Adventuring the Slopes: StepTrek 2012

Last year, on an extremely hot October afternoon (for real - it was like 85 degrees), I walked up and down what seemed like a billion steps scattered throughout the South Side Slopes. I must be a glutton for punishment, because I enjoyed it so much that I did it again. This time, I took my buddy Ross along. It was the first of a day/evening/ night full of things that Ross and I set out to do. More on some of those another post. Tonight, we focus on steps. Lots. Of. Steps. The South Side Slopes isn't exactly a place where I'm likely to be found. It's prohibitive for someone whose main mode of transport is a bike. There also doesn't seem to be a plethora of entertainment up there either. But, it's really fun to explore, because it's full of outstanding views, tucked away spaces, and a stray cat or two. The StepTrek happens every October. The money raised from registration goes towards keeping the steps in working order. These aren't just fun, they're necessary!

Getting ready for Halloween. We are so, so close.

Not sure if this is still in operation, but the Kollar Club was a Slovakian club, and many immigrants from Slovakia in Pittsburgh came here to learn their first words of English. 

A typical street in the Slopes might end with a staircase.

Going up!

What do we have here!

This adorable little guy. Would have made a good addition to my mini-collection of black cats. But he looked pretty well kept, so he'll stay up there on the Slopes.

A witch, a view of the Cathedral.

I can't help but love every view of this good-looking city. We kind of rock.

Happy Valentine's Day: 14 Things I Love (re: Pittsburgh)

With just about four hours to go until Valentine's Day is over, and the really awesome holiday begins (check back tomorrow!), I thought I'd share 14 things I love about Pittsburgh, or have loved throughout the past year.

1. I love this man who lives on Penn Ave. I hope he stays there forever, but, if not, I'll enjoy him for as long as I can.

2. I love everything about this quote. It's a child describing how watching Mr. Roger's Neighborhood makes him feel.

3. I love how many different views of Pittsburgh there are, and how many I've been able to see since I've been back.

4. I love all the color. All of it.

5. I love my creative friends, without whom I would be lost.

6. I love that in this mural in East Liberty that there are crazy-looking wolves running around unleashed! East Liberty is scary! (Not really, but in this version, look out!)

7. I love Panther Hollow. Such a good place when you need to get away.

8. I love that we have a dino in our airport. For real, this makes me excited every time I come home.

9. I absolutely love that this photo exists.

10. I love how worn the stairs in the Carnegie Library in Oakland are. So much use by so many generations of Pittsburgh.

11. I love this quilt. Simply amazing.

12. I love the Bloomfield Halloween Parade. And I loved that this kid broke a board in front of where I was standing this year. How many days till Bloomfield Halloween Parade 2012??

13. I've really loved spending time with my dad.

14. And I loved saying goodbye to 2011, and saying hello to 2012 by taking a quick dip in the Mon, bright and early on New Year's Day.

Happy Valentine's Day.

Pedestrian Pittsburgh: The Staircases of Polish Hill

[Pedestrian Pittsburgh is a collaborative effort between Eric Lidji and me. We're gonna walk all over this fantastic city. Check out his blog for his account (which will be much more elegant and whimsical than my account that follows).]

When you put a neighborhood on a steep hill, you end up needing a transportation system to get people from the bottom to the top and back down again. It might seem too basic to be considered a transportation system, but really that's what staircases are. They are a pain when you have to climb several to get to where you're going, but they are way less of a pain than the alternative - scaling the hill without it broken up a bit.


Our plan on possibly the most beautiful January day on record was to walk up or down all of the staircases in Polish Hill. Why? Why not? What else are you going to do with your time?

This staircase is all the way at the back of Polish Hill. On the other side of that wall is Bigelow Boulevard.

From the top of the staircase, you can see Polish Hill, Lawrenceville, Troy Hill and beyond.

But, if you look down, you'll see some lovely little chickens!

The day of our walk it was sunny and almost 60 degrees. Fuck winter, indeed. (Of course, it's now freezing and snowy and blustery, so that whole mild winter thing is probably over. SAD. FACE.)

Definitely my favorite staircase, and maybe Eric's too, was this one above. It's hard to see before most of it is covered in the weird gully-forest overgrowth in Polish Hill's odd little gully. But where it looks like it turns to the right it actually also continues straight, making a big, somewhat unnecessary loop. Though I guess it is not entirely unnecessary for the people who live in the three or four houses it services, which is a nice part of Pittsburgh's charm.

This is one of those snapshots of Pittsburgh that I just absolutely love. Rickety houses teetering comfortably on the edge.

The best part of walking the staircases were the small discoveries along the way: the unnecessary loop, the stickers and graffiti, the chickens and the view. Polish Hill is a treasure trove because the people who live there, have lived there, or have climbed up and down the staircases on trips to the neighborhood have left little remnants of themselves behind. I like wondering who put up these little birds outside their cage or who spray-painted this excellent orange creature on our last staircase of the day. I'll probably never find out, but that's okay so long as there are continually more things to find and enjoy.

You can see more photos from the walk on the EverythingBetterPGH Picasa Page.

Pittsburgh Legs: StepTrek 2011 - Gold Route

Halfway through StepTrek 2011 I knew I was going to have to split the event into two separate posts. The combination of several factors (a beautiful fall day, a neighborhood I'd never been to before, and the little Pittsburgh surprises that kept popping up) led to this becoming a series of posts. So, if you weren't around last week, make sure to check out the first post about StepTrek with pictures and stories from the Black Route. Today, we finish up with the second half of my adventure: the Gold Route.

The first thing I passed on the Gold Route was the field for the South Side Sabers. As I walked by, little kids were dressed in Steelers-esque jerseys tossing footballs back and forth. It was beyond adorable. Their signage was awesome.



From football to faith, the Gold Route next took me to St. Paul of the Cross Monastery, a beautiful church sitting on the edge of the slopes with a great view of downtown. On the side of the monastery was this beautiful and bright mosaic.

Graves in the monastery cemetery, on a slope like everything else in the neighborhood.

View of downtown from the monastery parking lot.

One of the monks was passing out water in a StepTrek tent and as I passed by he said hello. I said hello back and remarked that it was a beautiful day. He smiled and said to me, "Another day in paradise." I walked away smiling and thinking, "This is paradise."

St. Paul of the Cross Monastery as seen from the bottom of the hill.

The Gold Route brought me to several pedestrian bridges over the train tracks that run through the South Side. While crossing the first of these bridges, a train was barreling down the tracks under me.

At the end of another of the bridges I found this graffiti/street art. The South Side Slopes appeared to be a little lacking in the graffiti/street art department, which could be a consequence of location. It seemed to be the antithesis of a neighborhood like Polish Hill where you can't walk two feet without seeing something non-commissioned added to the landscape. But this find was charming enough to make up for the lack of it on both routes.


And, to balance out the sweet with something sinister, directly across from the thoughtful poem was this "Meanie Babies" sticker, which shows a lion eating his own leg. Of course it does.


In total, I walked close to 2,500 steps as part of the Trek. Stairs have never been my favorite form of exercise, but I am a thousand percent glad I took part in StepTrek 2011. It was a great way to see some new sights and get a feel for a Pittsburgh neighborhood that's new to me. I found my dream house. I saw the city from a new vantage point. And I did some intense work on my Pittsburgh legs, which were beyond sore in the days that followed. Well worth it, because (to me and my monk friend at least) every day in Pittsburgh is another day in paradise.