Mt. Lebanon, Dormont, Beechview, Carnegie, Oakdale

10/21/12 234# 34m

Started at 0800 at the Walker's Mill trailhead on the Panhandle Trail, which is really quite close to I-79 (first time I drove there). We proceeded across Carnegie headed to Mt. Lebanon, but first we stopped in Castle Shannon to see this mural (Ivy Inn, 360 Castle Shannon Blvd) which is Ashley Hodder's homage to Phipps Conservatory:

I will say that my long-standing thoughts about riding to places with names that include Mount or -mont remain unchallenged by my experience today, and that's all I'd like to say about that. Saw this MLK-mural in three wrap-around panels at the Mt. Lebanon T-Station, on Shady Drive East, by Helen Worsing, Bonnie Schindler, Megan Graham, and Karen Mahoney:

On one side of the T underpass at Broadway and Wenzell, by the MLK Mural folks:

(click here for a City Paper article about this mural). On the other side of the T underpass at Broadway and Wenzell, also by the MLK Mural folks: (I thought this mural was most excellent)

"Mt. Lebanon Welcomes You" at 427 Washington Road, on the side of Pamela's Pancakes, also by Ashley Hodder:

In Dormont, 2938 West Liberty Avenue, "Dormont: 100 Years Young" by Taylor Shields.


From the Post-Gazette,

The figure of Slim Bryant, a centenarian, Dormont resident and local country music legend, is pictured in black and white playing his guitar at the bottom of the mural. His song, presumably about Dormont, is brought to life, revealing a tree-lined street with people of different ages walking to the pool, jogging, chatting and pushing a stroller. One man is walking a bulldog, which is Dormont's mascot. A child's accordion-style cut out of people is stretched across the top of the mural with the letters spelling "Dormont" above a bright yellow sun and the words "100 Years Young."

Dormont means "golden mountain" in French, said Jennifer Baron, who does public relations for the borough. She said that in the early twentieth century the borough was considered to be an escape from the dirtiness of the city. It was billed as "sunny Dormont."

In Beechview, an amazing mural on a coin-op laundry at 1940 Broadway, by Ryder Henry (who also did Kaleidoscope Cafe's exterior in Lawrenceville)
Interestingly, Beechview planners insisted on using a grid street layout in spite of the terrain, resulting in unusually steep streets; Canton Ave, American's steepest street, is in Beechview and is one of the Dirty Dozen hills.

Back in Carnegie, this mural is titled "Rebirth" by Gregg Valley in Sept. 2005, with the phoenix image on the right:

Interesting side point: this may be intended as a "water phoenix", referring to rebirth after Hurricane Ivan's Sept 2004 two-day flooding of the city, and also to floods in 1966 and 1956.

At 1 West Main Street, "Sunflowers in the City" by Harry "Hawkeye" Demel:

Mary St at E. Main St, Carnegie by Bill Borcik and Karen Mahoney via MLK:

Departed Carnegie, crossed I-79, and rode back to the Panhandle Trail at Walker's Mill. Got off the trail in Oakdale, and took this picture of a mural by Diane Adams:

Stopped and had eggs at an Oakdale diner, then back on the Panhandle Trail westbound to the intersection with the Montour Trail. Reversed course and rode back to the Walker's Mill trailhead. 35 miles on a nice Sunday morning.