Trip #22 Boundary Street to Yarrow Way, Central Oakland, Pittsburgh took place on July 22, 2017, and was published on August 23, 2017.
I came looking for you, but you’re not here. I found other things – two little yappy dogs, and a deer, and a tall, young man with a crew cut – but not you. Things have changed over time; new things replace old things that replaced things that came before that. I looked so thoroughly, but this is all I could see. Is this you? Is this your last remaining piece? I don’t know. I’m a bit crestfallen that you may no longer be with us. I’m thinking about all the things I’ll never know, never experience because they are already gone. Is it possible to miss something or someone you don’t even know? I think it is.
Field Notes: Investigated three possible locations of the original flight – the first one seemed the most likely (and is the one in the photographs) due to the crazy positioning of the railing. The second possible flight is now a new, private flight of stairs for the new housing on the street above. The third location was further down Yarrow and ran along a garage up into a space between two buildings. The stairs look old enough but it was hard to tell if they would have been the public flight or private to the houses above.
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!!
