This ‘Garbage and Rats’ Tour Highlights New York City’s Rodent Residents

When picturing a tour of New York, major attractions such as Times Square, the Empire State Building, or the Statue of Liberty may come to mind for most. A new type of tour shines the spotlight on an aspect of the city visitors usually try to avoid: its thriving rat population.

The Garbage & Rats tour is led by Suzanne Reisman, a New York City Trash Academy graduate and self-proclaimed “rat whisperer.” The 150-minute walk through the streets of Lower Manhattan invites tourists to peer into a rat’s daily routine. It consists of four filthy stops: Wall Street, the South Street Seaport Historic District, DeLury Square, and the City Hall area. Reisman discusses parts of each location’s history, including the rat fights held at the former Sportsmen’s Hall and the sanitation workers’ strike of 1968. 

Guests will also learn about unappealing rodent habits, such as their tendency to dine on dog feces and have sex up to 20 times a day. If this not-so-picturesque side of New York sounds up your alley, you can pay $40 per person to experience it firsthand.

You should plan to book your Garbage & Rats tour fast. Reisman told The New York Post that she’s already sold out dates and filled waitlists since launching the tour in April, with people even showing up in the rain to learn about the rodents of Manhattan.

So far, people have nothing but good things to say about the Garbage & Rats tour. One TripAdvisor reviewer even described it as “the tour you didn’t know you needed.” 

New York City has always had a complicated relationship with rats. Though they can be a nasty nuisance, many locals have developed a fondness for the rodents. They’ve even earned an adorable nickname from subway workers: track rabbits.

Read About More Unusual Travel Destinations: