Trip #17 Beeler Street, Squirrel Hill North, Pittsburgh took place on July 15, 2017, and was published on August 11, 2017.
It’s well before noon on a Saturday, but already the energy is up, Up, UP! People are running and jogging, walking dogs and carrying bags and talking on their phones. It might be the weekend, but it’s time to GO! Some frenetic post-punk garage band is blaring from the open windows of the house across the street, and all the kids are going in and out unloading boxes from an SUV. Someone changes the station, and now it’s “Fortunate Son” at a slightly lower volume. A Robin settles on a nearby fallen branch, and we stare at one another. The connection doesn’t last long – even the birds have worms to catch, bugs to eat, places to fly off to. But not me, I’ll sit here and wait to hear what the next song is.
~
For what it’s worth…
Field Notes: Even though the houses look nice, this area feels like CMU student-ville. This particular flight looks quite distinguished (compared to the prior ones I’ve visited) but it leads to a back alley of the house above it. Almost like their private stairs…
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!!
