Archive for September 17th, 2026
Shadow of the furnaces
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As established yesterday, your humble narrator used a rideshare cab to get from Dormont in Pittsburgh’s South Hills region to the Greenfield section, which is found on the central peninsula of the city along the northern shoreline of the Monongahela River.
Well… more accurately, Greenfield is ‘up there’ in the hills, and the relatively flat area that I was dropped into is called ‘The Run.’
Just as I got out of the car, a fire engine came screaming past.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Walking under those bridge spans would point your toes towards ‘Panther Hollow,’ which is a ravine that leads back to Oakland through a park, and Oakland is where the big universities are found. I’ve taken that walk before. To be truthful, I’ve done the very walk which I was about to take before as well.
Critically, one of the things I try to remind myself of is that every walk DOES NOT need to be a marathon or somehow evoke memories of Odysseus trying to return home after the Trojan War.
I’ve been trying to prove to myself that the busted ankle is ‘A-OK’ even though it never will be again, and honestly – every now and then I need to not feel like I’m about to get killed by speedy vehicle traffic.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The pathway for this one, thereby, involved a nice safe rail trail which is entirely separated from vehicle flow. Of course, there were guys riding past me at 40 mph on e-bikes, but there we are.
Pictured is a former rail trestle which has been converted over to recreational usage, and it’s dubbed as being the ‘Eliza Furnace Trail.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It’s a minor palaver to find the entrance to the facility, and there is indeed a parking lot available.
As often stated, however, I like to leave the car at home on days like this since it becomes an anchor pulling me back to wherever I started the walk. This ‘anchoring’ thing severely limits my options as far as serendipity, discovery, and distance are concerned. The solution, for the ‘inner ring’ of Pittsburgh at least, has been to just get dropped off where I want to start and then scuttle about to where I need to go to get home.
I used to do something similar in NYC – walking from Astoria to Flushing, for example – and then taking the 7 back through LIC. Alternately, riding the G to Smith/9th street and then walking from Red Hook back to Astoria.
I’m all ‘effed up.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Luckily, I was able to pass under that overpass without bumping my head, given the nearly seven feet between the button on the top of my ball cap and that ‘13 ft 6 in’ signage indicated restriction. Close one.
My plan for the afternoon was fairly simple; walk the Eliza Trail over to the South Tenth Street Bridge, cross the river, drink a beer while photographing trains, make another quick stop where some people I wanted to meet would be holding an event, and then ride home of the Light Rail.
Oh, and take a million photos along the way.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As far as the Eliza Trail itself, and the elevated pathway which it takes along the Monongahela River, the logo above should signify the origins of this particular path.
Back tomorrow with more.
“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 