Trip #481 Magnet Street to Brule Street, Perry South, Pittsburgh took place on August 6, 2020, and was published on August 26, 2020.
Popular magazines often offer quizzes to help readers better understand their relationships. By truthfully answering a few quick questions, you can uncover your “love style,” “attachment style,” and “intimate conversation style” (to name a few). As someone following my journey, chances are, you too have a special relationship with city steps. It might be one you are currently pursuing or associated with specific memories from days-gone-by. Public stairways may guide you to work or school or provide exercise for yourself and an eager canine. Perhaps Pittsburgh’s paper streets offered a respite from the noise, pressures, or limitations of being inside – or where you spent time navigating the subtleties of human behaviors. And like all relationships, connections can fade with time and our changing lives. But even when the concrete is cracked and broken, and the people have moved away, the space remains. A space that is patiently waiting to catch the eyes and hearts of a new generation of relationship builders.
Field Notes: The sidewalk steps and sidewalk are almost fully disappeared here. Some of the homes further down the street are occupied but the one at the top has had a “For Sale by Owner” sign on it for years (according to Google Street View).
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.
