Trip #684 Chartiers Avenue, Crafton Heights, Pittsburgh took place on December 17, 2021, and was published on January 21, 2022.
Life can be full of distractions! Sometimes, giving in to the siren’s call can be captivating (as anyone who has gone down a Reddit hole, doom-scrolled Twitter, or lost hours watching TikTok can attest). But unfortunately, the chitter-chatter of technological temptations makes it hard to focus on what needs to get accomplished in the here and now. And distractions, if not properly managed, can overtake an unprepared or untrained mind and leave us feeling like a pinball frenetically bouncing between shiny objects. So, the next time you’re confronted with a possible distraction, ask yourself if it has a legitimate benefit. If it does, set the timer on your phone for 10 minutes, and dive in. If not, hold off. The shelf life for these curiosities is terribly short, and by the end of the day, you may no longer be interested in responding to their call.
Field Notes: This flight of city steps leads to a now-short row of houses. There may have been more of them back in the day. The real interesting attraction at this stop is the long mural painted on the retaining wall. Very vibrant and full of stories. Lovely!
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.
