Trip #217 Mission Street to Holt Street, Southside Slopes, Pittsburgh took place on October 29, 2018, and was published on November 28, 2018.
Someone on this street has a goat in their backyard, and I can hear it bleating as I walk up these steep sidewalk steps. The sound of the goat reminds me of the very first foreign film I ever saw at an “aht house” theater called the Avon, in Providence, RI. I was nineteen, with my good friend Nancy, and we were by far the youngest people in the audience. I don’t remember much about the film other than it was French with a pastoral setting that included lots of footage of mountain goats. For some reason that made sense only to our adolescent selves, any appearance of goats on the screen prompted us to laugh. And our laughing annoyed the older, more “ahty” minded adults in the theater who would turn around and fix us with annoyed glances (which made us giggle even more). I’m sure that present-day grown-up me would also be annoyed if two goofy, giddy girls were sitting behind me at the Manor, in Pittsburgh, PA, but for now, I’ll gladly join this neighborhood goat in laughing out loud while I think about how much fun it can be when you’re with a friend and acting silly.
Field Notes: Sidewalk steps that connect Mission Street to Holt Street and go past fruit trees and flowers. Not sure how long ago they were planted but they add a nice bit of green on an otherwise grey street filled with parked cars.
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 the Holt Street 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!!
