Trip #223 Clover Street, Southside Slopes, Pittsburgh took place on November 23, 2018, and was published on December 12, 2018.
Street names are like a person’s name. They create an identity, and they mean everything to the people who live there and the people trying to get there. Back in the late-90s when Bob Regan started locating all the city’s stairways, he recorded the Clover Street stairs as connecting Arlington Avenue to Comanche Way. Today, in 2018, if you look for Comanche Way on Google Maps, you’d be out of luck, BUT there is a Baltic Way that intersects Clover Street. Based on this digital information, one would suppose that between the late 90s and now, the city decided to change the street’s name. But not so fast. The city’s official neighborhood map shows Comanche Way, and a street sign (seen with my very own eyes), at the intersection of Picnic Way, confirms that. That’s a whole lotta cartographic confusion for a street with only a handful of houses, but when you’re introducing yourself to someone for the first time, getting their name right is always a good idea.
Field Notes: This flight was a bit of a mystery. Bob Regan’s book lists it as Arlington to Commanche Way, 48 steps. But there are two flights of 48 steps each. One goes from Arlington to Eccles and then another from Eccles to “Baltic” (according to Google Maps) or “Comanche” according to the PGH neighborhood street map. Either way, it was a fun little side-street area to explore.
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!!
