Posts Tagged ‘Beechview’
Denial of Service
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Recently, a humble narrator’s pursuit of exercise and outdoor time found him once again at Pittsburgh’s Seldom Seen Greenway, located in the larger City’s Beechview section. As long time readers will tell you, I’ve been haunting a set of rail tracks here which are infrequently crossed by rail traffic, and then returning home empty handed for the effort.
There’s a parking lot, and the magnificently well appointed brick tunnel which leads you under the rail trestle, and which then leads back into a set of paths that are garlanded along the hills, is pictured above. One of those paths leads up a hill, and carries you to those rail tracks.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Boy, that would be a nice shot this would be if there was a train in it, huh? If you like it, I’ve got several shots of these empty tracks I could show you.
A Wheeling & Lake Erie train is said to come through here about four times a day, on an irregular schedule. I’ve put in a lot of hours standing around here and waiting for that to happen at this point. Persistent effort is one of my ‘things’ so it’s just a matter of time until I get it. This spot is about a 15 minute drive from HQ, so no biggie, but it’s frustrating.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After about an hour, one threw in the towel and headed back down the path. I was out for a walk rather than a ‘stand around,’ after all, and the whole point of this exercise was ultimately exercise – so I got back to kicking my feet around in the dirt and mud.
Back tomorrow with the product of a far more successful outing.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
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“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.
Goldurnit
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Sigh… so… the local transit outfit, which operates the T Light Rail here in Pittsburgh, is called ‘Pittsburgh Regional Transit,’ or simply ‘PRT.’ Compared to the monstrous political patronage outfit and financial black hole back in NYC which calls itself the MTA – PRT is comparatively a small family sized business that runs buses, inclines, and a truly tiny light rail system around the Pittsburgh metro area. The PRT does a better job of all this – with far fewer resources – if you ask me, but they’re still the ‘Gub’mint.’
Recently announced, there’s a series of repair and maintenance projects barreling down the pike towards Pittsburgh. Several of these will specifically affect me, so when PRT announced they were going to stage a public meeting to present on and discuss the situation…
As always: They’d show up with their PowerPoint presentations, and a consolidated ‘This is how it’s going to be’ message. Somebody from the community always has to show up, ignore the social contract of not questioning your betters, and say to them ‘not good enough.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I said that I was never going to another Governmental meeting, didn’t I?
I’m done, I said.
Despite that… there I was, with my big mouth flapping open and saying it – “Hi, I’m Mitch Waxman, and…” Before I knew it I was asking how they’d combat decaying headway times during the construction process, and questioning their (highly optimistic and flawed) metrics about the time factor of loading shuttle buses versus the light rail system.
Damn it. The battle with darkness never ends, does it.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Suffice to say that you’re not going to be seeing shots here of the T running between the end of May and September, and that I’m finally going to be taking a ride on a Pittsburgh bus. Looking forward to checking out the busway system, I am, with its private rights of way separate from private vehicular traffic. That’s the plus, the positive side of things.
The negative is that the summer of ‘24 outage in T service is just the beginning of a long series of projects which are scheduled to play out over a nearly five year interval. Even worse news is that I’m supposed to attend a meeting of the local transit advocacy group, tomorrow night.
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.
Frustration
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The weather has generally not been on my side during February, and after the trip to NYC, one has found the rubber bands in his legs and feet tightening up and offering generous amounts of discomfort. The only way out of this particular trap for me is to follow one of the mottos which people who know me in real life are sick of hearing repetition of, the one about ‘internally lubricated parts and using or losing them.’
Thereby, any spare minute when I don’t have to be sitting down, I’m standing or moving. It hurts less the following day when I do.
A recent afternoon found me with an opportunity to stand AND move, so I hopped into the Mobile Oppression Platform and headed over to the ‘Seldom Seen Greenway’ trail, which is a quick drive from HQ. I’ve mentioned this place several times in the past.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Yes. I was back hunting for a certain shot which I desire to collect.
No. I did not get it, again, even though I stood around like a schmuck for about two hours.
Funnily enough, a few people appeared along these isolated tracks and interesting conversations ensued. One bloke described the problems he experiences running a dairy farm in the 21st century, another one was a genuine young railfan who aspired to achieve a Master’s degree in Urban Planning someday. Really wasn’t expecting to see anybody up here at all.
Man, just look at that composition… if only there was a subject in the shot, huh? Imagine it, a Wheeling & Lake Erie RR locomotive right in the middle of the photo. That would really be something, wouldn’t it?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
While walking gingerly and defeated, down the muddy trail leading back to the paved sanctity of a parking lot, a humble narrator was cursing and frustrated.
Two hours I stood there, feet sinking into the mud along the tracks. I mention this sort of thing – and not because I enjoy describing my failures. Instead, it’s to describe that there’s a process behind the camera which you have to oblige and that whereas you can as ready as possible – gear, time of day, light etc. – sometimes you still come home empty handed despite the effort and preparation.
That’s ok too. Part of the process.
Also, I gotta get me one of them railfanning radios at some point, so I can decide whether or not I’m going to spend my time sinking into the mud productively or not. I actually came back to this exact spot a day or two later and did the exact same thing – stood around waiting for a train for hours, but ‘no bueno.’
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.
An avenue called Broadway
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As described in yesterday’s post, one decided to climb the equivalence of 12 building stories worth of municipal steps here in Pittsburgh’s Borough of Dormont, on a short walk around the neighborhood. Thing is, when you leave these steps, you’re in a different neighborhood than where you started – pictured in today’s post is one called Beechview. Beechview is notoriously hilly, but there’s a fairly flat street called ‘Broadway Avenue’ which the T street car runs along, so that’s where I was heading to.
My legs were absolutely quivering from bounding up all those stairs. Goal set, and achieved.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Like the section of Dormont where HQ is found, this part of Beechview is largely residential and its streets are lined with fine old houses of heterogenous character, and hosts many hills and valleys. Broadway Avenue runs along a ridge at the top of the stack, and the T streetcar tracks run along it.
The streets in Beechview are quite challenging to drive along let alone walk – I’d mention – narrow and set against the steep slopes. In fact, the 2nd steepest street on the planet is found nearby, dubbed Canton Avenue. There’s a street in New Zealand which is half a degree steeper, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The T was passing by just as I got to Broadway Avenue, and the streetcar service was entering a small rail only bridge which carries it over a gully. This one is moving away from Pittsburgh, towards its South Hills terminal stop several miles away.
The T system is confusing for this MTA Subway veteran.
You pay your fare while boarding on your way into Pittsburgh, and while debarking the car when you’re leaving Pittsburgh.
In the center of the city, you can ride it for free.
You buy a credit card like thingie called a ‘ConnectCard’ at one of the local supermarket chains, and then either load it with cash or simply connect it to a checking account. I prefer the latter, although back in NYC I refused to ever connect a Metrocard to my bank account because… MTA. They have ticketing machines too, but they’re a pain in the neck. Supposedly, they’re rolling out a ‘tap your phone’ system, but I haven’t done that one yet.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s what Beechview looks like, from Broadway Avenue. You can kind of understand why they build all of those municipal steps.
Ruminating while scuttling along, it occurred to me that I’ve spent most of my adult life along ‘Broadways.’ When I lived in Manhattan, its was at 100th and Broadway. Astoria was 44th and Broadway. In Dormont, I’m a few blocks from Broadway Avenue. Weird.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Another T came rolling by, as I walked on and on. This had to be about 4 or so in the afternoon, I reckon. In this section, the T isn’t separated from vehicle traffic as it is back in Dormont. It mingles with automotive and bus traffic. They have little raised concrete ‘islands’ set up for people waiting to ride the service. The islands are protected from traffic by bollards and those little plastic sticks with the reflectors on them (flexible delimiters is the official name for these sticks).
Personally speaking, I detest having to drive on top of the streetcar’s rails, and especially so when it’s raining or icy out.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My turn around point on this walk was at a T stop called ‘Fallowfield,’ and the plan was to actually take the T back to Dormont rather than just reverse course on foot. Those stairs really are something.
You’ll notice two sets of doors on the T. The foremost set are designed for the little customer islands, and within the car there’s a set of bus style steps you use to enter or leave the thing. The second set of doors are designed for the ‘high platform’ stations which are also found within the system. Neat.
Back next week with something different.
“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.
A Dormont ‘thigh buster’ scuttle
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The scene above is found about a block and a half from HQ, in the Dormont Borough which directly borders the City of Pittsburgh. Actually, the shot above is in Pittsburgh proper, as the city’s border line is found somewhere’s mid block. I’ve mentioned that HQ is nearby a gorge in the past, that bridge spans part of that landform.
Also mentioned in the past are the presence of hundreds of sets of municipal steps here in Pittsburgh, installed to help the citizenry navigate the area’s challenging terrain.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This bridge is ‘officially’ a set of stairs, or at least it leads to a set of them, which climbs up the other side of the gorge. I’ve walked Moe the Dog back here in the past, and for this particular day’s ’constitutional,’ I decided that I wanted to do some leg work.
According to the phone, when I had gotten to the top of this and its accompanying structure, I had walked something like 11-12 stories worth of stairs in the equivalence of two city blocks.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
These stairs are set against a wooded hill, where those deer which keep on wandering into my back yard spend their time. Pittsburgh used to have predators, notably Panthers and Wolves, but they’re long gone and the deer population is thereby unfettered by predation. Their main danger to them these days revolves around getting hit by a car.
Good cardio, these stairs.
I forced myself to move up them at a rapid clip while enjoying the feeling of absolute tearing agony in my thighs. I’ll admit to having to take a short break to catch my breath and allow my heart’s ‘beats per minute’ to settle down midway.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The top of the stairs exits you onto a tertiary arterial road, one which follows a parabolic curve around the hill. This is a scary spot, as there’s not any sort of sidewalk, and you’ve only got about a hundred feet of view in either direction. A car moving at 35 mph would bring annihilation so you have to choose your crossing moment quickly.
There’s a red light found at the bottom of this hill, where this street interacts with a busy secondary arterial road.. When a burst of passing cars has passed, that’s when you sprint across the double laned street.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On the other side of the road is yet another set of stairs which carry you from the aforementioned secondary to a tertiary arterial road, and the top of a ridge. The street sign across the street is blue and white, meaning it’s in the ‘City of Pittsburgh.’ It’s also labeled as being a ‘way’ which indicates that it’s officially an alley. That’s the way they roll here.
Along the path above, somebody has placed plastic religious sculptures, depicting what I’m seeing as the Catholic Saint Francis. What do you think? This Francis or what? Help a guy out, youse ‘Catlicks,’ in the comments section? Whaddya say?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My goal was to get to the top of these stairs without dying, huffing and puffing, and then continue on a relatively flat path for a mile or two. I’d broken a sweat on all of these rises and runs, which was one accomplishment I was hoping for. I’d also gotten my heart rate elevated for an extended period, and positively blasted my thighs out with all these steep steps. It felt pretty good, I’ll admit.
In case you’re wondering, on this walk I was listening to music rather than an audiobook. Early Butthole Surfers, if you’re really curious.
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 