The Newtown Pentacle

Tuesday

– photo by Mitch Waxman

Pictured are various overhead trestles branching off the 33rd street rail bridge, here in Pittsburgh. This bridge serves as – more or less – the division marker for when you’re exiting the Lawrenceville section and entering Pittsburgh’s Strip District.

One had followed the shoreline of the Allegheny River from nearby the Highland Park Bridge, scuttled along Butler Street, and then headed slightly northwards to capture railroad shots. As the crow flies, this would be a six to seven mile walk, but with all the curves that the river introduces to the path, by the time I returned to HQ in Dormont, I had scuttled around twelve and change miles by the time I returned to HQ.

That’s what the phone said it was, at any rate.

This walk was a major ‘post broken ankle’ threshold point for me, as a note. Longest scuttle I’ve managed to pull off since shattering the joint back in the fall of 2024.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

As mentioned at the start of this opus, I was traveling light. No tripods or other heavy gear, which I absolutely regretted when observing the scene above. I’ll be back for this one at some point. That’s the ‘Washington’s Crossing’ bridge, pictured above, as a note.

I actually stopped off at a sandwich shop and ‘filled my tanks’ for the last stage of things. The sandwich was shit, but the icy cold Gatorade was key.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

From here, it was all ‘known territory’ for me.

I feel obliged to mention that the Newtown Pentacle time warp is still very much in effect. These shots were gathered on the 14th of September, and the posts are being written during the first week of October. If my scheduling is correct, you’re seeing this during the second week of November. Given that there are literally thousands of undeveloped shots on my hard drive at HQ which are ‘in production,’ it’s likely that the time warp will continue and intensify as we move into the winter months.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

This pedestrian survey of mine has ranged all over Pittsburgh in the last year, as the ankle has healed and the post surgical atrophy of the musculature in my legs has receded.

North Side, South Side, East, West, all over the place.

At this point, I can pretty much say that if it’s within ten miles of downtown and there are sidewalks which you can see a river or train tracks from, I’ve likely wandered through it by this point. I’m beginning to understand the place, and develop some intimacy with it.

Next up, and one of my winter projects, will be ‘Operation Busway.’ That set of moves is still being planned, but I’m hoping to achieve some level of granularity on the subject in those posts. Long time readers of Newtown Pentacle will tell you – there’s nothing more interesting to me than novel transit infrastructure.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

The long walk had taken a toll.

My ankle was sore, and so was my back. As mentioned above, I had stopped off for luncheon at a shop along the way but otherwise I’d pretty much been walking nonstop for something like four to five hours by this point.

As a note, that concrete wall you see in the distance there is ‘Crosstown Boulevard,’ and that blue tower is the brand new FNB building. Both of these were described in prior posts, click the links if interested.

Leaving the Strip District, you soon find yourself ‘Downtown.’

– photo by Mitch Waxman

The last scraping steps of this scuttle saw a horrific localized phenomenon best described as your humble narrator alter course, as it pointed that loathsome pre-corpse, within which I dwell, in the direction of the T Light Rail’s ‘Gateway’ station.

The usual wilting of plants and barking of dogs occurred as one moved along, as did the always welcome purse clutching, and defensive deployments of cell phones and pitchforks amongst the gentry. Security cameras swiveled, and followed my path. ‘Flock that,’ I said.

A quick ride on the T, and I was soon back in the tender embrace of Moe the Dog and Our Lady of the Pentacle. This spared anyone from outside the household any chance of being startled by my ignominy.

Back tomorrow with something different – at this – your Newtown Pentacle.

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