Trip #224 Salisbury Street to Arlington Avenue, Southside Slopes, Pittsburgh took place on November 23, 2018, and was published on December 14, 2018.
There’s a hand imprinted in the concrete and alongside it, the word ME!. The handprint and letters remain even as the stairs have disappeared. Concrete is durable, it can last several lifetimes and be patched and re-patched and re-configured. But it’s not indestructible. A jackhammer, a pick-ax, a landslide or erosion can shorten it’s lifespan considerably. Steps are made, and steps can be un-made. But who is ME! ? Does ME! remember when there were three steps on this section of the street? Someday, this handprint and concrete slab will also be removed, changed into something else for someone else like some many other places around this city. Change is inevitable, but I hope there will always be a ME! who can’t resist the allure of a freshly poured sidewalk and the opportunity to make themselves immortal.
Field Notes: These stairs are gone. A section of the sidewalk between Salisbury and Arlington around Eccles has recently been re-done and I’m sure the stairs went with it.
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!!
