Trip #368 Reuben Street to Beckham Street. Brighton Heights, Pittsburgh took place on November 2, 2019, and was published on November 25, 2019.
Are you looking down at the ground or up to the horizon? Are you focused on what’s ahead or what’s behind? Throughout the day, we need to look in all directions and process all the thoughts and emotions that come with being aware of our environment. Here on Gass Ave, I’m actively looking: my head swiveling in all directions, trying to take in as much as I can and commit it to memory. Why such attention? This flight is the final visit for Issue 5 of Mis.Steps: Our Missed Connections with Pittsburgh’s City Steps and is an unofficial marker that I’ve reached the halfway point for this project. I’m feeling excited and a little sad in a happy kind of way, and I hope my memory of standing here on this crazy steep street stays with me as I get ready to begin the second act.
Field Notes: Gass Ave is such a steep street! These sidewalk stairs that connect Reuben and Beckham streets are pretty overgrown at the top – it’s clear people don’t use them much anymore. Still, it was a nice place to visit for the LAST flight to be included in Mis.Steps: Out Missed Connections with Pittsburgh City Steps Vol. 3 Issue 2 | Dec. 2019. 🙂
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!!
