a few blocks south along unpaved streets to Trinity. A decade later, the Great Fire of 1776 destroyed the first Trinity Church, but St. Paul’s survived, thanks to a bucket brigade that ran from the Hudson River up to the chapel’s roof. Until the second Trinity Church was rebuilt in 1790, many, including George Washington, made St. Paul’s their spiritual home. On April 30, 1789, after Washington took the oath of office to become the first president of the United States, he made his way from Federal Hall on Wall Street to St. Paul’s Chapel, where he attended services. Saint Paul's played a pivotal role during 911 for housing first responders and a place of family's to search for their loved ones
traverse the Oculus at Ground Zero former location of the World Trade Center Mall, one of the routes used by survivors to escape the collapsed buildings via the Subway. Listen to the stories of bravery and sacrifice to evacuate 100's of survivors trapped when the North Tower fell. Observe the hidden architectural details that memorialize the site's history most visitors miss.
Walk the steps of 911 Hero responders as they searched for survivors with the depths of the destroyed Westfield World Trade Center mall.
North & South Tower Memorial Pools: In January 2004, the design submitted by architect Michael Arad and landscape architect Peter Walker, Reflecting Absence, was chosen as the winning entry. Their design features twin waterfall pools surrounded by bronze parapets that list the names of the victims of the 9/11 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The pools are set within a plaza where more than 400 swamp white oak trees grow.
The Oculus is the centerpiece of The World Trade Center Transportation Hub. After 12 years of construction and constant delays, it finally opened to the public on March 3, 2016. Designed by famed Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, the $4 billion building exceeded the original estimate by 100%! In total, the WTC Oculus is 350 feet long and measures about 75,000 square feet of retail space. 180 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10006, USA
We will end at FDNY Ladder 10 House
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(12)
I really enjoyed the Mafia tour with Jay. It was very informative and interesting with lots of stops and snippets of history and storoes about the mob around NYC and also stories about her time with the NYPD. The tour started with a delicious meal of meatballs and spaghetti and ended with canoli pastries also delicious
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on your recent day out with us! We are so glad you enjoyed the deep dive into the city's mob history, the frequent stops, and those delicious plates of spaghetti, meatballs, and cannoli.Every single member of our team is a retired NYPD Detective or police officer. When we custom-built this experience, we wanted to offer something way deeper than a standard history lesson—we wanted to share the raw, firsthand insights that come from actually wearing the badge and working the pavement. Hearing that those real-world law enforcement backgrounds and personal stories kept you completely hooked is exactly what we aim for. We truly appreciate you hanging out with us, and we would love to have you back for another unique experience whenever you are back in New York!
Jay was our guide for this walking tour of NYPD history and the mafia history of NY. We started an early dinner at one of the oldest Italian restaurants in NYC, John’s @ 12th Street. The spaghetti with meatballs was excellent. The history of the restaurant very colorful. Very interesting local stories, historic events and Jay splashes in her own experiences as a LEO. Jay is engaging and very animated. Never a boring moment. We finished up the evening at Caffe’ Roma in Little Italy for one of the best pistachio canollis I’ve ever eaten.
Thank you so much for the fantastic write-up! We are thrilled to hear that the early dinner at John’s of 12th Street started your night off perfectly, and that you wrapped up the evening with one of the best pistachio cannolis you've ever eaten.We don't look at these as traditional tours, but rather as raw, insider experiences meant to bring the city's gritty history alive. Our entire crew is made up of retired NYPD Detectives and police officers. Because of our backgrounds, we love pulling back the curtain to blend old-school mob history with real-world, firsthand insights from our own time wearing the badge. Hearing that the animated storytelling and local history kept you completely hooked from start to finish is exactly what we strive for. Thank you for spending the evening with us, and we hope to see you again on another experience
Great tour , excellent food , some good info on the mobs and how it worked. Excellent guide jay very knowledgeable and easy to talk with
Thank you so much for the wonderful review! We are incredibly grateful that you found the afternoon so powerful, moving, and deeply unforgettable.We built this specific experience to be completely different from a standard history lesson. Every single member of our team is a retired NYPD Detective or police officer who served as a first responder during the events of 9/11. Because of our real-world law enforcement backgrounds, we don't just read facts from a script—we share our own personal stories and true, firsthand insights from the ground. We take immense pride in turning this walk into a deeply personal, human connection to the history of Ground Zero, and we are so honored that it resonated with you so deeply. Thank you for walking with us.
The guide had a lot of valuable information
Thank you so much for the feedback! We are glad to hear that you walked away with a lot of valuable information from your time out on the streets with us.Our entire crew consists of retired NYPD Detectives and police officers. Because we actually worked these neighborhoods, we love using our real-world law enforcement backgrounds to deliver true, firsthand insights that you cannot find in any history book. We intentionally design this experience to offer deep, insider knowledge that keeps things incredibly interesting from start to finish. Thanks again for joining us, and we hope to welcome you back for another unforgettable walk
Jay was so passionate and informative it made the tour extremely enjoyable. She clearly knows her stuff and provides lots of historical context.
Thank you so much for the fantastic feedback! We are absolutely thrilled to hear that the passion and deep information shared made your time with us so enjoyable, and that you appreciated the extensive historical context.We built this specific experience to offer something truly unique. Every single member of our team is a retired NYPD Detective or police officer who served as a first responder. Because of our real-world law enforcement backgrounds, we don't just read facts from a script—we bring the history to life through true, firsthand insights and a deeply personal connection to the city. We take immense pride in sharing that authentic knowledge, and we are so glad it made for such a memorable afternoon. Thank you again for walking with us!
EXCELLENT Highly Reccomend Jay is a retired Police Woman And first respondent 9/11 Great experience very informative
Thank you so much for the excellent recommendation! We are incredibly honored that you joined us for this experience. Hearing these vital stories straight from a retired NYPD officer and 9/11 first responder changes everything. There is absolutely no script here—just deeply personal, first-hand accounts and an exclusive insider perspective on a historic day that you simply cannot get anywhere else. This real-world dedication is exactly why members of our law enforcement team are trusted experts featured in major documentary projects like Netflix's Fear City and Get Gotti. Thank you for hanging out with us, and we hope to welcome you back to New York City soon!
Extremely knowledgeable and personable insight from Dennis throughout the trip. Very accommodating for multiple families in one group.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share this wonderful feedback! We are thrilled to hear that he provided such knowledgeable, personable insight and successfully accommodated all of the families in your private group. As an organization of retired NYPD Detectives and Police Officers, we take great pride in delivering these experiences. Because our guides are first responders who lived through the events of September 11, every story shared at the 9/11 Memorial is deeply personal and directly linked to our own history in the area.
Amazing tour. The tour guide was exceptional and the information/experience he shared was information you wouldn’t get anywhere else. Thank you so much for allowing us to experience this!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We are honored to hear that your experience was so meaningful and that you valued the unique insights shared. As a group of retired NYPD Detectives and Police Officers, we intentionally call these "experiences" rather than tours because the history is personal to us. Because our guides are first responders who were on the ground, the stories shared at the 9/11 Memorial are firsthand accounts deeply linked to the area—providing the exclusive, behind-the-scenes information you cannot get anywhere else.
We had an amazing tour with Dennis around all the sights related to 9/11. He was able to give an in depth personal experience about the day and the events that followed which was extremely insightful and emotional. There were many places we visited that aren’t known by many companies and Dennis was able to show us and explain their relation to 9/11. Overall can definitely recommend booking this tour!
It was truly my pleasure to share personal experiences with you and your family. I enjoyed spending time together.
Dennis was amazing and so informative, hearing his personal stories really added to the experience and we’re leaving New York really appreciating what first responders and New Yorkers went through
Thank you so much for this deeply moving review! We are honored to hear that hearing those personal stories helped you truly appreciate what New Yorkers and first responders experienced. As a group of retired NYPD Detectives and Police Officers, we call these "experiences" rather than tours because the history is personal to us. Our guides are first responders who lived through the events of September 11, so every insight shared at the 9/11 Memorial is a firsthand account deeply linked to our own lives and our history in the area. Thank you again for spending time with us.
