Trip #571 Caperton Street, Bon Air, Pittsburgh took place on March 24, 2021, and was published on April 8, 2021.
The South Hills neighborhood of Bon Air has only one flight of city steps, but it’s a much-needed asset on a steeply graded street. Sometimes, a single, straightforward solution, elegantly applied, is all you need to make life easier. I think about this in relation to how I confront problems in my own life. There are times when creating unnecessarily elaborate remedies actually feels better. Perhaps it’s because if my process involves many components and individual steps, I can more easily believe I’m “working really hard.” The simpler way, the shorter way, to connect A and B often makes good sense, but complexity offers its own strange comfort.
Field Notes: The neighborhood of Bon Air in the South Hills has only ONE flight of city steps – and this is it. Caperton Street is very steep so a long sidewalk flight is a perfect addition. Some beautiful forsythias were blooming at the top!
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.
