Posts Tagged ‘The T’
Thwarted
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The weather was just awful, here in Pittsburgh, during the month of January. The conditions seriously impacted my whole ‘walk around and take pictures’ dealie. After what seemed like weeks of snow then rain then snow then sun arctic then rain again, the weather forecast seemed to be on a humble narrators side and that’s how I ended up trudging up the hill and boarding a Pittsburgh bound T light rail train set.
The forecast called for – perhaps – a light drizzle. What I got, roughly an hour into the walk, was teeming rain with sleet. It was the sort of sleet, mind you, that you actually feel pain as it’s hitting you in the face. Little cones of ice that had fallen thousands of feet, surprisingly hurt.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
By the time I had scuttled south to the Monongahela River coast of Downtown Pittsburgh, it was seriously coming down. Luckily, I had worn my ‘Pittsburgh winter coat’ which is impressively water resistant, but my pants and shoes were pretty wet. I was using an umbrella of course, but that was mainly to protect the camera as I scuttled along my way. I heal, the camera doesn’t. I set out and across the Smithfield Street Bridge.
I occasionally had to deal with this in NYC, of course, but a lifetime of habitation there meant that I knew how to walk around raindrops and use buildings’ ‘rain shadows’ to my advantage. Overbuilt environments like Manhattan don’t really exist here, and certainly not so once you exit the ‘Downtown’ area.
Pictured are some of the interchanges between US HWY 22/30 and I-376, which run along the southern coast of the peninsular Downtown section.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The walk had to be aborted, but an evening assignation with Our Lady of the Pentacle was still a couple of hours ahead of me. I opted for ‘option B’ with the ‘B’ standing in for ‘Beer’ just to get out of the rain. I popped into a tap room and watched a group of televisions tuned to sportsball programming for an hour or so and then hailed a cab to take me the rest of the way towards our end of the week ‘night out’ dinner date.
Back tomorrow with a considerably less soggy experience, 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.
Ten Mile Scuttle, part six
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I punked out on the last section of my walk, and headed over to the T Light Rail Station on Pittsburgh’s First Avenue to catch a ride back home. Of all the T stations I’ve visited, the one that looks the most ‘right’ to me is First Avenue.
On your way out of Pittsburgh, you either pay when exiting the T or at the Station you’re getting out at. It’s all very confusing.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Back in Dormont, after debarking the T and getting a Gatorade at the gas station across the street, I stopped off for a quick shot of a Pittsburgh bound train set picking up passengers.
I began my scuttle down the hills towards HQ, with a genuinely weary gait. I had walked somewhere just over ten miles in about three hours.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As I faced down the ice on the steep hill of the block that HQ is found at the bottom of, I cracked out one last shot of a lovely little house that has just changed hands at the top of the hill. I know the place is vacant, and thereby positive that nobody’s privacy was going to be pierced by clicking the shutter and sharing the photo here.
According to Zillow, this 1,104 square foot, three bedroom and two bathroom house just got sold for $319,000. There’s a driveway, and a pretty big yard, too. Sweet.
Back next week.
“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.
Ten mile scuttle, part six
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I punked out on the last section of my walk, and headed over to the T Light Rail Station on Pittsburgh’s First Avenue to catch a ride back home. Of all the T stations I’ve visited, the one that looks the most ‘right’ to me is First Avenue.
On your way out of Pittsburgh, you either pay when exiting the T or at the Station you’re getting out at. It’s all very confusing.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Back in Dormont, after debarking the T and getting a Gatorade at the gas station across the street, I stopped off for a quick shot of a Pittsburgh bound train set picking up passengers.
I began my scuttle down the hills towards HQ, with a genuinely weary gait. I had walked somewhere just over ten miles in about three hours.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As I faced down the ice on the steep hill of the block that HQ is found at the bottom of, I cracked out one last shot of a lovely little house that has just changed hands at the top of the hill. I know the place is vacant, so I was positive that nobody’s privacy was going to be pierced by clicking the shutter.
According to Zillow, this 1,104 square foot, three bedroom and two bathroom house just got sold for $319,000. There’s a driveway, and a pretty big yard, too. Sweet.
Back next week.
“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.
All cars are street cars… just sayin
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Christmas Day is when these shots of the ‘T’ streetcar, speeding through the Borough of Dormont here in the Pittsburgh Metropole, were shot. Our Lady of the Pentacle and myself had met up with neighborhood friends at the local dive bar for a few holiday drinks.
Me? It was actually somewhat bright outside and I couldn’t help but wander about a bit.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The T pictured above and below is a Siemens SD-400 model streetcar, which runs on Pennsylvania Trolley Gauge tracks. These are facts I learned by visiting a detailed and nicely researched post found at tramreview.com.
These streetcars replaced a fleet of earlier and ‘proper’ Trolley cars. I’m planning on heading over to the PA. Trolley Museum at some point in the coming months to learn more.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It was nice having a little get together with the neighbors on Christmas, and also getting a few belts in during the early afternoon.
Day drinking, amirite?
It ain’t the 7 train, the ‘T,’ but I find it pretty interesting. Still haven’t taken a bus or checked out Pittsburgh’s ‘Bus ways.’
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.
Maritime Monongahela
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Luckily enough, while this wandering mendicant and humble narrator was crossing Pittsburgh’s Smithfield Street Bridge, spanning the Monongahela River, a towboat and barge setup suddenly appeared.
I’ve been missing the act of photographing maritime action lately, so… I got a-clickin with the camera.
That’s the Darlane B Towboat – you can read its ‘specs’ and history here – and she was navigating westerly under the Panhandle Rail Bridge. Joyously, there was also a T streetcar riding on the Panhandle as the boat moved under it. That T was, in turn, heading southwards out of the First Avenue Station and across the ‘Mon’ towards the Station Square stop at the foot of Mount Washington.
Ultimately, that’s where I was heading to, too.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It was one of those days where I’m carrying only prime lenses rather than zooms and traveling light with a minimum ‘kit.’ For this one I used the 85mm lens, which was the closest thing to a telephoto that I had with me.
Sated by my peregrinations thereby, I crossed the Smithfield Street Bridge over to the south side of the river where the T Station is found, to catch my ride back to HQ.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The T streetcar was boarded, and one soon found himself back in the Borough of Dormont, some five or so miles away from the center of the city. While walking downhill and back to HQ, one soliloquized that an absolutely spectacular sunset had set itself up. Couldn’t resist cracking out a few shots, thereby, of this celestial display.
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 