Trip #739 Ardary Street, Garfield, Pittsburgh, took place on April 20, 2022, and was published on June 13, 2022.
Today, I’d like to show you the final entry in Bob Regan’s logbook from 20 years ago: a humble flight of wooden city steps in Garfield. This post and photo also represent the end of my journey to retrace the travels outlined in his two books, “The Steps of Pittsburgh: Portrait of a City” and “Pittsburgh Steps: The Story of the City’s Public Stairways.” I imagine Bob was pretty tired by the time he reached this Columbo Street stairway because I surely am! Over the last five years, I’ve followed his journey neighborhood through neighborhood, flight by flight, and photographed everything that’s still standing. Because of Bob’s efforts, my travels were easier, and for that, I am incredibly grateful. While this may be the end of documenting Bob’s journey, it does not mean the end of Mis.Steps! There are still newly built public stairs and historic stone stairways in parks and playgrounds that I intend to photograph. In addition, there are several flights I’d like to revisit, and I’m confident there are a few more waiting to be found on abandoned hillsides. So while I’m done, I’m NOT REALLY DONE. 🙂 I am going to take a bit of a break to think about what Mis.Steps 2.0 will look like and what our family of city steps enthusiasts would enjoy. Feel free to message me your ideas and I promise to see yinz after Independence Day. Peace and love to all of you; your support has made the trip worthwhile.
Field Notes: This is where the journey ends! This is the final entry in Bob Regan’s Pittsburgh Steps book. In a way, it’s a fitting bookend. The first flight was Dornbush Ave. in the East Hills, a long steep flight of sidewalk steps that were functional but had seen better days. After 737 other flights around nearly 70 neighborhoods, we finish back in the East End in Garfield. This wooden flight is safe, but the area could use a little TLC (trash/litter/cleanup) much like many of the other city steps I’ve visited over the last five years. No dramatic ending but a rather expected and appropriate close to this adventure!
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, and trash and dumping, should be reported to the city. You can easily do this online or by calling.
