Shivering mit the Lebos
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Much of the month of February during 2026 (and the second half of January, actually) here in Pittsburgh has been defined by heavy snowfall and deeply cold atmospherics. The snow, and concurrent icy conditions, have been the real issue hereabouts as there was just too much of the stuff which was allowed to freeze in this sub zero atmosphere. The roads are ‘effed, and don’t ask about the sidewalks, yo.
Brrr. Life goes on.
Recent endeavor found Our Lady of the Pentacle and myself in the tony confines of Mount Lebanon, a wealthier than you’d imagine suburb which neighbors the more modestly financed community of Dormont. We dug our car out of the snow, and drove over there one recent afternoon for diversion.
A disturbingly heterogeneous series of shops, and a pretty sweet Lebanese restaurant, were visited. We really needed to get out of the house for a few hours after the winter hermitage grew stale, and our absence from the domicile also granted Moe the Dog some rare privacy, and a chance for reflections on his iniquity.
He’s getting his receipts together for tax season, Moe is.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Even Mount Lebanon has alleys. But, they’re fancy.
Back in NYC, the dumpster divers I knew would refer to this sort of area as offering ‘good garbage,’ since it flows into the bins from wealthy people. The stuff you’ll notice left out on the curb in Dormont is usually unwanted or totally non functional junk. In Mount Lebanon, you might find a BMW jammed in the trash, or a cache of diamonds which they might find defective. The Lebo overlords have standards.
Just kidding, there. They’d sell the cast away car and jewels to some sucker at a profit, how do you think rich people get rich in the first place?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This is my favorite alley in Mount Lebanon, which I think leads back to a parking lot. So narrow and dark… it calls to me.
As I’ve learned, snow removal rules differ wildly here in the Pittsburgh metro from the familiar ones back in NYC. First off, there aren’t armies of DSNY inspectors just waiting for the snow to end to start handing out tickets. Secondly, there doesn’t seem to be anyone in charge of or compelled to clear crosswalks at street corners. Sidewalks, yes. Crosswalks, no. That’s odd, and it ain’t just here in the burbs. Crosswalks in front of downtown hospitals and schools aren’t cleared. Just an ice wall lining the curb.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This stretch of retail sits along a path called ‘Washington Road,’ but this is a section of the larger ‘Route 19 Truck’ Stroad which has been mentioned here previously, although in those posts the sections described as being Route 19 are dubbed ‘West Liberty Avenue.’ Same Stroad, different name, and Route 19 continues to the south, and towards West Virginia.
The ‘Dormonsters’ call the people who live here, in this neighboring town called Mount Lebanon, ‘The Lebos.’ Said ‘Lebos’ have quite a nice series of shops and restaurants going, as well as a municipal parking lot and a T light rail station. The local cops and fire department are just a few blocks away, housed in a giant municipal building. It’s all a little confusing, really.
There’s a pretty decent Brooklyn style pizzeria is here, as a note, the owner of which comes from Brooklyn’s Gravesend section. Paisan! That’s practically my old neighborhood, or at least close to it, on the Jamaica Bay coastline of the world’s one true place. His restaurant is called ‘La Vera.’ Pretty good slice.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Our Lady was visiting various shops, touching and smelling things. That’s how I describe ‘lady shopping.’ One doesn’t get in the way when she’s involved in these pursuits, or at least I try not to. I go outside and take pictures of alleys while she’s involved with all this, which Our Lady – in turn – doesn’t get in the way of.
I shop like a teenaged boy, angrily stomping over to the rack which holds whatever it is I’m there for, and then one makes a beeline straight for the register. I only consider it a success if I completed the task and I’m back out of the store in under ten minutes. I refuse to enter stores like IKEA which force you to walk through a maze, wandering through the whole damned place just to get to the till. Target also sucks, in a manner similar to IKEA.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s the Lebo habitat pictured above, as seen from the top floor of their parking lot. The burying ground in the background is connected to a nearby Catholic Church, and I’ve visited each exactly once.
Cemeteries haven’t received much attention from me here, since we moved out to Pittsburgh just about three years ago. Part of that revolves around the orthopedic incident, as I’ve spent the last year just regaining the ability to walk upon paved ground. Unpaved ground is what I’ll be working on this year.
My fascination with First Calvary Cemetery back in LIC was ultimately sparked off by its proximity to Newtown Creek. The grandiose monuments and spectacular urban backdrops of First Calvary are fairly unique, visually.
I’ve paid one quick visit to Allegheny Cemetery, and also to that cemetery on Troy Hill, but I do intend on revisiting both in the Spring.
Back tomorrow with something different.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
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Stroad Tales
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
These shots were gathered during a recent walk in frigid clime – which started in Pittsburgh’s Mount Lebanon, and ended back at HQ in neighboring Dormont.
Continuing, one was walking through a quite hostile to pedestrians corridor called ‘Route 19 Truck’ by officialdom. In this section, 19 is called ‘Washington Road,’ but at some magical spot along the way it transmogrifies into ‘West Liberty Avenue’ when entering Dormont, and then proceeds towards the Liberty Tunnel some 5 or so miles hence.
It’s not a well designed pedestrian experience, have to say, and it would be freaking terrifying to ride a bike through here as well. Route 19, a primary and sometimes secondary arterial road, is what’s known in transit planning circles as a ‘stroad.’
Curbs are uneven across its length, sometimes you step off an 18 inch curb, and a block later there’s a 1 inch curb. Curb cuts at intersections are uneven, as well, and there are seldom ‘rumble strips’ inserted into the curb cuts to accomodate users of mobility devices.
Mostly 30 second red lights with ‘walk, don’t walk’ cycles that start blinking red before you’re even a third of the way into the crosswalk.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Route 19 accretes traffic to itself as it moves towards the Liberty Tunnel, scraping vehicles out of the local grids of Dormont, Brookline, and Beechview principally. It also narrows to one lane in spots, due to on street parking in Dormont and elsewhere.
Drivers seem to grow fevered and enraged in this area as they encounter a series of red lights, slowing their progress towards the central section of the city. Road rage and narrow streets… magic combination right there.
This used to be a trolley route, by the way. Notice those iron utility poles with the three electrical connectors up top?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One prides himself as being ‘able to read a city like a book.’ If something is old and it’s still there, there’s probably a reason. In my case, there is no reason, but I’m old and there…
Everything I’ve definitely not read – as far as history goes – suggests that Pittsburgh began the process of abandoning its trolley system as early as the 1960’s. If an iron pole is still present on the sidewalk sixty to seventy and change years after its built purpose has faded away, there’s a reason.
Definitely not doing any historic research at all, me.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Here’s an example of why I’m on history strike. People are idiots. Being smart has become a liability now. Act dumb, and fit in. Don’t stand out, squeaky wheel gets replaced.
The future just sucks.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I was tracking where the addresses on shops changed over from being on Washington Road over to West Liberty Avenue, and now have an idea where that municipal ‘line’ between Dormont and Mount Lebanon is.
I know where the cultural line is, as they have it delineated with a platinum and copper band set into the road where Mount Lebanon starts, and there’s also the golden fire hydrants… there’s also a nightly drone light show…
In Dormont, we use a line of crushed charcoal for our borders. Used up stuff, from the base of a Weber they keep at City Hall for cook outs.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Another walk through the cold wastes… this post is actually being written in your past, as it’s the very end of January right now and it’s negative four degrees outside while I’m writing this. It’s very, very cold. Bah!
Back tomorrow with something different.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
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TCB, in Mount Lebanon
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Ice, snow, extreme cold… no bueno.
An overnight plunge in temperatures, combined with freezing rain, convinced me of the fact that this would an excellent day to not be driving a car. Saying that, I had a bit of ‘business’ to take care of and since the nearest corporate outposts of the particular outfits I needed to transact with were just up ‘Route 19 Truck,’ aka ‘West Liberty Avenue,’ or in the case of where I was heading ‘Washington Road,’ I decided to use the T light rail to get there.
Normally, I’d just drive, about ten minutes at worst from Dormont. The T took me about a half hour or so, figuring in the walk from HQ to the station and waiting for the train.
My business was all personal – an ATM visit, pick up some stuff from here and there, that sort of errand set. I actually found a pretty decent pizzeria in this zone.
Brought the camera along as I was going to walk back to HQ in Dormont along West Liberty Avenue, one of the roadways I’m looking at in a granular fashion at the moment.
Several posts were offered recently, about the terminus side of Route 19 where it meets the Liberty Tunnels. Check those out here.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This is the start of ‘Mount Lebanon,’ a wealthy suburb of Pittsburgh. We dwell in nearby Dormont, which is a bit more affordable – if you hear what I’m saying. They have a kickass library, I’d mention.
One roamed around in the cold, wearing his bubbly winter coat, snapping pix while shivering and scuttling along.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My errands complete, a walk back to HQ started. There’s a cemetery across the street here which I’ve only taken a single quick look at, shortly after moving out to Pittsburgh from NYC. That cemetery is also ‘on the list’ for another lookie loo.
There’s also a couple of tall apartment buildings hereabouts which would provide commanding views for an itinerant photographer, if only he could find a method to talk his way up to their roof.
There’s three huge churches also found in this section, which is fairly close to that invisible legal border defining Dormont and Mount Lebanon.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
In this section, Route 19 is built onto a ridge line, with the residential neighborhoods surrounding it seemingly oozing down the hills.
Needless to day, you need to regard snow and ice conditions quite seriously here in Pittsburgh.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The prominence of the Hill which Route 19/Washington Road rides on peaks nearby the local Roman Catholic’s outpost. Just a few blocks away, you’ll notice iron being used for utility poles, which are actually cross purposed trolley infrastructure. Here, the utility poles are wooden.
Hilarity usually emerges in conversation about Mount Lebanon, when it occurs in Dormont. ‘They’ve got gold and platinum fire hydrants, the Lebos do,’ and ‘they can afford it’ is usually the answer to any scandal of the day which might be going on over there. Suffice to say that the ‘average median income’ of Mount Lebanon includes several extra commas, as compared to that of Dormont.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s the Roman Catholic outfit mentioned above, St. Bernard’s. I randomly visited the church once, shortly after moving to Pittsburgh. Check that out here.
Back tomorrow with more wanderings.
“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.
Polar Xpress?
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As described yesterday, after a recent social engagement your humble narrator decided it would be a good idea to take a walk during a ‘Snow Squall’ here in Pittsburgh, just to see what that’s like.
Verdict: It sucked.
Cold, windy, wet. My grandmother always said ‘you’re put on this earth to suffer,’ but she had a Slavic mentality. I had arrived nearby the Sly Fox Brewery which is often mentioned here, and took up position to wait for a train to pass through. I allocated no more than a half hour of ‘hanging around’ time before I’d move on and start heading back to HQ.
Lucky…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
First CSX traffic moving through the pass was a work truck, riding on one of those cool rigs which allow them to follow the rails. Always a good sign when you see these guys driving by, as the odds increase dramatically that something big will be approaching soon.
My ‘minimum kit’ bag does not include the ‘railfan’ scanner radio which allows me to spy on the RR company’s radio traffic. Everything in the minimum setup is about weight, and reducing ‘the carry’ as much as is possible out of the bag. My normal camera bag, a 32 litre knap sack, weighs about thirty pounds when fully loaded. This ‘minimum kit’ bag weighs about five pounds, with most of that due to a 24-105 zoom lens.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
CSX #5462 made all my suffering go away when it appeared. It was still snowing, but it wasn’t the ‘white out’ photo condition I was hoping for.
Nevertheless, here’s a Sunday afternoon ‘Snow Squall freight train photo’ for you, lords and ladies. Choo-Choo.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I wasn’t planning on hanging around the brewery, or to even order myself a drink on this occasion. Wasn’t that kind of day. Heck, I’d just had brunch with friends about 90 minutes previously.
As soon as # 5462 passed through, I headed up and onto a causeway that eventually meets back up with and t level with Carson Street, where where this scuttle had began a couple of miles behind.
One of the more ‘freeing’ things about being able to properly walk again also revolves around not spending an absolute fortune on cabs. I’d head over to the light rail station and catch a mass transit ride back to HQ.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One last shot from up top, and then the camera and bag straps received a quick policing. The ‘warm’ coat I was wearing, as opposed to the normal filthy black raincoat, is kind of ‘bubbly.’ It’s a lot like wearing a bed’s comforter, with a good inch to an inch and a half of insulation. It does make me feel like the cartoon character which the Michelin tire company uses as their mascot. Clumsy, but warm.
A quick few blocks of walking occurred next, and then I was at the Station Square stop on the T light rail waiting for my ride.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long and soon I was walking through the front door of HQ, where Moe the Dog was surprisingly happy to see me. My dog can be kind of a jerk, but it’s swell when he’s in a good mood.
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.
Squall Scuttling
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It was a Sunday. Our Lady of the Pentacle and myself were along Pittsburgh’s Carson Street, having brunch with a few friends. The weather report warned of snow squalls and inclement weather approaching. After the meal, everybody else hopped into their cars to head to other destinations, whereas I announced that ‘I’m going for a walk.’ Our Lady departed with the others.
‘Are you sure’ they all asked, and reminded me about the forecast. I was sure. I had just eaten a bacon cheeseburger for breakfast, and needed to ‘earn’ the many fat calories it deposited within.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It was awful out. Lots of wind, and bands of snow which produced instant white out conditions. I was wearing my warm coat, not the street cassock (aka filthy black raincoat) that’s normally utilized as my outer shell. The warm coat is a Carhartt with a temperature rating, whereas the street cassock is a military surplus navy policeman’s overcoat with a zip-in lining made of synthetic wool. One of the first things I did when moving out here was buy a warmer coat. This ain’t New York.
The street cassock is ideal for 90% of the weather I encounter in Pittsburgh, but when a bone chilling interval of midwestern winter blows in from Ohio and then just lingers… you need a stouter level of insulation. I was carrying my minimum kit camera bag, the contents of which I’ve described several times in the past.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One headed over to the waterfront trail which mirrors the shoreline of the Monongahela River, as that’s really where you’d want to be during near blizzard conditions. It’s logical, right?
Thing is, when you’re following your camera lens around, comfort isn’t one of the things that you’re building into the plan. If you want to get your shots, there might be some frostbite or heat stroke involved, so get used to discomfort. The outside world ain’t a studio, with controlled lighting and skinny art school chicks milling about. Get out there, suffer a bit…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I had to reel back a few episodes, in my relistening of ‘The History of Rome’ by podcaster Mike Duncan, as I had literally not been paying much attention to the entire sequence of ‘Tiberius to Caligula to Claudius’ episodes on my last session, despite having them playing in my ear holes. Sometimes it’s just noise that’s playing through my headphones, which replaces the inner voice dialog about how shit I am.
I’m still staggered by that survey a few months back in which about 40% of Americans reported that they did not experience an ‘inner voice,’ and that about 20% of Americans reported that their inner voices were actually either devils or angels talking to them.
Wow. Internal dialogue is often all I’ve got…
Me? When you start a conversation with ole Mitch, I’m already ‘gaming’ your binary responses to arguments which you might counter an assertion with. Am I the only one who thinks through ‘if they say yes, we do this. If they say no, we’ll react this way instead? Game theory? Anyone? Inner voice reacting silently to things while the outer voice says things diplomatically?
This is why I’m lonely.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
South 10th street bridge, pictured above. I was heading towards that brewery I hang around by the train tracks, but this wasn’t going to be a ‘get a drink’ sort of day due to the inclement clime. I was ‘pretty hep’ on getting a few shots of a CSX train in the snow, should the universe decide to give me something that I wanted. Bah!
Scuttle, scuttle, scuttle.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It was positively horrible out. Windy, cold, blowing snow everywhere. My toes and fingers were numb. The eyes were weeping.
I was so happy.
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 