Ground Zero Museum Workshop

My husband and I went during fleet week as we have never been. It was very eye opening and a place that everyone should go at least once.

Really surprised that this place has such great reviews. One ticket is around $ 20 and for that you get a teeny tiny room filled with photos and around 10 – 20 artifacts. Seriously this place looks and feels like it was meant to be a studio. There is also a tiny bathroom in the corner.
The «museum» allows only a small group of around 10 people in at a time. Our guide, Trey, was great but only spoke for around 15 – 20 minutes. Then we were free to walk around with a headphone and device to input each photo/artifact’s accompanying number to hear a brief description.
Honestly this place is a huge waste of money and most people in our group seemed to think so as well. My son was done at around a half hour in and plopped down on the sofa staring into space. Do yourself a favor and go to the ⁹⁄₁₁ museum instead!
EDIT
I just read a review down below. Google the owner of this place, Gary Marlon Suson, and you’ll read a lot of sketchy things. For example, the money he claims to donate actually lines his pockets. He also seems super rude and impersonal in his interviews. NY Post has also reported on some shady things although I know they’re not the most credible.
Anyway, I’m really pissed that I wasted my money on this place and at the fact that I supported this ugly man. Hopefully you will find somewhere else to visit (cough cough ⁹⁄₁₁ museum)

Seems like a profiteer not photographer. Felt like I was lining this guy’s pockets not supporting any cause. Look this guy up BEFORE going.

Tastefully done, intimate setting… raw heartfelt stories with every photo and artifacts you can touch.

Amazing collection from Ground Zero. The official photographer and his documentation of the events. The kids loved it, my 6 year old didn’t want to leave.

I had a great experience at this museum and was lucky enough to have Gary Susan as our guide for our group. I loved the fact that the artifacts can be touched and every image and object in this small room contains voluminous stories that speak emotions about this tragic event of ⁹⁄₁₁. I understand that people in a big group may have a hard time dealing with the limited space but all in all its a great space for people to see, feel, and most importantly, reflect upon the many stories that are within each image and object. This was a very humbling experience for me and my family and I’m sure for many people as well. Some of the negative comments and reviews left by previous visitors contain some false information about Mr. Susan’s keeping/​handling of the financial aspect of this museum. People need to understand that bills don’t pay themselves. I spoke to him personally today and I was informed that all of the proceed go to pay the bills for this amazing place and money that is left over goes to the charity groups for families affected by this tragedy. He is a volunteer. Someone who does not take a pay cut from the money that comes into the museum. I understand that people can be skeptical about this matter but I am not. I think this museum is a fantastic place to stop by BEFORE heading over to the memorial and the One World Trade Center. As each object and image engage in a story through a recorded audio, it was momentous for me to experience these stories and moreover touch and even smell the artifacts that were brought from the horrific event. My family and I did not bother to go the museum next to the WTC memorial because this museum hit all of the points. I think that this small, big museum is the best place to truly engage in the stories of the individuals and families whose lives have been forever affect by this national tragedy and they call this a «workshop» due to the fact that it’s a true learning and reflective experience. A must see for people from out of state/​the country because this place and the experience here is priceless.

When my daughter and I traveled to NYC a couple of years ago, I booked this tour not knowing really what to expect. I’m so glad I did! It was amazing! The staff that put this place together did a wonderful job in describing what everything is. I loved it! Bought the book from the photographer who was allowed to photograph at ground zero. It’ll be treasured by my family for years. Highly recommend if you’re visiting NYC.

What a rip. I looked this guy up and he sued the New York Post for calling him a charlatan, and lost. New York would be a better place without him.

Like many people who visit NYC, paying homage to ⁹⁄₁₁ was one of the top things on my list of things to do during my 2 week visit to NYC. I planned to visit the ⁹⁄₁₁ museum and memorial. On my first attempt to try to go to the 9/​11museum, I was overwhelmed by the crowds and lines and decided to go back later. Luckily, I came across St. Paul’s Chapel nearby, was impressed with its small exhibit on their part with the recovery work, and also found this place on Unilocal.I am SO glad that we went! It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip to NYC!
I planned a ⁹⁄₁₁ day and pre-​booked the tickets (especially after seeing all the lines)! First I started with the Ground Zero Museum Workshop (11 – 1:30ish). Then had a quick stop for lunch at Chelsea Market. Afterwards, I went to the Ground Zero Museum at Memorial from 3 – 7:30pm. It was a big day. We spent a lot of time at both museums, taking our time with the exhibits.
Here’s my comparison of the ⁹⁄₁₁ Museum and the Ground Zero Museum Workshop:
⁹⁄₁₁ Museum
–Located at the site of the World Trade Center towers
–HUGE: The space is big, allowing for large artifacts including firetrucks and other vehicles, the «last beam», the «cross». The larger space also allows for a large amount of artifacts that are all packed together. I felt overwhelmed with information. I specifically wanted to read the survivor stories but it was difficult to find and pick them out in all the exhibits.
–CROWDED, TOURISTY
Be prepared for lines and crowds, kids running around, a very touristy atmosphere. ESPECIALLY on tuesday evenings as they give out free tickets (we got there 30 minutes before and the tickets were already all gone).
–Focus is on THE ⁹⁄₁₁ DAY. It reminded me of going to the holocost museum in DC. There’s voices of ⁹⁄₁₁ calls from the WTC towers or people there that day broadcast over the speakers. There’s a timeline and a huge number of artifacts. It portrays the HORROR, TRAUMA, and DEVASTATION of ⁹⁄₁₁. The focus is on DESTRUCTION.
–WHO SHOULD GO? Foreigners, young people. Those who want to learn about what happened that day. Those who want to visit and check off the «must see» tourist attractions, people who like to visit big, impressive tourist attractions or snap a couple photos to document that they were there and then leave. Those who actually want to visit the 1 World Trade Center. People who had not lived through ⁹⁄₁₁ or were not affected by it.
Ground zero museum workshop
–Located in the MEATPACKING DISTRICT (close to Chelsea Market)
–SMALL, INTIMATE SPACE: It’s called the «Biggest little museum» as it is only one small room but packed full of about 100 photographs and small artifacts. It was inspired by the photographer’s visit to the Anne Frank house. You are given a brief introduction as well as an audio guide and allowed to go through the museum at your own pace. My husband and I (as well as 2 other people) took over 2 hours. Most of the group left after about 1 hour (I was surprised to turn around and see that the room was empty). You are allowed to pick up and hold an actual piece of glass from the WTC.
–SAFE place that focuses on HEALING AND RECOVERY. PERSONAL AND INTIMATE, small group. It document the 9-​month RECOVERY AFTER ⁹⁄₁₁. It is NOT about the actual day, ⁹⁄₁₁. This was a deep and meaningful place for me that helped me process the grief and devastation of ⁹⁄₁₁.
–WHO SHOULD GO? New yorkers, survivors, recovery workers, family members of survivors or recovery workers, Anyone who LIVED THROUGH AND WAS AFFECTED by ⁹⁄₁₁. Anyone who remembers it in their memory as «I remember where I was that day and what I was doing.» People who made the pilgrimage to NYC to pay homage to ⁹⁄₁₁. Anyone who is going through anything terrible, trauma, or tragic in their own lives. Those who want to hear about personal experiences. Seeing the photographs and hearing the stories narrated about them is incredibly healing.
I had been to NYC several times before and once after ⁹⁄₁₁. I even had stayed at the Marriot WTC one year before ⁹⁄₁₁. My husband had never been to NYC before. We both remember where we were that day, how we heard the news, how we reacted and felt that day and for a long time afterwards. Going to the ⁹⁄₁₁ museum made us RE-​LIVE that trauma and horror. Going to the Ground Zero Museum Workshop helped us process our feelings and brought much inspiration and healing. This place truly is a labor of love. It’s worth EVERY PENNY! After our «⁹⁄₁₁ day», I am glad that I saw both museums. I would not go back to the ⁹⁄₁₁ museum again nor recommend it to most people that I know as they, like me, lived through that day. Seeing it once was enough. I was also glad that I went to the Ground Zero Museum Workshop FIRST (before ⁹⁄₁₁ museum) as it helped me know what to expect, what to look for (in the abundance or artifacts, and it meant much more. Would definitely go back to the Ground Zero Museum Workshop. Highly recommended!

We visited this museum after visiting the ⁹⁄₁₁ Memorial Museum 2 days earlier. It was an interesting visit but not what we were expecting. There are approximately 100 exhibits in a single room accompanied by a handheld/​headphone audio guide. some items recovered from the site, lots of photos taken during the clearing of the site, these were probably the most interesting part. You have to pre-​book, you can not just turn up and enter. We spent about 1 hour in total in the museum. If I had to choose I would recommend the ⁹⁄₁₁ Memorial Museum over this one.

Ridiculous that they make veterans pay.

My group met Gary Sason and did a Q&A with him when I was at the museum. From reading the other Unilocal reviews, it seems like everyone who met Gary gave this museum 5 stars. Some people who did not meet Gary thought it was overpriced and gave the museum a lower rating.
When you meet Gary, it becomes evident that he really cares about the ⁹⁄₁₁ victims. He is very authentic. He described how he became the ⁹⁄₁₁ official firefighter photographer because he helped them find free healthcare and earned their trust.
He does talk a lot about his personal ⁹⁄₁₁ experience and how he became the official photographer. However, I found his experience to be one of the most fascinating parts. Hearing about how he slept in the church for months and how he started the museum giving all the tours himself and then one day learned about audioguides on a trip to Bath, England was really interesting.

We visited here today & you couldn’t fail but be moved by the photographic records and items recovered from the site of that awful tragedy.
Particularly memorable was the piece of AA11 which survived & the related story of the father who lost his daughter that day.
This museum allows you time to reflect and consider what happened that day. Well presented and well worth visiting.
God bless all those souls that have passed on may they RIP.

I really enjoyed it. The only negative comments I could appreciate is if there was a large group of people. Yesterday there were four of us on the tour and we had the room to ourselves, which made it just perfect. A group of 24, I probably would have been annoyed in such a small space.
As far as the price, the photographer, the size of the museum, I don’t agree. I thought it was worth every penny and shared an experience that you could net get anywhere else.
We heard the story of a victim’s family member coming there to see a piece of the plane that hit the tower that they have on display. They let him hold the piece and cradle it while he cried. This man had nothing left but the memory of his wife and that is what this place is about. They never found one piece of her for him to hold onto, so they got permission to cut off a tiny clipping of this plane so he could take it home with him. It may sound silly to some, but to this man it was everything.
I am not 25 years old anymore and to sit down on a comfortable leather couch, have a restroom to use, to view the film, listen to the descriptions and to be able to take an occasional rest in-​between was helpful to me and my husband.
It is also located near the highline which provided us a nice walk afterwards and another thing to see right down the block.
I took a star away only because others said they took too many people … i wouldn’t have been happy with 24 people in that room either. But my experience was great. Perhaps you should ask how many people will be in the group before signing up. There may be busier days than others. We went on a Saturday during a Holiday week and there were only four of us

Wow, what can I say about this museum? When I first walked in, I was a little underwhelemed by it’s size. Do not judge a book by its cover though! Looking at Mr. Suson’s amazing photos while listening to him tell the story behind them was amazing, and heartbreaking at the same time. Being able to hold a piece of Trade Center steel and window glass was amazing. Seeing artifacts from the site, including glasses from the bar and articles from Windows on the World that were left virtually untouched was eerie. So while this museum may be small in size, it is huge when it comes to a memorial for not only those who were killed, but for the recovery works (both people and K9), who worked tirelessly to recover the remains of those who were lost. This museum is humble, respectful, tasteful and not to be missed.
As an added bonus, I had the honor of meeting Mr. Suson on the street as we were leaving the exhibit. He was incredibly gracious and freely gave his time to speak with us, even though he had somewhere to be. It was easy to not only hear, but to also feel the importance this work had for him.
Following our tour of the museum, we headed up to Ground Zero for a guided walking tour. The experience would not have been the same if we had not toured the museum first.

I am not sure what to take away from this museum. It will be different to each and every visitor.
Being a fire fighter back home I suppose puts a different view on this. I felt that everything that had been done here was with taste and compassion. It was really moving and gives a insight into the recovery effort performed after emergency. This is where the focus is, the first responders and the support of the recovery.
If you want a insight into what happened after the emergency, then this museum is worth the visit.

Reminder to self … cross check Unilocal or other sites before going. TripAdvisor rated this #2 (at the time) on the list of 658 attractions. Since we just missed out on tickets to Ground Zero we thought this would be a great alternative.
It’s a small studio gallery with a introduction video, a briefing of the highlights/​artifacts and then a self guided audio tour.
The photos are all taken by Gary Suson — some really eye catching and telling images.
There are some artifacts recovered from the WTC site and that was cool.
Overall, portion of the proceeds go to charity, but it’s definitely NOT a must see in New York City.
Cost was $ 27 with an allotted time of 2 hours per tour. Most people in our tour left after 1:15.

So this photographer became the only one officially allowed on the site to document on images on film and I’m glad he did so in a tasteful way. This is basically a one-​room gallery of the images with posted numbers so you can listen to the description of the time the image was taken. Told it was meant to be intimate as it provided a place for some mourning families to grieve.
Glad I came to see it… great photography…

I read my fellow Unilocaler’s review’s and respect their views, I just think that there’s value in seeing some of the artifacts that were preserved from that fateful day up close; that is unless everybody thinks that these are fakes and that Suson is just out to make a buck…
I will say this: The «museum» is smaller in physical size than most people would expect — especially if you’re going to pay $ 27 per head to see this. I will take him at his word when the curator says that the proceeds go toward supporting the victim’s families, that’s good enough for me…
This is probably my only opportunity to see some of these artifacts up close…
Until they open the ⁹⁄₁₁ Museum in late 2012 at the site of the twin towers, this is all there is…

GZMW is so highly rated on Tripadvisor that I thought it was a must-​see for NYC. I couldn’t have been more disappointed. I have been told that I’m not a very nice person (possibly true) and I’m not very sensitive (definitely true) but I do have emotions. In fact, when Nemo’s mom was eaten by the shark in Finding Nemo, I shed a tear.
Anyway, for $ 27 per person I was expecting this place to blow me away. Our group of 20 – 30 tourists were shuffled upstairs into a room no larger than my living room. It was so crowded that they ran out of headphones and seats. First we watched a 20 minute video of Suson. Next, one of the employees highlighted a few of the best photos. We were given 1.5 hours to listen to as many audiotour descriptions as we wanted. I left with 30 minutes to spare and I was shocked at how the room had cleared out. By then there were only about 5 people left.
The photos are great, yes, but there’s no need to have a whole «museum» dedicated to these photos. I’m sorry but I was not touched and neither were any of the others in my «tour group.» I was waiting to get emotional but I didn’t feel a connection to any of the photos. Most of us looked bored and many of us wondered why we had paid so much for so little.