Archive for the ‘Pennsylvania’ Category
Ups and downs in Greenfield
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Circumstance found your humble narrator transiting through Pittsburgh’s 15th ward, where the community of Greenfield can be found. Quirky and idiosyncratic in terms of the layout of its streets, Greenfield is set against a steep hill overlooking an area called ‘The Run’ by ordinary people, but I’m told the real estate crowd uses ‘Lower Greenfield’ instead. Valuation is the only thing that matters, yo.
The views on hand from Greenfield are worth the price of admission, I’d offer, and I’m already planning on coming back here for a sunset when time and opportunity allow. Neat.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I was piloting the Mobile Oppression Platform, a Toyota, down the hill towards the flatter sections of the City where the high speed roads heading downtown are found. Couldn’t help but pull over a couple of times to capture the scene. Fascinating spot – and from what I’ve been told – Greenfield is a pretty decent place to live. According to recent statistics, the average closing price for one of these pictured Greenfield houses, in 2024, was $212.4 K.
When you get to the depths of the hill, things get a little complicated. There’s a narrow switchback at the bottom, a couple of them in fact, which I could easily see a van or truck getting snarled into and trapped.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Just before turning out of Greenfield and into neighboring Hazelwood, one last quick stop for a photo. This one looks over the Monongahela River. The black bridge closest to you is the ‘Hot Metal Bridge,’ with the arch of the ‘Birmingham Bridge’ right behind it.
I seem to have conquered the microorganisms which invaded the physical plant over the weekend. Feeling a LOT better today, but am still rather fatigued from all the coughing and fever. Cannot win, me.
Back tomorrow.
“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.
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Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Still under the weather, your humble narrator is, but new material will be occurring again here tomorrow and beyond. I’m still struggling with getting the schedule back to normal on this publication, but it’s a one man show and what with a) the ankle, b) the flu, c) the weather – it’s been a bit difficult to get ahead of the deadlines. Normally, I’m operating at least a week or two away from what’s going live here, but these days it seems like the pixels are still wet when published.
Back tomorrow with something different at this – your Newtown Pentacle.
“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.
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Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Your humble narrator has been compromised by an Upper Respiratory Infection, one which is very little fun. Seems to be on the mend, but it knocked me out for a couple of days – cough, snot, digestive stuff. As stated – no fun.
Be back tomorrow with the product of a walk I took over the weekend.
“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.
Don’t try this at home
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Firstly, every single one of these shots were recorded from within the Mobile Oppression Platform (a Toyota), while your humble narrator was behind the wheel and in the midst of some ultra mundane activity or brain numbing task, somewhere in Pittsburgh. The camera was with me, as always, riding in the passenger seat and vouchsafed within a padded knapsack. Sometimes traffic was at a dead standstill, or it was a red light that I was sitting under, or maybe I had just pulled over to the side of some road here or there. What I’m trying to say is that I wasn’t using a mirrorless DSLR while the car was in motion. That’s a bad idea.
Additionally, all of these were focused on through the windshield of the car. Just wanted to get that out of the way, and mention that’s it’s arguably the worst idea you ever had if you’ve decided to take photos while operating a motor vehicle that’s in motion.
There is no such thing as multi tasking, instead you’re doing two things poorly and not paying enough attention to either.
Depicted above is the Oakland section of Pittsburgh, where PITT and Carnegie Mellon are headquartered, along with a gaggle of museums and churches.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Downtown Pittsburgh is seen above, nearby the triangular peninsula found at the adjoining of the three rivers. That’s the Gateway Center development, pictured above, which is quite close to one of the subterranean ‘T’ light rail stations. The T is in subway mode in this section, traveling through a repurposed RR freight tunnel under the city.
Circumstance has seen me appearing in several sections of this city which are unfamiliar, with this section less so. Downtown is an easy reach from HQ, and fairly easy walking as it’s more or less flat.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
About five miles away from Downtown, this shot was gathered somewhere along the invisible border of the wealthy Squirrel Hill and Shadyside sections. It’s amazing seeing one family dwellings like these so close to the center of a city. As a note, this area is significantly higher in altitude than the previous shot from downtown.
A complaint which I’d offer the software engineers at Google Maps and other GPS based navigational software, about their routing in Pittsburgh, revolves around altitude. Yes, a particular route – when viewed from top down in a standard map view – seems shorter because it shaves a quarter mile off the trip, but if the suggested route involves me having to climb up and down a thousand feet on a hill, I’m not really saving anything, am I?
I’ve had Google maps steer me onto dirt roads to save a minute of travel time, which evaporates immediately when I have to slow down due to conditions. It also has a programmed tendency to route traffic through residential areas, which is good for absolutely no one.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Everyday ends with a drive back to HQ in the Dormont section, where Our Lady of the Pentacle awaits with Moe the Dog. Pictured above is what rush hour traffic looks like, on Pittsburgh’s Liberty Bridge, heading for the ‘tubes’ or Liberty Tunnel. The landform that the tunnel punches through is Mount Washington, which has been described here many times. Again, car is sitting at a dead standstill, with my foot depressing the brake fully. Not moving.
There’s traffic lights which control the bridge’s intersection with the tunnel, which has to be one of the worst traffic designs I’ve ever seen. Guess who laid it out? Robert Moses and his Triborough crew, that’s who, working as consultants for Pittsburgh ‘back in the day.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The 1924 vintage Liberty Tunnel is 1.795 miles long, and provides access from the Monongahela River shoreline through Mount Washington to the South Hills section of Pittsburgh. It provides egress to several primary and secondary arterial roads (‘stroads,’ as transportation geeks would name them) leading to the various boroughs, towns, and municipalities which populate Allegheny County in this area. The county and the city are separate entities, although their footprints largely coincide.
I like blasting Black Sabbath in this tunnel, with the windows and moon roof open. The echoes are fantastic, and I like to fantasize about how annoying it must be for fans of the beeping and beats sort of music that’s popular with the youngins these days.
I think that during this particular crossing, ‘Lord of this world’ was playing.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’m old enough to not be a fan of night time driving anymore, so an attempt is made to get home before the vampires come out. The Liberty Tunnels feed me out onto a roadway called ‘West Liberty’ which eventually becomes ‘Washington Road.’ Luckily, it’s only a 15 minute drive back home once you exit that tunnel.
Back tomorrow with something different at this – your Newtown Pentacle.
“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.
Nighttime in Deutschtown
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A recent social event found your humble narrator out and about.
The event was held at ‘The Priory,’ a hospitality space and hotelier outfit which has renovated and reimagined the 1888 vintage St. Mary’s Priory on Pittsburgh’s North Side.
The event was fun, the food was ok (standard ‘banquet’ stuff), and most importantly – Our Lady of the Pentacle had a good time. I kept on sneaking outside to grab photos, of course.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This area has a bit of a reputation, I’d mention.
Saying that, in my limited experience around these parts, it’s the sort of neighborhood where – if you are seeking trouble – you can definitely find it, but trouble isn’t actively combing the streets looking for you to focus on – if you know what I’m saying. Mind your surroundings, don’t mess with people, you’ll be ok. Just keep moving is all.
A life long occupancy in NYC causes me to filter rumors of ‘trouble’ into categories of risk, I should mention. The fact that I was here at night with Our Lady should tell you what my assessment of the ‘street situation’ is.
It’s a historic district, this, called ‘Deutschtown,’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Across the street from the Priory is the Pressley Street high rise, a 15 floor 211 unit public housing facility operated by the Housing Authority of Pittsburgh, with 16 of those units described as ‘accessible.’
Apparently, it was designed with accessibility for mobility challenged folk in mind, and the city runs several social programs out of the building as well. It’s seemingly a desirable place to live, as the waiting list for availability is so long that it’s not taking new applicants.
Back next week with something different – at this – your Newtown Pentacle.
“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 