Posts Tagged ‘Monongahela River’
Kicking dirt in Homestead
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Where I was standing while shooting this photo is where the structural steel inside the Empire State Building and the East River Bridges was manufactured. It’s also where the steel that would rebuild the US’s WW2 Pacific Fleet – destroyed at Pearl Harbor – was forged. Homestead, Pennsylvania, this is. Just 7 miles outside of Pittsburgh proper.
After the largest steel mill on earth was closed during the Reagan Administration, the municipality of Homestead that it formerly dwelt within was left with a quandary: finding some economic model to keep their citizens alive. The answer they came up with was a vast retail complex called ‘The Waterfront,’ which would also include a residential component and waterfront recreation trails.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Me? I had some time to kill. Our Lady of the Pentacle signed up for a metal working class over at Carrie Furnace, and I had earlier dropped her off there for the event. That gave me three hours to fill, and I really didn’t want to just head back to HQ (only about a half hour away, but…) so a cunning plan was hatched.
It wasn’t all that cunning, actually. I had dinner at a Red Robin burger restaurant and then shlepped back to the car to go take photos. There’s a nearby location which I’ve been haunting, in Homestead, which has offered nothing but photographic frustration to me…
Time to kill? Photo location that’s ‘pregnant’ but unfulfilled? Yep, that’s the one.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The bridge pictured is the Homestead Grays Bridge, connecting the Homestead side of the river to the communities of Rankin, Swissvale, and Braddock. It’s named for the famous Negro League Baseball Team, who were basically the Yankees of their category. Amongst others; Satchel Page, Cool Papa Bell, and Josh Gibson played for the Grays.
Tomorrow, more from Homestead.
“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.
Done, Dirt Cheap
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Welcome back to Pittsburgh, where a humble narrator recently took a short walk in search of a couple of pints of beer and passing locomotives.
Norfolk Southern’s tracks ride on an elevated berm in this area, carven out of the cliff face of Mount Washington itself. The opening, beneath that trestle it’s riding on, is the transit tunnel normally used for buses and the T light rail. Said tunnel has been undergoing a rehabilitation project for the last few months.
I heard a train coming, and managed to capture a quick peek of #4462 when it appeared in a break through the verge.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It was about 4-5 in the afternoon as I was moving through this zone, and vehicle traffic was beginning to stack up, in the approaches to various bridges, and tunnels, and the on-ramps to high speed roads.
Me? I was in a mood.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Nothing specific was wrong, in terms of triggers, just woke up unhappy and easily angered by minor stimuli. Like an asshole. I’d been trapped by obligation and climate for nearly a week, and really needed a day off.
This post is being written mid month, incidentally, whereas you’re receiving it at the end of July. I’ve managed to rebuild my ‘lead time’ here at Newtown Pentacle in the last month or so, and hope that I’m able to maintain a two to three week ‘ahead of schedule’ posture moving forward. Hate publishing a post when the ‘the pixels are still wet.’
I always strive for lead time here, but it seldom works out.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The brewery I haunt, in this area, is found alongside a set of CSX’s Pittsburgh Subdivision tracks and it’s one of the choke points for that rail outfit’s operations here. If one of their train sets is coming through the city, heading east or west, it’s quite likely going to be moving past this spot. What? You’ve never gone fishing? You go where the fish are forced to go and drop the hook there.
That structure on the left is part of a concrete company.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
CSX #7030 appeared, and I wanted to get a slightly different point of view for this photo than I normally do when at this spot.
It was the only train that appeared while I was there.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The locomotive was heading westwards, likely into Ohio at some point, after passing through McKees Rocks, where the company has one of its corporate outposts. I imagine there’s crew turnover there, but I’m just guessing. This is the POV I normally use when here, as a note.
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.
Sometimes, it’s just odd out there
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On a recent afternoon, your humble narrator just threw his hands up in frustration and announced to Our Lady of the Pentacle that he was going out for a walk. She recognized the look in my eyes, that of a wild beast yearning for freedom, and said ‘have a good time.’
One soon found himself at ‘The T’ light rail’s First Avenue Station, where the Panhandle Bridge spans the Monongahela River.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This wasn’t going to be a long walk, at all. It was hot as heck, and I had a lot on my mind. Go to the bar and suck down a few beers sort of thoughts.
I’ve had to pick and choose my battles since returning from NYC, as the weather has been absolutely horrific all month. High heat and humidity, lots and lots of rain, and a set of competing priorities. As described yesterday, I’m currently enjoying a spate of medical tests designed to gauge and document my overall robustness and spot trends.
I don’t like being touched by strangers, let alone stripping down to my skivvies in their presence and letting them irradiate me.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As I’ve mentioned in the past, one of my superpowers is the ability to containerize negative emotions while situational stressors are at work, and then allow the stored up psychic pressure to bleed off at a more opportune time. Essentially, I have a ‘rage bladder,’ and every now and then one needs to let off some steam and bleed it out.
I was by myself, of course. God’s lonely man.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My pathway to the beer taps involved a short walk of less than two miles. This wasn’t an exercise day, and I convinced myself that the effort would be worth it if a few train shots were captured. I know that I mention drinking a lot, but I don’t actually drink all that much. A few beers, maybe once every couple of weeks, these days.
Back in Astoria, my crew of knuckleheads and I had a standing Friday night ‘after work’ meetup at ‘the local,’ but again – a couple/three pints of beer consumed over multiple hours is my deal. I sip, rather than chug.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Monongahela River and the Smithfield Street Bridge came into view, and one pointed his toes in the required direction. This is part of the same trail pictured above, incidentally.
That’s when I saw it.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A single, abandoned, shoe. Can it be?
Has the Queens Cobbler followed me to the Paris of Appalachia?
Back next week with maximum Choo-Choo.
“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.
Homesteading
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Easter Sunday found me lurking in the confines of Homestead, PA.
That’s a meditative labyrinth in the shot above, and I hung around this spot for about twenty minutes until some group of hippies who were walking it had moved on. I had zero hope for a train moving over that bridge, although it’s something I look for whenever I’m in this area.
Circumstance had carried me here, but I wasn’t really ‘feeling it’ as far as walking and shooting goes. There’s great opportunities nearby, but not so much on Easter Sunday. Trains in particular were completely absent, which is saying something amazing for anyone who is familiar with the normal frequency of locomotive traffic in Homestead.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The campus of the former steel mill here has been converted into a sprawling shopping and entertainment complex called ‘The Waterfront,’ which seems to be pretty successful. The actual town of Homestead is up in the hills overlooking the Waterfront. It’s kind of different banana up there, observationally, but I’ve only chatted with a few people that live in this area. One friend hated it, and complained constantly about the train noise. As soon as his lease was up, he moved away seeking quiet.
The longer I live in Pittsburgh, the more that I perceive ‘corridors.’ When people move around in the region, they’ll stick to these corridors. Sometimes the corridor is formed by a high speed or volume road, such as a highway or an interstate, but it could also be a high volume local road that forms the corridor. I began exploring this concept back in Queens, when I would call Northern Blvd. ‘The Carridor’ or talk about Roosevelt Avenue as being the ‘7 train corridor’ and so on.
Homestead seems to be part of a ‘corridor’ which includes nearby Munhall and Duquesne, West Mifflin, Rankin, Swissvale, Braddock, Clairton, which are all connected physically by a series of ‘back roads’ running through the hills, and socially by churches and the diasporic families which attend their services. These back roads were carved out of the landscape by the steel industry, apparently, and residential development just followed the roads.
Fascinating.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I decided to get all fancy for this one, given that without the razzle dazzle of a train moving over the bridge it was otherwise a fairly plain image… so the tripod was set up, and a filter applied to the lens and… well there you are.
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.
Remains of that day
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After a four mile walk, your humble narrator was waving around a wide angle lens, for a last few shots before heading back home to Dormont. I did stop off at the nearby brewery I like, the one alongside the CSX train tracks, and had a recovery lager before summoning a ride back to HQ. The ankle was pissed off.
Pictured above is part of Colors Park, where graffiti and street artists are invited to add their flourished to the place. Great spot this.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Another CSX train shot past me, and I’m sorry to say that running over to and climbing on top of a series of concrete jersey barriers to get the shot isn’t in the cards at the moment.
When crossing streets or just moving around the world right now, I have to constantly say ‘Mitch, you can’t run right now’ to myself. You know things are serious when my inner voice addresses me by name.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The end of this scuttle, and the last shot from this particular excursion. At the right is the City’s jail. The Liberty and Panhandle Bridges are in the center, and Downtown Pittsburgh is in the background. That’s the Monongahela River, of course.
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 