Posts Tagged ‘Ohio River’
Crossing Ohio River, via West End Bridge
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As described yesterday, a constitutional scuttle was undertaken, one which found the camera being carried towards and then over the West End Bridge spanning the headwaters of the Ohio River.
H.P. Lovecraft’s ‘The Lurking Fear’ as read by Wayne June was the audiobook I was listening to. Man, did I get my money’s worth out of that purchase, some twenty years ago, or what? I must have listened to this recording hundreds, it not thousands, of times at this point. Mole hills!
At any rate, I was preparing myself to surmount a set of steps, which I still have a ‘thing’ about in my head. Broke my ankle on a set of steps at home, and have been enjoying the PTSD ever since. Phobic about the rises and runs of stairs, me. It’s getting better, though.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s a big development project that’s meant to kick in around here, which is probably why there’s so many empty lots. During football and baseball games, the owners of these empty properties use them as commercial parking lots, to help handle the overflow of vehicles, and to make bank.
I leaned into it, and shook my head until my apprehensions about the steps faded. It must have looked like a scene from Jacob’s Ladder.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’m all ‘effed up.
I’ve described crossing the West End Bridge, its history, and its environs before, click here for all that. This particular walking path is regularly visited, as it’s a fairly easy ‘reach’ for me to find a few hours for exercise during an afternoon. Leaving the car at home and using mass transit like the ‘The T’ to get into the zone is just a plus. Once a New Yorker…
I’ve gotten curious in terms of statistics, regarding Pittsburgh. A lot of this thought process involves comparison between ‘the old neighborhood’ and Pittsburgh. For ‘old neighborhood,’ let’s just use Brooklyn, as NYC itself rates as a bit of a Nation State, rather than a mere municipality.
I asked a computer about comparative geography, so according to Google’s AI:
- Brooklyn: Has a land area of 69.4 square miles (183.4 km²).
- Pittsburgh: Has a land area of 55.6 square miles (144 km²).
- Comparison: Brooklyn is significantly larger in land area than Pittsburgh.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Hey now, that’s active rail action on the other side of the bridge!
This day, as a note, would end up being described as ‘fantastic’ if the subject of rail traffic or quality of light was my qualifier. Really productive day on that front, as you’ll see in subsequent posts.
Also, comparing the numbers of and brands of people, from Google’s AI:
- Brooklyn: In 2020, Brooklyn’s population was 2,736,074, with a density of 39,336 people per square mile. In 2023, the population was estimated to be 2,646,306. It’s known for its significant cultural, ethnic, and linguistic diversity. In 2023, the racial composition was estimated to be 36.2% White, 26.2% Black, 18.9% Hispanic, and 12.3% Asian.
- Pittsburgh: In 2023, Pittsburgh’s population was estimated to be 303,255. The metropolitan area’s racial demographics were estimated to be 83% white, 7% Black, 3% Asian, and 2% Hispanic.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’ve mentioned this several times over the last few years, but… there’s the ‘City of Pittsburgh’ and then the ‘Pittsburgh Metro Area or Greater Pittsburgh’ concept, and then there’s an overlay of ‘Allegheny County’ to factor in when talking about this part of the country. It’s kind of complicated.
Finally, comparing the regional economies, also from Google’s AI:
- Brooklyn: The total GDP for the Borough of Brooklyn (Kings County) was US$107.274 billion in 2022.
- Pittsburgh: The GDP for the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) was $194.229 billion in 2023. However, this figure represents a larger region than just the city itself. Key industries include healthcare, higher education, and financial services.
- Comparison: Brooklyn’s economy, as represented by its GDP, is significant, and the city has seen a resurgence in various sectors, including the arts. While Pittsburgh’s economy was historically dominated by the steel industry, it has diversified into areas like healthcare, life sciences, and technology.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As is my regular habit, a quick 180 degree heel spin occurred periodically to see if I was being followed or predated by some creatures of the streets. Old habit, keeps me from dying hard. The light was really spectacular on this afternoon, I’d mention again.
Back tomorrow with Choo-Choo’s.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
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Anomalous gravitics
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
When you near the eastern section of the Ohio River Water Trail, the West End Bridge just sort of rises up and looms over you. That bridge is involved in one of the many walking routes I’ve been evolving for myself, since moving out here to Pittsburgh from my lifelong residency in NYC. There’s a set of ‘Bernie Holes’ in the fencing overlooking CSX’s Pittsburgh Subdivision tracks which offer commanding views.
Check out prior posts from up top on the bridge by clicking here.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’m super curious about what happened with that tree above. Just saying. Normally, you’d grind or burn a stump out, you don’t excavate it root and stem. Weird.
Last time I walked through this area, a well established homeless village was found here. Advanced encampments, with water and power, constructed from tarps with structural supports, was observed here and there were probably two to three dozen people living rough along the river. It’s an election year here, and the incumbent Mayor has just been voted out during the Democratic primary and these encampments were a serious component of the critique of the current administration. Saying that, the outgoing Mayor really seemed to send the Cops and Garbage people out to eradicate all of these encampments and tent cities which had sprang up around the trails in the leadup to the primary.
Wonder what happened to all of those poor people.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s a pier here, which seems fairly condemned and is definitely disintegrating, so I didn’t walk out too far on it. Cool view, though.
A lot of post steel development has occurred in the area I was just scuttling into, which isn’t too far from the stadium where the Pittsburgh Steelers dwell in revenant gaze. There’s a casino, the Carnegie Science Center, and a bunch of ‘new’ construction bars and restaurants set midway twixt the dwelling place of the Steelers and that of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team.
Sportsball, and gambling (or games of skill, as they call them in PA).
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Personally, I was never injected with the sports thing or gambling thing as a child. I’m the nerd who can talk intelligently about Star Fleet uniform specs, Godzilla, and what things a Jedi does or does not do. Obscure DC comic I also don’t like gambling all that much, but given that I’ve worked as a professional artist in one way or another for 40 years – there’s my gamble.
Right about this spot is where fatigue from the walk set in. Not in the ankle, oddly enough, but instead in the upper back. I was walking with a full pack on this afternoon, after all, and after a while…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s a hotel, connected to the Casino I think, right where the rail trail returns to the street ‘grid.’ Looks like an architect’s rendering, doesn’t it?
The plan from this point was to acquire access to the nearby light rail station and secure a ride back to HQ in Dormont, which is approximately five miles from where this shot was gathered.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Along the way, couldn’t resist cracking out a shot or two when I noticed that one of the inclines on Mount Washington was moving, across the river. Neat!
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.
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.
Ohio river tugs
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As one may recall, were you to have visited this site last week, your humble narrator was recently scuttling along an Ohio River hugging ‘Rail Trail’ here on Pittsburgh’s North Side.
Pictured is the tug Emma Z, which is about 55 feet from bow to stern and is flagged in the USA. It was operating as a vehicle shuttle between Brunot’s Island and the north shore of the Ohio River where I was scuttling. There’s a peaker power plant on the island, and the only other way to get there is by a pedestrian bridge on the south shore of the Ohio. A concrete ramp rises out of the river on the north shore, and that’s where it was heading to drop off a company vehicle.
I was pretty happy about getting a shot of a tugboat, which isn’t necessarily guaranteed around these parts. Imagine my surprise…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
About a quarter to a half mile later on the walk, the Tug Tracy Fedkoe appeared, heading in a westerly direction on the Ohio River. A 1,500 HP, 1969 vintage tug built in Louisiana, it’s currently operated out of Pennsylvania’s Elizabeth. Read all about it at tugboatinformation.com.
Both tugs were set up as ‘push boats,’ an observation about typology based around their prows. Neat!
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s the peaker plant, mentioned above, behind the tug, above. Peaker plants kick on when the electrical grid is experiencing low voltages, usually during the summer months when demand is high.
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.
Good gander
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Continuing with observations and photos from a scuttle along the Ohio River, here in Pittsburgh. Along the waterfront trail, I encountered this jerk. All Canada Geese are jerks.
One decided to sit and cool his heels for a few minutes, and take a good look around. A series of broken cement plinths line the shore here, and there was a guy about 200 feet away that was fishing.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Across the water from my location is Brunot’s Island, which is off limits to the normal humans who don’t work for a power company which maintains a peaker power plant there.
It felt like something was about to happen, and I was keeping an eye on a few different spots in hope of something to focus in on.
A lovely summer like day at any rate, and it was a real pleasure just sitting alongside the Ohio River, tbh.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A wider view of my situation. That’s Brunot’s Island on the right, and you can see the peaker plant right at the water. The bridge in the distance (specifically the Ohio Connecting Railroad Bridge) is a rail bridge, which is used by the Norfolk Southern railroading outfit.
That bridge was one of the things I was watching, an effort which sort of paid off.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A train appeared, and started transiting over the span. In the foreground was a tugboat with a peculiar barge attached to it. More on that later.
Wonders, I tell you… wonders.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Upon reaching the other side of the river, Norfolk Southern’s tracks branch out both east and west after passing through a wye. There’s a pretty large NS yards both north and south of here which I haven’t visited yet, but are on my list.
I’ve only been consciously shooting trains for a little bit, as in ‘I’m going out in pursuit of getting shots of trains,’ but one thing I’ve learned is to look for the choke points where all the trackways converge.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As to why the barge that the tugboat was towing was ‘peculiar,’ it’s because it was a landing craft. It seems that the power company which controls access to Brunot’s Island maintains this system for vehicular access to the landform in lieu of building a bridge. Seems financially untenable, until you consider what building a vehicle bridge would cost.
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.
The Newtown Pentacle 