Troy Hill to St. Nicholas Trail
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Still on Pittsburgh’s Rialto Street today, see yesterday’s post for details on this amazing spot.
For the TLDR crowd: 5th steepest street in Pittsburgh, Route 28 at the bottom with the neighborhood of Troy Hill at the top. The bridge spanning over Rialto Street, visible above, is called the Ley St. Bridge. Steps, ankle, stairs phobia – now you’re all caught up.
Really, scroll back to the Monday post, as I put a bit of work into it.
The shots in today’s post were gathered while moving through here, but didn’t fit into yesterday’s missive.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s neighborhood murals all over Pittsburgh, letting you know that you’re entering a community people call home. The Troy Hill Incline mural on the side of that house is a spectacular example of the sign painter’s art, and fantastic graphic design. The brick building it adorns is a nice example of the sort of homes you might observe up here.
I didn’t wander too far afield, but prior trips through and over Troy Hill have revealed closely sited row houses. Many follow the Philadelphia model, with narrow sidewalks and shared walls. Lots of wood frame construction, and real estate sources suggest that most of the housing up here predates the Second World War.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
In the distance, that’s the 31st Street Bridge, which I’ve walked over several times since moving to Pittsburgh. In addition to highways and high volume roads, a network of rail trails snakes throughout Pittsburgh, which I often exploit. A branch of one of the trails offers egress to that bridge, or to Herr’s Island which is out of sight and down on the Allegheny River. Drivers moving towards the POV above can find connections to the high speed toad Route 28, which allows traffic to hurtle about at highway speeds.
On the other side of the river is Lawrenceville, The Strip District, and there’s street access to both Downtown Pittsburgh and up to Polish Hill.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The shot above shows some ‘very Pittsburghy’ houses. The three story wood frame house seems to need some love and attention, but has strong bones. Just beyond is a home with a bricked porch. The latter is a common adaptation for Pittsburgh’s humid climate which you’ll find in older buildings here, constructed before the age of HVAC and air conditioners. There’s historic apartment buildings all over the place in which each unit has an outdoor space designed to escape the heat.
Yesterday’s post ended at the bottom of Rialto Street, and in that post I promised ‘totally stupid fun’ today.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
OK then, here we are. At the bottom of Rialto Street, at its intersection with Route 28 and the 31st street Bridge. Pretty scary spot for a pedestrian. So, what’s a narrator going to do? Not run across a highway, that’s for sure. Ankle limitations, remember, really can’t ‘run’ right now.
As often stated, when I’m going somewhere for the first time, a bit of time has been spent in Google maps using their ‘street view’ feature to scout. I’ve also driven past this spot a bunch of times, which is how I got so intrigued about the St. Nicholas Trail.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This is actually a bus stop, believe it or not, and that narrow pathway which leads away at more or less the dead bang center of the shot is the St. Nicholas Trail. Looks horrible, doesn’t it?
How can I resist walking down that?
Back tomorrow.
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Rialto St., Pittsburgh’s 5th steepest
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
When I describe something as ‘totally stupid fun,’ it usually means that whereas you’re not going to be terribly comfortable during the experience it’s nevertheless something worth doing, at least once.
To wit, a recent endeavor involved visiting Pittsburgh’s Troy Hill neighborhood, and walking down its infamous Rialto Street, whereupon an exploratory walk along the St. Nicholas Trail would occur. This particular scuttle begins here!
Troy Hill sits above an elevated river flood plain, which is currently occupied (since 2011) by a high speed road called Route 28. Largely Catholic German immigrants began to populate this area during the 1830’s and 40’s. Later on in the game, there used to be a concentration of Croatians (from Jastrebarsko) living where Route 28 is today, and they called the area surrounding their St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church ‘Mala Jaska.’ Route 28 was widened and expanded over a long interval, with the project wrapping up in 2011-12, forcing the removal of the church and surrounding homes. At least, that’s what I’ve been able to discern about the situation.
Again, new to Pittsburgh – if I messed the timeline or tale up, please let me know via the comments and I’ll offer corrections.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The neighborhood of Troy Hill itself is fairly lovely, except for a few problematic spots which are sort of ‘crimey.’ The neighborhood is fairly static in terms of residential turnover and housing stock, with most of the homes in the area dating back to the 1940’s or earlier.
Troy Hill sits nearby and above Herr’s Island down at water level on The Allegheny River, and is next door to Millvale. Herr’s Island was where Pittsburgh’s stock yards were once found, and Rialto Street started out as a dirt path set into a ravine which was used to drive herds of pigs to the slaughterhouse found up top on the hill. The nickname ‘Pig Hill’ is actually still used and in fairly common parlance in Pittsburgh today.
Check out this page at brooklineconnection.com for historic photos of Rialto Street.
Rialto Street itself is only 20 feet wide, and is set against the slope of Troy Hill at a 20-24 degree angle. There’s signs saying ‘no trucks’ but trucks and busses routinely get jammed up trying to negotiate Rialto Street.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s ’City Steps’ set along Rialto, placed so in lieu of a sidewalk. The first thing you encounter when starting down these steps is the Ley St. Bridge. It carries a local street over Rialto Street, and your humble narrator felt obliged to walk up that flight of steps and see what I could see from them.
The fifth steepest street in Pittsburgh, Rialto Street is. It ascends some 36 meters, or 118.11 feet – or 10.9 building stories – from the bottom at Route 28 to the top on Troy Hill. It was an easy decision to walk down these steps rather than up.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Looking back at where the first photo was captured, from up on the Ley Street Bridge. Those Rialto Street steps were difficult walking, even going down, I should mention. The spatial ratio of the rises and runs of these stairs cause you to descend in three step combos, and the same foot (the right sided one) always got stuck with the stepping down motion. My footsteps were thereby bunched up in sets of three, as opposed to four.
Left, right, left – instead of left, right, left, right – Y’know?
I checked with a couple of locals to see if adoption of this three step combo was ‘just me,’ and it wasn’t, as they described the same three step thing and how the staccato rhythm always threw off their stride. It was a good calf workout though, gotta say. I was sore for a couple of days after this scuttle.
I tell’s ya, if you’re spooked by stairs like I am right now (post busted ankle PTSD), Pittsburgh is definitely the place to confront that particular psychic noise and stare it in the eye.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The shot above is still from up on the Ley St. Bridge, looking down towards Rialto Street itself, with Route 28 and the 31st street bridge in the distance. The big bridge leads to Lawrenceville, which I walked through a few weeks ago back. It looks insane, doesn’t it?
Experientially speaking, when driving down Rialto Street, you’re not covering the brake – you’re riding it. My car is a hybrid, so due to the miracle of regenerative braking this pathway really helps me out with free voltage for the battery, but saying all that if you were to pick up enough speed here you will not be able to stop the car in time to avoid bottoming out at the intersection with Route 28.
I’ve seen people wreck their cars (and one semi truck) in this sort of circumstance all over Pittsburgh by not respecting the terrain. Imagine slamming the bottom of the front end of a car against the pavement at 40-50 mph… there’s a reason you see gouges in the asphalt at the bottom of steep hills here.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A few guys shot past me on the steps like I was moving in slow motion, but as I keep mentioning – I’m a bit phobic about stairs at the moment. Broke my left ankle on a set of stairs. Still see flashes of the injury randomly, often when blinking my eyes. Spent two months in a wheel chair, which blinks in every now and agin too. Six months of quite excruciating recovery time. Stairs… brrr…
I’m subjecting myself to some self guided exposure therapy, basically, as the milquetoast and well mannered younger generations would refer to it. Me? I’m from Brooklyn, so I just remind myself to ‘stop being an asshole and get on with your shit already. Nobody cares.’ Still can’t go down stairs without clutching onto the bannister though. I mean death gripping the thing, not holding it, actually. It’s autonomic.
This post ends at the bottom of Rialto Street, but tomorrow’s post will share a few more shots captured along this extraordinary stretch of the viae publicae.
More ‘totally stupid fun’ tomorrow – at this – your Newtown Pentacle.
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Shabbos trio
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Odds and ends today, collected along my travels in Pittsburgh and the surrounding area while out and accomplishing other stuff. Pictured above is the neighborhood of Garfield, I’m told, and it is looking towards Oakland and the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning.
As you’re reading this, one is busily preparing for a week long trip to NYC.
Part of my plan is to dispose of my soiled clothing along the way. I’m packing three T-Shirts identical to the one I’ll be wearing while traveling, for instance, and plan on returning to Pittsburgh with just one. Same thing for socks and skivvies. Outer shell will remain the same, so I’ll just have to avoid spilling mustard or something similar on myself and I’ll be good. These garments are in need of renewal/replacement soon anyway.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I found myself in neighboring Washington County one day and was struck by the complexity of an electrical substation which I was passing by. Pulled over and grabbed a quick picture of it, me. My first thought when seeing this was ‘Godzilla trap.’ The big lizard is hopelessly drawn to this sort of infrastructure, according to the historic documentaries that are regularly offered by Japan’s Toho Studios for the world’s education.
Most of what I’m carrying to NYC with me is ‘kit.’ Lenses, tripod, etc., and I’m really trying to make this a ‘one bag’ trip. I could check luggage, but then I’m stuck carrying it around for at least a full day or two. I’ve often fantasized about using Amazon to deliver clothing to me while away from home, in order to not have to check a bag anywhere. Wear it once and drop it in a donation bin after the next ensemble arrives.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Mobile Oppression Platform, a Toyota, continues to perform admirably. Saying that, it’s got to go back to the mothership periodically for scheduled maintenance. The most recent tire rotation and brake check was accompanied by a flush and replacement of various engine fluids. Fun stuff. Apparently it’s running fine and my tires seem to be holding up well despite their interaction with potholes and train tracks.
I’ve still got a few things to fashion together for the trip. For instance, I need to make foam baffles for my lenses so that I can shoot through windows with minimal reflection. My old set disintegrated.
Postings about my wanderings in the Pittsburgh metro area will continue next week – at this – your Newtown Pentacle.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
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Scuttle’s end
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After a fun hike along the Ohio Water Trail, one last shot of a passing train was gathered. CSX was heading westwards along the Ohio River, whereas I was rolling north-easterly and towards the terminal stop of the T light rail which is nearby Acrisure Stadium.
As mentioned previously, the busted ankle performed well on this one. The only real discomfort I had was an aching back, but that’s exercise for ya. Saying that, I experienced a bit of swelling in the ankle that evening.
Six months to two years, the Doctor said.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s the T light rail, up on its elevated tracks. Luckily, there’s escalators within the station so I didn’t have to get ‘all PTSD’ again regarding stairs.
That phobia is still traveling with me, but has lessened in severity. Exposure to many, many sets of steps and successfully negotiating the rises and runs has alleviated the worst of the condition. My energy levels are finally returning to normal, as well.
Lots of six image posts these days, huh?
When I’m scared of something, I try to conquer that feeling rather than incorporating weakness into my psyche and then forcing other people to deal with my bullshit. In my youth, it was common for adults to remind me that you needed to be tough in life, and that if you fell off a horse you needed to get right back in the saddle as soon as possible. Doing so was considered admirable, in my youth.
Today, you’d start an online group to virtually attend, and wallow in a pity party with similarly aggrieved people, and then you’d try to outlaw horse riding so that nobody has to suffer the way you did. You’d wrap yourself in padding to soften life’s blows, rather than armor.
Seriously, if somebody punches you in the nose, do you cry and run away, or do you bite them on the face (with the intention of leaving a scar) for revenge? Sheesh.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
For the curious, I was listening to a couple of HP Lovecraft audiobooks during this scuttle – specifically ‘The Thing on the Doorstep’ and ‘The Call of Cthulhu.’ The former was narrated by Wayne June, and the latter is a British radio drama adaptation that’s read by actor Garret Hagen.
Back tomorrow with something different – at this – your Newtown Pentacle.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
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Anomalous gravitics
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
When you near the eastern section of the Ohio River Water Trail, the West End Bridge just sort of rises up and looms over you. That bridge is involved in one of the many walking routes I’ve been evolving for myself, since moving out here to Pittsburgh from my lifelong residency in NYC. There’s a set of ‘Bernie Holes’ in the fencing overlooking CSX’s Pittsburgh Subdivision tracks which offer commanding views.
Check out prior posts from up top on the bridge by clicking here.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’m super curious about what happened with that tree above. Just saying. Normally, you’d grind or burn a stump out, you don’t excavate it root and stem. Weird.
Last time I walked through this area, a well established homeless village was found here. Advanced encampments, with water and power, constructed from tarps with structural supports, was observed here and there were probably two to three dozen people living rough along the river. It’s an election year here, and the incumbent Mayor has just been voted out during the Democratic primary and these encampments were a serious component of the critique of the current administration. Saying that, the outgoing Mayor really seemed to send the Cops and Garbage people out to eradicate all of these encampments and tent cities which had sprang up around the trails in the leadup to the primary.
Wonder what happened to all of those poor people.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s a pier here, which seems fairly condemned and is definitely disintegrating, so I didn’t walk out too far on it. Cool view, though.
A lot of post steel development has occurred in the area I was just scuttling into, which isn’t too far from the stadium where the Pittsburgh Steelers dwell in revenant gaze. There’s a casino, the Carnegie Science Center, and a bunch of ‘new’ construction bars and restaurants set midway twixt the dwelling place of the Steelers and that of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team.
Sportsball, and gambling (or games of skill, as they call them in PA).
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Personally, I was never injected with the sports thing or gambling thing as a child. I’m the nerd who can talk intelligently about Star Fleet uniform specs, Godzilla, and what things a Jedi does or does not do. Obscure DC comic I also don’t like gambling all that much, but given that I’ve worked as a professional artist in one way or another for 40 years – there’s my gamble.
Right about this spot is where fatigue from the walk set in. Not in the ankle, oddly enough, but instead in the upper back. I was walking with a full pack on this afternoon, after all, and after a while…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s a hotel, connected to the Casino I think, right where the rail trail returns to the street ‘grid.’ Looks like an architect’s rendering, doesn’t it?
The plan from this point was to acquire access to the nearby light rail station and secure a ride back to HQ in Dormont, which is approximately five miles from where this shot was gathered.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Along the way, couldn’t resist cracking out a shot or two when I noticed that one of the inclines on Mount Washington was moving, across the river. Neat!
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 