Ever since I saw Dick Bartolo’s video of how he’d arranged with the NYC parks department to install a bench plaque commemorating the late, great William M. Gaines —

— I’ve been wanting to make a pilgrimage to that spot.

And yesterday morning, November 19, 2025, I finally did!

The bench wasn’t easy to find, since DeBartolo gave no clue to its location other than that it was by a marina. Searching online for “Riverside Park marina” yielded nothing. But studying a map of the Manhattan coastline led me to believe it might be somewhere near the West 79th Street entrance to the park, so that’s where I headed.

But that entrance was closed due to construction, and seemed as if it would remain so for quite awhile. So I was forced to take a more circuitous route to the bench. Hoping to help you with your own future pilgrimage, I retraced my steps and started all over again, recording the following video to aid you in your quest.

If that’s not enough, I took this photo facing the bench so you’d be aware of the topography.

I also took a photo from the bench itself out toward the water, figuring the landmarks on the path as well as across the way could also help.

Good luck!