Livable, Doable, Trekable
Pittsburgh StepTrek 2007
Here on the South Side Slopes, we like to believe that Pittsburgh’s network of public steps were a factor in ranking the city first in the latest Places Rated Almanac of American cities. After all, they connect residents to many of the city’s amenities as well as to each other. And add a unique character to the landscape, providing users with wonderful views of the city, the rivers and neighborhoods. Each year, the Pittsburgh StepTrek offers a walking tour of the South Side Slopes with its breath-taking vistas, providing individuals an insider’s view of what makes the city – and Pittsburgh’s hillside neighborhoods – so livable.
Life high on a hill is but one feature of the 2007 Pittsburgh StepTrek that begins Sunday, October 14 at noon at Josephine and 21st streets on the South Side. “Livable, Doable, Trekable,” this year’s theme, refers to the amenity steps provide residents, allowing them to live on and negotiate this hillside community. And the fact that the StepTrek makes possible a tour that feels like an adventure. The StepTrek combines photography, historic narrative, sweeping views, several open houses and a sense of a neighborhood whose identity is etched with steps.
The 2007 Pittsburgh StepTrek is a family-friendly experience. Participants may choose to use this noncompetitive event as a test of fitness or a leisurely tour. Special pricing makes the walk an attractive way to experience the city on an autumn afternoon. Registration is $10 per person, or two admissions for $15 if received by September 29. Children under 12 accompanied by an adult are admitted free. Only preregistration guarantees a tee-shirt.
In addition to showing what makes the neighborhood livable, the StepTrek:
- Offers maps, a narrative and signage on each of the two courses to guide trekkers through the Slopes. There are water and rest stops along the way, many flat to gently sloping areas, and fruit and refreshments in the staging area to make the StepTrek doable for the urban enthusiast.
- Explores tree-shrouded paths and secluded passageways. The history of the neighborhood, the exquisite vistas of the city, and the feeling of accomplishment upon reaching the highest reaches of the neighborhood provide a sense of discovery, making this a trek like no other in the city.
- Provides a number of open houses throughout this hillside community. Step inside to see what life and amenities are like where many homes come with a view.
Walkers will enjoy all of these features as they tour, at their own pace, over 2,700 steps and the intertwining streets and sidewalks that connect them. The courses have changed to offer a different perspective of the streets and steps of the South Side Slopes. Trekkers should find the routes walker friendly, especially as they meander the middle areas of the Slopes neighborhood. New this year is a walk through St. Michael’s Cemetery toward the top of 18th Street. The views alone feel like a piece of heaven. Along the way, trekkers pass the colorful mural depicting the history of South Side’s people defined by their occupations and pastimes.
Proceeds from the StepTrek benefit the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association. SSSNA is an all volunteer organization committed to improving this wonderfully unique neighborhood and providing a unified voice for slopes residents.
The last few years the StepTrek has been fortunate in sharing the wonderful work of artists who have depicted the steps in their art. This year we recognize painter Cynthia F. Cooley, as our Honorary Chair.
Cynthia is known for her vivid paintings of steel mill interiors and of Pittsburgh’s hillside neighborhoods and industrial valleys. She has had 45 individual exhibitions, including the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC and the 1989 Artist of the Year at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. She was named a “Master Artist” in Pittsburgh in 1998. Over 1700 of her works are in private collections. We are fortunate to feature one of her exquisite paintings of Pittsburgh’s public steps as our cover art for the 2007 StepTrek tee shirt. To see the extent of Cynthia’s art, please visit www.cynthiacooley.com.
Please join us on an exhilarating walk through the historic and active South Side Slopes as we celebrate the steps of Pittsburgh. We encourage each and every participant in October’s StepTrek to search out steps in other neighborhoods, and explore this fascinating city we call home.
LIVABLE – DOABLE – TREKABLE: THE EVENT
The steps along the hillside earned the Slopes and Pittsburgh the 2006 recognition of both the New York Times and the Washington Post. Local papers have noticed as well. In the fall of 2005, the City Paper named the 18th Street steps “the Best in the City”. And the view of downtown Pittsburgh, from the hillside along the Monongahela, caused USA Today (2004) to name it the most spectacular urban view in the United States.
The Pittsburgh StepTrek 2007 will take walkers along the largest concentration of public steps of any neighborhood in Pittsburgh and, quite possibly, the United States. After all, there are 712 sets of steps within the city limits. And of that total, nearly 10% of them are in the South Side Slopes. Altogether, some 66 out of Pittsburgh’s 88 neighborhoods have steps. These hundreds of public stairways give tribute to the many neighborhoods of Pittsburgh where homes were built against the sides of the hills.
As always, the StepTrek is what the trekker makes it. Each year several people choose to walk the Trek for its fitness aspect. The benefits of a stirring walk through the Slopes have earned this event the heart-healthy rating of the American Heart Association.
The Trek can be walked at a leisurely pace as well. There are rest and water stops along the way. Volunteers positioned along the route will help guide walkers and provide assistance. Returning to the event is the Church Walk, a route favored by many in recent years. This course takes walkers past three historically significant churches on the Slopes. Regardless of the pace, the experience will be fun and fitness oriented.
Breathtaking views of Downtown, Oakland, South Side and the rivers await trekkers from the hillside streets and stairways. A new section of the Gold Course leads to St. Michael Cemetery high on the Slopes along 18th Street. The unobstructed view offers a panorama from Oakland’s Schenley Park to downtown’s skyscrapers. Along the way, trekkers pass the colorful mural depicting the history of South Side’s people defined by their occupations and pastimes.
Each pre-registered trekker receives a map, a course narrative, commemorative tee shirt and free raffle ticket. The Trek itself is self-guided. With two courses to choose from, you can choose to walk one or both routes. The course narrative points out the landmarks and gives a history of the stairs and buildings, counts the steps and also provides instruction as to the route. Arrows along the course will provide direction as well.
A series of tents in the staging area will display photographs of the neighborhood, past and present. A tent in the staging area will show historic South Side pictures that have been in the collection of the Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation and the Carnegie Library. Another tent has photos of the accomplishments of the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association (SSSNA), the host and beneficiary of the StepTrek. Among these are pictures of the neighborhoods gardens, new housing, a specially designed, smaller fire truck built to negotiate the steep, narrow streets of Pittsburgh, an extensive shade tree planting, pedestrian bridges and the improvements to lighting and sidewalks in seven railroad underpasses.
SSSNA has arranged for a festive band and food from local vendors. Additionally, each preregistered participant is entered in a series of prize drawings for gift certificates from local restaurants and other South Side businesses. When finished, trekkers will be treated to free fruit and snacks to satisfy their hunger and beverages to quench their thirst. And some participants will be a winner of one of the grand prizes that are awarded at the StepTrek.
This year, as in last, one of artist Johno Prascak’s prints will be a prized item in the StepTrek raffle.
HOW MANY STEPS TO THE TOP?
So, just how many steps are there? Well, the city of Pittsburgh has 712 public stairways with a total of 44,645 steps.* When tallied in full, they number 24,108 vertical feet, or over four miles in height. To put it into perspective, that’s higher than Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina, the tallest mountain in the Western Hemisphere.
* Source Bob Regan Steps of Pittsburgh, 2004
Here’s how the steps of Pittsburgh rank with some other well-known mountains:
Pittsburgh Steps 24,108 feet
Mt. Aconcagua 22,835 feet
Mt. McKinley 20,320 feet
Mt. Kilimanjaro 19,340 feet
Matterhorn 14,700 feet
Mt. Whitney 14,495 feet
Of the three cities in the United States with the most public stairways, Pittsburgh, with its 712, has more than the next two cities combined. Cincinnati takes second with 400 stairways, and San Francisco a distant third with 168 stairways.
Most people think of steps in terms of buildings. The two StepTrek courses cover nearly 2,700 steps, or approximately 1,460 vertical feet. Compare the vertical height of the combined two courses to these well-known structures:
StepTrek 1,457 feet
Empire State Building 1,454 feet
Eiffel Tower 984 feet
US Steel Building 841 feet
Washington Monument 555 feet
Cathedral of Learning 535 feet
The South Side Slopes has a total of 68 sets of steps with a total count of 5,447. (Source: Bob Regan)
WHAT’S IN A STREET?
The streets of the South Side Slopes are distinguishable for four reasons: their steepness, their narrowness, their names, and their inconsistency at being what most people know as streets.
A drive through the Slopes can be as harrowing as a ride at Kennywood. When the rise is so steep that you can barely see the road before the hood of the car, you know that you’re on any number of streets that climb the Slopes. Eleanor and Sterling streets are fine examples. What if you’re driving and should come across another car? Local custom allows the climbing car the right of way. So if you’re descending, pull over and let the other car pass!
As for the consistency of the streets, well, try driving Eleanor Street. A Pittsburgh map shows that Eleanor starts at the base of the Slopes and rises all the way up to Arlington Avenue, the only South Side street to do so. After the first block, however, it becomes one of Pittsburgh’s infamous paper streets. That is, the street exists on paper only. As most residents know, Eleanor Street is a series of stairs between Leticoe and Holt streets, a distance of 188 steps. To get to where Eleanor becomes a street again requires a drive of several blocks along neighboring roads.
All things considered, it’s quite challenging to drive these hills. That’s why the best way to tour the South Side Slopes is by foot. The StepTrek allows you to take in the view, the history and the eclectic nature of the neighborhood, without the challenges of the right of way and the disappearance of a paved lane. And most importantly, you set the pace.
As you walk the StepTrek, you’ll notice that the street names speak to the rich, religious tradition of the Slopes neighborhood. That faith is best represented by the landmark St. Paul of the Cross Monastery and the former St. Michael church. Both of these brick edifices predate the Civil War and the mighty days of steel. Furthermore, they still stand today and are a part of StepTrek 2007. Trekkers will be able to step into the monastery’s chapel and the new condos under construction in St. Michael.
Partway up the hill, two streets cut across the Slopes, namely, Pius to the west, and Mission to the east. Many streets on the west side of the Slopes, above Pius Street, bear the names of the saints: St. Joseph, St. Leo, St. Martin, St. Michael, St. Paul and St. Thomas. Some of these names carry over to the stairways that connect them. Many of the former parish rectories, convents and retreat houses have gardens tucked into the hillside. These gardens and the hilltop cemetery bring a welcome expanse of green to the Slopes and provide places for contemplation.
THE HISTORY
The South Side Slopes has a wealth of stories. From the fervent prayers and a promise that preserved residents from the 1849 cholera epidemic; to the veneration of St. Roch, the patron saint of plagues; to the home lives of these hillside dwellers who worked below in the glass factories and steel mills; and to the founding of the Passionist hilltop monastery, they’re all part of the history when you walk the StepTrek.
You’ll discover how people were honored and where they were buried. You’ll see lovely homes, a theatre, churches and secluded War Memorials. The stories are memorable, but so are the people, whose founding families were immigrants who worked in the mills. There’s a history of beer gardens and social halls, of romance and weddings, and the quiet serenity of one’s own terraced garden.
Whether it’s the history or the hills, a leisurely walk or a fitness event, or simply the view, they’re all part of this year’s Pittsburgh StepTrek. Talk with neighborhood residents, enjoy the spectacular views, recall what was and envision what is to come. And get a sense of the other hillside neighborhoods in Pittsburgh whose steps and scenery are yours to explore.
