Ground Zero Museum Workshop Tour

Worthwhile

peter laskowich is an OUTSTANDING guide

I loved the headsets so you could see the picture or item from Ground Zero and then listen to the story behind it. Great concept. Loved the placed.

These are photographs by a skilled photographer who had the unique privilege of being allowed to take photos of the recovery stage at ground zero. The photos themselves are well worth seeing, especially those vignettes involving people. What is less successful is the rather mundane arrangement of the room and the inclusion of random showcases housing miscellaneous objects; this is why a professional in museum set-up would have his work cut out for him. It is not enough to just mount the photos in haphazard order on the walls, play dirge-like musical chords and call it a museum. I also rather resented the many instances of self-congratulation when he describes --too often-- how he managed to overcome obstacles to " get that shot". Hopefully, when the "real" 9-11 museum opens at the memorial site, the ramshackle collection of artifacts can go where they belong and this photographs can be properly arranged to showcase the artist's work without the need to embroider on the photos themselves with a commentary often bordering on the pseudo- religious.

Well done reflection of the sad events of the time

A must-see before visiting the 9/11 Memorial. This self-paced workshop really helps you appreciate what the recovery workers experienced.

This was a fantastic and very moving experience. The museum is only in one, small room and so we had to pre book a timeslot to visit (there are currently only 2 tours each day) and there are only 25 people allowed on each tour. The room is full of photographs by Gary Suson (who was appointed the official photographer at Ground Zero after mayor Rudy Giuliani banned all photographers form the site) and is inspired by the Anne Frank museum in Amsterdam. Gary documented the recovery at Ground Zero, 17 hours a day, six days a week for a 14 months. There are hundreds of photos and artefacts, many of which you are encouraged to hold and touch, all of which is designed to bring you closer to the events and people who died that day. The tour is interactive, so as you look at a photo or an object, Gary Suson describes on your Tourmate (audio headset) what you are seeing. It's fascinating and very moving at times. Luckily, a few of the objects are a bit more light-hearted as it can get quite heavy. We were there for the full 2 hours and listened to everything we could. Afterwards we got to briefly meet Gary and pass on our thoughts. It's a brilliant museum and if you ever visit New York City I recommend you check it out.

My husband had heart surgery Mar. 16th. Which we did not expect. Therefore, we did not attend the museum. Paul and Doris Weaver

The museum is surprisingly small but the exhibits are so well done. The films are very interesting and the tour guides were informative.

I was very disappointed to find out that the museum is a single room of photographs and small artifacts of the World Trade Center excavation site. I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't worth $75 ($25 for 3 people).