This week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press

Here are the stories in this week's issue (December 6 - December 12) of the Riverdale Review:

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz demands Con Edison
bury power lines underground to prevent blackouts.

* After Sandy, pols urge Con Edison to bury power lines > Con Edison has vowed to meet with local residents to discuss the feasibility of running power lines underground--instead of overhead--to prevent future electrical outages. The Riverdale Review can reveal the utility provider has indicated it will hold a series of meetings with area residents in the coming weeks to explore the idea of burying cables. Con Edison officials agreed to meet with residents after Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz renewed his call to abolish overhead lines during a press conference in Spuyten Duyvil last Friday.

* Ari Hoffnung edges closer to possible City Council run > Riverdale resident and city deputy comptroller Ari Hoffnung is mulling a run for Councilman G. Oliver Koppell's seat in 2013 citywide elections. Koppell is currently serving his third and final term and must vacate office due to term limit rules. Hoffnung said he remains undecided about whether to jump into the much-anticipated City Council District 11 race but gave the strongest indication yet that his political aspirations were still alive.

 * George Gilbert, photographer, dies at 90 > George Gilbert, a noted photographer and former Fieldston Road resident, died last month at the age of 90. He was living at the Regency Park Assisted Living senior community in Portland, Oregon, near his daughter's home, when he succumbed to lymphoma.

* Honest commuter returns found laptop > The spirit of kindness is alive and well in Riverdale. Local resident Dana Charlton, an employee of the law firm Klein Zelman Rothermel, was on her way to work last Friday when she noticed something on top of the parking meter at the Riverdale Metr0-North station--a laptop and binder. Area commuters soon mobilized to reunite the laptop with its rightful owner.

* At VC Park, you still have to hold it in > The $1 million-plus project to renovate the comfort station and district headquarters in Van Cortlandt Park has been postponed indefinitely. Efforts to refurbish the single-story building, located on Broadway just north of West 242nd Street, were slated for completion this fall. But city officials now say the long-awaited project has been hit with another setback.

* Vinmont Park neglect hit by board > Local residents are mobilizing to establish a "Friends of Vinmont Park" group in a bid to assist city officials with parks maintenance. Community Board 8 is currently seeking volunteers and aims to have the group up and running by spring 2013.

* Sunday's South Riverdale street fair deemed a success despite iffy weather > The holidays came to Riverdale a little early this year. Hundreds turned out to the Riverdale Holiday Festival on Riverdale Avenue between West 236th and West 238th streets last Sunday. The festival featured holiday tunes, pony rides, a petting zoo, the Bronx Culture trolley and face painting.

* Engel gets funding to repair damaged roads > New York State has been granted $20 million in federal funding for the emergency repair of roads damaged by superstorm Sandy, Congressman Eliot Engel announced last Friday.

* Senior centers seek standards > The City Council is proposing that the state begin to regulate all agencies that provide social adult dat services, making Medicaid funding contingent upon compliance with state standards of care. Community Board 8 aging committee supports the Council's proposal and expressed concern at a recent hearing about the proliferation of for-profit facilities that might seek Medicare funding without meeting regulations set forth by the New York State Office for the Aging.

Also, in the Bronx Press:

* Bronx high schools improve on progress reports > Chancellor Dennis Walcott released progress reports for New York City high schools last week, and statistics show a slight uptick for the Bronx. The average letter grade for Bronx public high schools was a B, almost a full letter grade higher than last year. Out of the 116 schools in the Bronx, half received a B or C grade.

Officials unveil the newly-renovated office building
at 1775 Grand Concourse

* Renovated Grand Concourse office building opens for business > Local officials have unveiled the results of a $5 million facelift to a majestic multistory office building in the Bronx. Renovations to the 347,000-square-foot building at 1775 Grand Concourse were revealed during a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Thursday.

* Slain teen laid to rest > The young teenager who was mysteriously found dead in the hallway of a relative's home was laid to rest at St. Raymond's Cemetery on December 3. The body of Destiny Sanchez, 15, was discovered in the hallway of 632 Barretto Streets in the Hunts Point sections on November 23. Investigations are continuing, but police said the popular teen had been strangled.

* Bronx DA convicts unlicensed lawyer > A Bronx woman has been convicted for practicing law without a license. After less than a day of deliberating, the jury found Kehinde Jobi of 1407 Croyona Avenue guilty on two counts of grand larceny in the third degree, one count of grand larceny in the fourth degree and eight counts of judicially disbarred attorney practicing law. Jobi had been suspended in October 2008 for taking money from a victim with an indictment without permission. Despite the suspension, Jobi continued to represent herself as an attorney. A press release from Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson said Jobi stole more than $53,000 from 10 people.

This week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press

After a two-week hiatus, here are the stories in this week's issue (October 25 - October 31) of the Riverdale Review and Bronx Press.

The entrance of Delafield Estates

* New apartments planned for Henry Hudson Parkway > Three local residential houses will be completely demolished to make way for a new seven-story apartment building, the Riverdale Review can reveal. Excavation crews are slated to begin razing the row of two-story homes, located at 2727-2737 Henry Hudson Parkway, on Thursday, October 25.
* Long-delayed Delafield Estates may be back on track > The remaining 22 lots in the troubled Delafield Estates development will finally go under the hammer on Wednesday, November 7. The real estate firm marketing the estate, Brown Harris Stevens, announced news of the upcoming public auction on Monday.
* A fast look at the Riverdale Neighborhood Slow Zone > Nine new speed humps will be installed on Riverdale streets by November as part of a staggered implementation of the city's Neighborhood Slow Zone program. For the first time, officials circulated a map pinpointing the nine proposed speed hump locations, with the majority positioned in the immediate vicinity of PS 24 and MS/HS 141.

VCP's delay-prone comfort station

* Relief may be on the way in Van Cortlandt Park > After three years of delays and setbacks, the comfort station and district headquarters at Van Cortlandt Park could finally be opened by Christmas. The dilapidated single-story building, located on Broadway near West 242nd Street, has been covered in scaffolding, plywood slabs and blue tarpaulins since late 2009. But a Department of Parks spokesman said: "We are scheduled to ope the district headquarters/comfort station this fall."
* Motorists get a break from confusing ticketing on Independence Avenue > City officials have removed the confusing road markings in front of the Riverdale Jewish Center following claims that local motorists were being unfairly ticketed. Department of Transportation officials recently scarified the section outside 3700 Independence Avenue and eliminated lines that had previously indicated three legal parking spaces.
* Local student involved in presidential debate > Riverdalian Yaritza Pena, a Hofstra University student, was selected to work as a volunteer during the October 16 presidential debate held on the campus in Hempstead, New York.
* Rabbi Avi Weiss to turn over leadership of innovative yeshiva > Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, the open Orthodox rabbinical school founded by Rabbi Avi Weiss of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, has announced that the role of yeshiva president will transfer from Rabbi Weiss to Rabbi Asher Lopatin this coming July. Rabbi Weiss will continue to teach there and to serve as senior rabbi at HIR, a vibrant 850-family congregation on Henry Hudson Parkway.
* Anxious foodies get ready to Savor the Bronx during restaurant week > Move over Manhattan and Brooklyn--it's time for The Bronx to grab the dining spotlight. The second annual Bronx Restaurant Week--Savor The Bronx, which showcases the borough's diverse  delights kicks off on Monday and runs through Friday, November 9. Under the promotion, foodies will be able to score a three-course lunch for $16.41 and a bargain dinner for $20.12 from more than 25 Bronx resturants. A few establishments will even throw in a free dessert or take 15 percent off the entire tab.
* Superintendent cleared over theft charges > A North Riverdale building superintendent, who was arrested on April 16 after being accused of pocketing cash from an elderly tenant's bank account, has been cleared.
* Former governor speaks to Manhattan College students > Former New York governor David Paterson addressed Manhattan College students and faculty last Tuesday with a discussion on subjects ranging from student loan debt to MTA encounters.

Also, in the Bronx Press:
* Heartless criminals steal stereo system from Norwood church > An Episcopal church in Norwood that had overcome a devastating fire in 2009 must now deal with the damage left by an invader who got away with only a sound system worth about $1,000.
* More Bronx restaurants now have all-important Zagat listings > A record number of Bronx restaurants have landed a highly coveted mention in the 2013 Zagat dining guide. A total of 33 Bronx establishments made it into the latest version of the gastronomic bible, compared with 28 the previous year and 24 in the 2011 guide.
* Police arrest four over Pelham Parkway murder > Bronx homicide detectives have charged four individuals and are seeking a fifth in connection with a double shooting that resulted in one man's death.

This week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press

Here are the stories in this week's issue (September 20 -26) of the Riverdale Review and Bronx Press.

* Educrats at PS 24 defend 50 percent cut in music program > Officials at PS 24 continue to defend their controversial decision to downsize the school's cherished music program. Despite widespread outcry from local parents, elected officials and community members, PS 24 interim acting assistant principal Emanuele 'Manny' Verdi last week said he stood by a move to excess the school's vocal music teacher.
* Skating rink details: Recycled shipping containers; loss of parking > Around six parking spaces along Broadway could be temporarily lost during the winter months every year so that a designated drop-off zone can be established at the Van Cortlandt Park ice-skating rink. Concessionaire officials announced plans to submit an application for a street activity permit during last Wednesday's Community Board 8 parks committee meeting.
* Manhattan College hosts education session on Islam on 9/11 anniversary > September 11 this year at Manhattan College's Holocaust, Genocide and Interfaith Education Center was marked by a panel discussion on the need for Americans to reach an understanding of Islam. 
* Projects in some local parks still lag, as others near completion > Local residents are finally beginning to catch a break with local parks projects. After years of enduring repeated delays, construction woes and issues with private contractors, parks in the Riverdale/Kingsbridge area are getting spruced up. We look at a list of current parks projects, including Ruth MacLaughlin Playground; Conrad Grauer Field; Sid Augarten Field; Van Cortlandt Park; Ewen Park, and their status.
* SAR calls for traffic calming measures > Officials at Salanter Akiba Riverdale Academy are urging that speed bumps be installed on streets surrounding the school in order to increase student safety. In a letter sent to Community Board 8 and obtained by the Riverdale Review , SAR High School principal Rabbi Tully Harcsztark said traffic calming measures were desperately needed along West 259th Street.
* Mace and Taser used in Kingsbridge melee > A fun-filled night came to an abrupt end when security guards allegedly Tasered patrons and sprayed mace inside a popular upscale Kingsbridge restaurant. Police said a brawl involving at least six people broke out at Silhouette Restaurant & Lounge, located at 5668 Broadway, around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, September 9.
* New roof to be constructed at PS 24 > Students at PS 24 will lose a small section of their playground while construction crews perform much-needed repairs to the school's roofs and parapets. Workers have begun replacing two roofs--a 12-year-old roof and a 48-year-old roof--on the main school building as part of the $5.2 million capital improvement project.
* Man dies in crash on Deegan > A 35-year-old man was killed in an early-morning car crash on the Major Deegan Expressway in North Riverdale last Thursday. Police said Brian Mills was driving his black 2004 Hona Accord northbound on the Major Deegan when he slammed into the back of a construction truck near Exit 12 just after 6 a.m. on September 13. Exit 12 is the intersection where the expressway meets an extension of Mosholu Parkway.
* Scandal-scarred assemblywoman crushed in adjoining district > The residents of Tracey Towers propelled Bronx real estate agent and property manager Mark Gjonaj to a historic victory during last week's four-way Democratic primary. According to unofficial results released by the New York City Board of Elections last Thursday, Gjonaj trounced scandal-plagued Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera by 513 votes.

Also, in the Bronx Press:
* Plan for commuter rail through Morris Park gets thumbs up > A plan to expand Metro-North service into four neighborhoods in the East Bronx could slash travel times to midtown Manhattan in half, according to officials. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority unveiled details of the long-awaited proposal during the first of four information sessions at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Morris Park on Monday, September 10.

Liu audit finds thousands is uncollected revenue from Bronx parks

Here's a story from this week's Riverdale Review.

By Brendan McHugh 

In the Bronx, parks’ concessions have over $58,000 lying on the table in uncollected revenue, a recent audit found. 

City Comptroller John C. Liu audited the Department of Parks and Recreation’s controls over recreational, dining, and retail concessions and found that better management could have yielded $8.8 million more in badly needed revenue for the city. 

In Riverdale, uncollected revenue from the Major Deegan gas stations, mobile food carts in Van Cortlandt Park and even a tennis professional in Seton Park are among the amenities in local parks that are not being forced to pay what they owe to the city. 

“Parks are not just about concessions, but concession contracts should be better managed so that revenue flows to the City without unnecessary interruption,” Liu said.

Jump below for the full story.

City pulls plug on Bronx skating rink

Here's a story from this week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press.

By Brendan McHugh 

There will be no ice-skating in the Bronx this winter. 

After months of delays, the Department of Parks and Recreation says the electrical upgrade needed to operate a skating rink will not be completed in time to operate this season.

This puts a black eye on Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy, who partnered together to bring a full-size rink to the Bronx, Bloomberg said in his 2011 State of the City address at the beginning of this year. 

"Parks has explored every possible means of bringing ice skating to the Bronx this winter. The engineering and capital construction issues involved with bringing the power needed for a skating rink make it necessary to forgo, for this season, what we had hoped would be a fun activity for all,” Bronx Parks Commissioner Hector Aponte.

The electrical hookup, needed for a rink of any size, will require the installation of an underground vault that will not be ready this winter.

Jump below for the full story.

Bronx Board 8 "deplores" process with temporary ice rink in Van Cortlandt

Here's a story from this week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press. But before we get to that, let us provide you with an update:

Community Board 8 overwhelmingly passed a resolution at last night's (Tuesday) general board meeting saying they "deplore" the parks department's decision to circumvent the public-review process by introducing a smaller, temporary rink that only needs a permit to operate. The board is planning a public forum to discuss the ice rink--both the temporary permit rink and the full concession rink--for January with the community, though a date has yet to be finalized. We will have a full story on the actions of Board 8 in next week's paper.

By Brendan McHugh 

As the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation continues to negotiate with Ice Rink Events to try and bring the boroughs only public skating rink to Van Cortlandt Park, their efforts to appease the community may have only enraged them more. 

A number of Community Board 8 members have expressed outrage over a new plan for a smaller—“mini”—29-day rink that skips public scrutiny. 

“There are a lot of disturbed people,” said one member of the board, who wanted to be kept anonymous until the general board meeting Tuesday night. 

The Tuesday, Dec. 13 meeting at the Rivedale YM/YWHA, which is after press time, is the community board’s best chance to collect public input on the skating rink. 

The board had scheduled—and subsequently cancelled—five meetings over the past few months as they attempted to hold a public meeting to discuss the larger, 15-year rink. However, with very little details, they did not want to hold a meeting. 

Community Board 8 has a resolution they plan to vote upon Tuesday night that, if passed, would say the board “deplores DPR’s decision to circumvent the public-review process…” 

Jump below for the full story.

Skateboarders seek park here

Here's a story from this week's Riverdale Review.

By Brendan McHugh 

In an attempt to get themselves off the streets, four skateboarders came to the parks committee of Community Board 8 last week asking for the area’s first skateboarding park. 

“We’d have a place to skate and we’d be out of your way,” said Michael Roberts, a Riverdale-Kingsbridge Academy graduate. 

They offered the committee pictures of themselves skating at public places as evidence. One was outside Bronx County Courthouse, another in front of RKA, yet another down the block from two of the community board members, and even one right outside the board office. 

They managed to win over support from the board fairly easily. The four skaters discussed skate park aesthetics, safety concerns and revenue for the community. 

“Skaters need to eat,” Michael Alfano, an eleventh grader at KRA, chimed in, saying putting in a park in the neighborhood will help out the local businesses. 

Jump below for the full story.

Liu says Parks Dept. needs to do a better job with concessions

City Comptroller John Liu says better management of parks concessions would net millions for the city.

He highlights Tavern on the Green, which closed nearly two years ago and still has yet to be replaced with a new tenant, costing the city over $2 million (and made my school change the location of our Senior Formal! Still bitter about that, if you couldn't tell).

Liu says all the concession mismanagement by the Department of Parks and Recreation has cost the city $8.8 million. In addition to the lost revenue calculations, the City and State have forfeited nearly $3.7 million in sales taxes with Tavern’s demise, and 500 jobs disappeared, the audit estimates. 

“Parks are not just about concessions, but concession contracts should be better managed so that revenue flows to the City without unnecessary interruption,” Liu said. 

The audit concluded that other concessions could also have been better managed – to the tune of $6.6 million. These include the pushcart licenses in Battery Park, the Central Park tennis courts, the ice skating rink at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, and the snack bar at Orchard Beach in Pelham Bay Park.

He mentions the ice skating rink in Queens, but the audit has left out (for good reason) the non-existent ice skating rink in Van Cortlandt Park. 

Over the summer, we've been writing about the parks department's failure to close negotiations with Ice Rink Events to bring a skating rink to Van Cortlandt Park. There was limited interest--only three companies showed up to the site tour, and two of them didn't bother bidding on the contract--which seems to have given Ice Rink Events the upper hand in the negotiations, allowing them to force the better deal.

Because of that, parks is probably going to not gain as much money as they could have out of these negotiations. Mayor Michael Bloomberg wanted to rink up and running this year. They're already behind schedule.

They recently announced a compromise for this year only, though if the entire summer has shown us anything, it's that the entire concession process needs to be looked over and reexamined for a more transparent process. 

Liu says that specifically, the Parks Department should have started key contract solicitations earlier and ensured more competition. Parks also failed to maintain key documentation supporting contract decisions and preventing conflicts of interest. 

The Parks Department, as custodian of over 29,000 acres of City parkland, is responsible for soliciting and awarding concessions for various attractions. Typically, the concession operators pay a fee or a percentage of their total receipts – money that is used to support programs and services.  

Jump below for the rest of the audit summary.

Body found in Van Cortlandt Park Lake emphasizes need for more park patrol

Another story from this week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press.

By Brendan McHugh 

A body was found Monday in the lake.

A body was found in Van Cortlandt Park Lake Monday afternoon, highlighting a lack of patrol in the city’s parks.

Anthony McGurran, 77, was missing from his Bailey Avenue home since Friday. Police say the investigating is ongoing and that the cause of death is not yet known. There were no immediate signs of foul play.

The news of the tragic death, whatever the cause may be, has underlined a problem with parks and crime.

“The Parks Department is responsible for 14 percent of the city’s land and it’s completely unacceptable that the city is not tracking and reporting crime,” said Geoffrey Croft of NYC Parks Advocates, a parks watchdog group.

Jump below for the full story.

Will this be the last Veterans Day that our heroes are made to wait for memorial?

Here's a story from this week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press.

By Brendan McHugh

ROTC students from several Bronx colleges
participated in the ceremonies to mark Veterans Day
in Van Cortlandt Park.

This past Sunday, about 100 people showed up on a brisk November afternoon to honor Riverdale’s veterans at the Van Cortlandt Park Memorial Grove. 

Herb Barret and Don Tannen, the leaders of the Memorial Grove Restoration Group and two veterans themselves, have held the ceremony for the past five years, not only for the veterans in the area, but also to highlight the need to restore the war memorial. 

“We were hoping that a good part of the grove would be completed,” Barret said at the ceremony. “We’d just like to see it finished.” 

The grove is set for completion this January, though Barret and Tannen have had to be relentless in getting the Department of Parks and Recreation in moving quickly. The grove is suppose to honor 37 deceased war heroes—including two Medal of Honor recipients—with 37 trees and plaques, but a handful of trees weren’t there and many of the plaques disappeared over the years. Many of those honored in the grove are from World War II, though a small number honor those who fought in World War I and the Korean War. 

Jump below for the full story.

Veterans Day ceremony at VPC Memorial Grove

A handful of veterans have been holding Veterans Day ceremonies every year to raise awareness for the Van Cortlandt Park Memorial Grove, which honors over 30 deceased war heroes. The Grove fell apart over the years, but the Parks Department has finally been able to begin restoring the plaques and planting new trees.

At last year's ceremony, Herb Barrett, the president of the VCP Memorial Grove Restoration Group, said that he hoped next year (this year) he would be standing in front of construction equipment. There's not much construction equipment there, but at least the restoration is happening.

Memorial Grove Veterans Day Ceremony

Runners vs. cyclists on Putnam Trail

A story I forgot to post from last week's Riverdale Review. Enjoy. 

By BRENDAN McHUGH 

Runners and bikers squared off Monday night over the future of the Putnam Trail, debating the necessity of paving the path that cuts through Van Cortlandt Park.

The city received $2.3 million in federal funds to rehabilitate the Putnam Trail, which includes creating rest areas out of the former train station and restoring the pylons along the trail, but trail runners are infuriated at the idea of paving over the trail with asphalt.

Well over 40 people crammed into City Councilman G. Oliver Koppell’s office to talk with one another and also with representatives of the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation. At times the discussion heated up with back-talking and name-calling, but Koppell threatened to end the meeting early a handful of times if order wasn’t kept.

“The only people supporting this plan are cyclists,” said Michael Oliva, leader of the Save the Putnam Trail campaign, adding that he believes an independent poll of park users would find that a majority of the community would not like to see the trail paved with asphalt.

Jump below for the full story.

Parks Dept. ignores crumbling historic Van Cortlandt Park House

Here's a story from this week's Riverdale Review. More from this paper and the Bronx Press coming soon. 

By Brendan McHugh 

It’s going to be an uphill climb to clean up these stairs. 

Walking through the park last month, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz noticed the stairs outside the Van Cortlandt House Museum were littered with garbage and literally crumbling. 

The steps leading up to the Van
Cortlandt House Museum are in disrepair.

“George Washington slept there,” he said. “It’s a very important, historic building, but the area of the park coming from the south is in terrible disrepair. In fact, it’s a disgrace.” 

Dinowitz saw trash throughout the grass, which also needed to be mowed and tended to as well. Condoms, papers, sandwich bags—which he assumed might have been carrying drugs at one point—and more throughout the area. He also noted that the stairs themselves were falling apart.

Jump below for the full story.

The Review of the Bronx

Here's a couple stories of interest that you may want to check out. I know we said we weren't going to do roundups, but our blogging has been slow lately, so this is to make up for that.


Check out this Crain's article about the revival of the Bronx and how the borough is slowly overcoming its bad reputation.

And here's an update on the former state senator Efrain Gonzalez Jr. He attempted to withdraw a guilty plea on corruption charges but was denied.

Over a dozen people were arrested at public pools throughout the city over the weekend. Out of the 14 people arrested, two were at the Van Cortlandt Park swimming pool.

The homeless problem in the Bronx has been fairly evident, and Kyle Smith explains in the New York Post that it's because shelters are cash cows for the well connected.

Here's the obligatory gay marriage story, from the Daily News.

And here's the story about the group looking to file a lawsuit to nullify the marriages. They claim the State Senate did not act correctly when they passed the bill earlier this month.

This isn't Jim Carrey's "Mask"

And it's definitely not something that the Parks Department would be able to throw out.

Mask, deep within VCP, was created by international artists.

It's dubbed Mask, and it sits 15-feet high and made out of steel. Created by seven international artists from the Art Students League, this giant sculpture will be on display until next summer.

It's a collaborative piece created in the league’s Model to Monument program.

“We’re very proud of this program that takes League artists through the entire process of creating public art for people to contemplate and enjoy,” said Ira Goldberg, the League's executive director.

Students visited the park to brainstorm ideas for what they wanted to create. Eventually, students chose to play on the tragedy and comedy masks to that represent theater. The sculpture will be behind the Van Cortlandt Park Museum and swimming pool, where many plays take place.

“We are going beyond a straight studio practice and actually connecting the artists with the rigors of creating public works,” Greg Wyatt, the students' teacher, said. “These works will receive public reaction, contact, praise, criticism and outdoor weather for one year. That we have the amazing landscape of the public parks and traffic in which to present them is a great gift.”

The sculptors are Elizabeth Allison, Selva Sanjines, John Balsamo, Noa Shay, Allston Chapman, Matthew White, and Akihiro Ito. They all also have individual pieces on display in Manhattan's Riverside Park South.

Boardwalk Empire in VCP

Here's a lousy picture of the television set of Boardwalk Empire from yesterday in Van Cortlandt Park.

From what I've been told, they're still there today, but that's going to be it. I couldn't see Mr. Pink (aka Steve Buscemi), but if your a fan of the HBO show or just a fan of fancy TV production, I suggest going to check it out. They will probably be somewhere around the Van Cortlandt Park Museum, just south of the Parade Grounds.