Trip #131 B Street, California-Kirkbride, Pittsburgh took place on May 2, 2018, and was published on May 9, 2018.
While the interstates may have been this country’s first mass transportation system, I like to think that in Pittsburgh, the public stairways were the first city-wide network for moving people around. In the days before the spaghetti-tangle of highways, thruways, parkways, and expressways, all these stairways carried inhabitants to work, to school, to shop, to worship, and to play. Even if you had the money for a bus or trolley, it’s likely there was at least one stairway between home and the nearest stop. These days, the roads that were designed to make travel quick and easy are so congested it’s hard to remember when driving was fun. I’m certainly not advocating for a return of the “good old days,” but I do sometimes wish for a smaller world where almost everything you needed was just a few streets and stairs away.
Field Notes: Visited on a sunny but very windy day. View from the top is pretty nice – Mt. Washington and the western part of downtown. The Japanese knotweed is already starting to grow in and soon this flight may become impassable.
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!!
