The Newtown Pentacle

Friday

– photo by Mitch Waxman

After having bid ‘adieu’ to the Voegtly Evangelical Church Cemetery on Pittsburgh’s Troy Hill, one leaned into the walk. A steep landform on the northern bank of the Allegheny River, Troy Hill is.

Just like that mirroring landform to the south which overlooks the Monongahela River, where the summit of Mount Washington forms a ridge line that overlooks the peninsular ‘golden triangle’ section of downtown, so too does the Allegheny River side form a high ridge. The south side of Pittsburgh offers West End/Elliot, Grandview Avenue on Mount Washington itself, and the South Side Slopes all have charms to delight the altitude aspirant. I’m just getting started on this side.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

I had previously figured out a route, utilizing my usual method of using Google Maps street view’s ‘remote viewing’ to scout a few things out. Are there sidewalks? That’s one of the questions I like to have an answer for before setting out for a scuttle. Will I trap myself inside of a valley or cul de sac, which will force me to have to scale a cliff or something to get out of? It’s good to know about that sort of thing in advance when planning a day’s outing. Larger issues of destination and bridge crossings are present in my plan as well.

That’s Rialto Street pictured above, fifth steepest street in Pittsburgh.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

The 1901 vintage firehouse for Engine Co. 11 caught my eye, and especially so for the fine carving exhibited on its signage. Here’s a close up of that signage. Remarkable work. Apparently, the fire dept. doesn’t use this building anymore, and it’s where the cops who enforce commercial vehicle rules for the municipality work out of in modernity. Neat. I’ve also seen this building referenced as and referred to as ‘Troy Hill Fire Station #39’ by a couple of sources.

One swirled along the sidewalks, a maelstrom of black sack cloth with a camera sticking out of it. Scuttle, scuttle, scuttle.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

See what I meant when saying that you could see the ‘germanity’ in the local building stock. The building above is likely a parsonage, as it’s right next door to a large church, but I’m guessing there. Why guess though?

The church is the Saint Anthony Chapel, which is said to house the largest number of Catholic relics outside of the Vatican. Pictured above is the Most Holy Name of Jesus Rectory.

Further did I scuttle – twirling – ever twirling – towards freedom.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

This had been the first day of clear skies in about three weeks, here in Pittsburgh.

Let me level with you lords and ladies – the burning thermonuclear eye of god itself was ‘harshing my buzz’ what with all the glare and strobing flares. Of course, I had accidentally timed this walk in such a manner that the thing would be hanging directly in front of me the whole way, and the solar furnace was blowing out my eyesight and causing finding the correct exposure settings for the camera to be a real challenge. Woe is me.

Honestly, this area is so damned cool, but it must be so challenging living up here – just like in the south side slopes.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

The pathway to carry me back down to ground level was marked by the presence of an enormous school, which appears to have once been a Catholic institution but is now an elementary school which calls itself ‘Provident Charter School Central.’ The street I was looping onto is called Troy Hill Road, and I can’t imagine why anyone would choose to drive down Rialto Street when this route is just a few blocks away.

Back next week with more – at this – your Newtown Pentacle.

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