Posts Tagged ‘Bus’
Scuttling, diagonally
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As described yesterday, your humble narrator was out for a short walk.
Not an exodus, nor a crossing of some hostile desert, this time around it was all familiar territory.
One was loathsomely scuttling down the diagonally cantilevered PJ McArdle roadway, here on the face of Pittsburgh’s Mount Washington. I’ve walked this way several times over the last few years.
That’s the Monongahela Incline, pictured. It’s a funicular railway.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Every now and again, one needs to relax a bit, take it easy. Ruminate.
I’ve really been getting around, in the last six months in particular.
A lot of attention has been paid to Pittsburgh’s North Side in the last six months, and to several other ‘zones’ around the city which I have some sort of intellectual interest in. Troy Hill, East Liberty, East Street Valley, Perry Hilltop and the Swindell Bridge, Skunk Hollow, Brighton Heights, lots of new and novel sights for me.
This scuttle was a bit more like visiting a relative’s house, I’d venture.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My day was abbreviated, due to an incoming weather system promising to bring thunderstorms and tornadic warnings to the area. It was quite a nice day at the time I was out and about, climatological wise, otherwise.
Happily, I was wearing a new pair of Merrell hiking boots, after discovering that I had ground my older pair’s soles down to flat.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Speaking of flat, when I got down to Carson Street, the Via Majorica of the South Side Flats section – a wrecker towing a bus was observed. I whipped the camera forward, and the two guys driving the thing saw me and started vamping for the shot. Sweet.
Me? I wanted to go shoot a picture of a train and also drink a beer.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Hey Now! CSX #3346 shot through the usual spot and satisfied my urge. I had a singular glass of suds, and then walked back towards the T light rail which is about a half mile or so away from this spot.
All told, maybe three miles in total, if we’re stretching it.
Specific ‘leg work’ for the day involved hyperextension of, and stretching the tendons, leading into and out of my ‘bad’ ankle joint while walking downhill. Accomplished mainly via a series of walking postures.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Finally, a ride back to HQ in Dormont on the T light rail, and yet another happy reconciliation with a dog named Moe, and a woman called ‘Our Lady of the Pentacle.’
Back tomorrow 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.
He’ll sleep well tonight
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Final images from the longest walk I’ve been able to take since the ‘orthopedic incident’ hobbled your humble narrator are on display today.
After walking through one of Pittsburgh’s central corridors, and visiting a brewery found alongside some train tracks, one began the journey back to HQ in nearby Dormont.
It’s quite a small ‘shlep’ to get to the light rail station from this spot.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As is my habit, I kept shooting while in movement. I’m planning on doing some ‘proper’ night shooting excursions in the spring, by the way. By proper – I mean tripod and full gear. For this walk, I was carrying my ‘minimum’ kit, and everything was hand held.
The day after this walk – snow, rain, and freezing temperatures returned to the Paris of Appalachia. That began a long cycle of ‘no bueno.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I haven’t been pursuing the low light dealie during my recovery period from the busted ankle, for obvious reasons. Frankly, it’s taken a lot of effort to just walk around during the afternoons, but there we are.
Also, I need to restate the fact that I’m not doing any historic research about Pittsburgh at all. None. My ignorance is curatorial.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Although I regularly pass through this Station Square Light Rail Station, I’ve remained inexperienced regarding the bus stops which are found there as well. As is often intoned, I’m planning on getting familiar with how the buses here work in the near future. It’s ’next.’
I had to cross a pretty busy street, so I hit the ‘walk’ arrow on the talking lamp post and it began telling me to wait.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
You see these talking lamp posts all over Pittsburgh, Philly too, so it must be a PA thing. I presume they’re accommodations for people with sensory deficits. It’s all pretty civilized, if you ask me. We didn’t have talking lamp posts like this back in Queens. The NYC version would probably tell you to ‘hurry the ‘eff up and get the ‘eff across the street, what are ya? An icehole?’
At any rate, this icehole chicken crossed the road, as I truly needed to get to the other side. That’s where the station is.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The T reliably got me back to Dormont, where my favorite local Pizza guy also happened to be open.
Turns out that the there’s this guy in Pittsburgh named ‘Antknee,’ who also grew up in the world’s only ‘true’ place – known as Brooklyn. He learned how to make pizza in Greenpoint, on Manhattan Avenue. It’s a proper NYC slice he offers, as far as the napolitan. His Sicilian slice is a bit smaller than the NYC standard, but it’s covered in charred pepperoni. Mmm.
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 