”Pittsburgh has more public staircases (800+) than any city in the United States. The City’s steps connect communities and provide residents access to transit and other amenities” http://pittsburghpa.gov/
Author Martin Aurand’s book describes the formation of the topography of Pittsburgh’s hills and valleys. The Spectator and the Topographical Cityexamines Pittsburgh’s built environment as it relates to the city’s unique topography. Martin Aurand explores the conditions present in the natural landscape that led to the creation of architectural forms; man’s response to an unruly terrain of hills, hollows, and rivers. From its origins as a frontier fortification to its heyday of industrial expansion; through eras of City Beautiful planning and urban Renaissance to today’s vision of a green sustainable city; Pittsburgh has offered environmental and architectural experiences unlike any other place.”
Saturday Steve and I ventured to the “new” hot dog shop just a mile from the house. It had been empty and abandoned for the longest time. The shop was built in the 60’s and the tile inside is almost Harvest Gold, Avocado Green and Burnt Orange. Saturday it was sparkling clean. Chef Kevin Sousa has opened not one, not two, but THREE new places to eat in the neighborhood! A trifecta, all winners for sure.
Station Street offers French Fries fried in DUCK FAT. Wash it all down with a Mexican Coca-Cola (with cane sugar). We had the New York Dog with sauerkraut and grainy mustard and shared an order of fries.The hot dog had a good flavor and a nice bite to the casing. The music playing was the Temptations and you felt like you were in another decade but with new and fresh food.
See the countertop with the talking hot dogs. Even the rest rooms have a hot dog on the door who look like they can walk and talk.
I drove by Union Pig and Chicken the other night on the way home and took a shot from the car but have to try the food. They just opened up for business. The menu looks inviting so watch for a post in the near future highlighting the fare. And number three is Salt of the Earthwhich has an incredible menu on their link.
A couple of blocks from school there is a tree that grows out of the ground on a angle. This is the effect it has on the object below, when I straighten it out in the viewfinder and shoot.
Angles
There are the geometric ones-
acute, right, obtuse or
how we look at things.
Differently.
A recurring theme around the city as I travel between schools- I see chairs. The chairs make me wonder about the owners, their usual occupants. Somewhere in my hard drive I’ve a photo of a high chair near the curb, waiting for pick-up. Chairs have a personality of their own. I love to hear the names of different types of chairs, each evoke an image- wing chair, ladderback, Windsor or Eames. Lawn chair, rocking chair, lounge or arm. High chair, club chair, captain chair, molded plastic, patio or kitchen chair. School chairs are not particularly comfortable. Kids love the rolling ones on wheels. Folding, stackable, side chair or throne. Where do you sit?
Everyone has a chair.
Some more comfortable than others.
What kind of chair do you prefer?
As always,
Two yellow chairs and a gray one on Evaline Street. Yellow curb peeking through the snow.
At four o’clock the crows gather near Hillcrest Street. This is just one tree of many where they roost. I was waiting for Steve to pick me up at school. Their cawing sounds are loud and remind one of the movie The Birds. This is a color photo.
There were more but as I approaced the tree some flew away!
At the bottom of Pacific at Kincaid St, headed to Arlington from Garfield- I saw this artwork. I haven’t seen it before. I am hoping someone can tell me who the artist is. It was unexpected. We ask students- What is the artist saying?
Hope someone can identify the artist for proper credit.
It was a different kind of day. Testing. I was a helper-outer on the second floor the first two periods. When I returned to the art room I came down a stairwell I don’t use. The window with the sun coming through. An hourglass with wings? All those inventors and scientists. I wondered what ones the students would know. It was my prep. I went to the art room and got my camera. I remember a statue of Howe in Seaside Park in Bridgeport CT where I went to college. Remembered I lived on Howe St. when we first moved to Pittsburgh. I had to look up McCormick. Cyrus. And George Stephenson. Good thing it wasn’t Jeopardy with the category of inventors. An unexpected find at school today. The hourglass with wings struck me. Scroll down to see the detail shot.
You hear a lot about people working twelve hour days. Every day. I feel fortunate 8 is what’s required. We made up a snow day Tuesday, staying until 7. It was a beautiful day as I saw the beginning and the end of it at school, sky clear and blue. Morning view from the East End of the school and evening view from the West End. Out for a fire drill today I heard the clock chime like Westminster and didn’t even know it had that feature. Really amazing to hear as we stood with the kids in a wiggly line, getting a headcount and waiting to be called back into the building.
Ft. Pitt School is a little over 100 years old. You can see they cleaned the brick.
Coming out the driveway on the other side I saw this angle and light.
Some Ft.Pitt Elementary students have to climb these city steps up the hill to school. The blue sign says Rosetta Street. When I got to school, I could see two city trucks and a crew clearing the steps for the children to walk. I thought their efforts should be documented. The unsung heroes of the storm. What a lot of snow to shovel. The clock tower peeking through the trees is where I teach on Mondays and Tuesdays. Photographed Tuesday Feb. 16, 2010
City Crew Clearing the Steps for the Students on Tuesday
City Steps to Ft PItt- View from the bottom.City Crew Shoveling the Steps so Students Can Walk to School
Garfield The Steps to Ft. Pitt School
