Scuttling onto the McKees Rocks Bridge
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Topsburgh to Bottomsburgh part four:
One managed to safely cross that gnarly intersection mentioned yesterday, an act whose execution caused me no end of existential anxiety, and soon the camera was positioned onto the McKees Rocks Bridge.
I’ve only walked this bridge a single time, and have been desirous of a return, as I think it’s fantastic.
This particular scuttle, which ended up being just a bit under ten miles horizontally, also saw me descending better than a thousand feet in elevation from ‘Observatory Hill’ in the Perry South area, nearby the Davis Avenue Pedestrian Bridge, moved through the neighborhoods of Brighton Heights and then Marshall Shadeland, crossing this bridge, and then heading down to the flood plains of the Ohio River in ‘McKees Rocks’s ‘Bottoms’ section on the other side of this bridge.
I get ahead of myself, however, and we are at the ‘crossing the bridge’ part of all that.
Just in case you’ve been wondering what the ‘Topsburgh and Bottomsburgh’ thing is about.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
McKees Rocks bridge is the longest span in Allegheny County, and it overlooks the massive Alcosan wastewater treatment plant found on the Ohio River on its northern approaches.
Pictured are – what looks to me – like aeration tanks, which wastewater professionals use to separate solid materials out of the ‘flow.’ Basically, the aeration causes solids to drop to the bottom for later collection. Solids can be anything from a matchbox car that some kid flushed down the toilet, to the rocks and stones and other detritus carried into the sewer grates during rainstorms.
My pals at the Sewer Plant in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint once told me that they had a bowling ball shoot out of one of the incoming pipes during a storm, which entered the plant in the manner of a cannonball. It caused all sorts of damage. The question of how a bowling ball ended up in NYC’s sewer system remains unanswered.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Looking across the Ohio River in a more or less southern direction for this one. I enjoy this bridge for a number of reasons, but primarily it’s an absolute ‘cat seat’ in terms of altitude and POV over the waterway, and the views are just fantastic.
Also, I like pointing the camera at industrial stuff, and there’s plenty of that visible from up here.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Saying that, I ended up spending close to an hour moving over the bridge as everytime I started walking, something caught my eye and I had to stop to get a shot. That’s the Fort Pitt Bridge in the far distance, catching a bit of light while standing in a cloud of rising mists.
As mentioned in my recent telling of the ‘slipped on ice and fell flat on my ass’ story, it had been fiendishly cold the night before, and the weather on this particular day saw temperatures in the high 50’s and low 60’s. That meant that a whole lot of misty weirdness was rising out of the hollows, crevasses, and ravines of Pittsburgh.
Lighting conditions were changing several times a minute, and things got photographically complex.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Me? I had a literal mile and a half of bridge to walk.
Pretty much loitering at this point. Waiting for a subject to pop into view, and scanning around for activity worth taking a picture of.
These moments are great tests for me, as a man who exhibits zero evidence of patience, and believes that the universe only shows him things that ‘need seeing’ when he randomly walks by them and that ‘you can’t force something to happen.’ One must compel himself to linger.
I remind myself of another personal aphorism – ‘it’s like fishing’ – and that you need to wait for a bite as you can’t order the fish onto your hook.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
You may notice how these shots continually look back towards that set of railroad tracks. One of the things I was looking for was rail activity.
I stuck the headphones into the ear holes, and started listening to that good old ‘History of Rome’ podcast again. I think I was on an episode numbered somewhere in the high 90’s, around the time of the Tetrarchy, but this walk was perpetrated on the 24th of March and today is the sixth of May, so… late in the game Italy based Rome, basically.
I find that ‘spoken word,’ as in podcast or audiobook, doesn’t lodge into my brain the way that the written word does. I need to listen to an audiobook at least a couple of times for it to ‘stick’ into my brain, whereas I can usually read a printed book, and then be able to quote it directly for a long bit afterwards.
Different parts of the language center in the brain, I guess.
Back tomorrow.
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Scuttling in Shadeland
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Topsburgh to Bottomsburgh part three:
After visiting the Davis Avenue Bridge, accessed via the Perry Hilltop ‘zone,’ your humble narrator began loathsomely forcing the rotting pre-corpse through and along the hazy borders of the Marshall Shadeland and Brighton Heights neighborhoods.
Man, what a ‘zone’! The housing stock here is exquisite.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This church seemed to have constructed atop a giant outcropping of rock, and I couldn’t stop myself from getting a photo of it.
This section of my day is best analogized by an old aphorism of mine from Queens, which is that ‘you pretty much have to walk through Sunnsyide to get to Newtown Creek from Astoria, so just get used to it.’ Also, Queens’ 43rd street used to be ‘the Shell Road,’ so you’re walking through Dutch colonial era NYC history by going that way. Connected the Rycken (Rikers) properties on the north all the way to Newtown Creek on the south. Just saying.
To get where I was going, I needed to scuttle through a couple of residential neighborhoods.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Disturbingly heterogenous, that’s how I’d describe the residential architecture encountered along this route. There were a few row houses, and many examples of ‘Pittsburgh style’ brick home, which features an enormous front porch.
While scuttling along, I saw a curtain drawn back as a shadowy figure observed my passage. I hissed in that direction, in the manner of a stray cat. The curtain fell back to a resting position.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Finally, the end of the world was reached.
At least, it’s the end of this part of the world. It put me right where I hoped to be, but there was a decidedly dodgy street crossing ahead. I was actually a bit anxious about this crossing, which can be difficult to navigate – in a car.
Fear… Fear is the mind killer.
Loping along like some crippled chimpanzee, with my stiffened shoulder and neck due to that slip and fall annoying me, and a perfect mud tattoo of the butt on the back of his filthy black raincoat, your humble narrator nevertheless strove on… and on…
Really, what choice did I have? If you stop moving, you stop moving.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The world – or at least the legal borders of ‘Pittsburgh’ – more or less ends at that fence, which then leads you down to a short set of stairs. Those stairs place pedestrians at a spot never meant for them, despite there being crosswalks and walk/don’t walk signals which were an obvious ‘add-on.’
On the other side of that fence is found Ohio River Blvd./Route 65, a de facto four lane highway masquerading as a local street. Historically speaking, it’s meant to be the deadliest of Pittsburgh’s high speed roads, due to its conditions in the 1960’s and 70’s.
Sounds nice, no?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s the intersection which I was worried about, which theoretically allows pedestrians to cross Ohio River Blvd. and access the walkway to the McKees Rocks Bridge.
You see Junkies with signs here begging for handouts, but this ain’t exactly a safe spot – street crossing wise. Heavy traffic flow from three sides, lots of big trucks, angry pickup truck drivers who had to endure an entire two or three minutes of traffic congestion… brrr…
One survived the crossing, obviously, as these shots were captured at the end of March and here I am still rattling on about them in May. Besides, as I had already hurt myself during that fall, the safety odds were now on my side.
Right? Right? That’s the way the world works, right?
Back tomorrow.
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Deer Davis
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Topsburgh to Bottomsburgh part two:
As one may recall, last week your humble narrator had pulsed out the door of HQ and set out upon one of his longish scuttles through Pittsburgh. In accordance with recent interests – the Steel City’s North Side, and in particular – the ‘Perry Hilltop’ neighborhood is where this one started.
A construction project forced me to reroute my steps to get the newest bridge (2025) in Pittsburgh, a pedestrian and bike connector called ‘The Davis Avenue Bridge.’ Along the way, I slipped on a patch of ice and came pretty close to an injury, but managed to walk away just a little stiff.
The reroute put me in front of that baby deer pictured above, so I guess everything was meant to be.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One broke off of the original path at a narrow and steep road called ‘Rodney,’ which carried me away from the descending road to an ascending one. Really narrow road, with no sidewalks. No bueno. Very Pittsburgh.
Saying that, this was only the equivalent of a city block. When a vehicle did pass me by, I just stood to the side and let them transit through.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
At the top of Rodney Road is another abandoned home. This is a huge problem in Pittsburgh, and that’s something which always jumps out at me while moving around the area. So many.
The good news is that you can see the Davis Avenue Bridge directly behind the abandoned house, which means that I had gotten to the top of this particularly steep road and closer to ‘stop 1’ on my scuttle.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Well, there you are.
Yep, I felt a little non-plussed, or ‘non-trussed’ if you would…
Saying all that, getting this bridge ‘modernized’ and replacing the earlier iteration of the span here, which was in danger of collapse, seems to have been a generational project for the folks in the neighborhood across it from the park – which is dubbed as ‘Brighton Heights.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One waved the camera around a bit up here, but the only POV’s on hand were looking back down at the same homes I had just walked past – and where that patch of ice lurked.
That slip and fall did have an effect on me, just not an orthopedic one.
I smacked down onto the pavement with a decent amount of energy, and accordingly my shoulders and neck were a bit sore afterwards.
Hilariously, the bad ankle was just fine even though it was directly involved in the slip and fall, due to my heel striking on that fairly invisible patch of ice.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Accomplished, and I can scratch another Pittsburgh bridge off the list.
Thing is, I wanted a ‘bridge,’ not some mere high flying truss.
Turning my heels and pointing the toes in a direction where more massive infrastructural interests lie, and then scuttling through another set of the neighborhoods which causes the Yinzer jaw to literally drop open when I say I’m ’going there for a walk.’ I’d be heading in a mostly westerly direction, thereby.
Seriously… Fear is the mind killer.
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.
Topsburgh to Bottomsburgh part one
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My latest scuttle started pretty close to the highest point of elevation that is found within the confines of Pittsburgh (said to be some 1,370 feet up from the MLW or Mean Low Water point as defined by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and ‘officialdom’ at large), and began atop upon a landform which I’m led to believe was once colloquially known as ‘Knob Hill’ but which is referred to in modernity as either ‘Observatory Hill’ or ‘Perry Hilltop.’ The ‘Perry’ in that naming was meant to honor the memory, and commemorate the military service, of Commodore Perry.
One has been exploring the various neighborhoods of Pittsburgh’s ‘North Side,’ on foot, for the last few weeks, with this walk the latest excursion.
As is my habit, a thorough Google Maps examination of the route was obliged in advance, but construction and other obstacles you might encounter along the way are things you just have to deal with ‘on the day,’ and you really need to be able to adapt. Think on your feet. All that.
Also habitual, I started at the high elevation point and then walked downhill, as I’m fairly old now. Feeble too. A scuttling fossil, really.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Interesting homes lined this particular roadway, which in this case was a steeply graded course called ‘Mairdale.’ This one would then lead me to that one, where I’d make a left…, and then…, and then…, you get the idea.
This is one of the neighborhoods that the news people on the TV will encourage one to avoid, with lurid tales of savage crime and anarchic adolescents.
This neighborhood reminds me a great deal of the Bushwick Avenue corridor, back in Brooklyn, prior to around 1990 when the gentrification hammers began to fall. Economically driven tidal forces smashed that homegrown community into diaspora, in order to make room for wealthier strangers and their coffee shops.
That doesn’t seem to have happened up here, yet, but it’s coming. I can just feel it coming, in the same manner as when you say ‘I think I’m getting sick.’ You’re not ill, quite yet, but…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Mairdale Avenue transmogrifies into ‘Woods Run Avenue’ somewhere along this route. To my right were really nice and well kept homes and neighborhoods which climbed up slopes and over hills, and to my left was a fairly large city park, one with a celestial observatory at its apex. The shot above looks back at where I’d just been.
My decided upon plan had involved moving into and through that facility, which is dubbed as ‘Riverview Park,’ but I encountered a pretty big construction project along the way which occluded and blocked the entrance, and I had to ‘rekajigger’ my path accordingly.
What drew me in this direction, for this section of the scuttle at least, was the presence of Pittsburgh’s newest bridge – a high flying pedestrian and bike connector which overflies the valley that Mairdale Street rides through, and connects the Brighton Heights neighborhood on the next elevation with the park.
That’s the sort of thing which I always want to take a look at.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Your humble narrator was feeling pretty good.
Striding along, enjoying the sights and the sounds of morning bird song. The weather was great, low 60’s with zero humidity. For once I was out in the early part of the morning, I guess it was about 9-9:30 a.m. The usual secure pocket rich ‘Mitch suit’ was arrayed about my rotting form, including the filthy black raincoat – sans lining as it was warmish.
Camera wise, it was a 24-240mm zoom lens, and in the bag I had a couple of primes – a 16mm and a 50mm.
It was mentioned, a couple of weeks back, that my filthy black raincoat needed a wash due to there being a big splodge of mud on it, in the butt region. Everybody suggested just washing it. My butt, I mean.
I promised that I’d tell that mud butt story when I got to it, so…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Right after that construction sign, the sidewalk – as it turned out – was covered in an incredibly thin and completely invisible layer of clear ice. It had been below freezing the night before, atmospheric temperature wise, but…
As I stepped on that invisible tenth of a millimeter layer of ice at full walking speed, one suddenly found himself hanging in the air for a good half second – body fully horizontal to the ground. I basically pivoted ninety degrees at about belt height, and then dropped to the cement like a bucket of rotting pig guts. My shoulders hit first.
Wham!
It looked dramatic enough that somebody who was driving past pulled over to the curb to ask me a few times if I needed assistance.
I laughed and said ‘nope, landed mainly on my butt.’ I did actually come close to cracking my head on the sidewalk, but that enveloping Mitch suit of mine (springtime variant) includes a thick cotton ‘hoodie’ style sweatshirt, and the gathered up fabric padded the impact for my head and neck region. I did clack my teeth together though, when my chin hit my chest.
While mid fall, I grew concerned about the teeth clacking thing and managed to get ahead of really hurting myself.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One fell like a photographer, actually, protecting the camera and camera bag as I went. A lens cap popped off one of the lenses, that’s all that happened to the gear.
It’s funny, the way that the brain works. This entire slip and fall tale had to play out in less than a second or a second and a half, but I went into ‘slow motion’ mode, and managed to wiggle myself into a safer pose while hanging in mid air. Felt like I was floating there for thirty seconds. I have a similar memory of the fall which busted my ankle. Perception of time alters, everything slows down. During that one, I managed to get my hands behind my neck and protected the spine while falling.
Must be what it’s like to be a squirrel.
I did end up with a lovely portrait of my butt cheeks and part of my belt, rendered in mud, on the black raincoat though. Had to walk through ‘the hood’ with that on my butt, so win. My shoulders and neck were a bit stiff afterwards, but I had just cracked the back of my noggin when smacking into the ground. Didn’t crack my teeth!
Can’t win.
Back tomorrow.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
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Squeaky wheel
Thurs
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A few random shots from the end of a satisfying scuttle. I swear, the working guys have no idea how esthetically pleasing I find these sorts of arrangements they leave behind. They’re artists, and don’t even know it.
I was moving through the area surrounding Allegheny Commons Park, which has a trench running through it for the railroads.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Norfolk Southern #1832 came through, heading north/west. It was hauling short blue cargo boxes, of the type which sewer solids are shipped within. Likely heading towards the sewer plant nearby the McKees Rocks Bridge, or Ohio. A lot of things nobody else wants end up in Ohio. I’ve been there, and really – they pretty much sent their best to Washington in Vance.
Stay out of Ohio, you’re not ready for what you might see there.
Regardless, one haughtily scuttled on.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This truck caught my eye. I was intrigued by those Doberman silhouettes silk screened on the thing. Also, that’s one crazy truck, yo.
My steps carried me into the ‘ceremonial center’ section of the Coty of Pittsburgh, where the Stadiums are found, and where there’s coincidental opportunities to board the T light rail service and ‘get out of dodge.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
See that mound on the right side of the shot? Coal mine’s historical entrance, as it turns out.
As I mentioned a few posts ago, this coal thing suddenly brings everything into a place where it makes sense. I’m not ‘smart enough’ to really delve into the topic here yet, but I’ve started reading up on the Pittsburgh Coal Company Trust, and others.
Heck of a story there. Eventually, I’ll know enough of it to point y’all at primary sources on the subject.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The T station came into sight, just as one of the light rail units rose out of the tunnel that it travels under downtown within, and climbed up the truss to the terminal stop opposite Acrisure Stadium.
Most of the Yinzers I meet ‘poo-poo’ the T, but I ride it all the time.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My chariot arrived, and as soon as those doors opened, I was ensconced in a seat. This was about a six or seven mile walk, all told. I had a nice time, and nobody threw any rotting fruit at me, for a change.
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.
The Newtown Pentacle 