Waiting for Barges on the Allegheny River Late in the Day
Standing on the Roberto Clemente Bridge from Sixth Street. Saturday night.
Paris in Pittsburgh
Sunday afternoon, Steve and I were walking across the Schenley Bridge on our way to the Carnegie Library in Oakland. We saw lots of shiny things reflecting the sun. As we got closer, I saw combination and key padlocks.
Not sure when these locks started showing up on Pittsburgh Bridges but this was the first time I’ve seen them.
Love Padlocks or Lovelocks, they’re called.
They signify “everlasting love” according to the entry at Wikipedia. And they aren’t just in Paris. There is a whole list of cities – Prague, Rome, Zurich, London, Moscow, Dublin, Sydney. The padlocks are controversial as some deem them unsightly and akin to litter. Eyesores. Too much weight on some bridges.
Other citizens are outraged when they’re cut off from public bridges around the world. Not sure what the stance is here in Pittsburgh-these additions to the Schenley Bridge over Panther Hollow. Guess time will tell.
We were able to see names or initials inscribed on them, dates. Most of the padlocks hung from one section of fencing.
Just now I read that the padlock keys are thrown under the bridge.
I remembered seeing a photo of a ton of padlocks on a Parisian bridge in a Weekly Photo Challenge from WordPress: LOVE (click to see photo of Paris Bridge)
and if you want to read the list of locations around the world and see more photos of love locks, click here.
If you look at bridges around the world sporting Love Padlocks, Pittsburgh is going to have to go some to catch up!
Do you think a sword was pulled from this stone?
Weekly Photo Challenge: Up
Up! Crane your neck a bit.
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1—–Maura is ready for rocket launch!
Greenwich Village Night in the backyard by the garbage cans
Jane’s Carousel and Bridge- Brooklyn NY
Jack Erika and Mark at the Rock Climbing Place
Birds on a wire Route 51 
Bleecker Street Store Ceiling at Night
Rockefeller Center
The Black Widow on the upswing at Kennywood
Headed upstairs to the brige
Maura Rock Climbing
Pittsburgh 
The Skycoaster at Kennywood
River Catches Lights at Dusk
It’s been a week of bridges on the blog. Here’s one more. I thought the lights in the river look impressionistic. A soft focus on the bridge. Need to keep tripod or brace better against the light pole to avoid camera shake. You know how I like it when the sky grows dark and the lights come up. And I like to catch reflections.
Once known as the Homestead High-Level Bridge over the Monongahela River, it was rededicated in 2002 to honor The Grays Baseball Team of the Negro League so is known as the Homestead Grays Bridge. Built in 1936.
“It is notable as the first bridge to utilize the Wichert Truss, which uses a quadrilateral shape over each support.” says wikipedia.
My Maps App Took Me Here to Cross the Mon?
(I think I read somewhere- don’t use alliteration? Mmmmmmmmm.)
How did I end up here, looking to cross the Mon?
I couldn’t believe it when I landed right in front of this sign. Bridge Closed. It was just getting dark.
Turns out this bridge to Donora has been closed since 2009!!! The way you have to go now is a four mile addition to the trip.
The Monongahela River winds all around the place. I’d crossed it at Homestead at the beginning of my journey.
Then I found out later this bridge is slated to be demolished.
With the help of my son’s MIL, Marlene, on the phone in Hardy, Virginia, I found the Monessen Bridge and wound around and up and over to Donora.
You can’t always trust your Maps App. At least the sign didn’t say BRIDGE OUT! It was one of three routes. Better try a different one next time. I read about the major supports having deteriorated. Maybe the maps app just wanted to show me it for a photo op?
Took this right out of the passenger window
Roberto Clemente Bridge at Night
Roberto Clemente Bridge from a different angle. High up! What a view.
Photographed from the lovely Renaissance Hotel’s fourteenth floor – my fellow blogger’s room. The Allegheny River looked pretty chilly.
If you follow me you know how I enjoy working on my night photography. Love all the lights’ reflections, especially in the water. Too bad it wasn’t baseball season as we could have watched the game from her room!
I was telling Kathryn about how the bridge is closed when there are Pirates Games and you can walk across to PNC Park. Thanks for inviting me up to see the city at night. What fun. I think I need to book a corner room with a river view and just take photographs at different times of day.
Monongahela River Like a Mirror
I drive across bridges at least twice a day. I go to work on the arch green bridge(Birmingham Bridge) and sometimes come home on the yellow bridge(South 10th Street) but this day I crossed the Liberty Bridge.
Pittsburgh: The city of bridges. The change in light, water movement or in this case stillness, is ever changing.
The South Tenth Street is the one that was lit up for the filming of the Tom Cruise movie.
What’s Under the Rankin Bridge
Back in “real time”. Not that I didn’t enjoy the chance to dig in the archives- but Monday night I was driving by the Rankin Bridge from Swissvale and saw the setting sun on the side of the bridge. Shone like a yellow bridge (it’s actually blue) with the late golden light on it but just an ordinary shot, straight on. It did not “speak” to me. Drove another 50 feet. Stopped at the red light ahead. Saw this view. It seemed to go on forever, the repeat of the braces. Rolled down the window and was able to capture the underbelly of the “Steel cantilever spandrel-braced deck arch “. You can’t tell from this angle that the Monongahela River is seventy five feet below. Or that the bridge is 2,427 feet long! I got that good info from here.
There are a lot of bridges in Pittsburgh. Don’t see underneath them too often, though. You might remember this view from the Rankin Bridge of a barge being pushed by a tug.
If you suffer from gephyrophobia it would be difficult to live in Pittsburgh.
And a new Keep or Pitch post is up today after unannounced hiatus = Back to School adjustment recovery period-
Firefighter on the 62 Street Bridge- People at Work Series
It was mid July. The sun was dropping and I was on my way home. I stopped to photograph the huge American flag in the middle of Etna.
Etna #149
The light, the breeze, the undulating shadows. I pulled over to the side of the road and took quite a few shots. And then as I started back home, I was the first person on the scene of an accident on the 62 Street Bridge. I could hear sirens and a tow truck arrived, a Paramedic truck and the Etna Firetruck all made their way by me to the scene as I sat. I photographed the back of the firetruck through my windshield as I sat and sat. I missed being in the wreck cause I was photographing that flag blowing in the breeze. Watching the light. This Etna firefighter helped the line of traffic turn around on the bridge and find another route home. Before I did the K-turn, I asked him if I could photograph him and I think he said yes! Ahhh the men who save us. Thank you. He’s said, “It’s going to be awhile before anyone gets out of here.”
and one of the flag shots from the middle of Etna that saved me from being in the accident!.
City Bridge in a Bike Trail Mirror Along the Monongahela
Along the Monongahela River Pittsburgh PA
There was a photo in the paper of the laser lights projecting on a downtown building last night. They’re filming BATMAN downtown and there was the Bat Signal. Unfortunately, I did not get down there to capture the scene. So I looked through the recent photos as I wanted to change it up from the themes of late and I always return to the city views. They are so varied.
It’s almost midnight and I am still thinking about the Bat Signal on the Highmark Building and wondering if it is still there. Should I get in the car and drive downtown to see? Christian Bale coming to town, Big News Big Movie. Good for Pittsburgh all around.
here is my simple offering of the city bridge reflected in a mirror along the Bike Trail.
Red Sky in Morning from the Birmingham Bridge
Left the house a bit earlier to get to the other side of the city this morning. As I hit the Birmingham Bridge I saw the sunrise. I pulled to the edge, hit the flashers again and sat quietly, and shot the sky over a few minutes time. The other direction I could see cars on the Parkway with their headlights on. A nice way to start the day. But the Red Sky,Sailors Take Warning turned out true as it is snowing (about 3 inches so far) and already they have called for a two hour delay at school. The dark band along the bottom of the photo is the Jersey Barrier. Unretouched photograph!
Finding more beauty in winter.
Jigsaw Rooftops
In Lawrenceville. As I walked over the 40th Street Bridge I looked up and saw all these houses packed so closely together.. There was no air between the rooftops. Reminded me of a difficult jigsaw puzzle.
Lawrenceville. Looking up from the 40th Street Bridge.
Full Moon Over Pittsburgh
Not Light Up Night tonight. My friend Ray called. Said there was a huge orange moon on the horizon but by the time I threw on my jeans, wool sweater, hat and scarf, drove up to Mt. Washington, the moon had risen and appeared off white. Clear, cold and windy, met two couples from Minneapolis on their way to the Macy’s Parade in NYC. Ray told them how to drive off the mountain to Fathead’s or Primanti’s on Carson Street. The city lights looked brighter to me than Friday night. It was an impromptu shooting session but a lot of fun. Posting the Radio Tower on Shiloh Street tomorrow.
The temperature dropped that twenty degrees they said it would....brrrrr. A clear night.
Hunt Stained Glass Studio Statues
You are driving up a ramp and you look to the right. You sit in bumper to bumper traffic. See the arc of the West End Bridge You see the tops of statues that stand along a wall for Hunt Stained Glass Studios. I had to research who the statues belonged to and thank goodness for Google Street view.
Saints' statues sentry- this is a second story level and the road is below this ramp.
Train Along the Mon
Steve drove over Rankin Bridge and you know how I love red lights? Easier to shoot as a passenger. This is narrow cause I cut out the bridge rails. I love to hear the train’s whistle along the Allegheny River at night. This train was at a standstill. I wondered what was in the cars.
Not much light left- we were headed to West Mifflin.
Fireworks Shot from Roberto Clemente Bridge & River (2 views)
Pirates game Saturday night, perfect weather, a Luke Bryan Concert after (had never heard of him but apparently I am the only one who has not) Fireworks by Zambelli. Won’t go into the details on the outcome of the game (OUCH) but a stunning display of color and sparkling light over the city.
Looks like an upside down dandelion gone to seed.
Roberto Clemente/Sixth Street Bridge Sunday Night
A dry ride home despite reports of severe thunderstorms. It was blue sky and white fluffy clouds, sun, intense green from the rain. When I got back to the city it had gotten dark. I pulled over by the Renaissance Hotel on Duquesne Blvd and caught the bridge.(Click to learn more about “self-anchored suspension”)
It was okay but I drove around the block for both arches, shooting through the windshield while sitting at the red light.
Roberto Clemente Bridge/Sixth Street
Night Game
Baseball game, almost summer. Lights in the city at night offer invitation.
To see the photo that inspired the beginning of today’s poem in Pittsburgh Post- Gazette ( Color Theory) click link here
PNC Ballpark lights cast a glow in the sky.
3 Figures Across the River at Birmingham Bridge
Full photograph of Birmingham Bridge on the Monongahela. Detail of crop from same photo-scroll down. The shadow of the bridge on the sunlit river made a cool pattern. The people showed up when I enlarged the photo.
After dropping off Mill at Night at the Pittsburgh Technology Center on the Mon
3 Figures Across the River at Birmingham Bridge
North Shore Riverwalk and Fort Duquesne Bridge
You can see the light poles partially submerged in the foreground, a random duck, the edge of grass meets the Allegheny River. Shot Sunday evening. They say the worst is over now, the 10th St. Bypass reopened as the riverwater receded in the night. A family of bicyclers were checking the flooding at different points and said in front of Alcoa upriver the water was higher. At this particular spot it was quiet, no rushing sounds. Get the specs on all the Bridges and Tunnels of Allegheny to learn the difference between a steel tied arch bridge and a steel bowstring arch bridge.
Gateway Clipper Ship on Allegheny River- City of Pittsburgh at Dusk
A beautiful night at the Pirates Game with good friends. And the Bucs won (8-18-09). When the Gateway Clipper ship cruised by, I remembered driving Mark to the wharf and how he used to work, answering calls to book cruises, take the reservations, sell wine and cheese packages. A nice light, just before dark.
What G-20 Attendees will see upon arrival–
You drive out of the tunnel, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, fivefourthreetwo, ONE– PITTSBURGH! The cityscape welcomes you. Dramatic entrance after the darkness. The day you get back it is blue sky! The bridge almost gold. Your camera’s right there on the passenger seat. This is what you see. rutheh.wordpress.com
What G-20 attendees will see first upon arrival
Recent Comments