Trip #685 Chartiers Avenue, Elliott, Pittsburgh took place on December 17, 2021, and was published on January 24, 2022.
While it’s easier to access many city steps once the temperature drops, the increased exposure can be emotionally challenging. Monochromatic shades of brown and grey span from the ground below to the sky above. The repeating cycle of freezing, melting, and refreezing leaves the exposed soil slick, sticky, slippy, and unpleasant to travel. Everything in sight appears weary and neglected, and it can be hard not to feel demoralized. But it’s in these moments that I try to activate the words of Wayne Dyer, “When you change your way of looking at things, the things you look at change.” I like to think of this slogan as summoning a protective charm (and cognitive challenge) that has the power to circumvent the negativity trap. They remind me that I have the ability to see the color palette as quiet and calming, the rough, exposed edges as sculptural, and my surroundings cloaked in a moody Appalachian Gothic patina. The challenges dissolve, and a new and exciting opportunity appears.
Field Notes: Chartiers Avenue winds its way through FIVE West End neighborhoods, with endpoints in Elliott and Windgap. It’s an interesting street, with residential, commercial, and quasi-industrial sections. This flight is in a neighborhood of single-family homes and apartments and leads from the sidewalk to several older buildings high above the street.
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.
