Garbage and Rats em Nova Iorque City Walking Tour

What a unique way to learn about NYC's history - from the 1600s to present! Suzanne was a wonderful, knowledgable guide. We learned about how garbage has been dealt with over the centuries (and we produce unnecessary proportions of trash), how rats thrive in garbage, about rat lifespans and behaviour, where and how they live, and how they're kept under control (somewhat). We learned about the dog & rat fights in the mid 1700s, stood at the site of the great rat attack of 1979, and learned about how rats mark their trails and create social systems. We saw buildings and learned facts about humanity that we never would have otherwise. Very cool and highly recommended! You will see NYC (and all cities) differently.

Friendly, informative, such a fascinating way to discovery the history of NYC. One you’ll never forget.

Really great tour, learned so much about the history of New York! We saw lots of rats, beautiful architecture well worth the price. Perfect mix of history and ecology.

This is a unique and clever walking tour of New York with fun and fascinating history from the point of view of sanitation. Our tour guide was delightful and was ver engaging even for young kids.

Loved this tour so much. I am from CA, and don't know much about New York history. The tour guide was so knowledgeable and personable. We saw a rat at the first stop, we were able to guess the age, and learned a lot about the cycle of life for a rat. Never knew that only one breed of rat is in NY and there is a reason for that, but you have to take the tour to find out. TMNT was so accurate it's a tad scary. There were 4 of us on the tour total, and because it was a small group, we were able to talk a bit more and learn more as a group because of the intimate setting. The garbage part of the tour is so interesting and interwoven into the history of NY, never knew. It was mind blowing how much rats and garbage are a part of this city. Received great book recommendations from the tour guide because I need to know more. It was a nice walk to learn the city and the meeting place is right off a subway stop. I really like she has pictures for the stops to really understand the history of NY. It was a great price for the tour and I would actually take the tour again, just to see if there are more rats around the area.

This tour was so fun AND informative. Suzanne was such a great guide - if the rain hadn't been threatening to pour at any moment, we could have stayed and talked to her forever! The history of garbage and sanitation in NYC is entertwined with the history of rats in the city, and it somehow was one of the best things we've done in our multiple visits to NY. I would highly recommend this for rat lovers AND rat haters - it's fascinating information from any perspective. Thank you!

I am so very happy I chose to go on this walking tour rather than standing in line at one of the tourist attractions. It was a lovely way to explore New York filled with interesting stories/history of NY sanitation. Suzanne really knows her stuff and has a lot of passion and enthusiasm for the subject. And the rats, of course. The group was made up of really interesting and fun people, too. We did make a few rat sightings and I don’t think I will ever look at the pavements and parks of New York or any major city the same way ever again. I highly recommend this tour. And I actually would have been happy to pay more even. Thank you, Suzanne.

Very fun! Very personal. You get to walk around downtown Manhattan alleyways for a couple hours while hearing about New York history. The guide was genuinely passionate and knowledgeable, and would know answers to everything we could ask.

Suzanne , our guide, is so informative and her presentation so captivating, that it is one of the best walking tours I’ve taken! We walked and she pointed out rat burrows in landscaped patches, then a rat would pop out and then it’s playmate, then rat games ensued. The phones came out. She located city benches where we would sit and enjoy her teaching off our feet- she had a big notebook of photos of NYC from its very inception, and of all the garbage and poop that was in the streets! We saw the tall ships in the harbour tied up with fat, fat ropes - down which the rats used to disembark to get comfortable in their new home. All in all Suzanne made this one of my favorite evenings in NYC this visit!

This was a fascinating tour, with so much local history woven in. My husband and I loved it and learned so much, even though we've spent time in the Financial District before. Great guide and we highly recommend the tour. I think older children would love the tour too!