Trip #109 Lappe Lane, Spring Hill-City View, Pittsburgh took place on March 4, 2018, and was published on March 19, 2018.
I push my way, step by step, through branches and brambles. I see something purple; it’s a ball. A child’s ball held captive by vines, ensnared in the weeds. I reach the step the ball rests on and can identify the top of the flight, but it’s impossible to move any further. The overgrowth is too dense and unyielding, and meandering stalks with hooked thorns have entered the landscape. Even if I had gloves, branch cutters, and garden choppers, there’s not much to gain as a fence cuts across the landscape. A tall brown fence that designates a backyard. A backyard with a tree fort perched high above the stairs below. At one time, these stairs guided the travelers of Lappe Lane to Fabyan Street, but that was probably before this house, this fence, and this tree fort. As for the vines, weeds, and purple ball, those most likely came later.
Field Notes: The stairs here are overgrown, I couldn’t reach the top but I could see it and it ends at the backyard fence of the house on the street above. One time this flight may have gone through to connect the S Side Ave with Fayban, but not any longer.
Want to visit these stairs? You can locate them on the Pittsburgh City Steps Plan website!
See the Risograph print of this photo and story in the Mis.Steps Shop.
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. If the location has an abundance of illegal dumping and trash, also contact Allegheny Cleanways, letting them know the location and the nature of the garbage. Thank you!!
