Q.
What is it supposed to be on the show?
A. The DMV (the Department of Motor Vehicles).
Q.
Where is it supposed to be on the show?
A. In New York City.

Q. When did we see it on the show?
A. We see this location in Episode 2 of Season 1 of Resurrection.
After Dexter decides to take a job as a Ur-Car rideshare driver (and
with Angel Batista having removed Dexter's mistaken death certificate),
Dexter goes to the DMV and gets his New York driver's license. It is a
very brief
scene in which we see him next to the DMV building, looking at his
new driver's license. It reads Dexter Morgan, with an address of 77-01 Avenue, Apt 1, Queens, NY. 11385
( That is, of course, a fake address, meant to be Blessed
Kamara's row house. The zip code doesn't even map to Queens, but rather
to Glendale, NY, which is about eight miles west of Queens. )
After years of posing as Jim Lindsey in Iron Lake , Dex seems pleased to
finally be able to use his real name again.
Q. What is it actually in real life?
A. Just the side of a random office building.
Q.
Where can I find it in real life?
A. This was shot right across the street from (east of) The Oculus, the mass transit hub at the World Trade Center.
The dictionary defines an oculus as a round
or eye-like opening or design, such as a circular window, and that is
precisely what we see here, on the side of this unique transit hub
building. All they did is stick a fake DMV sign on the glass.
To let Google AI do the work for once, here's how it describes the Oculus:
The Oculus in New York
refers to the striking, white structure located at the heart of the
World Trade Center Transportation Hub in Lower Manhattan.
- Part of the World Trade Center
Transportation Hub: The Oculus is the centerpiece of a major
transportation and retail complex at the World Trade Center site.
- Designed by Santiago Calatrava:
The architect Santiago Calatrava envisioned the structure as a bird
taking flight, with its soaring steel ribs and glass panels resembling
outstretched wings.
- A Hub for Commuters and
Visitors: The Transportation Hub, including the Oculus, connects to New
Jersey's PATH trains, various New York City subway lines, and provides
indoor pedestrian access to nearby buildings like Brookfield Place and
the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.
- Houses Westfield World Trade
Center: The Oculus also houses the Westfield World Trade Center mall,
featuring a wide variety of shops and dining options under its unique
architecture.
- A Symbol of Renewal: The Oculus
and the larger Transportation Hub were built to replace the original
PATH station destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks, and serve as a
symbol of hope and resilience for the site.
- A Visual Spectacle: The Oculus
is known for its breathtaking architecture, characterized by its
dramatic, light-filled interior and the unique shape of its "wings".
In essence, the Oculus is a remarkable architectural
landmark that serves as a transportation hub, retail destination, and a
powerful symbol of renewal at the World Trade Center site.
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The address of the Oculus is 50 Church Street, New York.
The black building
that they are passing off as the DMV seems to be a black tower that houses the M Social Hotel (formerly The Millennium Downtown hotel), which is at the northwest corner of Church Street and Day Street, with the address of 55 Church St, New York.
The corner of the building used for that DMV shot appears to be its southwest corner, and the black wall with the DMV sign faces Dey Street.
The green subway entrance visible in the scene is the Cortlandt Street Station, which Is at the same northwest corner of Church Street & Dey Street.It's taking a long time
That corner is located about 1,000 feet southeast of the main World Trade Center tower.
( For the record, the nearest actual DMV office is almost a mile to the south of the World Trade Center, near Battery Park. )
Here is a matching StreetView taken from the same vantage point:
Here is an aerial
photo of the corner . And here is a map
link.
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Q. How the heck did you figure out where it was?
A. This could have been very difficult.
But when I was looking for that railroad track location
earlier, my explorations took me to this central railroad hub. That
wasnt the right location for that earlier scene, of course, but in the
process, I got a good look at the rather spectacular Oculus pavilion.
And a small part of that unique structure is visible in the background
of this DMV scene. I thought it might be the Oculus across the street, but I wasnt sure.
As you can see from the original screencap, the background is so bright that you can't see much detail:

However, after I used Photoshop to enhance and darken the background , it revealed this:

So I compared images, and sure enough, that was exactly the
right place. Everything matched, from the rows of traffic barriers on
the street, to the subway entrance visible in-between the black building
and the Oculus in the background.
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Wayne
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