Commemorate 9/11 With Bike Tour Through NYC

With the anniversary of 9/11 quickly approaching, both visitors and New Yorkers alike will be making their own pilgrimages to Ground Zero in the coming weeks to pay their respects and reflect on the tragedy.

And Bike and Roll’s new 9/11 Memorial Tour is a unique opportunity to set the event in the context of Lower Manhattan by first cycling through the neighborhoods most affected by Sept. 11, 2001, before visiting the Memorial itself. The three-hour guided tour includes admission to the Memorial, which features twin reflecting pools that stand in the footprint of the Twin Towers

In many ways, Lower Manhattan is the same now as it was the day two planes crashed into the Twin Towers in NYC’s Financial District: an exciting place that’s bustling with activity 24/7. But the efforts to revitalize the area following the tragic events on 9/11 have made it even better. Today, construction on 1 World Trade Center — or the “Freedom Tower,” as it’s known — is inching its way upward to becoming the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. And at its base, the 9/11 Memorial is a contemplative refuge from the din of the city, where thousands visit daily to honor the fallen.

Starting at Pier 84 near the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum, Bike and Roll’s 9/11 Memorial Tour takes you through historic Hell’s Kitchen, the fashionable Meatpacking District, and Chelsea on Manhattan’s West Side before stopping in Battery Park City, just a few blocks from Ground Zero. Along the way, you’ll see such sights as the Empire State Building, Ellis Island, and the Statue of Liberty standing tall over New York Harbor — all icons that represent the best American values: strength, perseverance, and hope for a better tomorrow.

Bike and Roll’s 9/11 Memorial Tour includes a 30-minute stop at the Memorial, where you can take in the thousands of names etched onto bronze panels that line the Memorial pools featuring the largest man-made waterfalls in North America. Following the visit to the Memorial, riders walk back to Battery Park City and continue on the bike tour throughout Lower Manhattan.

What would be another meaningful way to commemorate 9/11 this year?