Archive for May 2025
Shabbos trio
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Odds and ends today, collected along my travels in Pittsburgh and the surrounding area while out and accomplishing other stuff. Pictured above is the neighborhood of Garfield, I’m told, and it is looking towards Oakland and the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning.
As you’re reading this, one is busily preparing for a week long trip to NYC.
Part of my plan is to dispose of my soiled clothing along the way. I’m packing three T-Shirts identical to the one I’ll be wearing while traveling, for instance, and plan on returning to Pittsburgh with just one. Same thing for socks and skivvies. Outer shell will remain the same, so I’ll just have to avoid spilling mustard or something similar on myself and I’ll be good. These garments are in need of renewal/replacement soon anyway.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I found myself in neighboring Washington County one day and was struck by the complexity of an electrical substation which I was passing by. Pulled over and grabbed a quick picture of it, me. My first thought when seeing this was ‘Godzilla trap.’ The big lizard is hopelessly drawn to this sort of infrastructure, according to the historic documentaries that are regularly offered by Japan’s Toho Studios for the world’s education.
Most of what I’m carrying to NYC with me is ‘kit.’ Lenses, tripod, etc., and I’m really trying to make this a ‘one bag’ trip. I could check luggage, but then I’m stuck carrying it around for at least a full day or two. I’ve often fantasized about using Amazon to deliver clothing to me while away from home, in order to not have to check a bag anywhere. Wear it once and drop it in a donation bin after the next ensemble arrives.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Mobile Oppression Platform, a Toyota, continues to perform admirably. Saying that, it’s got to go back to the mothership periodically for scheduled maintenance. The most recent tire rotation and brake check was accompanied by a flush and replacement of various engine fluids. Fun stuff. Apparently it’s running fine and my tires seem to be holding up well despite their interaction with potholes and train tracks.
I’ve still got a few things to fashion together for the trip. For instance, I need to make foam baffles for my lenses so that I can shoot through windows with minimal reflection. My old set disintegrated.
Postings about my wanderings in the Pittsburgh metro area will continue next week – at this – 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.
Scuttle’s end
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After a fun hike along the Ohio Water Trail, one last shot of a passing train was gathered. CSX was heading westwards along the Ohio River, whereas I was rolling north-easterly and towards the terminal stop of the T light rail which is nearby Acrisure Stadium.
As mentioned previously, the busted ankle performed well on this one. The only real discomfort I had was an aching back, but that’s exercise for ya. Saying that, I experienced a bit of swelling in the ankle that evening.
Six months to two years, the Doctor said.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s the T light rail, up on its elevated tracks. Luckily, there’s escalators within the station so I didn’t have to get ‘all PTSD’ again regarding stairs.
That phobia is still traveling with me, but has lessened in severity. Exposure to many, many sets of steps and successfully negotiating the rises and runs has alleviated the worst of the condition. My energy levels are finally returning to normal, as well.
Lots of six image posts these days, huh?
When I’m scared of something, I try to conquer that feeling rather than incorporating weakness into my psyche and then forcing other people to deal with my bullshit. In my youth, it was common for adults to remind me that you needed to be tough in life, and that if you fell off a horse you needed to get right back in the saddle as soon as possible. Doing so was considered admirable, in my youth.
Today, you’d start an online group to virtually attend, and wallow in a pity party with similarly aggrieved people, and then you’d try to outlaw horse riding so that nobody has to suffer the way you did. You’d wrap yourself in padding to soften life’s blows, rather than armor.
Seriously, if somebody punches you in the nose, do you cry and run away, or do you bite them on the face (with the intention of leaving a scar) for revenge? Sheesh.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
For the curious, I was listening to a couple of HP Lovecraft audiobooks during this scuttle – specifically ‘The Thing on the Doorstep’ and ‘The Call of Cthulhu.’ The former was narrated by Wayne June, and the latter is a British radio drama adaptation that’s read by actor Garret Hagen.
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.
Anomalous gravitics
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
When you near the eastern section of the Ohio River Water Trail, the West End Bridge just sort of rises up and looms over you. That bridge is involved in one of the many walking routes I’ve been evolving for myself, since moving out here to Pittsburgh from my lifelong residency in NYC. There’s a set of ‘Bernie Holes’ in the fencing overlooking CSX’s Pittsburgh Subdivision tracks which offer commanding views.
Check out prior posts from up top on the bridge by clicking here.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’m super curious about what happened with that tree above. Just saying. Normally, you’d grind or burn a stump out, you don’t excavate it root and stem. Weird.
Last time I walked through this area, a well established homeless village was found here. Advanced encampments, with water and power, constructed from tarps with structural supports, was observed here and there were probably two to three dozen people living rough along the river. It’s an election year here, and the incumbent Mayor has just been voted out during the Democratic primary and these encampments were a serious component of the critique of the current administration. Saying that, the outgoing Mayor really seemed to send the Cops and Garbage people out to eradicate all of these encampments and tent cities which had sprang up around the trails in the leadup to the primary.
Wonder what happened to all of those poor people.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s a pier here, which seems fairly condemned and is definitely disintegrating, so I didn’t walk out too far on it. Cool view, though.
A lot of post steel development has occurred in the area I was just scuttling into, which isn’t too far from the stadium where the Pittsburgh Steelers dwell in revenant gaze. There’s a casino, the Carnegie Science Center, and a bunch of ‘new’ construction bars and restaurants set midway twixt the dwelling place of the Steelers and that of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team.
Sportsball, and gambling (or games of skill, as they call them in PA).
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Personally, I was never injected with the sports thing or gambling thing as a child. I’m the nerd who can talk intelligently about Star Fleet uniform specs, Godzilla, and what things a Jedi does or does not do. Obscure DC comic I also don’t like gambling all that much, but given that I’ve worked as a professional artist in one way or another for 40 years – there’s my gamble.
Right about this spot is where fatigue from the walk set in. Not in the ankle, oddly enough, but instead in the upper back. I was walking with a full pack on this afternoon, after all, and after a while…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s a hotel, connected to the Casino I think, right where the rail trail returns to the street ‘grid.’ Looks like an architect’s rendering, doesn’t it?
The plan from this point was to acquire access to the nearby light rail station and secure a ride back to HQ in Dormont, which is approximately five miles from where this shot was gathered.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Along the way, couldn’t resist cracking out a shot or two when I noticed that one of the inclines on Mount Washington was moving, across the river. Neat!
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.
Rail trail scuttling, north side style
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Your humble narrator knew about the existence of a few of the rail trails which snake around Pittsburgh’s edges, but frankly – I had no idea how extensive or numerous they are when I moved out here. The former ‘right of way’ for a bankrupted rail road, or an abandoned ROW no longer used by an extant RR outfit, these trails are converted over to recreational usage for the public after legal ‘abandonment.’ The miles long strips of property ends up in the hands of the state/city/towns they move through. These entities find the cash to pull up the rails and pave the surface, and are usually cared for and maintained by either non profits or ‘friends of’ groups afterwards.
Lots of bike riders, joggers, and pedestrians like me use these trails.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Other than offering a series of fairly unique views, the rail trails also give you a back stage POV on the various industrial sites along their path. The industrial sites were likely sited here to take advantage of the former rail service, and you’ll still see the tracks of sidings crawling out from under fences and onto the properties.
The rail trails also host a fairly unique terrain in Pittsburgh due to their relative flatness. Rail grading equates to one foot of elevation for every hundred feet of horizontal travel, as a note. A variety of trail surfaces are encountered: pavement, asphalt, sometimes crushed limestone. The latter makes for the best walking, imho.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Me? I was doing fine. The ankle was cooperating with my ambitions, and all of this ‘stretch and strengthen’ business I’ve been up to for the last few months has started to pay off. I’m still walking a lot slower than I used to, but I’m doing so without much pain at this point.
Really looking forward to being back in NYC next week, and visiting my beloved Newtown Creek. Hopefully, it will be a meditative interval.
As the occultist saying goes: ‘A wizard must return to his place of power periodically for replenishment.’ I plan on getting plenty replenished.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’m going to be seeing friends and family on this trip, as well as indulging myself in things I used to enjoy. Riding the ferries and smelling the salt water of NY Harbor again sounds really good after suffering through the whole ankle drama. Heading upstate to visit a buddy for a night, and then going back to Queens – LIC specifically – and my Creek. I’m probably not going to spend any time at all back in Astoria, and will be staying at a buddy’s house in Middle Village. Greenpoint is on my ‘to-do’ list too, as is a meal at a certain Kosher Deli in Mill Basin. First Calvary Cemetery will be getting a visit, I suspect.
I’m trying not to over schedule myself this time around, and am planning on doing a lot of photography. A whole lot.
Any suggestions? Anything major that I’ve missed over the last couple of years that I should pay attention to? I’m hoping for serendipity to strike, but some ‘intel’ would be appreciated. Send me a comment using the site link below. Let me know if you don’t want the comment to be public in the text.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Back in the Steel City, this scuttle was hurtling inexorably closer to the titular end of the Ohio River trail. The neighborhood surrounding the industrial zone I’ve been skirting around the edges of is called ‘Chateau,’ or so I’m told.
As described in a prior post focusing in on Western State Penitentiary, also found along this trail, this ‘zone’ is about to struck with the gentrification hammer. The real estate people want to build a giant Ferris Wheel here in the style of the London Eye, with a shopping mall and entertainment complex that offers ‘affordable housing.’ That’ll fix all of Pittsburgh’s problems, for sure.
To be fair, George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. founded his ‘G.W.G. Ferris & Co.’ in Pittsburgh, lived on the North Side and died (1896) there too. Ferris was a railroad and bridge engineer, but was contracted to design and build an attraction for the Great Colombian Exhibition in Chicago (The White City) back in 1893 that would overshadow the Eiffel Tower. He invented his eponymous Ferris Wheel, thereby, in Pittsburgh.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My scuttle was nearing its end, as evinced by the looming nearness of the West End Bridge. To my understanding, the admixture of Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers officially becomes the Ohio River at Point State Park in downtown Pittsburgh – so that’s mile marker zero for the waterbody.
West End Bridge is 1.9 miles from that spot, ‘as the crow flies.’
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.
Ohio river tugs
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As one may recall, were you to have visited this site last week, your humble narrator was recently scuttling along an Ohio River hugging ‘Rail Trail’ here on Pittsburgh’s North Side.
Pictured is the tug Emma Z, which is about 55 feet from bow to stern and is flagged in the USA. It was operating as a vehicle shuttle between Brunot’s Island and the north shore of the Ohio River where I was scuttling. There’s a peaker power plant on the island, and the only other way to get there is by a pedestrian bridge on the south shore of the Ohio. A concrete ramp rises out of the river on the north shore, and that’s where it was heading to drop off a company vehicle.
I was pretty happy about getting a shot of a tugboat, which isn’t necessarily guaranteed around these parts. Imagine my surprise…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
About a quarter to a half mile later on the walk, the Tug Tracy Fedkoe appeared, heading in a westerly direction on the Ohio River. A 1,500 HP, 1969 vintage tug built in Louisiana, it’s currently operated out of Pennsylvania’s Elizabeth. Read all about it at tugboatinformation.com.
Both tugs were set up as ‘push boats,’ an observation about typology based around their prows. Neat!
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s the peaker plant, mentioned above, behind the tug, above. Peaker plants kick on when the electrical grid is experiencing low voltages, usually during the summer months when demand is high.
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 