Archive for May 2023
Uptown, or the Bluff?
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My ignorance regarding the new habitat is admitted, but often feels suffocating. This is coming from the guy who used to conduct walking tours in NYC and would proudly stand on the county line delineating the currently undefended border of Queens and Brooklyn and say ‘welcome to…’
I have no idea where the lines are found which form the borders between Pittsburgh’s various zones and neighborhoods, nor which areas are war zones. More than once, I’ve described where I had been that day to some bartender or new neighbor that are local to Pittsburgh and they’ll say “you went where? Stay out of there, they’ll shoot you dead, that’s…”
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve been told that over the years… at any rate, the area I was moving through in the case of today’s missive abuts Duquesne University, so I felt pretty ok about scuttling through – personal security wise. Duquesne is a Roman Catholic college which is perched on a particularly dramatic chunk of land that overlooks the Monongahela River, and is located a bit eastwards of the peninsular landform that ultimately becomes Pittsburgh’s Golden Triangle.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The rough path I had laid out for myself the night before indicated that I’d need to cut across Duquesne’s campus to get where I was going. Luckily, the streets that flow through the campus are public ones and it was ok for me to do so. There’s a lot of ‘old’ buildings nearby Duquesne, clearly left overs of the mercantile and industrial eras. The building stock looks a lot like the sort of thing you’d encounter in Lower Manhattan on the west side of Canal Street.
Nature called, but unlike Manhattan, you don’t need to pee in the street like a dog in Pittsburgh. I stopped off at a restaurant and asked if I could use the bathroom. The kid at the counter looked at me like I was crazy and said ‘sure, it’s right there sir.’ On my way back out I dropped a few coins in the tips jar and said thanks.
Imagine that… you can find a bathroom when you need to.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The ground began to angle upwards as I headed towards the campus’ street grid. I kept on thinking about how my old pal Kevin Walsh from Forgotten-NY would be in absolute heaven wandering about this area with its stock of centuried buildings.
I was heading straight up the hill towards the titular edge of the landform, however, and didn’t have time for the ‘used to be, once, long ago’ thought process. Back tomorrow with where I was going and what I saw when I got there, at this – your Newtown Pentacle.
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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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“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.
An Epiphany
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
So… you know how I always mention the ‘vampire rule’ which I religiously follow? The one about needing an invitation to do my thing? Well, under the prevailing interpretation of Vampire law in these United States, an open door is a literal invitation. Imagine the cacodaemonic joy that arose within a humble narrator’s breast upon noticing that the entryway door to the lovely church, pictured above, was propped open. It was everything I could do not to transmogrify into a cloud of bats and chaotically fly in there.
That’s the 1902 vintage Church of the Epiphany Catholic Church, designed by architect Edward Stotz, with interiors by John T. Comes. It’s a landmark! Really, I took a picture of the sign. I’ve seen several contradictory descriptions for the section of Pittsburgh I was walking through – Uptown, The Bluff, or The Hill District. Still quite new to this region, I don’t know where one neighborhood starts and another one ends. Perhaps I was at a locus point twixt the three.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One scuttled through the door, and then into the main chapel area. I didn’t linger, as the vampire way calls for one to get in for a quick snack, and then depart in surreptitious fashion. The lights within the building were not on, or perhaps they had dimmed because of my presence… who can say? The Church of the Epiphany’s website offers a detailed history of Epiphany Parish and the structure itself, naming the muralists and stained glass crafts people – check it out here. Really, really nice sacred space this.
As mentioned in the past, despite my Judaic upbringing and heritage, I’ve got a real appreciation for Roman Catholic architecture and iconography. Part of this is due to the fact that my Dad worked for the Archdiocese of New York, at the New York Foundling Hospital in Manhattan for over thirty years, and thereby I spent a bunch of time as a kid in proximity to the Sisters of Mercy and the Jesuits. As an adult, whenever I’ve had a chance to point my lens at a Catholic Church or cemetery I’ve taken it.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Over in one of the corners, there was a display which was likely Easter related, but my initial reaction to it was “somebody must be a Star Wars fan.” “Look it that – they got Statues of three Jedi, but they’ve got the color wrong on the Baby Yoda one.” Right after thinking that, the filthy black raincoat was suddenly filled by a man shaped pyramid of rats. All of my constituent parts then scuttled back onto the street where a reassembly into the normal simulacra would be accomplished. Two particularly large rodents carried the camera, if you’re curious.
Note: I, of course, realize that those aren’t statues of Jedi Knights nor is the little one Baby Yoda. It should also go without saying that my experience of leaving the church building didn’t exactly play out like this, but it’s not far from what happened.
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 