Trip #80 2nd Avenue to Bluff Street, Bluff (Uptown), Pittsburgh was taken on November 12, 2017, and published on January 10, 2018.
Ricky and I were in the same class, and we rode the same school bus. We both had brown hair, bowl hair-cuts, and asthma, which meant we couldn’t take P.E. with the other kids. Instead, we had to walk quietly around the perimeter of the gym while games that involved running, jumping, and throwing or kicking balls were played. Ricky and I spent a lot of these walks having serious conversations about Snoopy, Peanuts comics and all the assorted collectible bits we had seen and wanted. When I turned 8, I received my first camera, and I took a photo of Ricky proudly displaying his yellow Snoopy thermos.
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I don’t’ have asthma anymore, and I lost track of Ricky when he changed schools, but I still prefer walking and talking over running and jumping. And even more when it’s with someone who enjoys talking about comics and art projects and all the life experiences you’ve had or want to have. Like Dan McCloskey, who came along on this city steps visit and makes a guest appearance in the Polaroid. So what are you waiting for? Call up a friend and go for a walk! Visit some public stairways! It’ll be a good experience, I promise.
Field Notes: a fun trip with Dan McCloskey (shown in photo) during his stay in Pittsburgh. Dan used to run a writers’ residency on the Northside called the Cyberpunk Apocalypse which is how I first met him 5 years ago… ANYWAY, this is the flight the begins at the Duquesne Overpass and proceeds down to Second. You have metal, wooden and concrete stairs here – not sure if any are original to 1919 though! At the very bottom is a cool old wooden door (check out the “Curious Bits” album on Flickr to see).
Want to visit these stairs? You can locate them on the Pittsburgh City Steps Plan website!
See the Risograph print of this photo and story in the Mis.Steps Shop.
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. If the location has an abundance of illegal dumping and trash, also contact Allegheny Cleanways, letting them know the location and the nature of the garbage. Thank you!!
