south side – Page 4 – Ruth E. Hendricks

Pittsburgh Guitars on Carson Street, South Side, Interior and Exterior Shots

Two more weeks of class, so two more posts of South Side after my Wednesday late afternoon adventures. It was raining. Had a single slice at Sola Pizza again. Then found my way into Pittsburgh Guitars. Floor to ceiling. Acoustic, Classical, Electric, (even a bright pink one!) and the cutest GuitarLele you ever saw on the wall. The guitar bodies gleam. And of course every accessory for your instrument–metal, nylon strings, capo, picks, gig bags and cases, amps and cords and straps and music and whatever else you might need or want . Did I mention knowledgeable staff? Sam helped me. ALL musicians. You can meet the entire Pittsburgh Guitars staff on their website. Not a big box store. Personalized attention. No pressure, No rush. They know they have a good thing and isn’t it great to handle and play before you buy? Superior to internet ordering. They have a very creative website which is extensive and fun. You can go in and play the different instruments and check out the sound (please ask for assistance! on yellow tags like baby road signs) If you don’t play guitar yet, it is not too late to start!

Pittsburgh Guitars Storefront — 1305 East Carson St.

March 10, 2011March 9, 2011 by Ruth Categories: Light in the City, MusicTags: guitars, music, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Guitars, postaday2011, south side 9 Comments

Count the Pigeons on a City Rooftop

At first glance you think you are seeing architectural details, all along the roof ledge. There were at least fifty of them. Part of city life- the pigeon. Today’s photo/post evokes the poet Timons Esaias whose chapbook title is The Influence of Pigeons on Architecture For a copy ($8.50) contact Tim via his website.

You may remember Timons Esaias was guest poet on the blog for his poem. By Their Sidewalks You Will Know Them (click here) posted about this time last year.

Birds in the City

Not in a tree this time
or flying above.
People have feelings about them.

Pigeons on City Roof top — Carson Street on the South Side. A beautiful blue sky.

March 1, 2011May 24, 2011 by Ruth Categories: Light in the City, Pittsburgh PhotosTags: architecture, city scene, photography, pigeon, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Photgrapher, poet, postaday2011, south side, Timons Esaias 6 Comments

Eljay’s Used Books is Moving from the South Side to Dormont

I asked why and the answer wasn’t surprising. “Economics.”

After 14 years on Carson Street. I bought a James Beard Cooking Lessons volume to read while I waited for a friend. The fiction section was already boxed up and packed. A lot of books to move. A loss for the South Side scene for sure.

Dormont is fortunate. 3233 West Liberty Avenue will be their new digs.

I Love Bookstores

Losing two bookstores in the city.
Just this week.
Borders with the new books-not open lomg
barely two years
and now Eljay’s Used Books on South Side,
Signs of the times.

February 27, 2011May 24, 2011 by Ruth Categories: Light in the City, Photography, Pittsburgh PhotosTags: architectural details, architecture, books, Bookstore, Carson Street, photo of the day, photography, Pittsburgh Photos, postaday2011, sidewalk, south side, Used Books 9 Comments

It’s Happy Hour at the Milkshake Factory on Wednesdays- Half Price!!

Last week I looked in the window and thought some tour or a class must have just let out or everyone is on a field trip at the Milkshake Factory on Carson Street. They were lined up out the door. And I was headed to my Photo class again this Wednesday after school and parked and got out of the car, foraging for dinner somewhere on the South Side and went by the Milkshake Factory and it was PACKED!!! I walked down the street and got a slice of Pizza at Pizza Sola and walked back to the Milkshake Factory. I thought, wouldn’t it be cool to photograph the milkshake machines and see what the crowd is about. Hmmmm. Good excuse. Well, the woman in front of me who confirmed that she was indeed the end of the line said, “Oh it’s Happy Hour- The milkshakes are half off!!” I asked if I could photograph- after I ordered a coffee milkshake. And the smell of chocolates was tempting too. The Edward Marc chocolates are beautiful. They will let you buy a single piece. There were boxes of Valentine’s chocolates half price, too, but I resisted those. Marble counters, a red tin ceiling, white subway tile. A host of milkshake “shakers” acting super pleasant, energetic and patient even with the enormous crowd, filled up the metal cups with loads of ice cream and milk, whatever flavor combination you wanted. And there are some wild possibilities with the flavors. One guy had a drink carrier with four shakes to go! So two dollars and eleven cents later (they had a dish of pennies to help out) I had my milkshake in hand. I mustn’t make it a regular Wednesday stop as I didn’t ask for the nutritional information but calcium is good for bones, right? HA! Named “best historic restoration in the city” according to their website. I am going back to the gym tomorrow after school. The past two Wednesdays have been fat-loading.

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Old Fashioned Milkshakes on the South Side

Scoops and scoops of Ice cream
pour in cold fresh milk,
load it into a tall metal cup
whirred by a sturdy machine.
Thick shake eased into a tall plastic
container with a clear straw–
melting as you sip down to the
grating sound of sucking
when the shake’s all gone,
wishing for a few more sips.
Sweet and satisfying.

P.S. Don’t forget to vote on Keep or Pitch blog today.

February 24, 2011June 1, 2011 by Ruth Categories: Light in the City, Pittsburgh PhotosTags: Carson Street, chocolate, Edward Marc Chocolates, Happy Hour, historic preservation, historic restoration, ice cream, milkshake, milkshake machine, Pittsburgh, PizzaSola, postaday2011, soda fountain, south side, The Milkshake Factory 10 Comments

What You Should Never Eat- But Tastes Great!

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Hungry

Sometimes you are hungry
for something that is just not good for you.
And you eat it.

And regret doing so.

Or not!

Wednesday nights I take a class at Manchester Craftsmen’s and eat an early dinner on the South Side, driving down the slopes from Arlington. The last two weeks it was Carson Street Deli sandwiches but then I started thinking French fries. Undoing all the work at the gym yesterday.

So I crossed at 16th St and went into Mario’s, the only patron at that off hour but not for long. Cory was hosting and tending bar and took my order for an Alpine burger (don’t ask) and their house cut fries. A tall ginger ale. I asked if I could photograph the stained glass windows. Designed by Williams Stained Glass of Bethel Park. It was a good time to photograph the architectural details. Woshner’s was once “haberdashery” and is now Mario’s. I was too early for Karaoke night. Had to get to class.

February 17, 2011May 24, 2011 by Ruth Categories: Cooking and Eating, Light in the City, Pittsburgh PhotosTags: architcture, Carson Street, city scene, Duquesne University, Mario's, neighborhood, Penn State, photoblog, photography, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Steelers, postaday2011, retro, sidewalk, south side, University of Pittsburgh, urban scene, Williams Stained Glass, Woshner's 8 Comments

Button, Button, Whose Got the Button? ( & Bridal Veils, too!)

1700 Carson Street is the home of a great button store. It fascinates me- Parker Button. Boxes and boxes stacked from floor to ceiling. All colors, shapes and sizes. Like an artist’s palette. Shank or flat. Frogs and belt buckles. Ribbon and trim. Spools of thread to sew them all on for utility or ornamentation. My mother had a glass jar full of buttons. My sister made me the coolest necklace from vintage mother-of-pearl shirt buttons, strung onto embroidery floss. Do you have any clothing missing a button?

The other half of the shop is Clarissa’s Boutique . One word to describe the bridal veils, jewelry and accessories for custom headpieces and wedding necessities- exquisite? lovely? classic? ethereal? They will create a custom headpiece for you but allow three months. Feathers, flowers, jewels, or pearls. Voted the Best of the Knot for weddings 2011.

These Days Buttons are Often a Part of Web Design

Or people push our buttons.
Press the button to call the elevator
or select your floor.
Today’s post is the old fashioned kind.
Two-hole, four-hole or shank.
Metal, plastic, shell or bone.
Beatrix Potter shapes of rabbits.
When was the last time you sewed on a button?

Today marks 500 blog posts and counting!

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Growing up we had a record with the song ( these lyrics are from 1929)

Button up your overcoat, When the wind is free, Oh, take good care of yourself, You belong to me! Eat an apple every day, Get to bed by three, Oh, take good care of yourself, You belong to me! Be careful crossing streets, ooh-ooh, Cut out sweets, ooh-ooh, Lay off meat, ooh-ooh, You'll get a pain and ruin your tum-tum!

February 10, 2011June 1, 2011 by Ruth Categories: Light in the City, Pittsburgh Photos, vintageTags: belt buckles, bridal veils, bride, button, button collecting, buttons, Carson Street, city scene, Clarissa's Boutique, frogs, jewlery, memories, notions, Parker Button, photo of the day, photoblog, photography, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Photographer, Pittsburgh Weddings, postaday2011, retro, sewing, south side, The Knot, thread, urban scene, vintage, vintage buttons, wedding accessories 14 Comments

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!

Red Sky in Morning, Sailors Take Warning — Finding more beauty in winter.

January 21, 2011January 20, 2011 by Ruth Categories: Light in the City, photo of the day, Pittsburgh Photos, Pittsburgh RiversTags: Birmingham Bridge, bridge, city scene, January sunrise, Monongahela River, photo of the day, photoblog, photography, Pittsburgh, postaday2011, red sky, south side, sunrise, traffic, urban scene, winter morning 13 Comments

Who Remembers Kickball?

You have to have a good ball to play. One with some bounce. Similar rules to baseball they say. But you could get the ball thrown at you as you rounded the bases and be called out. Everyone wanted to pitch. I left school Friday afternoon and saw this kickball on the playground in the snow.

Kickball in the Snow — The rusting chain link surrounding the playground. The red rubber ball birghtened the scene.

January 11, 2011January 10, 2011 by Ruth Categories: Childhood, Light in the CityTags: arlington, childhood, city scene, kickball, memories, neighborhood, photo of the day, Pittsburgh, playground, postaday2011, school, sidewalk, snow, south side, winter scene 8 Comments

Vinyl 45’s in Paper Sleeves with Plastic Adapter

How old do you have to be to remember what 45rpm means? I had a carrying case for this size record. Down at Excuses again, SouthSide, where King Cobra Blues plays the first Friday of the month. I saw this scene- a guy named John had two old 45’s and was asking Don Hollowood to sign them during the band’s break. I asked if I could photograph the 45’s. He was worried I didn’t have a flash but I managed. John was explaining to me how there was an A side and a B side to a 45. It was dark in the bar. I had about twenty years on him and knew about the A and B side but he said he was used to explaining the concept to his nieces. So the rare 45’s of the band Bon Ton Roulet were Black Diamond(A) and You Excite Me Daddy(B) and the other was Love and War (A) and They Call Us Bon Ton Roulet(B). Check out the MTV Basement Tapes, hosted by Frank Zappa, see the early music video featuring Pittsburgh Band Bon Ton Roulet singing Love and War. John said he bought them at Sunny Jim’s in Emsworth. There is one copy of Black Diamond on Amazon. The plastic insert 45rpm adapter is called a spider.

January 8, 2011January 8, 2011 by Ruth Categories: Night Light in the City, photo of the day, Photography, vintageTags: 45's, Bon Ton Roulet, Excuses Bar Carson Street, King Cobra Blues, Love and War, photography, Pittsburgh Bands, Pittsburgh photo, plastic adapter, postaday2011, rock and roll, south side, spider, vinyl 8 Comments

Rooftop Deck View of City from the Southside

The holiday lights down below give the clue as to the time of year. Two gatherings Friday night. Live music at both. Extraordinary piano playing. Walked up to the third floor and out the door onto the roof. Propped the camera up on the deck railing and shot without the cable release. The lights felt magical. A beautiful cold winter night.

Night view of the city from the South Side. — Rooftops fascinate me. A terrific vantage point.

December 18, 2010 by Ruth Categories: Night Light in the CityTags: available light, brick, city at night, front porch, neighborhood, night photography, painted brick, photo of the day, photography, Pittsburgh, rooftop, south side, urban scene, winter scene 10 Comments

Tag: south side

Pittsburgh Guitars on Carson Street, South Side, Interior and Exterior Shots

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Count the Pigeons on a City Rooftop

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Eljay’s Used Books is Moving from the South Side to Dormont

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It’s Happy Hour at the Milkshake Factory on Wednesdays- Half Price!!

Like this:

What You Should Never Eat- But Tastes Great!

Like this:

Button, Button, Whose Got the Button? ( & Bridal Veils, too!)

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Red Sky in Morning from the Birmingham Bridge

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Who Remembers Kickball?

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Vinyl 45’s in Paper Sleeves with Plastic Adapter

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Rooftop Deck View of City from the Southside

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