Archive for May 2nd, 2023
Moor, moor, moor
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Really, one of the great things about the process of producing this site is the constant learning process it requires. I had no idea that a Catholic Saint called ‘St. Benedict the Moor’ existed prior to having walked past a church dedicated to him in Pittsburgh. That’s where the learning process starts.
It seems that this particular saint is the patron saint of African Americans, dark skinned peoples of African descent globally, and the island of Sicily in particular. I’ve also recently learned that Rome is mid step through the process of beatifying a new Saint whose domain will be the internet, and whose ritual dress representation in iconography will involve wearing a track suit. Say what you want about the Catholics, but they do keep up with the times, somewhat. Can’t wait to see what they do with AI.
Me? I was on my way somewhere else, scuttling up and down the hills and valleys of Pittsburgh.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As it turns out, the church pictured above is the center of St. Benedict the Moor Parish. It’s a short walk away from the Epiphany Church described yesterday, but unlike Epiphany – the door at St. Benedict the Moor wasn’t open so my Vampire rule demanded I keep scuttling. Regardless, I was on my way to somewhere else anyway.
One had taken the light rail into ‘town,’ and whereas I had a fairly loose plan as far as getting from “A to B,” plenty of time for serendipity to strike was planned in. The thing about Pittsburgh is that you have to have some sort of plan when you leave HQ. It ain’t like New York where you burn out five to ten miles of linear walking, secure in the knowledge that there’ll be a subway nearby to carry you back.
There’s a fairly extensive network of bus based transit here, but truth be told – in these first six months in Pittsburgh I haven’t ridden the bus yet. Yes, it’s been six months since I left NYC, as of this week.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s been something that I’ve wanted to do since my very first Amtrak trip out here back in 2021, and on this particular walkabout it was my stated goal to scratch that itch. It was one of those rare days in Pittsburgh when you get a clear blue sky, with perfect spring weather.
I had geared up in a light manner, leaving the tripod and other camera frammistats at home. I had three lenses with me, a couple of extra camera batteries, and I was wearing my Staten Island Pizza Rats baseball cap. It was in the middle 60’s, temperature wise. Sweatshirt weather is my favorite kind of weather.
More tomorrow.
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