Trip #557 Brosville Street, Allentown, Pittsburgh took place on February 27, 2021, and was published on March 5, 2021.
In the era before GPS and phones that could guide us to nearly any destination, driving had the power to cause a bit more consternation. Paper maps, detailed street atlases, and seemingly aimless motoring up and down streets looking for names, numbers, or familiar landmarks were part of the journey to any unfamiliar destination. If you were a passenger in the vehicle, you were always charged with being a lookout. Arriving at an intersection bought you time to steal a glance at the map, get your bearings, and figure out, “Should I take a right or the sharp right?” Right now, I feel as if our entire society is at a 5-way intersection like this one in Allentown. We’re all trying to figure out where we want to go and the best way to get there.
Field Notes: This flight is on Brosville Street, at the main, 5-way intersection in Allentown. Driving through here gets a little crazy because of the old trolley tracks that are still embedded on some of the roads!
Love city steps? Get yourself the latest issue of Mis.Steps: Our Missed Connections with Pittsburgh’s City Steps! Each copy is unique and features 10 randomly selected “trading cards” of Pittsburgh’s 739 public stairways. Visit the Mis.Steps online store to see all issues and place your order.
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.
