South Side Steps
Lace up your walking shoes, bring a bottle of water, and get ready for a workout. These steps are as steep as they are numerous.
Pittsburgh is known around the world for its once great steel industry and its many bridges. But Pittsburgh is also known for its hilly terrain and, especially for local pedestrians, its many sets of steps scattered throughout the city. There are approximately 2500 steps in the South Side Slopes, which is more than any other neighborhood in the city. This network of steps connects those who walk them to churches, playgrounds, homes, and the history steeped within the neighborhood. Some of these steps are managed by the city and have official street names, while some are technically private, though many are accessible to anyone passing through.
Today, you’re likely to find runners, photographers, gardeners, or in the later hours, inebriated twenty-somethings stumbling their way home after a night out. Historically, the steps were used by workers who lived in the Slopes to get to their jobs in the steel mills and glass factories located in the Flats. The diversity of that work force remains physically intact through remaining churches of various traditions that you can find throughout the Slopes. In fact, the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association (SSSNA) has created a map so you can use the steps to visit these historic churches, as well as get a few good photo opportunities. The map can be found here. The SSSNA also hosts an annual “StepTrek” to showcase the interesting locals, history, available real estate, and beautiful views of the city the Slopes have to offer. The event is free and the trek takes approximately one hour to complete.
So many steps, so little time!
Don’t know where to start? The Church Route linked above is good for first timers. Other stairways to check out would be the Oakley Way steps, which start at 27th and Josephine St, featuring a beautiful mosaic on the first stairway and 285 steps in total, and the Eleanor St steps (282 total). Both lead to fantastic views of the city!
A South Side Step to the Past
We arrived at the beginning of the Church Route on East Carson Street bundled up in layers. It was a chilly day with a breeze blowing across the Flats from the Monongahela valley, and being from Texas, I was shivering (to my embarrassment) even though it was a sunny afternoon and I wore my winter coat. However, after hiking the 19 stories up the South Side Slopes, I was stripped down to just my t-shirt and ready for a post-workout, cold, shower.
The South Side Slopes: Climbing the Millworker's Stairways
Have you wanted to see the city of Pittsburgh from a fresh new perspective? To stand high above the three rivers and look out over the many different neighborhoods of the City of Bridges? Then there is no greater place to visit than the South Side Slopes, where visitors can experience Pittsburgh in a new light while walking the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association’s (SSSNA) Church Route.
The Immortal Steps and Their Curators
“Pittsburgh is the cockeyedest city in the United States…Physically it is absolutely irrational. It must have been laid out by a mountain goat.” Columnist Ernie Pyle had a reputation for honesty in his reporting, so when he came across the city of Pittsburgh during his travels around the country in the late 1930s, he called it as he saw it. Locals are certainly challenged by the city’s tricky topography which features abrupt elevation changes and a network of rivers. The obvious structural aides that come to mind when considering navigating these obstacles are Pittsburgh’s many bridges.
Beneath Our Feet
The first time I walked down from the South Side Slopes to Flats, I was smiling. I was holding hands with my sweetheart, anticipating the upcoming dinner date we had planned, proud that I remembered the correct knot for my neck-tie. It was a little too warm for semi-formal dress but we agreed that our first real dinner date should be done right. Besides, the sun was going to set by the time we made our way back to her apartment. She lived a little over a mile up on 18th Street and it was quite the trek. But that didn’t bother us tonight.