By Kevin McCaskill Jr.
Mission: The Collision - NYC
Locations: Harlem & Long Island
Time Frame: Friday June 4th - Sunday June 6th, 2021
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This isn’t a sports article.
This is an informational article.
I decided before I left Springfield that I would mainly cover the 17u games which were being played at Riverbank State Park in Harlem, NY.
The games at Riverbank started at 5 PM.
My first mistake was leaving Springfield, on a Friday, at 3 PM. There was traffic on every highway and street on the trip down to NYC.
I got to the streets of Manhattan around 7 PM. Instead of just sacrificing the 1st day and settling down, I went straight to RSP.
Clearly, I’m not from NYC or the “Tri-State” area. I had no clue what or where RSP was 😅. The GPS on Apple Maps guided me to the Dog Park on Riverside Dr. 😟. I didn’t see any semblance of a basketball tournament.
So, I parked illegally on Riverside Dr., got my 🎒 and went to find RSP. I walked over to a large concrete barrier and looked over. I still didn’t see any basketball games or a large parking lot.
While wearing a mask 😷, I asked about 5 people if they knew how to get to the basketball gym at RSP. Only two people had any information. The last man I spoke to told me you can go this way and walk over the bridge or you can go down this other way and get there.
From my location and my situation in regards to trying to see these games, I went the other way. It was a treacherous 20 minute walk but I finally made it to RSP.
I stayed at Day 1 for about an hour. Around 8:30 PM, the Sun was going down 🤔. I presumably had a 20 minute walk ahead of me also.
I decided to leave but I didn’t go the way I came. I went another way and got to my car in about 10 minutes 🤦🏽♂️.
When I landed and got the best information I could, I went left when I should have went right 💡.
Another note about NYC: There is no parking, anywhere😢
I got there though 🪂.
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If you want to get to Riverbank State Park [it’s a beautiful purlieu in Harlem]
👇🏾:
Depending on your starting location, naviagte your way to Harlem, NY.
Get to 145th St., going west.
Go west on 145th St. until you get to Riverside Dr. Go across Riverside Dr. on to a bridge and you will drive directly into RSP.
If you want to park your car legally at RSP, you have to take 138th St. all the way to Riverside Dr. Go across Riverside Dr. and 138th becomes 12th Ave. Go down 12th Ave. and at the 🛑 sign take a right. Go up the street slightly and take the first right, which is partially under the highway. There is a security gate and a Guard there. Once you pass the Guard, follow the street until you see the FC HARLEM field. When you see the soccer field, a parking lot is coming up on your left.
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