Dexter: Original Sin Filming Locations: Murder investigation at “Prostitute Park”
The
location: Murder investigation at “Prostitute Park”
Q.
What is it supposed to be on the show?
A. It is supposed to be Alice C. Wainwright Park (what LaGuerta calls “Prostitute Park”).
Q.
Where is it supposed to be on the show?
There actually is an Alice C. Wainwright Park, located at 2901 Brickell Ave, Miami.
But this isn't it.
As far as I
can tell, the actual Alice C. Wainwright Park is a perfectly nice place
in 2025. But apparently, back in the early 1990s, it was a rough
hangout for hookers, gangs, and drug dealers.
This gained attention when the press discovered that Presidential
candidate Marco Rubio had been arrested after dark in the park, back in
1990.
Q.
When did we see it on the show?
A. We see
the park in Episode 4, of Season 1, when LaGuerta and Dexter are sent to
investigate the murder of a prostitute at the park.
That investigation takes place at the same time as the investigation into the boy’s bridge hanging,
and LaGuerta resents Capt. Spencer removing her from that high-profile
case and assigning her to what she considers a less important
investigation. She refers to the park as “prostitute park”.
At the
park, LaGuerta stands over what at first appears to be the body of a
dead young woman, but which turns out to be a gay male hooker in drag.
When Dexter
arrives on the scene, LaGuerta comments critically on his youth, and
then puts him on the spot by telling him to show her what he can do.
As the rest
of the police watch, Dexter takes a closer look at the body, noting
bruising around the neck, blood on a nearby stone, and needle marks on
the victim’s arm.
He tells LaGuerta that the victim was strangled from the front, not from behind, because the killer wanted to watch him die.
LaGuerta is skeptical, and walks away.
Dexter
finishes his investigation, but the guy driving the coroner van refuses
to touch the dead prostitute, saying that he doesn’t want to catch AIDS.
So Dexter and Clark Sanders lift the body onto the stretcher.
[ It is later revealed that the victim was named Blake Kersten, and was murdered by Dexter's brother, Brian Moser, because he had bullied young Brian in a foster home. ]
Q.
What is it actually in real life?
A. A seaside park, but not in Florida.
Q.
Where can I find it in real life?
A. This scene was filmed at Shoreline Aquatic Park, in Long Beach, CA.
The park is located just steps away from Shoreline Village (where they filmed the scene of Deb & Sofia shopping for sunglasses this season, as well as numerous scenes during the original Dexter series).
It is also right next to the Aquarium of the Pacific (where they filmed a scene of Dexter & Lila at the aquarium back in Season 2 of the original series).
Shoreline Park is a wonderful little green oasis, nestled in Long
Beach’s Rainbow Harbor entertainment district, surrounded on three sides
by blue water, and featuring verdant lawns, a picturesque lighthouse
standing atop a grassy knoll, and delightful views of the nearby
Shoreline Marina, the Aquarium Shoreline Village, and the Queen Mary
docked across the blue bay.
It is also right across the Queensway bridge from the spots where they filmed the scenes of the bridge hanging and its investigation.
Q. How the heck did you figure out where it was?
A. I’ve spent
a lot of time In this Shoreline part of Long Beach, including several
visits to this park (it’s where they filmed the 8th season scene of a white bench being dedicated to the late LaGuerra).
But I might have been
thrown off by the fact that it was filmed along the northern edge of
the park, which is made to resemble a sandy beach In its natural state,
complete with rocks and bunchgrass.
But what made it very easy to recognize was the building in the background (see the photo below),
which I immediately recognized as the Hyatt Regency Hotel. The hotel is
the most obvious building visible from the Shoreline Village area, so
it’s a familiar sight to anyone familiar with the area.
Anyone who has
visited the green park for the first time was probably surprised to find
that strip of sandy land along its north side. But that sand allowed me
to not only identify it as Shoreline Park, but to pinpoint the exact
spot in the park where the scene with shot.
Here is a StreetView from Google, shot from roughly the same point In Shoreline Park:
