Trip #127 Lincoln Avenue to Arbor Street, Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar, Pittsburgh took place on April 15, 2018, and was published on April 30, 2018.
I’m a bit fatigued on “current events” so I like looking for the everyday things unlikely to be tweeted, shared or written about online. Like the Arbor Street stairs. On one side of the flight is a long-abandoned home. Its windows giant, gaping holes only slightly larger than the ones in the roof. On the other side is a house of yellow painted wood and red brick. Bright green grass and trimmed hedges punctuated by blooming daffodils and lawn ornaments. From the top of the flight, I can see across the street to the Lincoln Avenue playground. All is quiet on this Sunday afternoon, and a groundhog meanders its way past the colorful swingset. It might be easy for people to say, “Oh, there’s nothing happening here.” But this tiny slice of Belmar has been the stage for many events, both ordinary and special, in the past, present and future. It’s not “nothing” just because most people haven’t heard about them.
Field Notes: The house on one side is fully abandoned and the house on the other is all yellow and green with grass growing and daffodils blooming. Such are many neighborhoods and streets here.
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!!
