Author Archive
Gesundheit, Mon Frer
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This is the start of a spate of posts, detailing what ended up being the longest scuttle I’ve been able to undertake since the ‘orthopedic incident.’
One used a rideshare to carry the bloated pre-corpse he dwells within, traveling from Dormont in the South Hills section to a community known as ‘East Liberty,’ which is found on the peninsular ‘Golden Triangle’ central section of Pittsburgh where it begins to widen out.
East Liberty is historically an African American community, I’m told, but the gentrification furnaces burn brightly hereabouts. The usual urban story plays out in its past – oblique and heavy handed City Planning, race based redlining by insurers and banks, massive poor populations trapped into vertical spires of poverty built as public housing, all that.
Same story as North Brooklyn, LIC, and the Bronx, actually.
Crypto fascist Le Corbusier strikes again, huh?
As an aside, East Liberty was Gene Kelly’s hometown.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Motor Square Garden. That’s what this structure was called when built. These days, it’s the Pittsburgh HQ of the AAA outfit. This is another one of the structures which I hope to actually have a reason to enter soon.
It’s ‘bizness.’ The last holdover from New York State that I’m still carrying around is a NYS focused EZ Pass on my windshield, to pay for tolls. Have to convert that gizmo over to a PA issued one sometime soon. It’s so low priority for me that I just keep on not doing it.
Before the start of this walk, I had mentioned to Our Lady of the Pentacle that I’d be trying to get into a few of the churches along the route. As it turned out, the main entrance to that church featured photographically in this post was locked. Denied the lord’s succor, me.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
‘East Liberty Presbyterian Church’ is what this building is called, and it was built with private funds offered by a branch of the Mellon family. This is the fourth church to exist on this plot, but you can just read all about that right here.
One was disappointed that the entryway to God’s Kingdom was locked, and after tugging on the door I said – out loud – ‘well, let’s just see if the Methodists are any friendlier.’ Some lady, sitting on bench while waiting for a bus, busted out laughing at my remark.
I still got it.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
According to Google’s AI:
The most prominent public sculpture near East Liberty Presbyterian Church is Virgil Cantini’s 1969 “Joy of Life” fountain, featuring cubist-style figures holding hands in a joyful dance, symbolizing unity and cooperation, located right next to the church and Carnegie Library branch.
The plan for the day started with a quick circumnavigation of the church. I’d be walking along Baum Boulevard, then heading off into the hills and then downtown, and since this was a warm day – eventually end up at that brewery with the CSX trains on the South Side that I haunt.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This was literally the only day, in a two week long interval, where the forecast wasn’t calling for ice or snow or sleet and during which the air temperatures were predicted to never get lower than about 50 degrees.
The day after this walk, temperatures plunged and snow began to fall. A week later and snow would still be arriving, in discrete daily bands, and was accompanied by bone chilling temperatures and high winds. Fun.
Your humble narrator was ‘traveling light,’ with a sling bag full of essentials and a 24-105 zoom lens installed on the camera.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’ve got to get inside of this building, with my full photo kit, sometime. As is often mentioned, however, I’m like a Vampire inasmuch as I need to be invited inside to do my work. Social networking, that’s the ticket…
Back tomorrow, for the actual start of a very long scuttle.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
Operation Hin und Zurück
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Cannot win, me.
I had altered my schedule to free up the day’s worth of time required to accomodate the needs of the car. An annual inspection was expected of the thing, according to Pennsylvanian law, and there was also a recall from Toyota that’s supposed to replace an electrical engine component which has proven to be problematic for the model year of my very own Mobile Oppression Platform. As is the case with any scandal, the suffix ‘gate’ has been applied to this situation by the internet, and it’s called ‘cablegate.’ Said issue hasn’t manifested for me yet, but there we are.
I was supposed to receive a courtesy ride back to the ‘stealership’ and expected all of this to be wrapped up by the late afternoon.
Imagine my surprise, while purchasing a cup of extremely rare ‘out of the house’ coffee at a shop shortly after debarking from the T Light Rail here in Dormont, when a text came in stating that they had forgotten to order the recall part but that my inspection was done and I could pick up the car ‘whenever.’
My ‘courtesy ride’ never materialized, so one decided to just walk there. Maybe a mile and a half from this starting position.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One found himself back on West Liberty Avenue (U.S. Route 19 Truck) and shlepping towards the Toyota facility. This is the section of West Liberty which your humble narrator dreads walking the most, due to a nearly complete lack of sidewalks or even pavement in several spots.
Walking in the street, on a primary arterial ‘stroad,’ in a City whose motorists are nationally famous for their utter embrace of ‘we suck at driving,’ texting while driving, and frequent displays of road rage? Fun.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Again, one is constantly struck dumb when observing residential homes set along this sort of arterial street. I’d imagine that the people who live there come and go via the back of the house, as suggested by the lack of snow clearance on the frontage. This home is likely a part of the Brookline neighborhood, incidentally.
The reason why I was walking, rather than getting picked up by the ‘stealership’s’ courtesy vehicle remains unknown to this date. The mechanics said ‘I’d hear from Rodney,’ but it’s been over two weeks now and still no Rodney.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Bah!
One pushed himself against the rotation of the planet. I’d like to believe that if one could walk fast enough, your position would essentially become static, and the world just turns away beneath your feet. Sounds like fun, but you’d need to be walking at jet engine speeds and your body would need to be aerodynamically armored to pull that one off.
According to Google’s AI:
To stay in a fixed spot relative to the stars while Earth rotates, you need to move westward at the exact speed Earth rotates beneath you, which is about 1,000 mph (1,670 km/h) at the equator, or roughly 700 mph at mid-latitudes, requiring zero vertical movement, though practically, you’d need to hover or use propulsion against air resistance to maintain position against the atmosphere. For an object to hover above the Earth, it needs to match the Earth’s rotational speed and direction, effectively being stationary relative to the ground beneath it, requiring a constant counter-force to stay put in the atmosphere.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Looking away from Brookline towards Beechview for the shot above, and another house set onto a forbidding slope. This part of my day was maybe a half hour in length. Soon, I was reunited with the Mobile Oppression Platform and then we were motoring along.
Since my day was already kind of half wasted, a return to HQ ensued. I did have photos to process and Pentacle posts to set up. The MOP was secured into my driveway.
Since someone will ask, I start off with a template document of my own creation at WordPress. There’s a set of mostly blank documents I set up during COVID, for use as templates. I switch out the placeholder photos from the template and then do a ‘save as’ action. When I screw up the code, you see a shot of a 2020 residential fire in Astoria when clicking through to Flickr. I try to write posts in batches, usually of five to ten and then schedule them using tools at WordPress’s site, for publication at a later date. I’ve got templates set up for a three image post, and a six image one, and also a single. It’s a system, and as I’ve been consistently posting long form content here since 2009, it works for me.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Along the walk to the mechanic, I passed by a closed off set of City Steps at Ray Street and West Liberty Avenue. Looking forward to exploring the City Steps of Pittsburgh again, in the spring when the ice and snow are gone. I’ve actually investigated this set of steps, given their proximity to home base, but they are literally in the midst of collapsing.
Back tomorrow with something different – at this – your Newtown Pentacle.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
Operation Huílái
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Just a few scouting shots from an entrance to Pittsburgh’s ‘T’ light rail service today, found at the Dawn Avenue stop on the City’s Southern Busway.
As mentioned last week, one was killing some time while the Toyota was off at the ‘stealership’s’ mechanic shop for an annual inspection and a recall based replacement of an engine component. Your narrator had humbly scuttled down a primary arterial road here in Pittsburgh after his automotive assignation, a ‘stroad’ dubbed as ‘U.S. Route 19 Truck’ for its totality but which is designated as ‘West Liberty Avenue’ in this vicinity. One was heading for the Dawn Avenue stop on the “T” light rail service.
The opportunity to wave the camera around in this vicinity and scout out a few locations for future use was gladly taken.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
An interchange of local and arterial roads feeds vehicle traffic into the Liberty Tunnel, described in some detail in a prior post. Said tunnel provides connection between the South Hills section (where Newtown Pentacle HQ, in Dormont, is found – approximately five miles away from this position) and then on the other side you gain access to the rest of the Pittsburgh Metro’s road network, notably I-376 and I-379.
I drive through here regularly, but as is often stated: you can’t ‘see’ anything from behind the wheel of a car as you’re moving too fast.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
These rail tracks are used by the Wheeling & Lake Erie RR outfit, and I will certainly be haunting this location when the climate warms back up while hoping for rail shots to manifest. Directly across the street from those stairs leading to the busway, this is.
I waved the camera around for a bit.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Heading towards my transit connection, but still shooting on my way to the busway where the stop is, which is up that flight of steps. These images should be defined as ‘what’s there’ snap shots, rather than being ‘photographs.’
Photographs – to me – are considered and composed shots meant to tell a story. A snap shot is something executed quickly, without much consideration. Mind you, there’s a lot to be said for quick observations, and about 80% of what you see here fit into my definition of ‘snap shots.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Yikes! The weird PTSD symptoms I’ve been experiencing around walking down flights of stairs was triggered by this sight. Yikes!
There are multiple ‘busways’ in Pittsburgh. These roads are closed to all but transit and municipal vehicles like those operated by the cops, fire departments, and ambulance services. The Southern Busway, which those stairs lead up to, incorporates tracks and catenaries for the T light rail. I’ve been riding past this particular stop at Dawn Avenue for three years, and I’m glad that I finally took a look at what’s here.
Plans for the warmer months which I’m crafting involve these busways.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Red Line T appeared, and one boarded the thing for a ride back to Dormont, where the plan for the day called on me to helplessly wait until the Toyota people called to say that the car was ready for pickup. I had photos to process at home anyway, so no big deal. They said they’d send a ‘courtesy vehicle’ to pick me up.
As it turned out I wasn’t done walking for the day.
Back tomorrow.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
Operation Ochtendgloren
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
So… that’s where I was heading… Dawn Avenue’s intersection with Route 19 / West Liberty Avenue at the Liberty Tunnel interchange.
This has to be one of the least pedestrian friendly spots in Pittsburgh. Traffic is literally coming at you from every direction of the compass. It’s the ‘last stop’ for commuters towards the downtown section of Pittsburgh, and high speed road connections to points north and east of the city itself, from the South Hills.
Drivers get quite salty when they get caught at red lights in this zone.
One found an intersection with a painted crosswalk, and hit the little arrow button on the signal pole. Soon, the device was telling me it was safe to cross and one burst across the intersection as fast as his fat little feet could carry him.
It’s been more than a year now, and I basically still cannot run due to the orthopedic incident. Working on it.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Traffic insanity is everywhere. Pittsburgh drivers will maliciously slow down to make you catch a light. Pittsburgh drivers will intentionally keep you away from highway exits by lurking in your blind spot, and commonly tailgate other vehicles – at speed – on the highways. They’ll ‘fake’ a left turn and then go right… they suck.
Why? Lulz. The Yinzers think it’s funny.
After wiggling my butt across the intersection, I realized that the lighting had changed again and things had gotten quite photogenic all of a sudden.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Up that flight of steps, that’s where I’d need to get in order to go back to HQ.
I enjoyed a quick chat with a fellow named Brian who owns that auto shop whose signage is seen in the bottom left of the shot above. He gave me some time of day ‘intel’ on when Wheeling & Lake Erie RR commonly transits through this area, and he then informed that me he’s retiring and that the business is up for sale ‘if I know anyone interested.’
After a quick hand shake and my admonition that I wasn’t interested in purchasing an auto repair and used car sales business, I was off on my way. Hope he finds a reliable buyer. Nice guy.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Looking back at West Liberty Avenue from Dawn Avenue’s paver covered roadway. Pavers (cobblestones colloquially, or more accurately ‘Belgian Blocks) are used on roads all over Pittsburgh, and particularly so on these steep streets. They suck to drive on, as your car is bouncing all over the place, but the pavers do enhance the ‘grip’ of your tires and allow for a bit more control in terms of speed and braking on a slope.
This was a fairly barren spot, by the way. Didn’t see any evidence of homeless encampments, or any sort of morbid habitations, here.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Those are the steps leading up to the Southern Busway, which is partially ‘tracked’ to serve the T light rail. Nearby is the yard used by a towing company which seems to enjoy a municipal contract. If you parked illegally, and they scooped up your auto, odds are that you’re coming out here to get it back.
Reminds me of the old days in NYC when the NYPD used an area under the Kosciuszcko Bridge, in Queens, as a tow yard. At least in Pittsburgh, the tow yard is sited somewhat near mass transit. NYPD used to tow cars out to a remote spot which you needed a car to get to, which I always thought of as being a kind of perverse joke.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
People live up here, and there’s a small neighborhood present in these foothills. This is, as I often call such places, a ‘pregnant location.’ Lots of photo opportunities. I’ll be coming back, and specifically so in pursuit of some rail shots from this spot.
Back next week with more – at this – your Newtown Pentacle.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
Operation Shōnin
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Continuing with photos from a recent scuttle down Pittsburgh’s West Liberty Avenue/ U.S. Route 19 Truck.
This is just a short section of 19, incidentally, as it continues both north and south, towards and into other municipalities and even counties where it’s labeled with different local street names. Just a couple of miles away in Mount Lebanon, for instance, it’s ‘Washington Road,’ and in the northerly direction it’s called ‘McKnight Road.’ The latter is a pesky traffic snare surrounded by shopping malls, and the locals refer to it as ‘McKnightmare Road.’
Supposedly the best spot in Pittsburgh for a good public cry is an Arby’s on McKnight, according to a Reddit poll. But, I digress.
With my car in the shop for its maintenance and inspection, the pathway back home after this walk concluded would involve connecting with the T light rail. There’s a particular station, nearby the Liberty Tunnel and found at the end of this section of Route 19, which has been catching my eye while riding on the service. That’s where I was headed.
There were other T stops along my path, of course, but I’d have to climb the steep hills of the Beechview section to get up there.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The shot above looks up and into the Beechview section, specifically Brookside Avenue (right about here on Google Maps), and gives you an idea about why the thought of climbing those hills on foot fills one with dread. The light began to improve, and your humble narrator got busy by getting the camera’s clicking and whirring.
As is usually the case, I was the singular pedestrian.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Amazingly, there are private homes set along the slopes. The one above had a set of steps descending to West Liberty Avenue, and another that led to what looked like a driveway or alley. Wow. This is a very busy road to live along, by Pittsburgh standard.
The PA. Dept. of Transportation calls itself ‘PennDOT.’ West Liberty is ‘theirs’ to administer. According to the agency, via Google’s AI:
‘PennDOT data shows West Liberty Avenue (SR 3069) in Pittsburgh carries over 20,000 vehicles daily, with specific counts available through PennDOT OneMap (using the Allegheny County Traffic Volume Map for general figures) or by accessing their GIS portal for detailed data points on this principal arterial, a key route connecting Dormont and Pittsburgh with significant commercial activity.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Finally, arriving at the ‘business end’ of West Liberty Avenue, where a sharp left turn orients motorists towards the Liberty Tunnel interchange.
The ramp leading off the roadway on the left is the entrance to the Southern Busway. More on that one in a later posting.
The landform in the background is ‘the ass side’ of Mount Washington.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s a startling amount of infrastructure present in these shots. The green steel causeway is another section of the busway structure, and just below that is a rail trestle used by the Wheeling & Lake Erie RR outfit. Below that, the two primary arterial roadways of ‘51’ and ‘19’ interchange with the tunnel and a series of local streets, leading to secondary arterials.
Honestly, given that I’m usually motoring through here at 30mph or so, this is the first time that I’ve actually been able to stand, study, and stare at the scene. For all of you New Yorkers, an analogy would be to go to Queens Plaza and just stand there watching it all work.
Fascinating, says me.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s the aforementioned 1924 vintage Liberty Tunnel, pictured above. It connects, on the Monongahela River side, to the Liberty Bridge.
Me? I had to get across this crazy street. This should answer a riddle, since – ultimately – I needed to get to the other side. That’s why this chicken crossed the street, so parable solved.
Back tomorrow.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
The Newtown Pentacle 