Trip #633 Fitzhugh Way, Brookline, Pittsburgh took place on August 22, 2021, and was published on September 10, 2021.
It takes time to become comfortable with silence. Whether we’re alone or in the presence of people known or unknown, it’s often easier to fill the space with sound. Our homes, workplaces, and social environments typically provide a steady stream of chatter, patter, and beats that distract and artificially energize. But occupying a space that preserves silence can encourage us to become mindful of our movements, thoughts, and actions in a nearly opposite way from how we behave when sounds abound. So the next time you have the opportunity, give it a try. Turn off the music in the car, the TV in the living room, walk as if you’re at a religious service, speak as if you’re in a library. Feel everything around you become quiet. You’ll be surprised by how refreshing it is to inhabit a space with a blanket of silence wrapped around you.
Field Notes: This flight connects Brookline Boulevard, which is a major thoroughfare, to a little 1/2 way called Fitzhugh. There are a few rowhouses on the Way but the street ends and the stairs are what connects it to the boulevard. Spotting some cool-looking tree fungus near one of the lower railings!
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.
