The Newtown Pentacle

Friday

– photo by Mitch Waxman

These shots were gathered during a recent walk in frigid clime – which started in Pittsburgh’s Mount Lebanon, and ended back at HQ in neighboring Dormont.

Continuing, one was walking through a quite hostile to pedestrians corridor called ‘Route 19 Truck’ by officialdom. In this section, 19 is called ‘Washington Road,’ but at some magical spot along the way it transmogrifies into ‘West Liberty Avenue’ when entering Dormont, and then proceeds towards the Liberty Tunnel some 5 or so miles hence.

It’s not a well designed pedestrian experience, have to say, and it would be freaking terrifying to ride a bike through here as well. Route 19, a primary and sometimes secondary arterial road, is what’s known in transit planning circles as a ‘stroad.’

Curbs are uneven across its length, sometimes you step off an 18 inch curb, and a block later there’s a 1 inch curb. Curb cuts at intersections are uneven, as well, and there are seldom ‘rumble strips’ inserted into the curb cuts to accomodate users of mobility devices.

Mostly 30 second red lights with ‘walk, don’t walk’ cycles that start blinking red before you’re even a third of the way into the crosswalk.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

Route 19 accretes traffic to itself as it moves towards the Liberty Tunnel, scraping vehicles out of the local grids of Dormont, Brookline, and Beechview principally. It also narrows to one lane is spots, due to on street parking in Dormont and elsewhere.

Drivers seem to grow fevered and enraged in this area as they encounter a series of red lights, slowing their progress towards the central section of the city. Road rage and narrow streets… magic combination right there.

This used to be a trolley route, by the way. Notice those iron utility poles with the three electrical connectors up top?

– photo by Mitch Waxman

One prides himself as being ‘able to read a city like a book.’ If something is old and it’s still there, there’s probably a reason. In my case, there is no reason, but I’m old and there…

Everything I’ve definitely not read – as far as history goes – suggests that Pittsburgh began the process of abandoning its trolley system as early as the 1960’s. If an iron pole is still present on the sidewalk sixty to seventy and change years after its built purpose has faded away, there’s a reason.

Definitely not doing any historic research at all, me.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

Here’s an example of why I’m on history strike. People are idiots. Being smart has become a liability now. Act dumb, and fit in. Don’t stand out, squeaky wheel gets replaced.

The future just sucks.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

I was tracking where the addresses on shops changed over from being on Washington Road over to West Liberty Avenue, and now have an idea where that municipal ‘line’ between Dormont and Mount Lebanon is.

I know where the cultural line is, as they have it delineated with a platinum and copper band set into the road where Mount Lebanon starts, and there’s also the golden fire hydrants… there’s also a nightly drone light show…

In Dormont, we use a line of crushed charcoal for our borders. Used up stuff, from the base of a Weber they keep at City Hall for cook outs.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

Another walk through the cold wastes… this post is actually being written in your past, as it’s the very end of January right now and it’s negative four degrees outside while I’m writing this. It’s very, very cold. Bah!

Back tomorrow with something different.

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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.