Murals, Asylum Houses, Randyland and Tunnels

07/17/12 239.5# 35m

Rode 35 miles around downtown Pittsburgh, starting in the North Side and some neighborhoods I'm not yet familiar with. The first mural of the day was Children's Alphabet Garden, by Mary Mazziotti in an open lot at 1313 Sherman Ave.



A serendipitious discovery was Than Htay Maung's work at 324 Sampsonia Way, which wraps around two corners of the City of Asylum house and depicts a tableau ranging from the artist's native Burma to Pittsburgh's NorthSide. (read more)



In the adjacent property, Just Be Good by Oliver Lake wraps around the exterior of another City of Asylum house at 320 Sampsonia Way. (read more)



My next unexpected discovery was Randyland, downtown waiter Randy Gilson's three-lot parcel at Jacksonia and Arch streets - which is a gallery/residence for artists.



Then the second planned mural of the day (and final bit of artwork for today's post, thank you) was Birds Not Words, by Stevo Sadvary at 1300 Federal Street. The mural looks as if it were made of stained glass.



With that I rode across the Ft. Duquesne Bridge, out the Convention Center Trail to the Strip District, and stopped at Enrico Biscotti and got a biscotti and a coconut macaroon - very, very good.

Rode the Jail Trail, Panther Hollow, the Hazelwood Trail, crossed the Hot Metal Bridge, and rode south the Keystone Metals. Reversed to South Side Works and saw the work being done on excavating Tunnel Park for CSX's National Gateway project, to make the tunnel taller to accommodate double-height trains — because once the the Panama Canal is expanded in 2014, they'll need more rail capacity to carry the freight.



Ft. Pitt Bridge, Ft. Duquesne Bridge, back to the Bastille; 35 miles.

Coffeeneuring Ride: Big Dog Coffee, Southside

01/24/12 #232 30m

Rode 30miles in 38F today, a marked difference from yesterday's ride but still a great opportunity. Started on Neville Island right under I-79 at the Fairfield-Marriott, rode south along Neville Island and into McKees Rocks.

Tragically earlier today in McKees Rocks the body of a young man was found, shot in the head. Two days in a row, bodies found along my bike route. That trend needs to stop, people.

From McKees Rocks south on 51 to the West End, then Carson Street to the Station Square trail. Continued south on the trail to Southside works, took a right on the street that REI is on, and continued west of Carson Street.

What I love about "west of Carson Street" is that while there may be some gentrification, it's an authentic Pittsburgh neighborhood rather than a generic aspirational-upscale retail facility (AURF) where you can't tell what town you're in.

My path took me just beyond the world-famous Nadine's, which I love but that's more of a breakfast stop for me. Herself was outside and waved as I rode past. Took a left on Sarah and found myself at my coffeeneuring destination, Big Dog Coffee at 2717 Sarah Street.

The location was bike friendly, two Three Rivers bike racks out front - and something I hadn't seen before, a cleat for securing dog leashes, very nice. There's an outside seating area but it wasn't getting much use today.

The interior is really very nice - roomy, high ceilings, well lit. Much more of a residential vibe than, for instance, Espresso a Mano. Wifi, pastries, pleasant staff, great bagels. Big Dog Coffee is now my favorite Southside Works coffee shop.

They're very serious about coffee, as they probably should be. The queue at the counter moves quickly. I really like the layout of rooms.

I left Big Dog Coffee (resolved to stop again and again) and joined the trail at the Hot Metal Bridge, and rode south to Keystone Metals. I really hope that some path through Sandcastle is available this year, even if it's just the new dirt trail by Keystone and a jaunt through the SC parking lot. It makes me think of the old world maps that had monsters and typhoons on the margins, except that on the Pittsburgh trail system the impassable maelstrom is pretty centralized.

Turned north into a strong headwind, which I hadn't really noticed as a tailwind on the first leg. North to Station Square, north on 51. There's a lane restriction where 51 goes down to a single lane south of the McKees Rocks Bridge, but it's only fifty yards and it wasn't a significant issue.

I wore a lightweight wool layer today and ended up a little bit cold in the torso, and that's not necessarily a bad thing; it's better than overheating.

Rode through the Rox and Neville Island, and stopped at I79 in the hotel parking lot. 30 miles on the computer and 38 on the (virtual) thermometer. Longest ride of the year to date (LROTY).

Today's ride also puts me at an average of 10 miles/day for January, which is pretty cool.

After the ride I stretched the comfort zone and washed my bicycle. It actually looks very nice when it's all clean and you can see the details rather than the accrued crud.

Bastille - Bakery Square - South Shore Riverfront

9/27/11 #235 30miles

I saw my most excellent orthopaedic surgeon today and he told me the left knee is good to go. I've been taking Voltaren (Diclofenac) to reduce inflammation. The MRI indicates no tear or flap in the meniscus. So I'm good to go, and I'm going to be more disciplined about stretching before rides and taking Ibuprofen prophylactically.

I think that during my interruption of riding I've lost my mojo, I've broken the habit of daily riding and food discipline, so over the next few weeks I need to get back on track.

Rode 30 miles in 2h25m in Pittsburgh, half trails and half in traffic. Started at the Bastille, which was in today's news. Rode along the trails and crossed the 31st Street Bridge, left turn on Penn and left turn on Butler Street. Took this photo of the Lawrenceville Doughboy, which I've passed by a few times and never took the time to appreciate:



My takeaway was the bag over his chest for his gas mask, the leggings for the mire and sewage in the trenches, and the raincoat over his arm for the rain. WW1 was a cruel and terrible war, and for all of our improved techniques I don't know that anything about war has gotten any better. It's a great statue in that in preserves the memory of the viciousness.

Intended/Hoped to find a coffeehouse called Perk Me Up (4407 Butler St. Pittsburgh, PA 15201 412.682.1520) but I missed it, probably due to street construction. I hope to stop there my next time through.

Joined Route 8 South, Washington Blvd, Fifth, Penn to Bakery Square, and lunch at Coffee Roasters. Had an excellent vegetarian sandwich (eggplant, hummus, red peppers) and a chai tea latte and enjoyed the outside seating for a while. The day kept getting prettier as time advanced.

I must say that Pittsburgh drivers in these neighborhoods were extremely courteous, which may be due to the increased presence of bikes around here.

Out of Bakery Square it was Beechwood Blvd, Forbes, South Braddock, Hutchinson, Frick Park's 9 Mile Run Trail, the Duck Hollow Trail, and Second Avenue to join the Jail Trail. Although the tempting frisson of using the still-closed Bates Street Bridge was a siren's call, I took the Hot Metal Bridge and checked out the all-but-finished South Shore Riverfront Park, at SouthSideWorks below HofBrauHaus.

There are five ingots of steel which had been left on the site when the mill came down, and left again when the brownfield was reclaimed. Some people say that when a steel worker fell into the cauldron of hot metal - leaving no body for the family - they'd pour out an ingot in case the family wanted an artifact.



Having looked at these ingots up close now, there's no way any family was going to bring one of these things home.

I was also able to take a look at the 12.5M "South Shore Riverfront Park"; I guess part of the Gentrification NüSpeak is that it's supposed to be the South Shore, rather than SouthSide. (good luck with that). On reflection, if you build bike facilities like this, you can name them whatever you desire, really.

This is a photo of what the site looked like in March (via):


This is a photo of what it looks like today:

Urban Ride, Two New Trail Segments

06/09/11 #220.4 25m

0800 yogurt crackers 1000 banana, granola bar 1145 strawberry pancakes (pamela's) 1400 granola bar, honey 1700 peanut butter, crackers, chex mix

Rode 25 miles in 2h12m, road bike, an urban ride.

Started at Western Penitentiary, rode to the stadiums then out to Millvale, had strawberry pancakes at Pamela's. I really enjoy Pamela's, the ride to breakfast is becoming a favorite. Sightings included a squad of four hipsters, each with a messenger bag with a blinky on it, but no bicycles. One hipster had a tattoo of the Boston T system on her calf, that was pretty cool.

Back to the Ft. Duquesne bridge, Point State Park, and then the brand new Strip District trail along the south shore of the Allegheny River, from the Point out to 24th Street.

The Strip District Trail (which I think I'm going to call the Strip Trail until somebody announces a better name) is a very nice paved trail, it climbs and descends - it's not a rail-trail - and it's a great addition. I do think that the section closest to Point State Park might pose a security issue for single female riders after dark - there's just a lot of limited sight areas around the concrete pillars of the overhead highway.

Left the Strip Trail and rode over to Penn Avenue, and rode through the Strip District to Blvd of the Allies, noticed that the Arts Festival is in town, rode down to Grant Street. There was a lunchtime concert in one of the corner parks, it was nice to see the sharrows marked on Penn, very cool ride with an urban vibe.

From Grant Street I took the Jail Trail down to the Hot Metal Bridge, noticed that the trail connector between the HMB and the new trail behind AEO is now open. Rode over to Southside Works, and realized < rant > there isn't much in the way of public waterfountains - or public shade, for that matter - in this development that I local government subsidized. < /rant off>

Stopped at Subway, which is often the best place for a bicyclist to stop - they're very cool about filling your bottles with soda fountain's water lever and ice dispenser. Cooled off there, it was a bit warm outside (88F).

Rejoined the trail at REI, rode north to Station Square, took the Ft. Pitt Bridge, noodled around Point State Park to see where it will eventually connect to the Mon Whorf trail, crossed the Ft. Duquesne bridge and returned to Western Penitentiary.

Interesting Sightings: saw a cool hard-shell locking trunk bag on a parked bike which would be great equipment for a commuter. Also saw a tandem recumbent.

Western Penitentiary to Pamelas Pancakes in Millvale Bike Ride

4/7/11 #233
42 miles

Today was a great day for bicycling, 55-60F. As I drove out to my first ride of the day I met five young men with loaded bikes riding from Harrisonburg VA to Ohio. They looked like they were enjoying themselves.

The plan for my ride with M. was to start at the Western Penitentiary, ride to Millvale and eat at Pamela's Pancakes.

Western Penitentiary Trailhead

To find this trailhead, you could use this address: Valspar Corp., 2000 Westhall Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15233-1090.

Bike Trail Route, Western Pen to Millvale

Millvale Bike Trailhead to Pamela's Pancakes

It's a short hop through the town of Millvale to Pamela's Pancakes. Crossing Route 28 requires your attention, cars are going through there fast and it's a complex interchange.

When at Pamela's

Pamela's in Millvale is very cool, it's co-located with the Lincoln Pharmacy - old-world drug store counter service, etc. I ate the crepe-pancakes with strawberries and had coffee, which was perfect fuel for the rest of the ride.

After Pamela's

After Pamela's we rode back along the Allegheny to the stadiums, crossed the two bridges to get to Station Square (my favorite ten minutes of Pittsburgh bicycling), and then we rode down to SouthSide Works.

Southside Works Bike Trail

While we were at Southside Works we took a look at the new trail under construction which will permit a smooth transition along the river without bicycles having to mix with sidewalks and pedestrians along Tunnel Park. Basically, the new trail route stays between the river and the Hofbrau Haus / American Eagle buildings, and connects to the Hot Metal Bike Bridge.


Total mileage for the Pittsburgh ride was 22.1 miles.

Little Beaver Creek Greenway Trail, Lisbon Ohio

Later in the day I met K. and we rode the paved Little Beaver Creek Greenway Trail out of Lisbon, Ohio to Leetonia, Ohio. The south end of the trail has an adjacent bike shop (Donna's Bike Shop, very nice, friendly, well supplied). This is a very nice trail, well maintained; we rode 20 miles. It starts along Little Beaver Creek and has some very nice views.

I saw a black squirrel, which I'd only heard about for the first time last week.

There are a few at-grade road crossings that make some funny angles, so you want to be watchful. We saw probably thirty other people while we were out. Nice trail and I'll ride it again, I hope.



Total mileage for the day: 42.1

South Shore Riverfront Park at Southside Works

3/29/11 #233
26.7 miles road 40F

Had a very nice ride, went out to a Starbucks, treated myself to a slice of pound cake and a hot chocolate, returned home at 8pm in the dark.

How cool is this? The day after I post about the very way cool new development at Southside works, bemoaning that I don't have a photo of it, the Post Gazette provides one.



You'll see the rear of HofbrauHaus and the American Eagle campus above the trail.

The accompanying article, Donation received for riverfront park at Southside Works by Diana Nelson Jones, says this:

Riverlife has received a $50,000 donation from American Eagle Outfitters toward completion of the South Shore Riverfront Park, an approximately 3.2 acre amenity that links to the trail network on two levels and includes a promenade, a plaza and a 2,000 seat amphitheater.

The hillside will be built with a series of switchback ramps and terraces that eventually will link to a public marina. A new bulkhead wall will provide tie-ups for large and small boats.

The upper portions of the project -- behind the Hoffbrau House in Southside Works -- will be open this spring, said Stephan Bontrager, spokesman for Riverlife. It is a collaboration between the city, the Urban Redevelopment Authority, the Southside Local Development Corp. and the Soffer Organization.

I am a bit amused at the revisionist naming - we used to have NorthSide and SouthSide, now we have NorthShore and South Shore, but if they're willing to build a trail on it they can call it the Monongahela Riviera.

This picture, by the PostGazette's Darrell Sapp, shows the new Riverside Trail surface above the rmains of the J&L Pumphouse:

Southside Works 2011 Bike Trail

3/28/11 #237
27.8 miles 34F

Had an excellent ride today. Started in South Oakland, road the Jail Trail to the Penitentiary Trail, out along the Riverside Trail to Millvale. At the end of the trail in Millvale I had planned on stopping for a snack at Pamela's Pancakes, because every great ride needs a great food stop. Unfortunately, I got there at 4.30 and Pamela's closes at 4pm, so that foodventure will have to wait for another day and another blog post.

Back along the Riverside Trail, out on Herr's Island, back to the Ft. Duquesne Bridge, Ft. Pitt bridge, and the Station Square and Southside Trails.

The transition from the Southside Trail to the Baldwin Borough Trail, and specifically the section between Southside Works and the Hot Metal Bridge, has always puzzled me. Here's a picture from Google Maps, with a few key landmarks - The HofbrauHaus, REI, and the American Eagle building marked for orientation.



The trail designers have done so well in so many ways, but the current "Tunnel Park" segment seems non-intuitive and somewhat neglected. From the ground-level perspective, even the name Tunnel Park hasn't made sense, at least until I learned there's a train tunnel under there. This picture shows the path of the train tracks at either end of Tunnel Park.


This picture depicts the bicycle trails as routed in 2010, which really do leave bicyclists to fend for themselves. I've commented before that I don't know how an itinerant bicyclist manages to find their way through there, and it doesn't surprise me that the folks at American Eagle's corporate campus are finding bicycles riding on their sidewalks.

Today's Discovery

Today on my ride, I happened to ride to the back of the HofbrauHaus plaza just to see what the river looked like from there. Below the HofbrauHaus is a busy construction scene, building what looks like a magnificent trail section. It's breathtaking, quite dramatic. It seems like this will be the trail route from the Hot Metal Bridge along the Monongahela, past American Eagle and HofbrauHaus. This picture shows the apparent route of the future trail:


I have thought that the new Millvale connector trail might be the most elegant trail design in the area, and I have looked forward to what promises to be a very sophisticated design on the Mon Wharf Trail, connecting the Smithfield Street Bridge to Point State Park. The trail design along the river at Southside Works beats them hands down, it's very impressive.