The Newtown Pentacle

Friday

– photo by Mitch Waxman

About an hour and change in for this particular scuttle, and your humble narrator could be observably noticed as loping along the steep streets of Polish Hill, here in Pittsburgh.

Along the way, several sets of ‘City Steps’ manifested themselves, and photography was committed, but the steps were passed by. Future walks in this ‘zone’ will be somewhat granular, and likely involve these pathways, but this time around the goal was to keep moving.

Gosh, what it must look like to normal people… a decrepit and gray haired thing, encased in a swirling amalgamation of black sackcloth… lurching along in some herky jerky impression of human locomotion… with a camera and flash orange ball cap sticking out of the ebon maelstrom clothing it. Children cry, dogs screech, old ladies clutch at their purses. Men are gathered by Priests to form posses, they gather and light torches, arming themselves with pitch forks… all I can do about it is wave my arms about and snarl.

I have to be careful not to end up trapped at some old mill, lest I be contained within, while the surrounding mob of villagers sets it alight.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

The old mill thing is a problem, because… Pittsburgh. About 40% of the building stock here is basically an old mill. I’m so screwed.

Another set of steps popped up, but other than mentally noting where they are, one stayed in motion. Drapes and Venetian blinds would energetically close as I approached residential areas.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

The landmark for Polish Hill is the 1905 vintage Immaculate Heart of Mary RC church. Visible from large swaths of turf in Pittsburgh, it’s not quite the navigational aid that the Empire State Building back in NYC is, but it’ll do as far something to measure your geographic position against.

The plan for the rest of my day revolved around ‘leaning into it.’

The sections which I was headed for offered a bit of novelty, but within a half hour I’d be pounding pavement which has been described several times over the last few weeks, so it was less of a photowalk and more of ‘just a walk’ for a bit.

That all plays out here next week, so get ready. Whew.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

One giggled out loud, due to this randomly encountered topiary.

If my pre-planning for this scuttle worked out correctly, I’d soon be encountering a cross street which would deposit me at the border of Bloomfield and Lawrenceville.

As described many times, I use Google Maps’ Street View feature to figure and plan out the ‘where’s’ and ‘how’s’ of moving around in parts of Pittsburgh that are unfamiliar. I don’t ‘tie my hands’ by religiously sticking to a predetermined route, as you’ve got to factor in ‘serendipity,’ which is what I call it when something unexpected just pops up in front of you begging to be photographed.

Back in 2010, for instance, I accidentally wandered past an Andean Passion Play being performed in Blissville, while on my way to Newtown Creek. In 2016, I spotted the nose section of a submarine being transported down the East River. Serendipity.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

Another set of City Steps were encountered, which in addition to going up and down also went around the hill. They connect up at the other end with another staircase. One stayed the course. Plenty of time to come back for a closer look.

This is right about when I started seeing the actual horizon again, as one was looking northwards and towards the Allegheny River.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

Famously, homes found on this sort of terrain display one or two stories on the street side, where the mail gets delivered, but the back of the structure will reveal three, four, sometimes five levels. Amazing.

Back next week with more from this long and productive scuttle – 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.