Posts Tagged ‘Pittsburgh’
Down, with the T
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I drive through that intersection pictured above, in Pittsburgh’s Borough of Dormont, at least once a day. Every single time, I comment to myself that I should some shots of the light rail there. Instead of parking the car and doing so I always lazy out and head back to HQ about four blocks away instead. Some day, I say.
Get behind me Satan, this day would be that day.
The light rail tracks cross through here, but they leave behind a street running section of the line and proceed into a right of way that clearly pre-dates the real estate development around it. Apparently, the T made use of decommissioned trolley lines when its ’right of way’ was being laid out to take advantage of existing municipal real estate.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A Pittsburgh bound T showed up, catching some nice afternoon light as it did. At my back was the station I normally use, and these tracks continue out several miles to the South Hills Village Mall terminal stop on one side, or continue on to a North Side of Pittsburgh terminal stop nearby one of the sportsball stadiums.
Your humble narrator had taken up station right alongside the intersection in the first shot, if you’re curious.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A South Hills bound T arrived next, and I hurriedly crossed the street for a better angle. I mean, as ‘hurried’ as I can manage these days. One of the parts of my life that sucks right now is that I’m fairly slow moving at this stage of the medical drama, and will be spending the spring season getting my legs all muscled up. My normal walking speed used to be about 2-2.5 miles an hour, these days I’m lucky if I can do a mile in that interval.
Getting better every day, in every way. When I’m whole again…
Back next week 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.
Lots of hills, very few dales
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Challenging. That’s how I’d describe what it’s like handling the terrain of Pittsburgh with an ankle that’s recovering from a severe break. As I’ve found myself having to remind people in my daily life, the injury also involved a dislocation of the foot, which ‘popped’ a tendon or two and damaged a lot of the soft tissue in leg, ankle, and foot. It’s been a deal, coming back from this one, I tell’s ya…
Regardless of how I might feel, or the free flowing availability of pain, it’s incumbent upon your humble narrator to return to his normal ways and the only way I’m going to get there is by walking it off.
Pictured is the Avenue I live on, as a note, and it’s got a relatively shallow grade compared to the neighboring Avenues. The Borough of Dormont does not streets, it has avenues and ‘ways.’ 19th century politics, that. There were no ‘mean streets’ here, instead stately avenues.
‘Ways’ are basically alleys.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I was meant to meet some friends for an event at a nearby brewery, and while waiting on them (I’m always pathologically early) the crazy terrain again caught my eye. That castellated structure in the distance is the PPG HQ building, roughly 5-6 miles away in Downtown Pittsburgh. This block, which I actually have been forced to walk up in the last month or so, is a real pain in the neck AND butt to navigate. You really gotta lean into it.
Believe it or not, this isn’t the worst hill in my neighborhood. Not too far away, in neighboring Beechview, is found the steepest street in the entire western hemisphere of the planet – Canton Avenue. It’s part of what a bicyclist group calls ‘The Dirty Dozen’ of Pittsburgh’s hills.
Globally, there’s a steeper street than Canton Avenue found in New Zealand – I’m told – and that the Kiwis hold the Guinness Record for the steepest grade on a public street in the world. It edges Canton Avenue out of the top spot by a half a degree.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
At the top of the hill, the tracks of the T Light Rail system are encountered.
Transit was one of the many factors which decided ‘Dormont for us’ when we relocated here at the end of 2022. My friends and I continued on to the event we were heading to, and made merry. I had a stop I wanted to make on the way back home, so I said my goodbyes and set off on a distinctly down hill course. More on that tomorrow.
Ostensibly, a descending grade should be easier walking, but given that the ankle is still getting used to being walked on again… Angling the foot and keeping it in that position to accommodate the grade actually kind of hurt. I found myself continually picking up speed on the down hills and having to slow myself down by grabbing onto a sign or utility pole.
Great, now I gotta get me some brakes.
What a drag. 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.
Mundane funsburgh
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Our Lady of the Pentacle led the charge on a recent weekend day, when she announced that she’d like us to attend an ‘Oddities’ convention at Pittsburgh’s Convention Center, which is found along the Allegheny River on the so called ‘Golden Triangle.’ It was your standard sort of ‘con’ show, with individual vendors and artists tabling in booths and selling or displaying their wares. Taxidermy was a big part of this ‘oddities’ dealie, but there were all sorts of people selling all kinds of ‘weird’ stuff.
Personally, I grew colossally bored after about 45 minutes. So I announced that I was going to take a powder for awhile and meet up with Our Lady (and a couple of friends) after they had explored the offerings. It was basically a shopping trip at this point, which is something I don’t find fun. I headed outside into an atmosphere bitter cold and heavy wind.
That’s when I heard it. Diesel.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Fort Wayne Rail Bridge, and I should mention that I had left my ‘superzoom’ lens at home and was armed only with an 85mm prime lens, was allowing egress from the central peninsula of Downtown Pittsburgh and across the Allegheny River to the ‘North Side’ for a Norfolk Southern’s train allowing it access to the trackage found along the Ohio River.
Wooie!
Wish I had the zoom with me, but I kind of like these shots of the Norfolk Southern’s transit for some reason.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It was hauling tanker cars, ones which were too far away for me to have any idea what was in them. Gotta say that when you see a train going by and the screed on the tanker car says something like ‘WARNING! Molten Sulfur,’ it does give you pause. Law of averages says that eventually something’s going to go badly, somewhere. Remember East Palestine, in Ohio, when that train exploded and burnt? About 70-80 miles from my house in Pittsburgh, that was.
Of course, when I lived in Manhattan, 911 happened six miles from my house, so you’re really not safe from disaster anywhere. I’ve always strived to be an optimist, Y’see.
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.
Cola Street
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Circumstance recently found your humble narrator on Pittsburgh’s Cola Street, where one of the City’s more eye catching residences (302 Cola Street, well described in this post from brooklineconnection.com) is found. Colloquially referred to as ‘the colors house,’ #302 is an eye catcher which you can’t help but notice while transiting through the central part of Pittsburgh.
I couldn’t help myself from activating the car’s hazard lights and then waving the camera around for a bit. What a view.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The enigmatic #302 is pictured above, but I didn’t want to dwell on it overly as one of its residents was busy doing spring cleaning and I didn’t want to violate their privacy. Apparently, the architect of the building is the owner and this build was a dream home for the family.
I’ll tell you this, it’s impossible not to notice the #302 from anywhere in Pittsburgh that you’ve got a view of the Monongahela River and Mount Washington. In a sea of green, brown, and gray it’s an eye catcher.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It took a bit of hunting in the archives to find this shot, from a 2023 walk on the PJ McArdle roadway, a local road cantilevered against the face of Mount Washington on a diagonal. That little grouping of homes is Cola Street, and the ‘colors house’ is seen on the left.
Back tomorrow 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.
Odds and endsburgh
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As promised, a few odds and ends shots from a recent walk which didn’t quite fit into prior posts, but which I like nevertheless. That’s the T light rail, much discussed, transiting off of the Panhandle Bridge towards its temporary route through the neighborhood of Allentown.
Spring like weather is supposed to flood into Pittsburgh this week, with the chances of a 70 degree day being a real possibility mid week. I’ve got a walk that I’ve been planning on taking for a while, when the weather warmed up a bit, which will thereby likely happen on Wednesday. Cross your fingers, this will be a good one, I think.
I’ve attended a couple of lectures on the history of Pittsburgh in the last few weeks, something I’ve been avoiding since arriving here at the end of 2022. One talk discussed the Monongahela Incline, the other focused in on a new book about the City Steps of Pittsburgh. I have said book sitting on a table in my living room, and plan on devouring it one night this week.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After my stalking of the T was finished, I continued along my merry way and spotted two guys riding on a couple of those big wheel electric things. I’d break my neck in the first ten seconds on one of those gizmos.
One didn’t end his day at that nearby brewery by the train tracks, although I did hang around those particular tracks for a few minutes. Wasn’t in the mood for ‘drink’ and I decided to just head back to HQ. Splurged on a cab, a Lyft actually, and was greeted by the very first driver I’ve ever had to complain about to the service, and ‘narc’ on. What a jackass this kid was.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
From later on during the week, during my travels, I found myself up on Pittsburgh’s Troy Hill and became fascinated by an old house covered in Ivy. This is such an interesting place, Pittsburgh is…
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 