The Newtown Pentacle

Altissima quaeque flumina minimo sono labi

Temere trio

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Thursday

– photo by Mitch Waxman

It’s been an entirely odd last few weeks for a humble narrator, and my daily round keeps finding me inhabiting odd corners of Pittsburgh. Hence, three utterly unconnected images greet you today. Pictured above is the milieu as observed from the South Side Flats region, looking towards the Monongahela River and the Birmingham Bridge spanning it.

This area is a former industrial zone, as is most of Pittsburgh, one which has converted over (mostly) to residential and commercial usages. Old factory and warehouse buildings become condos and lofts, hardware stores become restaurants and remaining legacy businesses try to hold on as the tides flow through.

Sounds familiar, no? Et tu, Long Island City?

– photo by Mitch Waxman

At the foot of the Hill District on the ‘golden triangle,’ the St. Benedict the Moor church is hard to miss. This one looks (theoretically) southwards towards the Monongahela River.

I was practically standing on a ‘red line’ right here, wherein racial segregation occurred and a majority black neighborhood was destroyed in the name of building a hockey stadium and a highway interchange, several decades ago. Sometimes, knowing historical facts just makes you angrier and angrier.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

This one was closer to HQ, and shot from the back seat of a cab which I was using to get to an event where there would be alcoholic beverages served. I’ve been pretty hardcore about the not ‘drinking and driving’ thing, and sound almost like a Protestant missionary on the subject. It’s pretty common for people to throw back a few belts and get behind the wheel here, which is a scary situation to me, but then again I’m still new here.

Back tomorrow with something else – at your Newtown Pentacle.


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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.

Written by Mitch Waxman

August 22, 2024 at 11:00 am

One Response

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  1. Thank you for prompting me to look up Benedict the Moor. Very interesting.

    dbarms8878's avatar

    dbarms8878

    August 22, 2024 at 8:53 pm


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