Posts Tagged ‘North Side’
A Six Mile scuttle, begins
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
With the summer climate suddenly on my side at the start of August, a humble narrator lurched roughly out of HQ and shambled, hastily, up the hill that it’s located at the bottom of. The effort was in pursuance of riding the T Light Rail into town.
Pictured is a T unit moving away from Pittsburgh, at Dormont’s Potomac Station, but this point of view makes for a nicer photo than the POV of the city bound ones entering the station.
High 70’s and low 80’s, with an astonishingly low level of humidity, coupled with a steady 10-15mph wind – hey now – that’s scuttling weather.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The T carried me to its terminal stop, on the north shore of the Allegheny River, nearby Acrisure Stadium where the Steelers dwell. I’ve taken this particular ‘photowalk’ several times, as the route is always productive in terms of cool and random things to take photos of – tugs, trains, all sorts of stuff.
This walk was, incidentally, one of those moments where I realized how much the gamey ankle has actually healed up. Didn’t trouble me once on this path, or at least until the literal last steps. A bit sore the next day, but there you are. Eleven months, now, I’ve been dealing with this.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My footsteps will generally follow the river trails, so the intention was to first cross the West End Bridge, and then proceed southeasterly along the river trail following the Monongahela on the opposite shoreline, eventually reaching the Sly Fox Brewery – where I’d rehydrate with a pint of lager or two. That was my plan. I got off the T about 2 p.m.
Ended up being a pretty nice afternoon, and I saw lots of cool stuff.
It should be mentioned that I’ve regained my ‘lead time’ here at Newtown Pentacle, and this post was written during the first week of August. It’s always my stated goal to be at least a couple of weeks ahead of publication, but that doesn’t always work out.
At the moment, however, the pipeline is full.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My headphones had been stuck into the old ear holes, and I was listening to favorite amongst my collection of HP Lovecraft audiobooks – “The Lurking Fear” read by Wayne June. I find that cosmic horror goes wonderfully well with a walk, especially so on a warm afternoon in early August. I like the counterpoint.
This section of the river walk is defined by a hotel which seems to be a part of Pittsburgh’s Rivers Casino. I have never set foot within the place. One of the few sins which I haven’t embraced over the years is gambling.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
All of these shiny and happy people were milling about. Some rode bikes. I found myself having to cramp up the muscles around my mouth and pull my lips back across the teeth as they acknowledged me. I also narrowed my eyes and raised my eyebrows.
I think it must have looked like a smile, although it could have also been easily read as the early stages of a stroke, but it’s the best I can imagine. Really, I try to act like the humans occasionally, but I’m clearly faking it. Best place for me is hiding behind a camera, where you can’t see the eye rolls or the scowls or me mouthing various swear words.
That water in today’s shots are the headwaters of the Ohio River, formed from the nearby admixture of the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s another pathway to walk here, but it’s kind of boring despite being a more direct route. One of the real advantages to living in Pittsburgh is access to these trails, for me at least. Former railroad rights of way, it’s one of the few places in the area where you can find a few miles of relatively flat ground to lean into.
Back tomorrow with more.
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Up high, in Allegheny City
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As mentioned in past postings, your humble narrator has been playing ‘catch-up’ with the wishes of the Medical/Insurance Complex. They have ordered technicians to irradiate me, beam high intensity sound through my flesh, and also sample the various internal ichors sloshing about within for chemical analysis. All of their ambitions are in my best interest, of course, and several of these annual diagnostic tests are overdue, having been ‘put on hold’ during the broken ankle ordeal.
One of the ‘reasons for Pittsburgh’ is the quality of health care here. Absolutely top notch. They literally cured Polio here in Pittsburgh ‘back in the day,’ and the medical system here is fairly well staffed and equipped. Everything in Pittsburgh is ‘easy’ in comparison to the drawn out struggles of dealing with NYC’s health system.
Cannot tell you how many times that I said, during the physical therapy part of the ankle recovery period, that ‘thank god I’m not in NYC.’ To wit: on this particular morning, I had a test scheduled at the main hospital here in Pittsburgh, Allegheny General. It’s the building you see used for exteriors on that HBO show ‘The Pitt.’
I literally drove here in 15 minutes from HQ during rush hour, arrived at their parking lot and then easily found a convenient spot, got into an elevator and was seen at precisely the time which my appointment called for. In and out in an hour. Back at the parking lot, and then back home in 10 minutes. Easy.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s the setting for these shots. As you can see, it was quite misty out at about 8:30 in the morning on Pittsburgh’s north side this particular morning. The lot is multi-story, the sort which you drive through and the ramps are set up like the threads of a screw. I always head up to the open air top level. Less crowded. Culturally speaking, the locals will go to blows over a spot nearby the entrance on the first level, whereas the ones up top are normally waiting for a car to fill them.
My test results came back as ‘normal,’ although there’s some stuff going on in there that the docs want to ‘keep an eye on.’ I’m at that age where everything the docs want to look at, or warn me about, sounds terrifying.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Saying all that, I’m nearly 60. The clock, as it were, is ticking. No time to waste. I’m obliging the science stuff here, because it’s colossally stupid not to. Their first name is ‘Doctor,’ and I’m just a schmuck with a camera, so I try to follow the advice of the blue pajamas and white coat crowd as much as possible. If they want photo taking advice, I’m available.
Nothing new has emerged from the various peeks within, which is actually good news. Homeostasis has always been a goal.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My parents were the members of the family who didn’t decamp Brooklyn for Long Island or New Jersey, which meant that they spent a lot of time looking in on and caring for the old timers still in the ‘old neighborhood.’
Take Aunt Vera to the doctor, pick up Aunt Edna on Ocean Parkway and after a few stops, then take them both out for a diner lunch, and then drop off a bag of support hose to Grandma on Linden Blvd. – that would describe my Dad’s average Saturday. I spent a lot of time as a kid around very, very old people and am thereby very familiar with what life’s ‘Act 3’ entails and looks like. The degradations, the humiliations, all of it.
I have no illusions about how my remaining years will play out. Dissolution is the nature of all things. Only thing you really can do for your self is find some way to be as comfortable as possible while you’re waiting on that exit line.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Having stated all of that gloomy yet inevitable stuff, I’ve still got a lot of people to piss off and there’s lots of fun that I haven’t had yet. Once I’m done with all of these medical obligations by the end of July, there’s a couple/three destinations which I want to hit in August/September. I’m also pretty hyped to actually be able to shoot ‘leaf season’ in the ‘burning hills of Pennsylvania’ this year.
Two of the outings are railroad specific, the other is a visit to a nearby urban core which I’m interested in seeing. I’m also pretty hyped about actually experiencing Halloween this year, something which has been denied to me by circumstance since prior to COVID.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, after all.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It was time to get on with my day, after the medical testing was finished.
Unfortunately for me, as I really didn’t want to be doing this kind of detailed and finicky work on this particularly atmospheric day, I had to finish a series of table top product shots back at HQ. Such matters are finicky, especially so when there isn’t a ‘stylist’ to prep the device in question for its portraits. A job’s a job.
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.
Peaceful egress
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The next encounter on my ‘totally stupid fun’ scuttle involved crossing over the highways on the Charles J. Lieberth Pedestrian Walkway.
Named for PBS’s first ‘Mr. Science,’ the bridge spans over Route 28 and its various ramps which lead to other highways and high volume bridges. The pedestrian bridge allows egress over the concrete canyons of the high speed roads.
These highways were cut directly out of Pittsburgh’s central residential districts, dividing and isolating communities. Reading about this city, I have seen Robert Moses’ name pop up here and there as an advisor to both Pittsburgh and PA. planners, and whether or not he or his acolytes had anything to do with this setup is unknown to me, but their influence on the road network here is pretty clear.
‘Urban core is bad, build highways through it to get the population out to the suburbs in cars.’
Me? I’m a big proponent of decking over these traffic chasms and creating parkland above them. It’s expensive, but so’s having tens of thousands of cars shoot through your neighborhood every day.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I floated the idea of decking over the Grand Central Parkway back in Astoria with a few of the powers that be. ‘The Tall Guy’ wasn’t terribly interested, although the ‘other guy’ currently running for Mayor was. The tale I was telling them was one where light weight decking, designed to carry a linear park rather than buildings, along Astoria Blvd. between 31st and 46th streets, was involved. I made the case about Real Estate valuation skyrocketing anywhere within six blocks of a park, cleaner air and its relationship to childhood asthma, and both noise containment and the urban heat island effect.
Decking over the trenches which highways ride through cities in is going to be ‘a thing’ eventually in this country. Not making more land, so… this sort of idea is one of the things that Government is actually good at… it would employ the unions… generate a lot of ‘made in the USA’ business for steel and concrete…
Bah.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
From up on the pedestrian bridge, looking northwards towards the ‘Deutschtown’ section of Pittsburgh’s North Shore.
Don’t know this area well at all, but there’s a lot of historic housing stock and commercial buildings to observe. I’m more familiar with the northern part of this neighborhood closer to Allegheny General Hospital. Exteriors of that institution are shown on the HBO/Max series ‘The Pitt’ as being the setting of the show (pictured here).
They don’t have enough people wearing Steelers jerseys and shorts during the winter for that show to be believably set in Pittsburgh.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Before leaving the pedestrian bridge and regaining normal streets, this highway interchange caught my eye. One of the tricks to driving in Pittsburgh is familiarity with which lane you need to be in for where you’re going. Drivers here are merciless, and enforce their rules with a maximum of mendacity. If you miss your turn, it’s incumbent to double back – there are no second chances on roads in the Steel City.
Me? I was heading for the Heinz Factory Lofts. That’s what they call the Heinz Factory now that it’s been converted to residential.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’ve shown you photos of the Heinz campus before, but nothing systematic or beyond the surface. Hoping to worm my way in there sometime and get busy with the camera.
Just passing through, at any rate.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My next challenge was going to crossing the Allegheny River, and getting to the 16th street bridge. Luckily, that’s the street I was standing one when this photo was taken.
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.
Rail trail scuttling, north side style
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Your humble narrator knew about the existence of a few of the rail trails which snake around Pittsburgh’s edges, but frankly – I had no idea how extensive or numerous they are when I moved out here. The former ‘right of way’ for a bankrupted rail road, or an abandoned ROW no longer used by an extant RR outfit, these trails are converted over to recreational usage for the public after legal ‘abandonment.’ The miles long strips of property ends up in the hands of the state/city/towns they move through. These entities find the cash to pull up the rails and pave the surface, and are usually cared for and maintained by either non profits or ‘friends of’ groups afterwards.
Lots of bike riders, joggers, and pedestrians like me use these trails.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Other than offering a series of fairly unique views, the rail trails also give you a back stage POV on the various industrial sites along their path. The industrial sites were likely sited here to take advantage of the former rail service, and you’ll still see the tracks of sidings crawling out from under fences and onto the properties.
The rail trails also host a fairly unique terrain in Pittsburgh due to their relative flatness. Rail grading equates to one foot of elevation for every hundred feet of horizontal travel, as a note. A variety of trail surfaces are encountered: pavement, asphalt, sometimes crushed limestone. The latter makes for the best walking, imho.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Me? I was doing fine. The ankle was cooperating with my ambitions, and all of this ‘stretch and strengthen’ business I’ve been up to for the last few months has started to pay off. I’m still walking a lot slower than I used to, but I’m doing so without much pain at this point.
Really looking forward to being back in NYC next week, and visiting my beloved Newtown Creek. Hopefully, it will be a meditative interval.
As the occultist saying goes: ‘A wizard must return to his place of power periodically for replenishment.’ I plan on getting plenty replenished.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’m going to be seeing friends and family on this trip, as well as indulging myself in things I used to enjoy. Riding the ferries and smelling the salt water of NY Harbor again sounds really good after suffering through the whole ankle drama. Heading upstate to visit a buddy for a night, and then going back to Queens – LIC specifically – and my Creek. I’m probably not going to spend any time at all back in Astoria, and will be staying at a buddy’s house in Middle Village. Greenpoint is on my ‘to-do’ list too, as is a meal at a certain Kosher Deli in Mill Basin. First Calvary Cemetery will be getting a visit, I suspect.
I’m trying not to over schedule myself this time around, and am planning on doing a lot of photography. A whole lot.
Any suggestions? Anything major that I’ve missed over the last couple of years that I should pay attention to? I’m hoping for serendipity to strike, but some ‘intel’ would be appreciated. Send me a comment using the site link below. Let me know if you don’t want the comment to be public in the text.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Back in the Steel City, this scuttle was hurtling inexorably closer to the titular end of the Ohio River trail. The neighborhood surrounding the industrial zone I’ve been skirting around the edges of is called ‘Chateau,’ or so I’m told.
As described in a prior post focusing in on Western State Penitentiary, also found along this trail, this ‘zone’ is about to struck with the gentrification hammer. The real estate people want to build a giant Ferris Wheel here in the style of the London Eye, with a shopping mall and entertainment complex that offers ‘affordable housing.’ That’ll fix all of Pittsburgh’s problems, for sure.
To be fair, George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. founded his ‘G.W.G. Ferris & Co.’ in Pittsburgh, lived on the North Side and died (1896) there too. Ferris was a railroad and bridge engineer, but was contracted to design and build an attraction for the Great Colombian Exhibition in Chicago (The White City) back in 1893 that would overshadow the Eiffel Tower. He invented his eponymous Ferris Wheel, thereby, in Pittsburgh.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My scuttle was nearing its end, as evinced by the looming nearness of the West End Bridge. To my understanding, the admixture of Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers officially becomes the Ohio River at Point State Park in downtown Pittsburgh – so that’s mile marker zero for the waterbody.
West End Bridge is 1.9 miles from that spot, ‘as the crow flies.’
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 big house
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After walking out from under a few bridges on Pittsburgh’s North Side, your humble narrator headed for the Ohio River while on a recent scuttle.
One of the many rail trails which I’ve been frequenting, this one follows the shoreline of the waterbody, but first you need to get to it. Large industrial sites, and the skeletal remains of a prison, stand in your way.
I’ve mentioned and described Western State Penitentiary before, in this 2024 post. It’s got a real ‘Gotham City’ vibe to it, and you half expect Killer Croc or the Riddler to be locked up within. Of course, there’s no one in there these days except for security guards and the asbestos remediation people. Dreams of avarice in the real estate world have placed a target on this property, whose footprint is enormous.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As is my habit, a quick heel spin was executed. Sometimes I’m just checking to see if anyone’s following me (which happens occasionally), but it’s mainly to see if there’s something I missed while looking in the opposite direction. The guard tower caught my eye.
Unfortunately, I didn’t notice a cool bit of architectural detail while in the field. If I did, I would have zoomed in right on it and got a proper shot.
Notice the parapet, with the fencing, and the iron thingies sticking out?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This is a cropped version, which is at a terribly low resolution… but check out that attention to detail which was applied to something superficial on something as ugly as a prison.
Looks like part of a lighting setup, to me? Whatcha think?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Word has it that a deal has been struck with a real estate group to annihilate this entire ‘zone’ and replace it, with what would basically be a shopping mall that offers affordable housing, and a giant Ferris Wheel.
Wow. Where have I heard that one before? Staten Island, maybe?
One rounded the bend, stepped off of the street, and onto the rail trail.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Officially, I was walking on the Ohio River Water Trail.
Y’know, when I moved out here, I knew there were plenty of waterfont trails. It’s one of the things that sold me on Pittsburgh, to be honest. Saying that, I had no idea about how many of these rail trails actually exist. I’m still finding ones I didn’t even know about, and am training up for a walk to West Virginia next year. (No way I can do 30 miles on foot right now)
Awesome!
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I love this guard tower, which looks like it wad cobbled together from odds and ends. In the midst of all the stolid masonry and thick walls of the prison, you’ve got this hodge podge lumber construction, which would probably be familiar to the Romans (except for the razor wire and chain link, of course).
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 