Townsend Parklet, Elliott: 858 Ernie Street
Thanks to the noon sun, the Polaroid of Townsend Parklet is overexposed and washed out, offering a stark portrait with barely discernible details. The blazing light erased a large amount of litter, which presented itself like Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 of trash: bottles and cans, candy wrappers and chip bags, take-out containers and coffee cups, not-winning lottery tickets, plastic cutlery, plastic bags, and random indeterminate articles of clothing. *hiss*
Litter is a never-ending plague upon Pittsburgh, and short of becoming a dystopian video-surveillance metropolis where face recognition is the norm and enforcement occurs instantaneously, I’m at a loss as to how to change anything. My powerlessness makes me sad and angry and generally brings out the worst in me. *Urgh*
Otherwise, Townsend Parklet is a nice play space with reasonably new equipment, benches, and several large trees. It also has two nearby bins for recycling and two for trash, which are empty and underused. But my feet are on the ground, and I’ll keep reaching for the stars while silently hoping those contributing to this problem come to care about our shared public spaces. *sigh*
Love Pittsburgh’s City Steps? Get a Copy of the NEW Book!
City Steps of Pittsburgh: A History & Guide explores the history of the steps and the neighborhoods in which they were built. It also includes 13 guided walks and 20+ locations worth visiting—all with detailed descriptions, directions, and resources for creating your own urban hiking adventure. All areas of Pittsburgh are represented: north, south, east, and west. The book is available through all online shops (including our publisher) and local and independent bookstores.