Posts Tagged ‘The T’
To zee T
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The T light rail runs directly through Pittsburgh’s Dormont section, where Newtown Pentacle HQ is found. It’s one of the reasons that Our Lady and myself decided to settle here when we relocated out of NYC. It’s awesome having a car and being able to drive all over hill and dale, but your humble narrator doesn’t always want to be burdened by having to be responsible. It also ties my hands as far as wandering about goes, since you need to loop back to where you started.
Additionally: You cant really ‘see’ things from inside a motor vehicle that you’re operating, or from a moving bike, as you’re moving too fast and are distracted by road rules and hazards. Recent endeavor, thereby, saw me scuttling up the steep hill which HQ is at the bottom of, and then up to the tracks of the T at ‘Potomac Station.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This is the actual T unit which I rode into town on. The system uses (amongst other fare collection methods, apps etc.) a ‘ConnectCard,’ which is either pre-loaded up with cash or connected to a credit card or bank account. You pay upon boarding, when heading into the city, and when debarking on the ‘away from Pittsburgh’ side of the station. It’s a zone system they use, for the T. You’re just sort of expected to know the way that the system works, a part of the presumed Pittsburgh ‘vernacular knowledge’ thing which I mention a lot.
These light rail units are electrically powered, by suspended catenary wires.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This shot is actually from a completely different walk/day, but I wanted to show what it looks like when a Pittsburgh bound T is leaving Potomac station. Normally, I’d be on board that train, so…
Back tomorrow with where I was going – and all that – it’s photowalk time.
“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.
A Six Mile scuttle, begins
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
With the summer climate suddenly on my side at the start of August, a humble narrator lurched roughly out of HQ and shambled, hastily, up the hill that it’s located at the bottom of. The effort was in pursuance of riding the T Light Rail into town.
Pictured is a T unit moving away from Pittsburgh, at Dormont’s Potomac Station, but this point of view makes for a nicer photo than the POV of the city bound ones entering the station.
High 70’s and low 80’s, with an astonishingly low level of humidity, coupled with a steady 10-15mph wind – hey now – that’s scuttling weather.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The T carried me to its terminal stop, on the north shore of the Allegheny River, nearby Acrisure Stadium where the Steelers dwell. I’ve taken this particular ‘photowalk’ several times, as the route is always productive in terms of cool and random things to take photos of – tugs, trains, all sorts of stuff.
This walk was, incidentally, one of those moments where I realized how much the gamey ankle has actually healed up. Didn’t trouble me once on this path, or at least until the literal last steps. A bit sore the next day, but there you are. Eleven months, now, I’ve been dealing with this.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My footsteps will generally follow the river trails, so the intention was to first cross the West End Bridge, and then proceed southeasterly along the river trail following the Monongahela on the opposite shoreline, eventually reaching the Sly Fox Brewery – where I’d rehydrate with a pint of lager or two. That was my plan. I got off the T about 2 p.m.
Ended up being a pretty nice afternoon, and I saw lots of cool stuff.
It should be mentioned that I’ve regained my ‘lead time’ here at Newtown Pentacle, and this post was written during the first week of August. It’s always my stated goal to be at least a couple of weeks ahead of publication, but that doesn’t always work out.
At the moment, however, the pipeline is full.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My headphones had been stuck into the old ear holes, and I was listening to favorite amongst my collection of HP Lovecraft audiobooks – “The Lurking Fear” read by Wayne June. I find that cosmic horror goes wonderfully well with a walk, especially so on a warm afternoon in early August. I like the counterpoint.
This section of the river walk is defined by a hotel which seems to be a part of Pittsburgh’s Rivers Casino. I have never set foot within the place. One of the few sins which I haven’t embraced over the years is gambling.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
All of these shiny and happy people were milling about. Some rode bikes. I found myself having to cramp up the muscles around my mouth and pull my lips back across the teeth as they acknowledged me. I also narrowed my eyes and raised my eyebrows.
I think it must have looked like a smile, although it could have also been easily read as the early stages of a stroke, but it’s the best I can imagine. Really, I try to act like the humans occasionally, but I’m clearly faking it. Best place for me is hiding behind a camera, where you can’t see the eye rolls or the scowls or me mouthing various swear words.
That water in today’s shots are the headwaters of the Ohio River, formed from the nearby admixture of the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s another pathway to walk here, but it’s kind of boring despite being a more direct route. One of the real advantages to living in Pittsburgh is access to these trails, for me at least. Former railroad rights of way, it’s one of the few places in the area where you can find a few miles of relatively flat ground to lean into.
Back tomorrow with more.
“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.
Three from Pittsburgh
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s a ‘T’ light rail train set operating at street grade, along Arlington Avenue in Pittsburgh, and sitting at a red light. The transit service is currently rerouted from its normal efficiency to accommodate a construction project rehabilitating a transit only tunnel punched through Mount Washington which it normally uses.
Your humble narrator was car based on this particular day, due to high atmospheric temperatures and a desire to see a lot of things all at once. Luckily, I’ve developed a fairly decent knowledge of how to get around hereabouts in the last three years. Zippy.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A quick drive over to Etna found me sitting under a bridge to take advantage of the offered shade. I was trying for a railroad trifecta, but Norfolk Southern wasn’t playing ball. I had other stuff to do, and my ‘me time’ interval was coming to an end.
All of the posts you’ve seen this week were captured rapid fire on that particularly hot and sultry morning.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On my way back to where the car was parked, this truck carrying smaller trucks caught my eye. I asked the trucker if I could grab a couple of shots and he waved me on saying ‘I couldn’t give a flip.’
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.
Sometimes, it’s just odd out there
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On a recent afternoon, your humble narrator just threw his hands up in frustration and announced to Our Lady of the Pentacle that he was going out for a walk. She recognized the look in my eyes, that of a wild beast yearning for freedom, and said ‘have a good time.’
One soon found himself at ‘The T’ light rail’s First Avenue Station, where the Panhandle Bridge spans the Monongahela River.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This wasn’t going to be a long walk, at all. It was hot as heck, and I had a lot on my mind. Go to the bar and suck down a few beers sort of thoughts.
I’ve had to pick and choose my battles since returning from NYC, as the weather has been absolutely horrific all month. High heat and humidity, lots and lots of rain, and a set of competing priorities. As described yesterday, I’m currently enjoying a spate of medical tests designed to gauge and document my overall robustness and spot trends.
I don’t like being touched by strangers, let alone stripping down to my skivvies in their presence and letting them irradiate me.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As I’ve mentioned in the past, one of my superpowers is the ability to containerize negative emotions while situational stressors are at work, and then allow the stored up psychic pressure to bleed off at a more opportune time. Essentially, I have a ‘rage bladder,’ and every now and then one needs to let off some steam and bleed it out.
I was by myself, of course. God’s lonely man.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My pathway to the beer taps involved a short walk of less than two miles. This wasn’t an exercise day, and I convinced myself that the effort would be worth it if a few train shots were captured. I know that I mention drinking a lot, but I don’t actually drink all that much. A few beers, maybe once every couple of weeks, these days.
Back in Astoria, my crew of knuckleheads and I had a standing Friday night ‘after work’ meetup at ‘the local,’ but again – a couple/three pints of beer consumed over multiple hours is my deal. I sip, rather than chug.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Monongahela River and the Smithfield Street Bridge came into view, and one pointed his toes in the required direction. This is part of the same trail pictured above, incidentally.
That’s when I saw it.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A single, abandoned, shoe. Can it be?
Has the Queens Cobbler followed me to the Paris of Appalachia?
Back next week with maximum Choo-Choo.
“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.
Scuttle 2 live, live 2 scuttle
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After returning from NYC to Pittsburgh, with more than 2,000 shots on my camera card, your humble narrator stuck pretty close to home for about a week. This coincided with a spate of bad weather – hot, stormy, no bueno. Lots of time in front of the computer screen.
Finally, the weather forecast indicated that it wouldn’t be life threateningly hot out, and that the chance of rain was nil. I packed up my ‘old kit bag,’ although the bag is actually still fairly new, and shlepped up the hill to access the T light rail station here in Dormont. Step one for this outing was a ride on the T, thereby.
There’s one of them now, but it’s heading away from Pittsburgh and towards its terminal stop in the South Hills. You gotta pass the time somehow when waiting for a train.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My city bound T arrived, and your humble narrator boarded the thing. It was a bit confusing for a newcomer to grasp at first, but the T uses a zone system for fares. You pay when boarding if you’re ‘inbound,’ and pay when debarking on ‘outbound.’ In the center of the city, the service runs free. It’s all very civilized out here.
My plan was to shoot a bit out the windows, but instead I just stared.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Gateway Station is in downtown Pittsburgh, and it’s one of the stops where the light rail runs as a subway. The T units are omnivores. They service ‘high platform,’ ‘low platform,’ and ‘no platform’ stops. It runs on elevated tracks, street level tracks, and an underground tunnel.
The plan for the day involved ending up back downtown, but I wanted to scuttle around for a good long while. A summon for a rideshare, from pretty close to the Gateway stop, would be issued and I’d have it deposit me about six miles east whereupon the walk back to the downtown section would start. Fun.
By taking the T from Dormont to downtown, I saved about $15 on the rideshare fare, were I to have ordered a direct ride to my destination from HQ.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This ‘No Hate’ sign caught my eye. I appreciate the sentiment, and the message carried, but I don’t think municipal signage is sufficient to manage one of the seven deadlies. I didn’t see any signs forswearing gluttony, for instance, nor ones precluding the practice of envy. There’s a Pittsburgh muni seal on the bottom of that sign just below the screw, meaning it’s an ‘official’ prohibition.
Personally, I hate performative politicking, but am I allowed to feel that discomfort about an obscure and unenforceable regulation in downtown Pittsburgh? Is there a legal definition for the ‘hate’ which the sign forbids, or does it change periodically depending on political mood? If I rightfully hate someone or something, is that something that the Cops need to get involved with? I hate Mondays, for instance. What if my religion involved hatred?
I realize, of course, the meaning and intent of the obtuse messaging carried by this sign, and the statement of political resolve which it represents. I just argue that nothing which any Government puts on a sign should ever be open to interpretation, and that if a politician wants to make a statement of support for one vulnerable group or another they shouldn’t hide behind theatrics which are frankly unenforceable.
How do you prove – in a court of law – that someone else felt an emotion – jealousy, or hate, or love?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Bah!
One headed north, and over to the spot where I had decided it would be quick and easy to summon a ride. The Downtown area’s streets and sidewalks are currently being managed by a group of people very similar to the ones that Bill De Blasio brought with him into city hall back in NYC.
Bike lanes, safe streets, yada yada. They hate cars, and thereby they’ve made it almost impossible for a driver to pull over downtown to pick up a passenger. A new spate of bus only lanes downtown have just overly complicated things here as well.
The infirm and disabled can go ‘eff themselves, cars are the problem.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My brilliant idea to outwit the safe streets ‘BS’ involved an alley for my pickup spot, pictured above. I summoned my rideshare chariot, and soon I was hurtling in its air conditioned goodness towards the next deistination.
Y’know, I think that might be the alley where Batman’s parents got murdered in the Chris Nolan Batman trilogy. They shot that in Pittsburgh, so I’m just going to start saying that I live in Gotham City from now on.
That would be hilarious. Ha. Ha ha ha, hah HAHhah HAH. Hah hah hah!
WHAT? Why so serious?
Back tomorrow with more.
“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 