Trip #574 Bigger Street, Beltzhoover, Pittsburgh took place on April 7, 2021, and was published on April 16, 2021.
Bigger Street is small, and despite what the maps say, it does not descend the hillside to Buffington Avenue. The sounds of hammers echo throughout this section of the neighborhood, and men agilely walk across the roof of a nearby house. A dog starts barking from inside one of the Bigger houses, but it sounds a bit perfunctory. More curious and conversational than threatening. Kind of like a person who’s technically “on the job” but not really working. While trying to hold up my end of the inter-species chit-chat, I stop and look around. I stand still and try to imagine this spot as it’s seen by different sets of eyes. The roofers. The woman walking down Taft Avenue talking on her phone. The people who made the first map and paved the road and built the sidewalk steps with red bricks and concrete. And the dog. I think I’m most curious about that particular point of view.
Field Notes: I almost thought this flight was gone but the old railings gave its location away! Bigger Street is a dead-end even though many online maps show it continuing down the hillside to Buffington. Spotted the first dandelion of the season!
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.
