Leave the gun, take the cannoli. That scene is shot in a marsh land with the back of the Statue of Liberty in the background. My guess is that scene was shot at the marsh lands in Jersey City, NJ, near the NY Harbor/Hudson River. Today that area is a golf course (Liberty National) and this weekend is hosting a PGA tournament - The Barclays, which is one of four tournaments in the Fed Ex cup. I hope they put a plaque where Paulie got whacked .

...maybe the clubhouse has a special on cannolis?

Yes, and along that route the streetlights are cobra heads which weren't available back then. I guess you can't chnage everything.

Funny you should mention this. I was down there for the practice round yesterday and think that I was on the very spot of the Paulie's demise. It is on "Freedom Way" .... the Cat-tails and Statue in the backdrop match up perfectly.

I don't know about it being exactly on the golf course. I think that it's over a little more, about a block off of the golf course, at the far end of which is now Liberty State Park. Not that it really matters as I understand that the original point being made here is that the area has gone thorugh some major changes and has been built up quite a bit since the filming of The Godfather. The Golf course, a Marina, The Daily News building and Liberty State park itself.

They were checking out places in Manhattan. Then they would go back to Long Island. What were they doing in New Jersey?
Why didn't Rocco ask the question that Michael asked Sollozzo a few days later: "We're going to New Jersey?"

Several years ago (hard to believe) I made note of this anomoly or error in the filming. Prior to Paulie's demise, the car is filmed leaving NY and Clemenza instructs Paulie to pullover, he has to take a leak. In the background you see the skyline of Manhattan. The buildings are a bit fuzzy, but based on the skyline and the shadows, the scene is filmed from the east side facing west; probably somewhere in north Brooklyn or south Queens. The next shot is the one Don Cardi posted above. The back of the Statue; from the Jersey side. The director put two different locales toether - ones that are several miles apart, but it works quite well. FORE!

I didn't say it was on the golfcourse... It is on "Freedom Way" at Exit 14B.

There was a discussion thread four years ago that sheds some light on this.

Check out the link below and start about halfway down the first page.

SHOOTING LOCATIONS - Click here

Sorry if you thought my reply was in direct response to your post. I was actually replying to MC.

The park and the area itself is so wide open and so big that the many different angles can be very deceiving as to the actual area that one is veiwing the back of the statue from. But I believe that we all have the 'general area' of that scene down pat.