Archive for the ‘Pittsburgh’ Category
Archives #037
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Hands down, that’s my favorite ever angry pigeon photo above. It’s one of a series of shots that I’d use for profile pics on Xoom meetings during COVID, and I’d switch them around to signal my support or ire at whatever the active speaker was talking about. The ‘non verbal communication’ bird pictured above was encountered in Queens’ Sunnyside Gardens, as a note.
2015’s November 26th post, dubbed ‘louder drone,’ was definitely one for the birds.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
At least once a week back in NYC, over a period of more than a decade, some sort of Newtown Creek ‘thing’ would require my attendance. I would arrive early and then walk home, usually. Two birds, one stone, yeah?
In 2021, ‘scoundrel out’ brought readers back to Newtown Creek.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Since moving to Pittsburgh, rail ‘stuff’ has been catching my eye. It’s actually a challenge photographing something which is huge and moving quickly. Now… that’s the sort of statement which I usually get lacerated for in the comments, so have at it.
These archive posts are reaching into Newtown Pentacle’s backups, and are pulling posts that went public on this date, in their respective years, going back to 2009. This practice will continue until I’m back on both feet full time, and new photos and stories can be gathered. For anyone who hasn’t heard the news, I broke my left ankle at the end of September.
In 2024, a few images of Pittsburgh’s rail traffic was on offer in ‘Thanksgiving Choo-Choos.’
“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.
Archives #034
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Our Lady of the Pentacle and myself lived in Astoria for about nineteen years and I think that I walked over the Pulaski Bridge between LIC and Greenpoint at least once a week for about fifteen of those years. I christened the surrounding area as DUPBO – Down Under the Pulaski Bridge Onramp. It seems many of the mouth breathers from Maspeth take umbrage at this, but I really don’t care.
Over the years, the Maspeth crowd always disappointed me, regarding Newtown Creek. The general sentiment there is to pave it over.
2018’s ‘professional duty’ wandered around ‘DUPBO’ in Long Island City.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The part of Brooklyn I grew up in is practically not in the same Borough as Williamsburg/Greenpoint. My Dad went to Automotive for high school, I’d mention, and back when I was a teenager – if the subject of either neighborhood came up – he’d say ‘Stay outah Nort Brooklyn.’
Long story short, I was a Good Humor Man for most of a summer at the end of high school, and my ice cream selling partner and I ended up getting into a high speed (30mph, as these trucks are not quick) ice cream truck chase with Mister Softee on the Belt Parkway (starting all the way out by Kings Plaza), which ended in Williamsburg when our truck’s engine conked out. Softee escaped the wrath for poaching our territory.
Needing a ride back home from Williamsburg, I called the old man, waking him up. I told him the tale and when I mentioned where we were, he slammed the phone receiver down. Back then, you could hear the phone’s bell chime ring just before the signal went out. A half hour later, the old man shows up in the 1963 Buick Skylark, and me and my partner get in the car. I turn to thank the old man, and then get popped on the side of my head as he said ‘I toldja to stay outah Nort Brooklyn.’
Other than an Italian bakery on Grand street, which made particularly lovely cookies, he avoided the area like the plague. He would have really been pissed off if he was alive when I was doing the whole Newtown Creek thing.
2019’s ‘thing depicted’ focused in on the Verrazano Bridge. This was about the halfway point in the ice cream truck chase.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’m not sure what my ‘long walk’ possibilities are going to be, for a while. I might have to buy a bike or something. All of these trails I’ve been walking here in Pittsburgh are bikes too, so… I guess it would be nice to have some range as well – distance here in Pittsburgh is very, very different than it is in New York with its feature rich environment.
These archive posts are reaching into Newtown Pentacle’s backups, and are pulling posts that went public on this date, in their respective years, going back to 2009. This practice will continue until I’m back on both feet full time, and new photos and stories can be gathered. For anyone who hasn’t heard the news, I broke my left ankle at the end of September.
In 2023, ‘low to high’ was published, which discusses a section of a somewhat long walk in Pittsburgh. I got to see a train!
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.
Archives #023
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Over in England, yesterday was Guy Fawkes day. I’m writing this on America’s Election Day, not too long after getting back home from voting. Hopefully, things are just swell for the Nation. Everywhere, and for everyone, swell.
Me, I’m recovering from a broken ankle so I’m just swollen.
November 6th’s 2011 post, ‘Remember, Remember, the 6th of November’ is the first time (I think) that I advanced my pet theory that the consolidation of the City of Greater New York in 1894 is the worst thing that ever happened to both Brooklyn and Long Island City, whereas it’s the best thing that ever happened to the Shining City of Manhattan.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’ve always found points of curiosity abound in things ubiquitous or mundane. How traffic lights work can be revealed at any sixth grade science fair, along with the fundamentals of volcanology, but how do interconnected networks of traffic lights do their thing? How did asphalt come to be, where does our garbage or the sewer water go, why is the 42nd street IRT station always so hot? What’s that smell?
2015’s ‘discoursed of’ explored a favorite amongst these obscure topics – manhole covers (more accurately ‘access covers’) and the insanely detailed historical stories which they can tell.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’ve been consciously staying at a surface level with Pittsburgh, learning ‘broad stroke’ stuff about the City. Unlike NYC, I can’t have an intelligent conversation here about where Blackbeard’s treasure was buried, or why the trolley to Calvary stopped at Penny Bridge rather than connecting to the Queens side of Newtown Creek.
Finally, this 2023 Pittsburgh post, called ‘Getting Around,’ discusses the always riveting reality of a ‘Mitch got a new lens’ photowalk. This time around it was a wide angle 16mm prime.
“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.
Archives #022
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Another archive post today, which pulls prior postings that were published on this date in their respective years out of backup. I’m still recovering from my broken ankle, but will definitely be voting today. Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing ads on TV which aren’t political as of today. This election cycle has been going on forever.
I used to spend a LOT of time walking around the cemeteries of Western Queens, where I’d often notice weird things going on. To wit, 2010’s ‘pounding on the rocks’ offered observations about a ritual site at St. Michael’s cemetery in Astoria on November 5th of that year.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’ve shot a LOT of press conferences and public events over the years, and have photos of a lot of famous people in my archives. Some are terrifying.
2013’s November 5th ‘olden king’ post talks a bit about the exit of Michael Bloomberg from City Hall, and foreshadows my (100% correct) intuitions about the incoming administration of Bill De Blasio. I hadn’t yet coined the term ‘Dope from Park Slope’ when this post was published. I was stoked when that somehow went mainstream and Curtis Sliwa ran with it during his Mayoral campaign (which I had nothing to do with, btw).
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I hate people. Thereby, I prefer taking photos of large machines doing things, as large machines generally don’t promulgate political theories which have no basis in observable reality.
In 2021, a post about Pittsburgh was published on this date – dubbed ‘luckily attainable’ – which laid out a particular ‘place’ that my psychology had gone in the months following the end of COVID.
“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.
Archives #020
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Hey, ever wonder what happened to all that Federal disaster money they pumped into the City after Sandy?
After Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the Queens Midtown Tunnel in New York City was inundated with an estimated 12 million gallons of water. The storm surge flooded the tunnel, requiring a significant pumping operation to remove the water before reopening.
In 2012, this November 1st post described what Hank the Elevator Guy and I saw when surveying the Queens side of Newtown Creek after Hurricane Sandy. As a note, I never saw the Blue Crow again.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I was lucky that friends with cars would occasionally give me a lift, but your humble narrator believes in mass transit.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Speaking of mass transit, it’s not like NYC has an exclusive franchise.
This one from 2021 was part of a ‘72 hours in Pittsburgh’ Amtrak trip, and focuses in on one of the funicular railways I love so much.
“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 