Station Identification
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Why? Who am I, how did I get where, and ultimately – what the hell?
A humble narrator has been working on a portfolio site, and combing through the tens of thousands of photos in my archives, which has caused these sorts of questions to come up a lot in my own mind. It occurred to me that I might want to say it here, to y’all. As a note, the photos in today’s post were gathered during a short walk in Pittsburgh.
Allow me to introduce, or reintroduce, myself –
Hi, I’m Mitch Waxman.
Constitutional walks occur every other day, but weather and worldly obligation often get in the way. These mostly urban peregrinations of mine have been underway since a health crisis arrived back in 2006, which surprised the hell out of me and ultimately changed the way I live my life.
The curative I’ve obliged, over these six thousand two hundred twenty nine days in the interval, has been governed by this day on/day off walking schedule. Three days a week a humble narrator takes a ‘short walk’ of under five miles (about two hours), and once a week there’s a ‘long walk’ which burns out about ten miles worth of shoe leather. This ain’t the incidental walking one does as part of the daily round, I’m talking about dedicated time instead. I see a lot of things on these walks.
I bring the camera along to keep things interesting, and am almost always alone while I’m scuttling about. I lived in New York City for the entirety of my life – grew up in Brooklyn, and then lived in Manhattan and Astoria, Queens as an adult.
Three hundred and ninety five days ago, I escaped the confines of the City of New York or ‘Home Sweet Hell’ as I’ve always called it, and now dwell in a suburb of the ‘Paris of the Midwest’ – Pittsburgh.
Back in NYC, I was fairly well known for an encyclopedic knowledge of the City’s history, and its dark underbelly. Newtown Creek, Western Queens, North Brooklyn, intra city transit, and New York Harbor’s maritime world were my main points of focus and interest there.
Things progressed to a point where I was regularly offering narrations for – and leading – walking and boat tours of NYC’s less commented upon areas for several ‘non profit’ and ‘for profit’ entities. My activities drew the attention of several journalists and film makers over the years, notably including a NY Times profile of me published in 2012.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Personally speaking, I’ve enjoyed many long term and life long friendships, and have been married to Our Lady of the Pentacle for several decades.
Professional life has seen me write and draw comic books, while simultaneously working on Madison Avenue (in the Advertising Salt Mines) first as a print production artist, then as a photo retoucher. The latter role led me to pick up photography, as I needed to learn how to ‘Sprechen Sie Deutsch’ with the photographers I was working with and for. Facility with the camera led to another job description for me, and since picking up the thing I’ve sold a fair number of photos to national publications, governmental agencies, and corporate websites over the years.
Notoriety led to new opportunities for me to annoy powerful and overly serious people and thwart the evil plans of the avaricious, so I began working with several organizations accordingly to expand the pool of people whom I might anger or distract.
I was the Transportation Chair for Queens Community Board 2 back home in Astoria, Queens. Historian and a Board member at Newtown Creek Alliance, and a Board member of the Working Harbor Committee. I was also a steering committee member, and Strategist, for the transit advocacy group Access Queens.
Most recently – and to be clear this was an invitation, and they asked me – I’ve also recently been added to the list of ‘Who’s Who in America.’
No, really.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This Newtown Pentacle blog of mine began publishing back in May of 2009, when I found myself serving as a Parade Marshall for the Centennial of the Queensboro Bridge. I will always describe myself as a wandering mendicant, clothed in wind blown black sackcloth, carrying a camera. Thing is, I’ve done a lot of cool things over the years which this blog was instrumental in achieving.
When I first started this blog – FIFTEEN YEARS AGO THIS JUNE! – I’d write in a manner and prose style reminiscent of an HP Lovecraft story. Over the years I’ve dropped the HP Lovecraft shtick here at Newtown Pentacle, and sought to let my actual voice come to the fore and attempt to become more conversational in tone.
The best compliment I’ve ever received about Pentacle was that ‘it’s just like hanging out with you, and listening to all your crazy stories, but unfortunately you’re still kind of an asshole.’
Many have asked what prompted the move to Pittsburgh at the end of 2022, intoning that I had some sort of hidden agenda or motivation, and saying ‘you’ll be back.’ I will be back, but not until next year and it’ll just be a visit. Home will always be NYC, but I’m ‘all in’ on Pittsburgh. In the meantime, I’m loving living in Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.
Back next week, with less self aggrandizement or biography. It’s so much easier to write about anything other than one’s self.
“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.
Glass, & Ceratops Quīnquāgintā Septem
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Pittsburgh does a ‘Holiday Market’ dealie near the PPG tower, which is a castellated office building complex that was designed by architect Philip Johnson. Johnson was a guy who would regularly cast stones, even though he literally lived in a glass house for 58 years.
Personally, I’m not really a fan of Johnson’s sterility architecture, as his installations generally create urban deserts around the buildings, blighting any sort of organic street life in an antiseptic and uninviting order. I prefer the chaos of urban heterogeneity, me.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
An ice skating rink is set up in the ‘plaza’ of PPG Place for the Holiday Season, and locals drive in from extant points to indulge. Our Lady of the Pentacle wished to visit a nearby holiday market which was set up a block or two away.
While there, I was closely watching her every move and mentally recording whatever she reacted to positively, as far as the holiday market’s offerings. All of this was in the name of filling her Christmas Stocking, of course, so when I revisited the spot a couple of days later…
On this particular day, however, our sole purchase was a bottle of mull wine, which we would serve at a holiday gathering for a couple of the new neighbors back at HQ.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A statuary display of a Ceratops Quīnquāgintā Septem (that’s how you’d pronounce the number 57 in Latin) or perhaps it was a Heinz Triceratops, was on holiday display nearby the entrance to the PPG tower.
PPG stands for ‘Pittsburgh Plate Glass’ just in case you’re curious. They’re one of Pittsburgh’s ‘anchor’ companies, born and bred.
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.
Maritime Monongahela
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Luckily enough, while this wandering mendicant and humble narrator was crossing Pittsburgh’s Smithfield Street Bridge, spanning the Monongahela River, a towboat and barge setup suddenly appeared.
I’ve been missing the act of photographing maritime action lately, so… I got a-clickin with the camera.
That’s the Darlane B Towboat – you can read its ‘specs’ and history here – and she was navigating westerly under the Panhandle Rail Bridge. Joyously, there was also a T streetcar riding on the Panhandle as the boat moved under it. That T was, in turn, heading southwards out of the First Avenue Station and across the ‘Mon’ towards the Station Square stop at the foot of Mount Washington.
Ultimately, that’s where I was heading to, too.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It was one of those days where I’m carrying only prime lenses rather than zooms and traveling light with a minimum ‘kit.’ For this one I used the 85mm lens, which was the closest thing to a telephoto that I had with me.
Sated by my peregrinations thereby, I crossed the Smithfield Street Bridge over to the south side of the river where the T Station is found, to catch my ride back to HQ.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The T streetcar was boarded, and one soon found himself back in the Borough of Dormont, some five or so miles away from the center of the city. While walking downhill and back to HQ, one soliloquized that an absolutely spectacular sunset had set itself up. Couldn’t resist cracking out a few shots, thereby, of this celestial display.
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.
Existential scuttling
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Those old Christmas season cartoons – the stop motion animation ones from Rankin Bass – they had one heck of a sound track, if you ask me. The Heat/Cold Miser song, in particular, as well as the one from Santa’s origin story which bucked up the Winter Warlock’s mood by suggesting that if you ‘put one foot in front of the other, soon you’ll be walking out the door,’ are tunes that always seem to always actively dwell in my mind.
So does The Who’s ‘Don’t get fooled again’ but that ditty exists in a different mental folder.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As mentioned in prior posts, the particular scuttle during which these shots were gathered wasn’t aimed at any one spot. I was straight up wandering, with intent revolving around getting from one T streetcar station on the north side of the Allegheny River to another one on the south side of the Monongahela River, via the peninsular ‘Downtown’ section of the Pittsburgh. Exploring, essentially.
I will admit to becoming somewhat intrigued by the flatiron shaped brick building pictured above, with its ornate lintels and terracotta decoration. I’m going to have to look into that one at some point.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Pittsburgh’s Smithfield Street Bridge, over the Monongahela River, is fascinating to this NYC transplant. Well… beyond being how I got from one side of the river to the other, where the T station is.
The piers and masonry of the bridge were designed by none other than John Roebling (Brooklyn Bridge), and the steel upper section of the bridge was created by Gustav Lindenthal (Queensboro Bridge).
…put one foot in front of the other…
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.
Golden crossing
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As described last week, a humble narrator was taking one of those regular but quite existential ‘long walks,’ here in Pittsburgh. The scuttling motions were not following any particular design or desire, nor was there an esoteric photographic subject which my steps were chasing toward. Rather, one was simply wandering about, in the manner of a mendicant, clothed in black sack cloth.
The car was back at HQ, and I had taken mass transit (The T Streetcar service) to the northern shore of the Allegheny River. Pictured above are two of the ‘Three Sisters’ bridges spanning the waterway in this section, as captured from the ‘Three Rivers Heritage Trail.’
I don’t remember exactly, but I think the bridge pictured above is the one named for Roberto Clemente, an athlete who was beloved by the masses of this city. The span is also known as the Sixth street bridge, if I’m right about which one it is.
They all look alike, this triad, hence ‘three sisters.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’m fairly sure that this shot was gathered on the Rachel Carson (author of Silent Spring) or Ninth Street Bridge, which I crossed the river upon, from the ‘North Side’ to ‘Downtown.’ Nothing really matters, however, and nobody really cares.
Longtime readers of Newtown Pentacle will remind the newer victims that a humble narrator often gets a bit morose around this time of year – it’s the cold and the dark and the paucity of opportune moments, and most of all – serendipity – which puts me into a mood.
Not anyone’s problem but mine, though, and I always end up finding something ridiculous or interesting to do, the novelty of which blows away the shroud of winter cobwebs, and lights those shadowed places wherein I dwell in garish fashion.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The curative to the sort of mood I’m experiencing is discipline based, for one such as myself.
Got to get out, keep on walking, shooting and ‘experiencing.’ A big part of my recent somnambularity has been weather and holiday related, but mostly it’s been Pittsburgh’s environment. We’re experiencing what the locals will often refer to as “the Gray.” Overcast, dark, cold, and wet. Bah.
The day I was taking this walk, on the other hand, offered a brief six or so hour spell of blue skies and a chance to absorb the radiates of the burning thermonuclear eye of god itself, freely spilling down from the vault in unoccluded fashion, so I took advantage.
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.
The Newtown Pentacle 