Bonus #7 Soffel Street, Mount Washington, Pittsburgh took place on April 10, 2022, and was published on May 2, 2022.
“Garbage in, garbage out,” says the middle-aged woman as she leaves her porch to join me on the sidewalk. “It might look nice on the outside but don’t be fooled, the place is a mess.” She looks relieved when I assure her that I’m taking photos of the city steps and not investigating real estate. “Oh good, since the old man died, it’s gone from one flipper to another. There’s erosion on the hillside down near the back deck, and for almost a year, water was just pouring out of the basement, and you know what that means (pause) MOLD.” I grimace and lament the extra responsibility that comes with living next to a house where you have to keep an eye out for problems. “I’ve lived in this neighborhood a long time, and I raised three kids here. It’s a good place but not that house.” She seems like a nice, friendly lady, someone who might actually be a really great neighbor, so I take her at her word—but believing her crushes my heart more than if her words were motivated by something other than honesty.
Field Notes: This flight is not listed in Bob Regan’s book. He does have Soffel Street listed but only the segment between Southern Street and Lena Way, This segment runs from Lena to the door of the “orphan” house shown in this photo. I love whatever kind of shrub/tree that is growing by the front door – it looks like it’s been there for a long time.
Love city steps? Get yourself the latest issue of Mis.Steps: Our Missed Connections with Pittsburgh’s City Steps! Each copy is unique and features 10 randomly selected “trading cards” of Pittsburgh’s 739 public stairways. Visit the Mis.Steps online store to see all issues and place your order.
Want to visit these stairs? You can locate them on the Pittsburgh City Steps Plan website!
Be a good neighbor! Have you visited these stairs and found them in poor condition or that illegal dumping (large items like tires, old furniture, and construction debris) and trash were abundant in the area? There are two things you can do to take action and make our city steps cleaner and safer for everyone! First, grab a photo if you can, and submit a report to Pittsburgh 311. All problems, both broken stairs, and railings, as well as trash and dumping, should be reported to the city. You can easily do this online or by calling.
