The Newtown Pentacle

Tuesday

– photo by Mitch Waxman

This post visits the ‘Sunday Street’ City Steps in Pittsburgh’s California Kirkbride section, which were installed here in 1946.

The section of ‘sidewalk steps’ on the intersecting Maravista Street (which was described yesterday) offers pedestrians some 54 ‘sidewalk’ or ramp style steps, whereas the Sunday Street section offers a longer course of 90 steps whose proportions are more in tune with common stairs.

When I’m planning out a scuttle, I like to have a ‘goal’ location somewhere along the course. This one was met early in my day.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

There’s an amazingly well preserved and kept Victorian era home on the corner of Sunday and Maravista. I was torn by my personal prohibition against taking pictures focused in on people’s houses – as that’s creepy – and my absolute need to get it this building in frame for the next few shots as it’s gorgeous.

Fantastic, that. I’m jealous.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

One set of steps continues down from Maravista Street to the flatlands of the neighborhood below, and both it and the Sunday Street steps branch off from the common intersection.

I spun around to the right, and got on with things.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

Again, not in great shape, these steps but neither am I, so fair.

Same concrete issues as elsewhere, also same bannister problems, but other than a few spots where you wanted to be fairly careful as far as where you stepped down… they’re in passable shape. Won’t win any good government awards, but also not ‘hazardous to human life.’

One proceeded along, with the stair based PTSD singing in my head. Luckily, that Big Special music I was listening to drowned out most of my invasive thoughts.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

From the bottom of the stairs, which were fairly steep – in retrospect.

‘Steep’ had an entirely different meaning in Pittsburgh than anywhere else except – possibly – all of Scotland. Coincidentally, back in the ancient time before the bacteria which rots vegetatation had evolved, Appalachia and Scotland were part of the same forested and moist land mass.

Plate tectonics, yo, it affects us all. The bacteria? Well, there’s a reason that Coal and Oil are found deep underground. Rotting bogs and forests and dead oceans lie down there, and that’s where we draw our petrochemical happiness from.

My recent fascination with coal has led me to read some geological ‘stuff’ which clued me in about the ‘Pittsburgh Coal Seam.’

They didn’t teach this in high school history class back in Brooklyn. At Newtown Creek I learned all about the maritime, sewage, rendering, acid manufacturing, waste handling, swill milk, oil, and gas businesses there. I’m learning about all this coal stuff now.

The history of the Appalachia’s is the history of life, and death, itself.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

Ok, goal hit, I got this particular shot which I wanted. It’s sort of a ‘known composition’ as in a lot of people take a photo from somewhere nearby. It’s on the cover of a book, but that’s a far better shot than mine. That photographer either got super lucky, or they had observed the scene in different seasons during different times of day.

Now it was time to wander again, somewhat aimlessly.

My plan for the remains of the day was to eventually get back to a T light rail station, and I intended to get there inefficiently. Wander about, follow my nose, hope for serendipity to strike.

Back tomorrow with more.

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