Trip #92 Grizella Street, Perry North, Pittsburgh took place on January 28, 2018, and was published on February 7, 2018.
It’s a sunny Sunday afternoon, and the kids are playing outside on the street. I hear a ball bouncing, shouts and calls to one another. The sounds bring me back to visiting Grandma and Grandpa for Sunday dinner. Deep in the past but still so close in mind. The overheated, stuffy house with old, uncomfortable furniture, the screened-in porch smelling of cigarettes, the grown-ups talking in Polish when they didn’t want us kids to understand. Sighs of relief when we were finally released from the table to run outside. Kickball, Dodgeball, Chinese jump rope, Red Light Green Light. Those Sundays moved at a snail’s pace, but decades of them have now sped by, faster than lightning. The old days are fixed and final in my mind, but today, this Sunday is not yet formed and still full of promise. I run up the stairs just to see how fast I can go.
Field Notes: Lots of fallen leaves but Grizella Street is a nice flight on a quiet old-fashioned looking street. No much traffic here and the kids are playing out on the street as it’s such a sunny, warm-ish day for January!
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!!
