NYC Walking Tour: Garbage, Rats & Wall Street History

What New York Built on Garbage, and How Rats Became Part of the Story

You walk four stops from Wall Street to City Hall Park, learning how garbage and rats shaped New York City's infrastructure and history. The guide, trained at the Trash Academy and Rat Academy, covers rat biology, landfill systems, the 1968 sanitation strike, and a 1979 rat attack that changed city policy. The tour is wheelchair accessible, takes about two hours, and includes no more than fifteen people per group.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore NYC garbage and rat history

• Start on Wall Street
• Discuss Wall Street as garbage dump and slave market
• Walk up South Street
• Discuss garbage, landfill, rats, and Fulton Street Fish Market
• Stop at former Sportsman's Hall rat pit
• Visit DeLury Square
• Talk about 1968 garbage strike and Sanitation Union
• Stroll Ryder and Eden Alleys
• Continue up Ann Street
• Discuss 1979 rat attack
• Visit Theatre Alley and City Hall Park
• Dive into rat lore and trash facts

The experience

Our guide stops you on Wall Street and points to the ground beneath your feet. This wasn't always the financial district, she says. It was a garbage dump in Nieuw Amsterdam, and before that, the official market where enslaved African people were bought and rented. She's a graduate of the New York City Trash Academy and a member of the Rat Pack, an elite squad of anti-rat activists, and she doesn't soften the subject. You're here to learn how New York City has dealt with filth, disease, and rats since 1626, and she starts with the ground you're standing on.

The walk moves up South Street, where the history of garbage disposal and landfill becomes visible in the streets themselves. You'll stop at the former site of Sportsman's Hall, a notorious rat pit where fights were held, and hear the stories that connect rodent biology to human consumption: why rats thrive where we throw things away. The guide talks about the Fulton Street Fish Market, the waste it generated, and the rats it fed. Then you reach DeLury Square, where in 1968 the Sanitation Union struck, and the city choked on its own trash. John DeLury's name comes up. You walk through Ryder and Eden Alleys, narrow passages that tell their own story about how garbage moves through a city.

Ann Street is where a rat attack happened in 1979: a real incident that shaped how the city thinks about rodent control. The tour continues into Theatre Alley and ends at City Hall Park, where the guide ties together the science and the history: rat behavior, disease vectors, metaphorical rats (corrupt officials), and the systems New York built to manage both. You may or may not see a rat during the walk, but you'll understand why they're here and how the city got to where it is now. The group stays under fifteen people, so the conversation stays close and the questions get answered.

What’s included

Your tour includes a guided walking tour with a Trash Academy graduate covering four stops: Wall Street (its history as a garbage dump and slave market), South Street and the former Fulton Street Fish Market, DeLury Square and the 1968 sanitation strike, and Ann Street through Theatre Alley to City Hall Park. Groups are limited to fifteen people, and the tour is wheelchair accessible.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day except Tuesday and SaturdayDepartures at 15:00 and 16:30

Book up to2h before

AgesAdult (18 to 64 years) · Senior (65 and older) · Youth (10 to 17 years) · Under 10: can't be booked

GroupUp to 15

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Off the Beaten Subway Track Walking Tours

Is this one for you?Pick this if you want to understand how New York's infrastructure and history are tied to garbage and rats, and you'd rather learn from someone trained in both subjects than piece it together from separate sources. The small group size means you can ask questions as you walk.

Traveler reviews

4.97★★★★★★★★★★

152 verified traveler reviews

5 ★150

4 ★1

3 ★0

2 ★0

1 ★1

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (10 to 17 years). Children under 10 can't be included in the booking.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

Will I actually see rats on this tour?

You may or may not see rats during the walk. The tour focuses on NYC's history with rats and garbage, not on spotting them live.

How long does the tour take?

The tour covers four main stops from Wall Street to City Hall Park. Plan for around two hours.

Is the tour wheelchair accessible?

Yes. All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible, and public transportation options are available nearby.

What's the group size?

Groups are kept to a maximum of fifteen people for an intimate experience.

Are service animals allowed?

Yes, service animals are allowed on the tour.

What will I learn about garbage?

You'll learn how New York City is built on trash, the history of landfill and garbage disposal systems, and how the city managed waste from 1626 onward, including the 1968 sanitation strike.

Who is the guide?

The guide is a graduate of the New York City Trash Academy and the New York City Rat Academy, and a member of the NYC Rat Pack, an anti-rat activist group.