Posts Tagged ‘North Side’
Rising Main, part 1
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Eighteen stories, vertically speaking, and then just two tenths of a mile horizontally – that’s the size box you’d need for the Rising Main City Steps, which are waiting for you on Pittsburgh’s North Side.
I plan on never walking these steps again, as a note.
During this, and tomorrow’s, post you’ll see why.
Let’s just say that they are structurally compromised, and that the only thing which Rising Main really has going for it in terms of not collapsing is gravity. All the parts of the steps are just piled up on each other in a currently stable fashion, but the land they are set into is shifting and subsiding.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Abandoned homes surround you here.
Curiosity about this apocalyptic condition forced me into learning something, an unwelcome moment which punctured a carefully curated ignorance.
Suffice to say that many of the things I’ve learned about this area will be discussed in forthcoming posts, but the walk opened so many questions to me that I was actually forced to buy a history book, which I will now be forced to read and learn something from.
Farkin bastiches…
Ok… I admit it… I’ve been doing historic research about Pittsburgh. Damn it all, it’s true… it’s all true.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Now that my secret shame is public, I feel freed.
I’m beginning to understand everything now.
Why things are where they are… Y’know, everybody focuses on the 20th century steel stuff, but not on coal extraction and glass manufacturing – both of which happened first, and steel was a consequence of the supply chain network established for glass manufacture and coal/mineral extraction.
Coal… you wouldn’t believe it… parts of Pittsburgh are 90-95% undermined… it’s like mole hills down there. I’m getting ahead of myself, however… that story is still coming into focus…
Steps… the City Steps… Rising Main…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The record is a bit hazy, but apparently these particular steps were installed in 1945. Don’t know if they replaced an earlier set.
The steps do look octogenarian, really.
The horizontal iron bannisters are just barely attached to the concrete sections of steps. In some places, they’ve corroded away entirely, in others, you reach out for one and it sort of pulls towards you, bending away from its posts. I’m certain that these steps haven’t just been sitting out here since the Second World War without any maintenance, but holy smokes they are in lousy condition. Cracks, spalling, subsidence.
The stairs lead down into a ravine. There’s the remnant of a street down there, dubbed Toboggan Street. Several residential buildings can be observed along the path, condemned and collapsing.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
How? That’s the question I kept asking myself, along with ‘why’?
Maybe, it’s the resovoir people? There’s a pumping station on the flat section below which needs the land, maybe? Maybe they’re planning something and need these houses out of the way?
Not so much, as it turned out.
I started looking into the matter, and hit a series of dead ends.
Your humble narrator did learn about the distribution of gangland turf on Pittsburgh’s North Side, during the 80’s and 90’s. ‘Back in the day sitch’ as several veterans of that era described a local milieu when crack was king.
In desperation for some sort of understanding of this scenario, I called my pal Tim, who has lived in Pittsburgh for decades. He worked as a real estate guy for a bit, and thereby has a pretty encyclopedic knowledge of Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods. Tim referred to this area as being the ‘East Street Valley,’ and that injection of terminology unlocked some understanding of the entire area for me.
Still had to buy the book.
Coincidentally, Tim is also an accomplished photographer – who shot the photos featured in the very first book about these City Steps from 2004.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Me? I uttered one of my little aphorisms out loud while shooting this photo – ‘It’s all downhill from here,’ and I continued picking my way down the moss and nitre cloaked concrete of these Rising Main steps.
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.
It’s a fine view, yo.
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There are scuttles, and then there are scuttles.
Most of my walks over the winter months have been constrained by ice and snow, and the still recovering busted ankle situation. Now that the streets are clear again, one feels unbound. Accordingly, a walk which I’ve been desirous of experiencing was finally at hand, and I had all the time in the world to wander about on the 12th of March, a Thursday.
Fineview is this neighborhood’s name. It’s found on Pittsburgh’s extremely hilly north side, and there’s an ‘overlook’ platform there from which to take in and admire the sights. I wasn’t there to look at Pittsburgh from on high, though, I was on a mission.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I did pop out a shot of the ‘Heathside Cottage,’ which was built between 1864 and 1868, and somehow still stands. It’s not remarkable when an important office or governmental structure from the middle 19th century is encountered, it is so when it’s a private home. Wow.
The path at the outset of this one involved a street called ‘Lanark.’
There used to be a trolley/street car which operated on the 12.5% graded Lanark Street, the Route 21–Fineview line, which was extant until 1966. There’s a video on YouTube, with still photos, from the last day of its service – click here for that.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
So… the first thing I learned on this particular day involved transit, which was the beginning of a series of lessons on this day spent in the university of the street.
This scuttle ended up blowing my mind, as it uncovered a series of historic revelations which I had no suspicion about previously. Serendipity!
I am – of course – putting absolutely zero effort into historic research about Pittsburgh – at all… none, zilch.
One prefers to live in total ignorance, and not attempt to understand the terrain that is found all around me. I’d rather that strangers on the TV tell me things to believe and to be afraid of, instead of seeing them for myself and then reading scholarly texts to intuit their actual history…
Saying that, I’ve got two things which I’m currently reading about… crap… I’m not doing any research! Nothing, nein, nada. My ignorance is palpable.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Walking up the hill on the former trolley route of Lanark Street, you encounter a set of raised sidewalks attached to residences. Empty lots begin to manifest soon after this, and signage becomes scant.
My path had been ‘figured out’ before leaving HQ, and I knew – more or less – where I was heading. A few cars passed me by, but there were never more than four or five vehicles. There were zero pedestrians, bike riders, or even people walking dogs – none of that sort of urban stuff – nor were there indications of morbid habitations, or even homeless encampments.
It felt like visiting Salem’s Lot, during the daytime.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One followed the prescribed path, across these raised pavements, and started for a truly unoccupied section up further. There’s some kind of commercial broadcasting operation up here, supposedly there’s a drinking water reservoir up here, and also a whole lot of abandoned houses are found in the direction which I was heading towards.
This section of Pittsburgh, on the North Side of the City, has a ferocious reputation, but I had zero interaction with anybody up here – good or bad. The people on the TV tell me I’m going to get shot while walking around here.
Barbarians abound.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I had no real idea what I was about to see, or what the research I’m definitely not doing afterwards might reveal.
Suffice to say: cheap Pork knuckles, a huge and populous neighborhood, urban renewal horror stories, and a section of the city which Pittsburgh and the PA state highway people pretty much nuked in the name of ‘progress’… that’s what’s found lurking on the other side of that hill.
Come with? Sounds salubrious, don’t it?
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.
Two Hey Now!’s and a bridge
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
‘Hey Now!’ that’s… that’s… that’s the WHITE WHALE. The WHITE WHALE!
It’s actually called Allegheny Valley RR’s #6004. I use the ‘white whale’ as the service is seldom observed, and when it is – usually it’s far away or occluded form the lens by some sort of intervening scenery.
Bah!
Allegheny Commons Park is Pittsburgh’s oldest, and it happens to sport a rail trench running right through the middle of it. This is the view from ‘Ridge Avenue.’ I’ve been wandering around this ‘zone’ quite a bit recently. Easy to get to by mass transit. A fascinating and lovely historic district surrounds the park, as well.
Check out this ‘zone’ in Google Maps, it’s neat.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Believe it or not, I actually managed to run across the street to get this shot! Me, Mr Busted Ankle Boo-Hoo-Hoo guy… running! Running…
The white whale was heading towards the same Merchant Street Bridge tracks which Norfolk Southern #7001 was shown transiting along just yesterday. I felt rather full of myself at this moment, but my day of serendipitous rail photography in Pittsburgh was just getting started.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Another Norfolk Southern train was spotted just a few blocks away, riding upon the concretized berm which carries their tracks. There’s a construction project underway, one which sees crews of laborers chipping at and working on that berm, which is no doubt why the train was ‘on hold.’
An expectation that some sort of movement might occur caused me to adopt a linear path under the highway ramps to try and get a decent POV if any action started to occur. I really wanted to get the puff of exhaust when they gunned the engine to break inertia and start moving.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One lingered about, walking block after block and stalking the train like a middle aged cheetah, until I was more or less across the street from the thing but they were just sitting there idling. I’ve instituted a rule for this sort of situation, no more hanging around and waiting for something to happen after about twenty minutes or so.
I headed south, and back into the sunlight. Hiss!
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s the Rachel Carson bridge, one of the ‘Three Sisters’ bridges over the Allegheny River which connects local traffic to Downtown Pittsburgh and ‘The Strip.’
Gaze…
These are actually great bridges for pedestrians and bikes, I’d mention. Wide side paths, which are completely separated from the vehicle traffic.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The plan from here would involve getting through and out of Downtown Pittsburgh with a minimum of fuss by hopping onto the T light Rail – this area is within the service’s ‘free zone,’ after all – and heading over to more familiar territory on the South Side of the Monongahela River.
The T path was decided upon as I had walked this route multiple times in recent weeks, and didn’t want to ‘spend’ my energy rehashing it.
Back next week with 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.
Operation Huitztlampa huitz ehecatl
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
While heading through Allegheny Commons Park, which as it turns out is the oldest public park in Pittsburgh, a bit of statuary caught my eye. This park was designed in the Victorian era, and clearly inspired by British and French parks of that same time. At one of the concurrence points for the various walking paths, statuary enjoys a prominent position.
Dedicated to the First Civil War era soldiers of the Hampton Battery, which was an artillery unit that saw action in many of the battles of that conflict, including Antietam.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It’s set on sort of an elevated plinth, and my understanding is that what’s it’s standing in front of, currently an under renovation playground for kids, used to be a fountain. Another one of the odd cultural differences between NYC and this part of the country revolves around military service. Pennsylvania, it seems, has one of the highest percentiles of citizens who enlisted in the military and then retired back home.
Back in NYC, you’d meet veterans of the various wars, but it was just like you’d meet anyone else at a bar. You’d buy the guy a beer, say ‘thank you for your service,’ and move on to some other topic like how much De Blasio sucked. Most of the military people I’ve ever met in such circumstance ‘don’t want to talk about it.’
That is, until they got drunk…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Back in my the college years during the late 1980’s, the watering hole that me and my mates favored was an Irish joint on 24th and Third. There was a real cast of characters who hung out there, including a guy named Tito who was the Padrino for a gang of low level criminals that menaced the east 20’s, and ensured that anyone who wanted Cocaine could achieve their goals. Tito once told me his gang’s name was ‘The Puerto Ricans,’ and I got to meet the boss. He was Tito’s dad and his street name was simply ‘Poppie.’ Good times.
There were also a bunch of Viet Nam vets at that bar, who had distinguished themselves militarily overseas and were rewarded with cushy ‘they can’t fire me’ postal jobs at that big post office on 23rd between Third and Lex’s loading docks, which were located on 24th by the bar. These guys used to regularly sneak out of work, and have drinks with the art students at that irish bar. A Medal of Honor and or a Purple Heart bought you a lot of leeway and discretion from the USPS, back in those days.
‘Don’t ask me about ‘Nam,’ was the usual refrain if it came up, from one of them in particular. Two drinks later, and the ‘let me tell you about ‘Nam’ stories would begin. We’d beg him not to ‘talk about ‘Nam,’ as those stories usually cleared the table. It’s sterner stuff than could be handled by we younger generations whose chief desire was to avoid life’s hard edges. Those stories would probably send a member of Gen Z to a mental hospital for a long recovery. Long stories short, napalm sticks to kids.
In Pittsburgh, Veterans get reserved parking spots at shopping malls, and also enjoy discounts at the local chains of breakfast restaurants like Denny’s or ‘Eat and Park.’ Apparently, this sentiment towards America’s retired citizen soldiers ripples through the political and social firmament historically, as well as contemporaneously. As I’ve said a few times: ‘They really wear it on their sleeves in Pittsburgh.’ Not a bad thing, I’d add, just an observation.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Me? The path in front of me would ultimately lead back towards home via the T light rail system.
As described previously, the climate was horrific and cold, and the pavement was fairly well glazed by weeks old accumulations of ice and snow and the freshly iced surfaces anointed by melt water. Had to be careful with every footfall.
South, more or less South – that was the mantra.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Luckily for me, some sort of construction project was underway, along the concretized berm which the Norfolk Southern rail tracks ride atop, and there was a good amount of interesting construction activity underway.
The plan from this point out was to continue the walk in a southerly direction. I’d cross two of Pittsburgh’s three rivers along the way, and then eventually catch a T Light Rail ride back to HQ in Dormont.
Spoilers.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The decision to ‘perma-shadow’ this stretch of roadway and its sidewalks during the urban renewal era, and during the subsequent buildouts of the high speed road interchanges above and around the stadiums… let’s just say that’s something I would totally disagree with. As I used to decry the situation back in LIC – someone has stolen and privatized the sky.
One shook and twisted the gray tinged sensory and gustation stalk, which juts out from my T-Shirt’s neck hole, and continued walking.
If you’re curious, the title of this post is ‘South by Southwest’ in the native Mexica/Aztec language of Nahuatl.
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.
Operation Takhafeef Istadilal
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Yup, that was me, still standing there under Pittsburgh’s Merchant Street Bridge, while watching a train roll past. That’s how I spend my time these days.
The bridge itself is the gray steel trestle section, whereas the yellow bar is there to keep people from wedging their trucks under it.
As described yesterday, this was a short walk perpetrated on the first real ‘melt day’ experienced after weeks of single digit temperatures. The goal was to catch a bit of exercise, this was a ‘photowalk’ not a ‘photostand.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The steel plating above the roadway does little to absorb the sound of the freight train transiting above, one should mention. In fact, the entire roof system under there acts in the manner of a drum kit’s cymbals as it vibrates loudly underneath the passing freight train.
Very exciting, really.
One leaned into it and pushed forward.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Couldn’t help but get a few shots of the rest of that train passing by, from the other side of Merchant Street Bridge, me. Serendipity, yo.
The locomotive engines in the middle of the train are doing duty as ‘DPU’s’ or Diesel Power Units. I’m told that their ‘works’ are governed from the operators cabin at the head of this steel snake.
I had walked a similarly icy route just a week earlier, so the path this day would involve hanging a right at an unfamiliar corner.
‘Let’s go see what’s over there…’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One has become somewhat familiar with this particular corridor, due to regular visits, but less so with the section of the entirety of the park complex and historic district it’s found within. This ‘zone’ used to be part of, and the ‘ritual center’ of, a separate municipality called ‘Allegheny City’ which Pittsburgh annexed back in 1907.
A ruinous amount of ‘urban renewal’ has occurred nearby, especially so with a 1950’s spawned project called ‘Allegheny Center.’
LeCorbusier strikes again.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Surviving structures around the Allegheny Commons Park, which thankfully survived the ‘improvements,’ include great examples of the sort of residential multi unit buildings styles which were constructed before the age of air conditioning or the automobile here in Pittsburgh. Notice those terraces!
The area surrounding this spot, safety wise, is what the old Sicilians back in Brooklyn’s Canarsie would have described as ‘mesa mesa.’ I don’t know if that’s exactly how you spell it, but that’s what they’d say while gesturing with a flat hand that gets rotated from side to side at the wrist.
A bit ‘crimey,’ nothing crazy, but there’s a population of truly annoying junkies who hang around a nearby 711 whom you’d like to not have to interact with. I don’t feel threatened here, but then again I’m calloused.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Allegheny Elks #339 building caught my eye, right there.
Interesting stories about the group’s history and mission, and the building they’ve inhabited for more than a century, can be found at their website.
Back tomorrow with more.
“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 