Squ'ill Latte, Two Murals and a Mystery

07/10/12 239# 38m

Rode from the Bastille at 0600 using the Ft. Duquesne Bridge to get to Point State Park, where a nondescript pile of beach sand sat in a mess, the remains of a once-brilliant sculpture. It was a bit early in the day for "this, too, shall pass" but we takes what we finds.

Crossed the Ft. Pitt bridge, Station Square Trail, Baldwin Trail to Keystone Metals. There was a well-written summary on the Bike-Pgh forum explaining the status of the Keystone-Sandcastle trail. Reversed, Hot Metal Bridge, Panther Hollow Trail to CMU.

Fifth Avenue, Wilkins, Murray, and Forbes into Squirrel Hill (aka Squ'ill). Commonplace Coffee for a lavender vanilla latte and Allegro Hearth Bakery for pastry. Doesn't get any better. Highly recommended.

Forbes, South Braddock, into Regent Square; found this mural, Bird's Eye View, by artist Kristin Williams in 2003.

It wasn't until I took a minute that I realized it was a bird's eye view of the neighborhood I was standing in, very effective.

Lancaster Street, Frick Park, Nine Mile Run Trail. (Why is it called Nine Mile Run? I don't know!) Intercepted Duck Hollow Trail, crossed the railroad tracks to Second Avenue.

At Second Avenue and Elizabeth Street, saw this mural called Piece by Piece, Step by Step, by artist Kip Herring, on the Elizabeth Pharmacy:

There's a lot to this mural and I'd like to understand more about it.

At Hazelwood Avenue, turned and joined the new Hazelwood trail segment. While riding along this brand new trail, I saw something that I couldn't identify, but it reminded me of an iconic image from my youth:


I think it looks a lot like the Apollo Lunar Module (LEM), but perhaps I am just getting into my dotage --



Continued on the Hazelwood Trail to the Hot Metal Bridge. Rode the Jail Trail to its northern end at Grant Street, was pleased to see some new signs offering guidance to itinerant bicyclists.


Rode to the Smithfield Street Bridge, ducked down the ramp to the Mon Whorf Trail, took the ramp to Point State Park - where I saw a mini-gaggle of DPW folks preparing to clean up a big wet sandpile.

Joined the Convention Center Trail along the Allegheny River. Rode out to 28th Street, reversed, back to the Point, and the Ft. Duquesne Bridge. Saw a group of very athletic people participating in either some sort of exercise-boot-camp or some sort of a hazing ritual, doing such things as climbing down the bridge walkways face-first, head-down - which looked really strenuous to do. Rode back to the Bastille for 38 miles.