Witch Way 3

[Mark Rand]

Atwood Street, located near the University of Pittsburgh's main campus, is a one way street, running southeast to northwest. Dawson Street is the southeastern end and Fifth Avenue is the northwest end. On the way, it crosses Cable Place, Bates Street, Louisa Street, Sennott Street, Forbes Avenue, and Euler Way. Cable Place, Louisa Street, and Euler Way are on the southwestern side only.

 

The section between Sennott Street and Fifth Avenue consists of Pitt, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and commercial buildings. The rest of the street has single-family houses, apartment buildings, and retail establishments. While many of the people on this part of Atwood, and the adjacent streets, are university students, there are also people involved in the mystic arts there, too.

 

One of the single-family houses belonged to a mage and now is the residence of the local superhero team.

 

I'll be coming up with a few places, and characters. Hopefully, you will contribute some, too.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Witch Way 3

 

Three of Pittsburgh's now-defunct businesses are B/G, a chain of diner-style restaurants, George Aikens, a chain of cafeteria-style restaurants known for its fried chicken, and Palmer's, a chain of family restaurants. They still exist in the campaign.

 

There is a B/G on the western corner of Forbes and Atwood. A Pitt fiscal office is above it.

 

Across from it is UPMC's Iroquois Building. It has commercial establishments on the ground floor and offices on the others. A George Aikens is on the corner of Forbes and Meyran Avenues.

 

The State Liquor Control Board has a store on Atwood Street.

 

Pittsburgh Filmmakers is on Oakland Avenue.

 

Danny's, an Irish pub, on Louisa Street, near Atwood, has a pool table, a fire place, a dart board, and karaoke. The owner is Danny O'Hara, Senior. He and his son, Danny, Junior, tend the bar and are good at spotting fake ID cards. Their wives, Cathleen and Rosemary, tend the kitchen.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Witch Way 3

 

If you stand on Atwood, facing Forbes, with Bates behind you, the first street on your right will be Oakland Avenue. The next one over is South Bouquet Street. Standing in the same position, the first Street on your left is York Way. Next is Meyran Avenue, then Semple Street, and, finally, McKee Place.

 

 

These buildings are real. The Oakland Post Office is on South Bouquet, between Pier and Bates Streets. A Citizens Bank is on the corner of Oakland and Fifth. The rest of that block is the Medical Arts Building. Its first floor is commercial. UPMC offices are on the second, third, and fourth floors. Pitt's Student Health Services, and related offices, occupy the fifth floor. The building's garage is accessible from Atwood Street.

 

Parkvale Savings is on Forbes, across Meyran, from the Iroquois Building. The bank is on the first floor. UPMC offices are above it. A public parking garage is behind it. Forbes Tower is behind the Iroquois Building. Pitt offices and classrooms occupy floors 2 through 6, which can be accessed through the Atwood Street doors. UPMC offices, accessible from Meyran Avenue, are above it. The building also has a parking garage and there are surface parking lots behind the building.

 

The New Oakland Tailor is on Meyran, behind the public garage. Two pizza parlors, a hair salon, and a neighborhood resource center are on Atwood.

 

These are made up. Madame Rosa, a spiritual adviser, has her shop on Atwood, on the ground floor of a two-story building. Next to her is the office of Doctor Gail Mason, a family practitioner and Madame Rosa's daughter. Doctor Mason is an expert in herbal medicine and gives lectures on the subject at Pitt's medical school.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Witch Way 3

 

Aaron, an occult bookseller, has his shop on Oakland Avenue. Most of his stock is harmless, but, if he knows you, he'll help you find the real books. A Conservative East-European Jew, he sprinkles his speech with Pittsburgh English and Yiddish. He's accompanied by Marmalade, his red tabby cat.

 

Since the team's headquarters is an average sized house, it has only one domestic staffer. She is Marie, the late mage's housekeeper. Her calico cat, Cleo, is always nearby.

 

The gang of the comic strip Curtis lives in the neighborhood. Gunther's barber shop is on the ground floor of the Iroquois Building.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Witch Way 3

 

Animal life abounds in the neighborhood. This includes the party animals, drunk or otherwise, at various university and frat social events.

 

A new ordinance passed Pittsburgh City Council that outlaws indoor furniture on unenclosed areas. The mayor is expected to sign it.

 

The new version of American Gladiators, which is now in syndication, is taped at Pitt's Petersen Events Center. Among the cast is long time McKee Place resident Judy Carson, who plays Lace. As it happens, she resembles the first Lace, Marisa Pare.

 

Edit: Here's the URL for the ordinance mentioned above: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09078/956749-53.stm.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Witch Way 3

 

As you can tell, I'm bringing some of the real neighborhood into our fictitious version.

 

According to The Pitt News, if you had been in the neighborhood on the night of March 25, 2009, you would've heard fire engines. They were responding to a fire in a frat house on North Dithridge Street. All got out safely.

 

Parking in Oakland is always bad. It might improve when UPMC Children's Hospital moves to its new facility in Lawrenceville on May 2, 2009.

 

Some Pittsburgh drivers often run red lights and don't yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. Some pedestrians fail to cross properly. On occasions, various area police forces will take part in PennDOT (Pennsylvania Department of Transportation) campaigns to either warn or cite people who don't follow the rules.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Witch Way 3

 

People like to celebrate championships by the home teams. For some reason, those that occur in Oakland include the burning of couches, flipping over vehicles, and property damage. A lot of arrests also occur.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Witch Way 3

 

In Akiko Tanaka's house, on the corner of Pier Street and Ermine Way (a short alley between Oakland Avenue and South Bouquet Street), one will find cats. No surprise there. Akiko adopts stray and feral cats, cares for them, then finds good homes for them.

 

Each new cat owner gets, along with a cat, a cat carrier, a scratching post, a weeks worth of cat food, the cat's bowl, toys, and grooming items, its medical records, a book on feline care, and contact information for Akiko and her vet.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Witch Way 3

 

The magic in the area is at various levels. Witchcraft exists along side superhero magic, but without costumes.

 

Although magic is in the open, most people either ignore it or rationalize it as being something else.

 

Familiars exist. Many, but not all, are, not necessarily black, cats.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Witch Way 3

 

According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, a snowy owl has been recently seen in the Pittsburgh area.

 

In the campaign, it might end up on, or close to, Witch Way, possibly as a familiar.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Witch Way 3

 

The late mage's house, now the team's base, is bigger inside than outside. Some of this extra space is made up of rooms. The rest consists of pocket universes.

 

Both Aaron and Marie are magic users. However, their level is below that of superhero mages. Their cats are their familiars.

 

Speaking of familiars, Akiko was one until the higher powers of good made her human to teach cats how to become familiars. The bag of cat food Akiko gives people when they get their familiar is the same kind she ate as a cat and the vet she uses was her vet back then.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Witch Way 3

 

Three of Pittsburgh's now-defunct businesses are B/G, a chain of diner-style restaurants, George Aikens, a chain of cafeteria-style restaurants known for its fried chicken, and Palmer's, a chain of family restaurants. They still exist in the campaign.

 

There is a B/G on the western corner of Forbes and Atwood. A Pitt fiscal office is above it.

 

Across from it is UPMC's Iroquois Building. It has commercial establishments on the ground floor and offices on the others. A George Aikens is on the corner of Forbes and Meyran Avenues.

 

The State Liquor Control Board has a store on Atwood Street.

 

Pittsburgh Filmmakers is on Oakland Avenue.

 

Danny's, an Irish pub, on Louisa Street, near Atwood, has a pool table, a fire place, a dart board, and karaoke. The owner is Danny O'Hara, Senior. He and his son, Danny, Junior, tend the bar and are good at spotting fake ID cards. Their wives, Cathleen and Rosemary, tend the kitchen.

 

Pittsburgh Filmmakers isn't on Oakland Avenue anymore.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Witch Way 3

 

According to the Pit News Best of 2009, Atwood Street is the best street to party on because it is the center of the Oakland party & bar scene. I think now that using Atwood as the basis for Witch Way is a bad idea.