Trip #565 Fitler Street, Arlington, Pittsburgh took place on March 14, 2021, and was published on March 24, 2021.
The more we compare, the more we despair, despite knowing that the grass is not greener, thicker, softer, or less filled with weeds in someone else’s yard. We get so absorbed with thinking about what it would be like to be in some other place that we fail to see how everything we have right now, both the perfect and misshapen, fits as it should and serves a purpose. There are spaces and places for our good points and bad, our dreams and fears, proud moments and shame. It’s all there, laid out for us to see and marvel over and give thanks for.
Field Notes: This short, raised sidewalk flight has a fantastic tree right at the corner. It’s bare right now (mid-March) but I imagine it must look lovely when it’s fully green. Another interesting fact is that the bottom of this street has three different road treatments! The original Belgian block, red brick, and asphalt. Not sure how this came to be!
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.
