Riverside Memorial Chapel

When my aunt died suddenly last month, my mom and I came to New York to manage funeral logistics so that we could take that unpleasant task off my cousins’ plates. We only had two parameters going into this: we knew we needed to move quickly, and that the funeral home needed to be on the Upper West Side. We walked into Riverside in a bit of a rush, and I have to admit that we didn’t have high expectations given the mixed bag of Unilocal reviews.
In short: insofar as planning a funeral can be a positive experience, this definitely was. (And that’s *really* saying something.) We worked with a handful of different staff members, and every single one was compassionate, respectful, attentive, and skilled. They were able to work with our short timeline for a viewing, service, and cremation, and every step of the process went smoothly. They took excellent care of my late aunt, and were so very kind to my cousins in their time of grief.
My mom, in particular, was impressed: she worked for many years as an Episcopal minister, so she (unfortunately) has a lot of experience with funeral homes. In her experience, there’s almost always a major problem with either the staff or the logistics. This is the one place she’s dealt with that not only lacked problems, but was staffed by highly competent, caring people who got the job done well. We feel grateful to have found them.

My grandfather passed away just a year after his wife, and my family used Riverside again just so that we knew what to expect and how they work. I didn’t deal with the directors and planners in terms of finances or arrangements, but I did want to update to say (Although this update does come a year and a half late) that the funeral director we had for his funeral was much kinder than the previous one. Felt much more at ease with his direction, and he was much more courteous and sympathetic than the one we had for my grandmother’s funeral. It no longer felt like an assembly line. It felt like he wanted to help us hold an appropriate service and mourn without feeling rushed out. Very much appreciated.

I’m not familiar with funeral homes (other than Forrest lawn where I’ve been to many
funerals, alas) but the arrangements for my family member seemed to go on schedule
and with a minimum of problems (I think). The driver of the limo which took me and
some of the «A list (close family) mourners was not only friendly, he flirted with me,
but actually that relieved some of the tension, if not the sadness. It’s a business
and I think they are as good as any.

OK, I saw terrible reviews so felt I needed to give a decent one. I went here for a funeral of a close relative. I was not involved in the arrangements but got there a few minutes early. They were super courteous. They were caring. When the family arrived they were very attentive to all of us. The service was very nice and so was the facilities. I know that a funeral is not a great occasion and feel maybe some of the reviews given were tough because of a loss in the family that causes stress. I just think that the place was very nice and professional.

Dreadful, rude «funeral director.» they did not give any indication of prices upfront. They did not do the services for which I was billed: eg, they told me to call the cemetery for directions, to call the cemetery myself to find out details, to correctly spell my mother’s name on the death certificate. The name on the death certificate was improperly spelled and they told me to «do them a favor and correct it myself.» they charged a fortune for no services except snide, disrespectful attitude.

I was at a funeral at Riverside yesterday, and the whole thing was rush, rush, rush. The family was even told to limit their eulogies in order to save time. I thought a funeral service is supposed to be all about the deceased and about comforting the mourners! When my aunt passed away, Plaza Jewish Community Chapel was recommended to me. The people there were kind and patient. They took care of everything. Her funeral was not one of an «assembly-​line» that I saw at Riverside. Our family and guests were not rushed out. Also, Plaza is a community service and not profit-​driven. There is the difference.

Whatever you do, try not to die near the Riverside Memorial Chapel. We attended a friend’s funeral there and were appalled by the treatment we got as guests. The personnel at the door were rude and the whole service was perfunctory and over in under a half hour. After the service, we were rushed out the door as we were trying to say goodbye to relatives.

My father-​in-​law passed away in California, and has a burial plot in New York. Based on past good experiences from other family members, we tried to coordinate using Riverside. But we found the people who we dealt with their were rude and brusque, and according to our local funeral home, unwilling to work with them in the customary way of doing these things. We ultimately went elsewhere. Part of our difficulty might have been the fact that it was 1pm on Friday, just before they close for Shabbat, but I think in any business, and especially funeral homes, a little kindness goes a long way. All of this is just my opinion, of course.

Been there too often. Discreet service.
When you gotta go…