Trip #465 Amherst Street, Elliott, Pittsburgh took place on July 12, 2020, and was published on July 20, 2020.
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to forget things when you’re distracted or pre-occupied? I’m sure we’ve all had a few memorable moments of forgetfulness we wish we hadn’t had to suffer through. Here’s one such story that still manages to set my heart racing. In pre-cellphone days, a friend and I were standing outside our cars talking after work. As I looked for something in my bag, I placed my keys on the roof of his car and… forgot about them until he was driving off down the street! I ran back into work and started calling his apartment, praying he was headed home and that all those keys wouldn’t be lost forever. Miraculously, the keys stayed on the roof of the car, which he informed me of when he answered his incessantly ringing phone. Phew! Whenever we have these kinds of panic-stricken experiences, we always swear to ourselves, “I’ll never do that again! Next time I’ll pay attention!” but our good intentions frequently fall short. And I’m no exception. While I have never again placed keys on top of another person’s car, I’m no stranger to ransacking the house searching for them – only to discover they’re in the bottom of my bag after all.
Field Notes: Had to make this a quick trip as I parked in what appeared to be an empty school / municipal building but then a guy came out and said I could only park for a few minutes. I guess he believed me when I said I was there to document the stairs! 🙂
See the Risograph print of this photo and story in the Mis.Steps Shop.
Want to visit these stairs? You can locate them on the Pittsburgh City Steps Plan website!
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.
