Where'd DeNiro Park his Wheels?

Yesterday, Dangerous Minds unearthed a car ad from 1970, featuring a disarmingly youthful Robert DeNiro showing off his new wheels to, presumably, some of his neighborhood locals. Given his position as one of the Hollywood’s preeminent heavyweights, the fact that DeNiro ever did a car ad at all is fairly significant in itself, hence DM’s choosing to devote a post to it.

But as I watched it, I became suddenly consumed with trying to pinpoint the corner depicted. One commenter on the Dangerous Minds post suggests that it’s not a street that exists in New York (i.e. it’s a crappy, unconvincing stage-set of the kind routinely employed by “Friends,” “Seinfeld” and in that Beastie Boys video for “Make Some Noise”). I suppose that could be true, but watch the video again -– that street looks pretty authentic and pretty familiar.

I started wracking my geographical chops. Is it the intersection of King and MacDougal Streets? The intersection of Jane and Greenwich? The intersection of MacDougal and Cornelia Streets? The spot where Jones meets Bleecker? I’m assuming it’s somewhere downtown –- Greenwich Village/West Village/Little Italy -– but can’t pinpoint it.

Not that it matters, but DeNiro actually grew up on the corner of Bleecker and Sixth Avenue, in the building that today is the Little Red Schoolhouse.

Who can name this street?

ADDENDUM: Well, I flew this challenge by the master himself, Bob Egan of PopSpots, and he turned it around with the quickness. It is indeed right in the heart of the Village. Here's Bob's explanation.

DeNiro is right where Dylan took the Freewheelin Cover on Jones right below West 4th Street. DeNiro’s father come out of a meat market. Do a google search for Florence Meat Market. It’s at #5 Jones Steet. I think the awning in the video is #5, too.

I knew this spot looked familiar. As it turns out, the Florence Meat Market is situated directly next to Record Runner, an old favorite haunt of mine that's still there, but seemingly always closed.

So, basically, here's the modern-day depiction of the scene grabbed at the top. Recognize it now?