Ground Zero Museum Workshop

Can't say enough about this museum. Was definitely the highlight of our 4 day trip to New York. A wonderful exhibit expressed through the use of video, pictures and artifacts. So much to see and experience in one small room. This is a MUST see...you will not be disappointed.

This was a very emotional workshop. Made you feel at times that you were at ground zero. Bring kleenex along. A must visit!

I am the designated vacation planner in my family and so I was the one to research, purchase tickets and plan this visit to the Ground Zero Museum. When we walked up to the building, my husband and 2 children (ages 14 and 10) gave me that look that said, "What have you gotten us into this time?" They were remembering other times when I had enthusiastically led them to a tourist attraction that failed to live up to its advertising. I am pleased to say, minds were quickly changed and they were all grateful we had come. At first glance, the building looks unimpressive. We were taken, with the rest of the group, up a flight of stairs and led into a fairly small room. Around the walls were photos and artifacts from the recovery efforts at Ground Zero. After a short presentation, we watched two videos and our guide pointed out a few of the noteworthy exhibits and photographs. Each participant was given a headset and each photo and set of artifacts had an assigned number. By punching the number into the headset we were able to hear narration specific to that display. The narration connected the images we were seeing to the lives that were lost on 9/11. We were given plenty of time to move around the room individually stopping to listen, look, and learn. I was moved to tears more than once. My 10 year-old son, who doesn't remember 9/11/01 but who has heard about it all his life, was just as interested and engaged as the adults in the room. There were no graphic images displayed so though it was sad and very moving, it was not disturbing or frightening for him. The displays were tactful, tasteful and the whole presentation was very sensitive to the memory of the lives lost on that day and their family members who still mourn. I highly recommend this museum tour for any who remember where they were on that fateful day, and even those who were too young to know how all of our lives changed in an instant. Thank you for providing this place of remembrance and honor.

We were so absolutely moved by the artifacts and photographs at the Ground Zero Museum Workshop Tour. We are going to recommend everyone we know traveling to New York City to check this out. Gary Marlon Suson was there at the museum/studio and besides being extremely kind, he was informative about everything to do with 9/11 and the clean-up afterward. It is amazing to think of the things he saw, heard, smelled, and touched at the WTC site. Definitely go! You will NOT regret it and the price of admission is well worth everything you get to experience. It was almost as if Gary took us back there to the WTC site for 2 hours during our tour.

a great moment in this museum, and mister Gary Marlon is very friendly, i will be return next year ! it's a promess.

This was by far one of the highlights of our recent trip to New York City! After reading about it online, I knew that it was a place that I would regret not going to while in New York. Once arriving to the museum, we, my family and I, were a little skeptical at first and afraid that it was a farse, but our doubts were soon diminished. Even though the museum itself is a little small, it provided such insight and knowledge that some of the larger museums do not. We are originally from Oklahoma and were residents there when the Murrah Bombing happened, so we would like to say that we are just as impressed with this 9/11 Museum as we were with the Murrah Bombing Museum and Memorial. We were honored to have met Mr. Suson while we were there and we thought that Louis (the tour guide) was absolutely marvelous! We can not wait to see where God takes this museum and hope that it continues to grow and be a blessing to all of the 9/11 families and all who enter it. Thank you for allowing us to reflect on this tragedy and to see the victory that has also arisen from it. This Museum allows you to reflect on that infamous day and remember all the emotion, fear, and hopelessness that was felt across not only this nation, but this world. This Museum is a must-see!!! We will always remember our trip tp NYC and this will most definetly be one of the most talked about stops during our visit! May God bless you and your work, Mr. Suson, and MAY WE NEVER FORGET! -The LeBlanc Family

The experience I had at the Ground Zero Museum is very difficult to put into words. I was humbled by the stories and exhibits I viewed. The timed entry and limited number entry into the museum made for a very intimate atmosphere. Mr. Suson was in the facility the day we completed our tour and took the time to talk with our group. He was very friendly and compassionate. I have already recommended this museum to many and will continue to recommend it to others. Thank you for such and amazing experience.

For those who go to NYC and see Ground Zero, the only memorial available is what is in the church across the street. We all watched the World Trade Center collapse on TV but never having been to NYC or seeing the twin towers before, seeing the pictures and the items found there make it real. I'd recommend seeing Ground Zero first so you can visualize the layout of the area and the buildings around it. Then when you see the pictures and hear the stories you can visualize exactly what these people went through. We were fortunate to be there on a day when Gary Suson was there. My husband and I had two teenagers with us, ages 18 and 16, both who get bored with museums but having the headphones to hear the stories about each picture or item found kept them both interested the entire time.

I enjoyed visiting the museum and the photographs and stories that were told.

The experience was a moving portrayal of one of the darkest times in our nation's history. It is a must see for all who enjoy the freedoms of America. Thank you for the humbling experience.

Words cannot describe how incredible/memorable of an experience it was. The guides were great. Convenient numeric audio documentary w/ 2 videos to see. Can peruse items and photos at your own pace. Allow for 2-3 hours. MUST-SEE if going to NY.

The cost of the tour is a bit pricey, but ulimately it was worth it in the end . (Besides, the money goes to a good cause!) This museum is a very small space with A LOT to see, feel, and reflect upon. It's tiny space was initially disappointing, but after viewing the photographs and hearing the stories behind them, I realized the intimacy of the space really enhanced the experience. It was a very moving day. I recommend this tour.

Hello Gary, My name is Jill Topness from Rochester, Minnesota and just got back from New York after a 3 1/2 day vacation there with a friend. I met you yesterday (Mon, 6/30/08) while touring your museum and was struck by your down-to-earth personality and humbleness. What a pleasant surprise to have you, Gary Marlon Suson, America's Photographer for Sept 11 there, and I feel fortunate to have met you. Thank you for establishing this museum and for risking your life at Ground Zero during that horrendously tragic day in history. What touched me most about your workshop was the human elements, such as camaraderie amongst rescue teams, complete strangers, volunteers (and even the 'canine variety' and their touching stories). Not to mention, your keen spiritual observations incorporated throughout the exhibits (i.e. the iron crosses, stopped clock, Bible verse, lone haggard teddy bear and the significance you gave to it; America dusting itself off and trudging onward to honor and protect our country. The fact that your camera focused in and captured raw human emotion was outstanding, particularly the devastating sorrow in people's eyes and during individuals solitary moments of prayer & reflection. Heard this quote on a Good Morning America this a.m. on a piece about a woman who survived a family tragedy where her brother killed their parents: 'Trauma tends to freeze people.' May the Ground Zero Museum Workshop live on to memorialize the thousands of people who lost their lives on September 11, but also to help ease suffering of the victims families, friends and fellow Americans who are left behind. Such as, the story about your saving the metal panel of the plane that hit the World Trade Center and giving a small piece of it to a victim's family member is a perfect example of your heroism. It was a pleasure to meet you Gary, and I look forward to reading your book that I purchased yesterday and will most definitely share it with others. Sincerely, Jill PS Our tour guide was also excellent so please thank her for us, as well. (forgot her name but she is the Rachael Ray look-a-like). : )

The pictures and the short audio narrative that goes with them was very well done.

Biggest little museum definately fits the Ground Zero Museum and Workshop. Everything about this one room museum has a big impact. It was very moving but not in a way where you felt too heavy when you left. I was impressed with the stories of people coming together in the rescue/recovery efforts and that the focus was on this. My nephews, ages 16yrs and 19yrs were also moved and full of questions. Taking them there sparked some very good and important conversations and I think it even brought us closer together as a family.