This trip to an unmapped flight of city steps connecting Noblestown Road to the Dunbar Playground in Crafton Heights, Pittsburgh took place on January 2, 2021, and was published on January 4, 2021.
Some objects are good at hiding in plain sight. The keys left in the door, the eyeglasses placed on the kitchen counter, and the phone that is… in your hand. Twenty-something years ago, Bob Regan located dozens of city steps in the West End neighborhoods, but this flight eluded his investigations and is NOT listed in his Pittsburgh Steps book or on the city’s online map. It was only through a local geocacher, with the Twitter handle @PittsburghTrail, that this flight was brought to my attention – and going out to investigate was a lure I couldn’t resist!
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This public stairway connects Noblestown Road to the Dunbar Playground in Crafton Heights. You can easily spot it from the “Naked End Zone BBQ” parking lot. But move a few dozen feet in another direction, and *poof!* they’re gone. Despite their tendency to vanish, these stairs are still in decent condition. According to Bill, who works at the trucking company whose building partially obscures the flight, people use them every day to access the bus stop. So, let this be a message for all of us: keep your eyes open and receptive to the often overlooked. Let’s make 2021 a year filled with re-discovery!
Field Notes: I really wonder how Bob Regan missed finding these back in the 90s when he was tracking down all the city steps. He mapped several other Crafton Heights and Westwood stairs that are very close to these! My only thought is that it was summer and if the truck depot was active back then, perhaps there were large vehicles that obscured the view.
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.
