Hello and welcome to this walking tour of Lower Manhattan, presented by Insight Guides. My name is Ian and I’ll be your guide to this historic part of New York City. The walking time is around 2 hours, but you should allow plenty of time for browsing shops and lunch. The ferry ride to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty near the end of the tour takes around an hour, not including visiting time.

You can stop at any time and start again at the same spot later. You can follow the route on your phone or simply listen as I guide you from one sight to the next. I’ll be giving you clear directions and the audio will automatically start playing when you get close to the next sight on the tour. Don’t worry if you need to skip a sight as the tour will pick up at the next location. One more thing before we get started – always be aware of your surroundings and be sure to obey all traffic signals.

Before we begin, let me tell you a bit about the area. Nearly 400 years ago, it was a Dutch settlement called New Amsterdam and it was at Federal Hall that George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States. In recent history, the area around the World Trade Center was devastated when the Twin Towers were hit on September 11th, 2001. On our tour today, we'll be visiting two sites that commemorate that grim day – the 9/11 Memorial Museum and the 9/11 Tribute Center.  Despite the tragedy, Lower Manhattan continues to be a vibrant neighborhood, and that's made clear in Battery Park, the departure point for ferries to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. To avoid disappointment, book in advance if you can at www.statuecruises.com. So, if you're ready to step back in time, let's head off to our first stop – the African Burial Ground National Monument.