Ohio Digestif
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This is a short one, filed under ‘Odds and Ends.’ After taking a short walk up the Ohio River and turning around at the Western Penitentiary campus, here in Pittsburgh, I was quick stepping it back to the car.
The quick steps thing was about getting my heart rate up to a certain level and maintaining that speed for an interval. Cardiology, amirite?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Along the way, I grabbed a few opportune shots, including one of what seems like an abandoned concrete factory on Brunot’s Island.
Man, if I ever find a way onto that landform, I’m heading straight for this spot.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I love a rusty sign, especially one which hosts a message from an earlier era’s governmental bureaucracy, or some long shuttered business, admonishing or threatening arrest for trespass. I always found this sort of thing to be quite useful from a historical POV, along Newtown Creek and the East River.
Back next week.
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The Pen in Western Pennsylvania
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s the closed ‘State Correctional Institution – Pittsburgh’ or ‘Western Penitentiary’ pictured above, aka ‘The Wall.’ Founded back in 1826, this counterpart of Philadelphia’s famously haunted ‘Eastern State’ was closed in 2017. A more modern ‘Big House’ called SCI Fayette now houses the Commonwealth’s incarcerated bad boys and girls.
An excellent work up on Western Penitentiary, with enormous attention to historic detail, is found at abandonedonline.net.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The trail I was walking on ends nearby the western side of the prison campus, so it made for a convenient turn around point for the scuttle.
My understanding is that infrequent opportunities to photograph the interior of the place do manifest in the form of tours, and a humble narrator intends on attending such an outing (or is it an ‘inning?) when I can. I’ve never been inside a jail, which doesn’t mean I’m a model citizen, rather it indicates that I’ve just never been caught while doing anything really bad.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
All of these shots were gathered through the stout iron fence surrounding the campus, while following my personal prohibition forbidding trespassing. There was a security guard sitting in a car in the place’s parking lot, but that’s not what dissuades one such as myself from trespass.
I’m like a Vampire, and need to be invited in to do my thing.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This was a particularly cold and ‘raw’ day. I was wearing longjohns under the normal black sackcloth ‘Mitch Suit,’ and the flapping black raincoat (aka my ‘Street Cassock’) was all I needed for the outer shell.
Another one of the adaptations I’ve had to make since moving to Pittsburgh has involved the purchase of an actual Winter Coat.
I chose one from the Carhartt brand, as it offered several voluminous pockets which zipper close and is of stout construction. Its downy insulation is only needed when it’s going to be freezing or below, I’d add, and it feels a bit like I’m wearing a down comforter when it’s on. Given how warm it is, it’s surprisingly light in terms of weight, which is a plus.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
At my ‘turnaround point,’ and standing in the driveway of the abandoned state prison. I’ve read about several schemes hatched over the years to do something productive with the property. It belongs to the Commonwealth, as in the State, which is something that seems to annoy the municipality level politicians who want to build… ready for it… ‘affordable housing’ on the 21 acre footprint of the place.
It’s funny, but it seems to me, something like this joint should be turned into a museum that explores the history of the carceral state and law enforcement. Apparently the cost of maintenance and in particular heating and cooling the interior of the gargantuan structure is an untenable expense, however.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One began the scuttle back towards the spot which I had parked the Mobile Oppression Platform (my car) in, where this short walk had started from. It gets dark early here, and I wanted to be well on my way home before I had to activate the MOP’s headlamps. It’s about a ten mile drive from this spot back to HQ, if you’re curious.
Back tomorrow with a few odds and ends from this very gray day.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
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Scuttling along the Ohio
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As mentioned in prior posts, we’re currently experiencing weather conditions which the Pittsburgh’s native ‘Yinzers’ call “The Gray.” Unoccluded skies are a rarity this time of year and it’s often quite wet and cold. Regardless, it was time for a short walk. This time around that took the form a roughly five mile scuttle along a trail that follows the Ohio River nearby the ‘north side’ and ‘chateau’ neighborhoods.
This section of the trail is buttressed by an industrial zone, a sewage treatment plant, a defunct prison, and a power station so… it felt like home to this humble narrator.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I was heading towards the 1890 vintage Ohio Connecting Railroad Bridge at the outset of my scuttle. The trains which use it are generally Norfolk Southern’s. The trail I was walking on was part of the Three Rivers Heritage trail, but signage encountered suggested to me that it was likely added to the larger entity, and was originally called the ‘North Shore of the Ohio River Trail.’ I’m still enjoying my ignorance here, but a sign is a sign.
There are a few small private boat marinas in this section, but the waterline is generally inaccessible unless you like climbing on things. In most places, there’s a 15-20 foot wooded and fenced off drop down from the street/trail level. No doubt this terraced shoreline is part of a flood control strategy.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A few boat ramps were encountered, but they were littered with cast off vehicles, trailers, even a couple of single wide residential mobile homes were observed. The trail was fairly well populated, with bike riders and joggers, and the occasional dog walker.
An interesting conversation was struck up with some bloke who was riding a sort of electric bike, specifically a model that was new to me. He assured me that his conveyance was more than capable of handling Pittsburgh’s steep hills.
I want one of those, to use as a shuttle craft to and from the Enterprise Car.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Combined Sewer Outfall? Heck yeah! The Ohio River is, as it turns out, the most polluted waterway in the United States. That’s an awful fact, as this river is also the primary source of drinking water for multiple communities in several states.
As mentioned above, on the landward side of this trail, there was an industrial zone. Most of it seemed to be populated either by municipal service installations, building supply warehouses, last mile shipping depots, and there were a few examples of odds and ends sort of businesses like HVAC and truck mechanics. I didn’t explore this upland area – at all – on foot, but did drive around a bit after finishing my walk as I’m a connoisseur of industrial zones.
More or less, this Google maps link shows the location where this scuttle took place.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Ohio Connecting Railroad Bridge connects the north side of Pittsburgh with Brunot’s Island (and then the south shore of the Ohio River), and it is inaccessible by foot or vehicle for the average Joe.
I was hoping for a train, but an unoccluded view from the trail was not available. Damned vegetation!
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Luckily, the Richard A. Nomanson Towboat slid into view while it was towing a fuel barge. I wasn’t able to find out much about this boat, which is extremely odd, in my experience.
Back tomorrow.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
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All cars are street cars… just sayin
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Christmas Day is when these shots of the ‘T’ streetcar, speeding through the Borough of Dormont here in the Pittsburgh Metropole, were shot. Our Lady of the Pentacle and myself had met up with neighborhood friends at the local dive bar for a few holiday drinks.
Me? It was actually somewhat bright outside and I couldn’t help but wander about a bit.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The T pictured above and below is a Siemens SD-400 model streetcar, which runs on Pennsylvania Trolley Gauge tracks. These are facts I learned by visiting a detailed and nicely researched post found at tramreview.com.
These streetcars replaced a fleet of earlier and ‘proper’ Trolley cars. I’m planning on heading over to the PA. Trolley Museum at some point in the coming months to learn more.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It was nice having a little get together with the neighbors on Christmas, and also getting a few belts in during the early afternoon.
Day drinking, amirite?
It ain’t the 7 train, the ‘T,’ but I find it pretty interesting. Still haven’t taken a bus or checked out Pittsburgh’s ‘Bus ways.’
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.
Hot Metal Night
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s the Hot Metal Bridge pictured above, and the pathway I was walking here in Pittsburgh was described in this post from February of last year. The burning thermonuclear eye of God itself had slid away from the vault of the sky, and since there really isn’t an extended period of ‘dusk’ in these parts – it gets dark fast. Snap your fingers and ‘boom’ it’s suddenly night time.
I’ve been hankering to do some ‘night work’ again, at any rate, which is something that’s not been on my menu for a while.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I didn’t have any of the equipment normally used for such pursuits along with me on this walk (tripod etc.), rather I was packing a kit of prime lenses so the captures had to be handheld.
No problem there. The prime lenses I had with me are all ‘bright’ with the capability of large apertures. The ‘darkest’ lens I had with me was f2.8 wide open, and the rest ranged from f2 to f1.8 with a couple of them also offering image stabilizer technology. My camera has a built in sensor stabilizer, so coupled with a stabilized lens, that gives me around 6-8 stops worth of wiggle room.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After having walked the Three Rivers Heritage trail from downtown Pittsburgh, alongside the north shore of the Monongahela River, my crossing back to the south side of the waterway was accomplished via the Hot Metal Bridge – a former rail bridge which once connected two sides of a steel mill and has been converted over to automobile/bike/pedestrian usage in modernity.
It got darker with every step I took, which sounds like a metaphor for my entire life, but there we are.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On the right side of the shot above is a high technology focused office park where several corporate entities are based. Carnegie Mellon has a building in there too. All sorts of robotics research, work on self driving cars, and other fairly terrifying advancements are being created and tested therein. The land used to be the property of that former steel mill which the Hot Metal Bridge was a part of.
To my eyes, Pittsburgh has done a lot better with its ‘post industrial landscape’ than NYC has. If this was Brooklyn, those buildings with their hundreds of high paying technology jobs would be empty condo buildings full of ‘pied a terre’ apartments that rich suburbanites use as crash pads when they’re in the City, and rent out as AirBNB’s when they’re not.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s the Birmingham Bridge at center of the shot above, a span which I recently walked over and offered a post about a few weeks ago, with Downtown Pittsburgh rising up behind it.
Luckily, I’d be taking a ride share home this particular evening, as I was heading towards a pub with a pretty excellent bar menu for a dinner date with Our Lady of the Pentacle. This was pretty exciting stuff for us, as we’ve become ‘dirty rotten stay at homes’ since moving out here.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The lifestyle we’re experiencing here in Pittsburgh is domestically focused, and it’s rare that we even get takeout or go to a restaurant for a meal, or go to a bar when we want to have a drink. Generally, it’s meals at home and stocking up at a supermarket about once a week. The isolation is splendid, but every now and then – usually about once every week, or week and a half, we force ourselves out for some diversion.
This is, of course, a real departure from life in NYC with its tiny kitchens that lack automatic dishwashers or food preparation space, and a multitude of take out options.
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.
The Newtown Pentacle 