I was a little apprehensive about going on a Ground Zero tour because I was not sure I would be able to handle it because this tragedy seems like it happened so recently even though it was almost 20 years ago. However, I am so glad we decided to give this tour a try.
I cannot say enough about Ryan our tour guide. He had the incredibly hard job of talking about such a difficult topic to a group of total strangers. He did a wonderful job. He was professional, kind, knowledgeable, patient, and pleasant. The fact that he is a NYC native, and his dad helped in the days after the attack added to the experience. He was able to offer insight that only a person from NYC could offer. Ryan is also a great story teller, which is something that can be hard not only because of the topic, but also because of the time limit. He was able to be engaging without being over dramatic.
The area around ground zero had a surprisingly positive vibe. They have done a fantastic job of honoring those that were lost that day while also showing that life does goes on after this tragedy that impacted the world. Out of all the awful stories from that day there are also some stories of hope. This tour touches on some of those.
There are absolutely still some heart wrenching parts of this tour, but these moments are handled appropriately as well as respectfully, I think that might be the only way to describe it.
One of the goals of rebuilding the area was to make it inviting instead of being an area that people avoided, especially because it is so important to honor those lost. Those responsible for this project have been successful in this goal. This tour added to that goal. I highly recommend anyone apprehensive about going to Ground Zero to go on this tour. It was a good experience.