Posts Tagged ‘Pittsburgh’
Scuttling, the dream
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Glorious! Believe it or not, places like this are what I was dreaming about during all of those months of medical downtime. This post continues with photos captured on a recent walk which started in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville. This part of the city is located on the triangular peninsula formed by the confluence of Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers. Downtown, where the big office buildings are, is found at the very tippy tip of that triangle. The area I was walking through in these posts is about six to seven miles east of there, and found along the northern side of the ‘golden triangle,’ where the Allegheny River flows.
One scuttled back a few blocks from the waterfront as it became increasingly difficult to get past a series of ‘No Trespassing’ warnings and ubiquitous fence lines. I found a set of train tracks, which seemed to be at least semi active, as evidenced by shiny metal wear patterns breaking through layers of corrosion and rust. I’m informed that these are all Allegheny Valley Rail Road (AVRR) rights of way in modernity.
Saying all that, didn’t see a train at all moving through. Like I said the other day about AVRR: ‘white whale.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Your humble narrator is really trying to ‘lean into it’ at the moment. Rebuilding strength and endurance in my legs and hips after suffering the long hermitage caused by the shattered ankle is my priority. Status on that situation is as follows – I’m walking a LOT slower than I used to, need to have a quick sit down periodically, and fatigue sets in a lot quicker than formerly. This walk ultimately blew open my outer distance range, clocking in at about six and half miles. Given that two weeks ago I was jumping with joy at having conquered five miles… progress.
The goal is to be able to reliably walk twenty miles by June. May is going to hurt a bit, I think. I’m already planning the ten mile threshold’s walk. By August, I plan on resuming the full schedule of one long walk of 10-15 miles and two short walks of about 5 miles each per week.
There was quite a bit of activity going on just out of frame, but it mainly involved utility workers, auto mechanics, and various warehouse operations. Most of the buildings in this ‘IBZ’ seemed occupied, but other than a few cars in the parking lots it was just me, all alone and wandering about on foot. It all seemed quite apocalyptic, but there was a feature rich environment.
Lots of ‘what’s that thing over there’ going on while scuttling along.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My path through this area followed the rail tracks, and this route would eventually lead me to a named street called ‘Railroad Street.’ I’m of the opinion, which was formed along Newtown Creek’s ‘Railroad Avenue’ in Blissville, that every city in America worth a damn has a ‘Railroad Avenue’ or ‘street’ in it. Here’s the one in Vermont’s Burlington.
One continued on in a generally westerly direction back towards downtown. The plan for the rest of the day was to make it downtown and then catch the ‘T’ light rail back to HQ. Saying that, I still had a couple of hours of walking ahead of me. Given that I’m moving as slowly as I do now, that meant I was just getting started on this walk.
What? You don’t dream about experiencing perfect solitude in a fairly post apocalyptic landscape? To one such as myself, it’s nepenthe.
Come with, see more? Back tomorrow.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
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“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.
Scuttlebug
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Intriguing is how I’d describe this section of Pittsburgh, found along the Allegheny River. There’s a lovely industrial zone there, complete with railroad tracks, shattered dreams, and that particular shaping of desolating loneliness which I so enjoy. Don’t get me wrong, there was all sorts of activity going on all over the place, but there was a real sense of ‘under utilized’ in this ‘IBZ’ if you know what I mean. The gentrification furnaces glow quite brightly in nearby sections of this and neighboring areas. I’ll show you some of that in upcoming posts.
This scuttle started at the corner of 40th and Willow, in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville. It was temperate out, but breezy and dry. I was wearing the filthy black raincoat and a flash orange baseball cap, along with my usual ensemble.
It reminds me a lot of Philadelphia, this section, in terms of the sort of built environment you encounter. Row houses with narrow sidewalks, basically. When I’m told by the locals that this is ‘Pittsburgh’s Williamsburg,’ I smirk a bit, remembering when Grand Avenue was a hooker’s stroll and Radiac was storing nuclear waste right across the street from Domino. Just like Brooklyn’s Williamsburg, this neighborhood has seen rents skyrocket, and lots of new construction occurring. Basically – this is where the Cool kids want to live – or so I’m told.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
First thing which I wanted to check out hereabouts was Lawrenceville’s River Trail.
It’s truncated, and didn’t seem to join up with other rail trails in the area according to the ‘pre gaming’ I had done in Google maps, but you never know what’s what until you take a look for yourself.
The bridge spanning the entrance to the trail is the Fortieth Street or Washington Crossing Bridge. As it turned out, the Lawrenceville section of the river front ‘rail trails’ is indeed isolated from the rest of the network and you’re meant to walk back out the way you came in, but I opted to just scuttle over the railroad tracks and regain the street grid via a former homeless camp’s ‘desire path.’
There’s around 3-4 blocks worth of scuttling to enjoy back there, and a dog park, whereupon you have to return to the streets the way you came in.
After returning to the streets in a less than legal manner, and heading in the general direction of downtown Pittsburgh, the streets run into a giant chunk of railroad infrastructure called the 33rd street rail bridge. We’ll get there in a subsequent post later this week or beginning of next. I visited the opposite shoreline of the river in Millvale last year, you can check that out here.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The terminus of the trail is actually a spot I’ll return to in the future, and where I’ll vaingloriously await a locomotive that never arrives in pursuit of a photo. Experience suggests bringing something to sit on, and a sandwich. These tracks are used by the Allegheny Valley Rail Road – or ‘AVRR’ – which I sometimes refer to as the ‘White Whale’ as spotting them is pretty rare, compared to other rail services in Pittsburgh like CSX or Norfolk Southern.
More 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.
Mud splatters
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Well, I finally missed a day, yesterday, disappointing all those who expect regularly posted missives from your humble narrator to appear in their inboxes as normal, on a Monday. At any rate, there you are. Sorry, and ‘Oops.’
Pictured is an apartment complex in Pittsburgh’s Green Tree neighborhood. Don’t know much about it, other than marveling at its observed size and bulky brutalist architecture. There’s a few large apartment complexes in Green Tree, and I often wonder why. Most of the community is housed in one family suburban style homes, yet…
Recently, I learned that quite a few of those suburban style homes are built on top of a subterranean freight rail tunnel, and also where that tunnel emerges back onto the surface. It’s a bit of a hike, involves a bit of fence climbing and woods walking, activities which I’m not ready to chance yet.
Something to look forward to.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A recent social engagement in Pittsburgh’s Strip District found me waiting for a cab afterwards, and standing under the 16th street David McCullough Bridge while sheltering from rain. McCullough, a noted historian and Pittsburgh native, wrote what I consider to be the best book on the building of the Brooklyn Bridge (1983’s ‘The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge.’) McCullough narrated the audiobook of it as well, which I listen to periodically.
It seems like life is returning to normal, finally, or at least whatever ‘normal’ is for one such as myself. I’ve been walking as much as the weather and schedules allow, and following the instructions from the team of doctors who cared for me during all of this busted ankle related drama. Continuing the stretching exercises from ‘PT’ and all that.
See… I mentioned the ankle. Promise that I’ll stop talking about that situation soon. Should be nothing more than just another war story within a few months.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Circumstance recently found me in one of the lesser populated sections of Mount Washington’s Grandview Avenue, where this view awaited. I’m planning on heading to this location again with the full kit, setting up the tripod and getting busy. This is pretty far from the overlooks and inclines, this particular spot, and a less common point of view.
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.
316,800 inch long scuttle, part 5
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The last leg of the longest walk I’ve been able to execute, and really the first one which I’ve truly enjoyed without pain or discomfort (ok, there was a bit of swelling), since breaking my ankle last fall.
I was walking on one of the rail trails, chosen for its flat character, and along the Monongahela River shoreline after having crossed the West End Bridge. Pictured above is the underside of the Fort Pitt bridge with downtown Pittsburgh in the background.
Fort Pitt is sort of the ‘master cylinder’ for traffic flow here in Pittsburgh. On one side it leads to a tunnel which feeds traffic to the south onto an interstate roadway (I-376), whereas in the other direction it feeds traffic either to downtown, another high speed interstate roadway heading eastbound, or onto the Fort Duquesne Bridge which offers connections to the west and north. Approaching this bridge at the high volume times of day is a major mistake which drivers should avoid.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The rail trail proceeds through the Station Square area, and it follows the coast of the Monongahela River and the CSX Subdivision Tracks which parallel it. Onward, soldier, onward. I opted to continue on towards that brewery I like, which was maybe a mile or so beyond the position where the shot above was captured.
Wasn’t planning on making a ‘night’ of it, rather I was desperate to use the bathroom and a pint of beer or two would definitely reignite my flagging energy levels. It’s been a long long time since I walked five miles, and the atrophy suffered in the upper legs due to the wheelchair interval is something I’m assiduously working on reversing.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Along the way, a somewhat unoccluded view of the ‘colors’ house I showed y’all at the start of March appeared, and I gathered a shot of it for the archives. So quirky.
The pavement gets a bit difficult in this area, as it’s all busted up from trucks parking on the sidewalk, and the underlying Appalachian soil beneath the road is absolutely legendary at producing potholes. Had to be a bit cautious here. Remind myself that I’m still no where near ‘100%.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Normally, I’d be walking along that fenceline dividing the CSX tracks from the trail, but in that direction the trail is blocked by a gigantic pile of railroad ballast stones. It’s only about four feet high, and fairly easy to surmount – if you’re not concerned about the recovery of your shattered ankle. Discretion being the better part of valor, I opted to go with the broken sidewalks and pothole scarred street path instead.
Missed a couple of trains, but there we are.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
While scuttling through, a T light rail unit exited the Golden Triangle and crossed over the Monongahela River via the Panhandle Bridge, and it began the climb up Mount Washington via Arlington Avenue.
Finally, I reached the Sly Fox Brewery. After ‘dewhizzulating,’ which is how I colloquially refer to the act of urination, I ordered a lovely O’Reilly’s stout and decided to sit inside at the bar for a while. Met a nice bloke named Jimmy, who was a retired pilot, that regaled me with tales of his travels. Nice guy.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It was time to summon a rideshare car to carry me home, and the Lyft service was engaged in that pursuit. Whew.
Five miles is 316,800 inches, in case you’ve been wondering all week.
Back next week 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.
316,800 inch long scuttle, part 4
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Continuing with the longest walk I’ve been able to perpetrate since breaking my left ankle and dislocating my foot back in September…
After debarking the West End Bridge and its PTSD inducing staircase, the path followed the waterfront of the three rivers back to the southern shoreline of just the Monongahela River. There’s an arterial street which runs along this path, called Carson Street. In this area, it’s called West Carson, and offers connections to several bridges and a tunnel or three. From what I understand, everything between Carson and the water used to be part of a giant rail yard in the glory days of Steel.
I was amused that they closed the sidewalk and set up protection for the barrier. No accommodation whatsoever for pedestrians. To be fair, the protected barrier was sitting on top of a manhole cover, so the construction people were probably trying to vouchsafe the utility shaft.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
About 3/4 of a mile’s worth of scuttling found me on a waterfont trail that more or less parallels the CSX Pittsburgh Subdivision tracks and which also leads towards that Beer Brewery I haunt. That’s one of the inclines, which I colloquially refer to as ‘the red one,’ but which is properly called ‘The Duquesne Incline.’
The ankle was holding up pretty good. I seem to have put the whole ‘walking like the Batman villain Penguin’ behind me. I was definitely ‘feeling’ the exercise, but it wasn’t painful at all. That’s also a first.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There were a few trains transiting by on the CSX tracks, which provided me with moments of joy. Well… joy is too strong a word, as it would imply that I somehow have started experiencing the sort of emotional highs and lows which ‘normal’ people do. I really don’t get all that.
My normal existential and emotional state is best described as being a cold gray in color, with the buzzing sound of old florescent bulbs omnipresent, and punctuated by brief flashes of annoying drama and bold colors. I’m all ‘effed up.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I was very pleased with myself, regarding the shot above. As I was scuttling along, I kept looking over my shoulder to see if anything might be coming my way and saw this train being held in place at a signal all the way back at West End Bridge. That’s the aforementioned bridge in the background, btw.
These are amongst the last ones from this set of locations you’re going to see for a while, regrading the CSX tracks hereabouts. Now that I’m on my feet again, even with the limitations, it’s time to get out and explore again.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A few people (railfans) have told me that it’s frustrating to them that my interest in trains mainly focuses on the locomotive at the front of the unit. An effort to satisfy these traction enthusiasts will be made.
Look, the train was hauling drywall.
Paint drying, for me. The ‘drama’ shot is in the engine, not the caboose.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A series of tanker cars followed the drywall. According to what’s indicated on the tanks, they were carrying Butadiene. Others were hauling Isopentane. There you go, railfans.
Back tomorrow with the last shots from this scuttle 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 