Brereton Street in Polish Hill is one of the most interesting Pittsburgh roads to photograph, especially if you stand at Brereton’s highest point, near the Hancock Street intersection. Last night, however, simply getting to that location proved a bit tricky. Patches of ice and snow created a slippy mess on the sidewalk near Brereton’s apex.
But, heck, we’re Pittsburghers on strike. Nothing stops us, not even the possibility of tumbling and shattering a few bones. We did take tiny baby steps, however, and held tight to the guardrail, which certainly made us look a bit silly. Mostly we feared slipping and breaking a lens on the camera we’d borrowed from a friend.
At the top, we turned around to take a look. The view was worth all the anxiety. Street lamps sprayed light on the row of century-old houses lining the street as it slopes sharply down before us. Most of the second- and third-story apartments were dark, but in a few places television screens created bluish glows. A few blocks away, Immaculate Heart of Mary Church rose above the neighborhood. The church is impressive up close, but at this distance it’s easier to get a sense of its scale, its dominance over the neighborhood.
Temperatures last night dipped into the low 20s, so few people ventured outside — we did see a handful of hardy folks wander in and out of Gooski’s and Pope’s Place. Numbed by the cold, we left after an hour and headed to strike headquarters to warm ourselves with a sip of bourbon we keep hidden there. Striking does have a few perks.
Steve is a photojournalist and writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he is currently on strike and working as a Union Progress co-editor. Reach him at smellon@unionprogress.com.