Trip #477 Corinth Street to Journal Street, Ridgemont, Pittsburgh took place on August 2, 2020, and was published on August 17, 2020.
Businesses and the media make billions of dollars selling us new and unique ways to be happy. And like Pavlovian lab rats, we oscillate between acquiring “must-have” items specifically marketed to our wants and needs and undertaking KonMari-esque purges to remove all offending goods that no longer “spark our joy.” It’s a roller coaster lifestyle that creates a strangely co-dependent relationship between inanimate objects and our wellbeing. There’s no reason to feel guilty in acquiring something you’re genuinely interested in, just as there’s no shame in donating or throwing away items that are no longer important. Instead of searching for happiness through repeated actions of buying and removing, what if we simply showed appreciation for all we had in the past, all we have today, and all that will surround us in the future?
Field Notes: There are two flights on either side of Journal Street – one goes up and the other goes down. They’re kind of part of the Endness Street stairs that start on Woodville Ave – except there are train tracks that cut through the middle. This flight and #478 (and #476) are pretty much destroyed and the houses that were in this area are long gone.
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.
