Trip #444 Milnor Street, Westwood, Pittsburgh took place on May 10, 2020, and was published on May 29, 2020.
Novelty piques our interest, captures our attention, and fires up all those happy brain chemicals. That’s never more apparent than our collective swooning when the first spring blooms appear after a cold and grey winter. Their colors and textures so eager and energizing – and so dreadfully shortlived. All too soon, their delicate faces crumble and fade; and we must bid farewell until next year. Sorrow is fleeting, though, as a bevy of lush, summer beauties arrive and send signals our way. We immediately comply and forget our professed love for the crocus, daffodil, and tulip. And so our cycles of love and loss continue, throughout the seasons, throughout the years. When the autumn chill returns and the last of summer’s withered remains offered to the compost pile, it’s easier to look back and remember how all of our novel attractions spring from the same glorious garden of life. But for now, winter is a distant memory. Surrounded by heady aromas and sultry heat, we gladly fall into the embrace of allium, clematis, geranium, honeysuckle, lavender, and rose, over and over again.
Field Notes: A well-cared-for raised sidewalk flight on Milnor Street in a quiet, well-cared-for looking neighborhood. This is the last visit for the 6th issue of the Mis.Steps ‘zine and it was a good place to end off at.
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.
