Bus organ donation

I rode by a sad hull of a city bus partially through the process of being stripped of useful parts. I wonder if it's completed yet or if its carer is on his/her way to help their charge... (give "Never Let Me Go - by Kazuo Ishiguro a read sometime if you haven't for my lateral allusion).

Casino friction and poop engineering

Here are a few pictures from casual ride around the North Side last week. I'm trying to catch up a little bit. The picture above is of the riverfront along the new casino. They originally wanted cyclists to dismount in front of the casino. However, that was met with outrage by the cycling community. The city responded fairly and appropriately, asking them to remove the signs. There were articles about it in the local media. Bike Pittsburgh has a good summary article, here. I'm happy with the city's response and that the casino agreed to remove the signs. I'm sure there will be times where it is too crowded to ride safely, and that's ok. We can all get along.

Below are two shots of ALCOSAN, the county wastewater treatment plant on the Ohio River. A civil engineer I know who consults with ALCOSAN considers himself a "poop engineer". It cracks me up. I like it when people don't take themselves too seriously.

North side trail reopened

The riverfront trail on the North Side downriver (west) from the Carnegie Science Center has been closed for a long time due to the construction of the new casino. The trail has finally been reopened. I only had my cell phone, so the pictures are all terrible. I'll get back with a better camera soon.

I'm pretty neutral on the casino. I don't know enough about how such a thing affects an area to form a strong opinion. I'm not too excited about the increased traffic potential, though. The riverfront area is a nice outdoor space that is a nice addition to the North Shore.

Downtown kayak rentals (and canoes)

Venture Outdoors rents kayaks and canoes on the Allegheny River at the base of PNC Park. It's a wonderful way to see the city from an uncommon perspective. The rivers were the key to Pittsburgh's growth and persist as probably the coolest thing about the city (sorry, Steelers fans).

Beauty in the mundane

At the Korean War memorial, Silas found the broken electrical box much more interesting. He knew the two were supposed to be connected, but couldn't figure out how to get them together.

Similarly, he found the sprinkler head and the surrounding wood chip mulch fascinating, completely ignoring the flowering tree sculpture in a courtyard in the Cultural District. The trees are well made and sort of interesting to look at in the dead of winter. However in the summer, it's a little sad to see man-made trees when real plants have been flowering like mad for the past few months. Maybe if I worked downtown, the perpetual blooms would brighten my mood on the overcast and rainy days, and I'd be more appreciative. The ivy is real, I think.

Civil engineers

I wonder if they're thinking, "wow, I wonder how beautiful this area was before our kind concreted it all over with roads, buildings, and parking lots." Was it then that the wicked witch of progress came and froze them where they stood as penance for such anarchist thoughts...?

North Side mosaic sculpture

Silas and I admired some art during our travels along the river. These mosaics are from a sculpture near PNC Park (where the Pittsburgh Pirates play) between the Clemente and Warhol bridges on the North Side.

Playing in the fountain

Silas and I spent about three hours tonight after work tooling around by the river on the north side as well as some downtown. These shots are from a water feature that teems with families and dogs during the hot weather. I was actually headed to the Andy Warhol museum with him, but it was closed. Being outside was by far better this evening.

Vista Street, Pittsburgh

I did some hill climbing after work yesterday. I did a casual 10 miles before work and 11 after work on some of the hills on the North Side. The picture was taken from the appropriately named, Vista Street.

My camera is in the shop being repaired (I'm hard on things), so I'm stuck either borrowing Bethany's camera or, as in this case, using my cell phone. The pictures are sort of ok, as long as nothing is moving, there isn't too much contrast, and there is a lot of light...

North Side heating and cooling plant

Riding around a bit before heading home on Friday, I ran into a heating and cooling plant on the North Side. I always stop and admire machinery, especially when it's nicely painted.