Posts Tagged ‘Beechview’
Rise, run, rise, ride
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One had been positively cooped up for several days while handling the ultramundane – obligation, duty, ‘have to’s.’ Finally, a day I could call my own arrived and it was decided to ‘really hit it.’
By the time this particular scuttle ended, my legs and particularly the knees would be sore for days.
Just a couple of blocks from HQ, a street called ‘Louisiana Avenue’ terminates at a pedestrian bridge that leads to a set of City Steps. On this path, you quietly pass through a municipal border – from the Borough of Dormont to the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Beechview.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Beechview’s terrain is severe. Canton Avenue, the steepest street in North America and possibly the world, is found within its confines. These steps, which don’t have a name (apparently) allow pedestrian egress from the low point of Louisiana Avenue all the way up to Neeld Avenue in Beechview, which is a few footfalls away from Broadway Avenue, which is the street that the T light rail runs on. Street level tracks, they are, and this is one of the sections of the service where the T runs as a streetcar/trolley.
I had to climb up those City Steps first.
Must have been about 2-300 feet of them. It’s actually a good thing, to get your heart racing at the start of a walk. My practice has always been to start off at a bit of sprint and warm up the internally lubricated parts before setting off on a full scale ‘wander.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Good cardio, this.
It’s also obeying my self imposed form of exposure therapy to stairs, shaking the PTSD cobwebs out of the brain which have haunted me since the busted ankle incident last year. The psychological after effects of that experience have been with me on every walk since, and every single time that I walk up or down the stairs at home where my accident occurred.
If you’re curious, I was listening to a favorite audiobook: an unabridged reading of Upton Sinclair’s ‘The Jungle.’
The linked file isn’t the version I was listening to, as a note, but it’s at YouTube so that’s more accessible than something you’d have to sign up for to listen to it. The America which the Jungle describes wasn’t so ‘great’ back then – according to actual history – and it’s an era which so many people opine as having been a better time than our current day. Bah!
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After reaching the end of the first set of steps, a hazardous road crossing leads to yet another set of steps, and these ones are solidly in the Beechview section. The plan for the day was loose. My intention involved using the T to get me to a certain midway point, but not to go all the way into town. From there, I’d improvise and follow my nose.
There’s been a construction project underway at the transit tunnel which the T normally routes through. The people who run the service have been routing the light rails instead up and over the landform which that tunnel is bored through, and the route has added an extra and temporary stop at the apex of the prominence, in the Allentown section.
That’s a great spring board, for one such as myself.
The T uses the tracks and wires of a no longer in service light rail line for this task. It adds about ten minutes onto the commute for riders.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Back on regular pavement, but I still had hills to climb. After letting my heart rate drift back from rapid to elevated, I leaned into it. The plan was to walk over to one of the T stops and ride it up to Allentown and then… and then… and then…
That’s a little bridge which the T uses to surmount the valleys and hills. Really, the engineering challenges underlying this service are wild.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After arriving at the stop which I had climbed both stairs and hills to get to, my chariot arrived. I could have walked to a different station via a far less rigorous route, but the point of exercise is ‘exercise,’ not comfort or ease.
The light rail people are nearing the end of their constructive labors on the transit tunnel, and it’s likely been reopened by the time you’re reading this. I wanted to take advantage of the temporary stop at the top in Allentown.
Back tomorrow with more.
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Canton Avenue, Pittsburgh
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The steepest known street in the whole world is Baldwin Street, in Dunedin, New Zealand. This abomination condemns its pedestrians to walk on a 34.8% grade. Baldwin Street holds the Guinness World Record currently for steepest street. In Wales, a former contender and holder of that Guinness Crown is Ffordd Pen Llech, found in Harlech, with a 28.6% gradient. The latter street was the steepest street for a while, as it was originally described as being set at a 37.45% gradient. Under an updated methodology used by the Guinness people, the current ‘28.6’ number was arrived at. Apparently the Welsh are appealing the decision.
(Via Google’s AI: Guinness World Records measures the steepness of a street by determining the maximum gradient over a 10-meter horizontal distance, based on the street’s centerline. This method ensures a consistent and fair comparison, as taking an average over the entire street could mask sections of extreme steepness.)
Pictured in today’s post is Pittsburgh’s Canton Avenue, found in the Beechview section, a street which has a grade of 37%. That makes it (the probable) steepest known street in the Northern Hemisphere, and whereas it might be the second steepest on earth it is certainly the steepest street in the USA (according to official sources).
I took a shot of an ‘official’ Pittsburgh signage, which proclaims this spot as ‘the steepest street in the Continental United States,’ click here for the image, and to hear it all directly from the ‘horse’s mouth.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s an annual bicyclist challenge ride called ‘The Dirty Dozen’ here in Pittsburgh. Participants ride up these crazy hills. This is the inverse view of Canton Avenue above, as in from the bottom. Check out those City Steps which are set along Canton as well.
Up top, it flattens out somewhat, but you’re entering an incredibly hilly section of Pittsburgh called ‘Beechview.’ Newtown Pentacle HQ is embedded into Dormont, right next to Beechview. Canton Avenue is about two miles from HQ.
This sort of terrain, while admittedly an extreme example thereof, is sort of normal here. Remember Rialto Street?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This is one of the ‘ones’ that you’re supposed to visit. While I was there, that family you see in the looking upwards shot at the top of the hill, they had just pulled up to check out Canton Avenue with the kids.
Tourist trade, yo. If I lived there, I’d probably try to sell T-Shirts out of a booth on my lawn. Printed posters, stuffed toys, rock candy. I’d know who Canton was. (Actually, I looked into it and there’s no overt record of how they came up with ‘Canton Avenue’ back in 1905 after Beechview was created. Prior to then, the Canton was called ‘First Avenue.)
If.
Back tomorrow with something different.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
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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
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.
Viewing Beechview, then…
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After my long orthopedic hermitage, recently experienced, your humble narrator is experiencing a lot of emotion. A lot of this unwanted mental activity occurs in the form of impatience which draws on a surprisingly huge and newly arrived reservoir of rage.
Fairness is stuff for children, but there’s an inner child within me who just had to endure multiple months of hellacious pain and the existential horror of having to rely on others for my basic needs. A big part of this recent experience involved just having to just take it when somebody threw a curveball at me. That time is done, and I’ve got a new list.
Normal circumstance sees me bleeding out all of this extra emotional energy via exercise. The lack thereof over the last five months has seriously impacted me both psychologically and physically. My patience for other’s foibles and stupidity has never seen as low a bar as the one in place right now. That time is done, and slapping my feet against the ground is literally all that I want to do right now. Go, go, go.
Filthy black raincoat, Sabbath on the headphones, camera in hand, your humble narrator groaning and cussing. Scuttling along.
First stop for me on this particular walk involved the Pittsburgh community of Beechview, found right next door to HQ in Dormont.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The plan for the day involved catching a T light rail at the ‘Fallowfield’ stop. The T leaves behind running at street grade in the manner of a Trolley here, and the tracks continue onto a cantilevered series of bridges set against the steep hills. That means that you’ve got a series of interesting views here, all of them overlooking a very well lived in residential area. Beechview hosts the steepest street in North America, which is not too far from here. I’m planning on paying Canton Avenue a visit soon, but the ankle isn’t ready for that one yet.
Speaking of, the shattered joint was behaving itself. My gait is still considerably slower than previously, but the limp has alleviated and my foot was hitting down with full heel strikes that were followed by full rolling steps with kick off’s from the toes. This reality has started a series of psychological responses in me that have little to no basis in fact, but are part of how I motivate myself. As John Lydon opined ‘anger is an energy.’ Saying that, I’m also kind of nuts…
‘Nobody thought I’d recover from all this so quickly, even the docs, and there are many out there are sorry to see that I have regained my feet. Hell, they all wanted to see me fail and disappear. Everyone enjoys watching me suffer. My misfortune must have been a moment of celebration for the many who seek my destruction. I’m hated, like an animal – the disposed, despised, and dispossessed…
I will show them all! Soon, I will begin working on my own race of Atomic Supermen, with whom I shall conquer ze vorld!’
Other than that, the jungle is my home, yo.
(In reality, literally everybody around me has been super supportive and accommodating during this nightmare. Principal amongst the many is Our Lady of the Pentacle. Special mentions for my neighbor Charlotte, who picked me up from the hospital after surgery, my pal Brent who drove my car around with Our Lady a bit in order to keep the hybrid battery charged during my wheelchair interval, and my Pal Val who sent me a box of black and white cookies and a deck of cards shortly after the injury to cheer me up. Have to also throw one out o my pal Vinny for sending me an issue of Weird New Jersey to read when I was deepest in the trench. Also, to all of my friends who have had to endure talking to me on the phone – thanks.)
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As described above, in what’s working out to be a Friday manifesto, the T transitions at this station from running at street level with asphalt embedded tracks, to a series of rail bridges that span the valleys below. My plan, incidentally, didn’t involve catching a ride at this particular station, I was just there for the views.
The bridge which the T rides on also offers a long pedestrian walkway between this and the next stop, a path which I wanted to check out.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Pittsburgh bound T arrived, and turned onto the bridge. I hung around a minute, getting a few shots of its passage. Then I leaned into the scuttle and started down that pedestrian bridge leading to the next stop. The ankle was performing as well as could be expected, as far as a reconditioned OEM part goes.
Seriously though, whereas I was extremely aware of the joint and its various new quirks, the walking was pretty easy and I wasn’t experiencing much in the way of pain.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This is the pedestrian bridge mentioned above. I wasn’t planning on getting ‘busy’ up here but next time I come through it’s going to be my smaller prime lenses, which can shoot through fence holes, will be installed on the camera instead of the big zoom lens.
Amazing that after two and change years, I’m still scouting locations. Feature rich environment, Pittsburgh is. When it warms up in a month or two, looking forward to coming back to some of these spots at opportune times of day.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My chariot arrived at the second T station which the pedestrian bridge had carried me to. This was a low platform station, so the first step onboard involves pulling yourself up into the thing.
Back next week with more, more, more – 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.
it… IT’S ALIVE!!!
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Welcome back to the tyranny of the new, lords and ladies. Pictured above is a street in Pittsburgh’s Beechview section, which is characteristically hilly. This shot was from a false start attempt at a shooting day from a couple of weeks ago, when I erroneously believed that I was ready to get back behind the camera. I wasn’t.
Accordingly, this one was shot out of the moon roof of my car. It’s street photography today, as in its photos of streets on offer.
Today marks the return of new postings here at Newtown Pentacle, nearly three months to the day since I broke my ankle in three places and dislocated my left foot. I’m going to be getting back up to speed slowly, or at least that’s the plan. It still hurts, a lot.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
For the last couple of weeks, the Docs have had me return to wearing normal footwear and leave the walking boot/brace behind me. Everyday seems to be a bit better than the last, although there’s still a good amount of random pain encountered.
This shot depicts a snowy expanse of Dormont, the Pittsburgh Borough which HQ is found in. I’ve been mainly running errands and driving to Doctors appointments for the last month, and finding anything interesting to look at or photograph during this sort of daily round has been a challenge. My ‘PT’ office, for instance, is in the middle of a giant shopping center so the only ‘view’ on offer there is one of Target, Macy’s, or Whole Foods. There’s a Dick’s Sporting Goods too, but there you are.
I’ve only started carrying the camera around with me, all the time, in just this last week.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A few social engagements have been attended, pleasant intervals which have benefited the mood here at HQ greatly. Our Lady of the Pentacle kept me alive and as well as I could be for the last few months, but I’d have had to go to a rehab or nursing home to recover if it wasn’t for her never ending labors and devotion. She bore the burden heroically.
I went out shooting just this last Saturday and will be displaying my captures here all week, at this – your reborn 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 