Open Streets Lawrenceville
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Back in late July, Out Lady and I attended the ‘BikePGH’ group’s ‘Open Streets Lawrenceville’ event.
As is usual with such promotions, a multi mile stretch of city streets were blocked off to vehicular traffic, and a festival atmosphere promulgated.
This one played out on ‘Butler Street,’ which is kind of the ‘main drag’ for this area, and these ‘Open Streets’ continued on and into the Strip District, where Smallman Street was similarly closed to non human powered vehicles.
As is usually the case, the people who yell the loudest about motor vehicles on the road ‘harshing their buzz’ are the same ones who ride their bikes about with impunity, and we pedestrians were still largely consigned to sidewalks or the empty parking lanes along the curbs.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Old man yelling at passing cloud, that’s me.
We had a nice time. Our Lady hadn’t explored this section yet, and she was excited about a few things along the route, which she plans on returning to in the future when I’m not there to glower. We had a nice lunch at a restaurant along the route, dubbed ‘Industrial Publick House,’ which I’d guess as wanting to be described as being a ‘gastropub.’
I don’t even know if that’s still a thing, gastropub, but there we are.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It was hot, which isn’t surprising given that it was late July. If you’re able to recall the summer despite everything, you may remember that the eastern half of the nation was in the grip of high heat and humidity, which was followed by vast thunderstorm systems transiting through, which ended up barreling across the continent. This was ‘then.’
I’m used to the ‘shvitz,’ given my habit of scuttling through and over and around things in all sorts of climate, but Our Lady was definitely not happy about the weather. One thing about walking down the middle of a street is that there is no tree cover, and the burning thermonuclear eye of god itself is staring right down at the top of your noggin.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Our goal was to use the Light Rail to get back to HQ and Moe the Dog, but we had a couple/three miles to walk – in the sun – and just after having finished a meal. Grin and bear it, mustn’t grumble… Our Lady is British, and absolutely brimming with cheerful aphorisms for tough times.
She doesn’t sing rhyming songs in bars, I’d mention.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
31st street, and I was still married.
Our Lady was reconsidering everything by this point, so I decided not to throw in an ‘it’s all downhill from here’ crack. Luckily, we had both brought water bottles with us.
On and on.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
16th street, and still married.
Eventually, we arrived at a T Light Station about 3/4 of a mile away from this bridge. Air conditioning on the T, and a quick return ride to Dormont saw my relationship status continue to improve.
By the time we got back to Moe, I was ‘in like Flynn’ again, and her hatred of walking the hot summer streets in baking sun had abided.
Back tomorrow.
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