Trip #438 Thayer Street, Sheraden, Pittsburgh took place on April 25, 2020, and was published on May 13, 2020.
The skate park at the bottom of the stairs is empty. An older-model minivan, dusted with pollen and a smattering of leaves, is the sole occupant of the small parking lot. The wooden flight is significantly damaged and too unstable for me to climb. From below, I can still imagine the long-ago years when neighborhood kids ran up and down this flight to hang out at the park: skateboards and boomboxes, pilfered cigarettes and cans of beer, stolen glances and staunch alliances. But by the look of things, it appears that yesterday’s adolescent thrill-seekers have moved on to other neighborhoods and different forms of recreation. Trading in moments of weightless exhilaration for an existence with a bit more gravity. Not unlike a minivan waiting patiently in a parking lot.
Field Notes: A wooden flight that leads down to a skate-park area in Sheraden. The park looks pretty good but the stairs are destroyed. Too bad.
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.
