Trip #440 Round Top Street, Crafton Heights took place on April 25, 2020, and was published on May 18, 2020.
I make eye contact with the middle-aged woman sitting on her porch swing, and she waves and says hello. I tell her I’m amazed by how new the sidewalk steps look. “We got the nicest of all the city steps right here.” she proudly brags. “A few years back, they came and fixed up the whole thing.” As I continue my walk, I notice how almost everyone who lives on this street is outside. A teenage girl is sitting on a blanket talking on her phone. An older man without a shirt (but with a hat covering his face) is draped over a folding chair. Two guys are washing a car while a woman inspects the hedges in her front yard. It reminds me of how people tend to gravitate toward anything with charismatic energy; we’re like moths to a flame, wanting to bask in the glow of connection. After many years of having stairs that were crumbled, rusted, and perhaps challenging to navigate, they’re enjoying the pleasure of looking at the view right outside their front doors.
Field Notes: While this flight may have been built in 1948, it got a “face life” just a few years ago (according to a woman who was sitting out on her front porch as I walked by). It’s definitely one of the nicest looking flights I’ve seen so far!
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.
