Make right and walk 100 feet to parking lot. Make left into parking lot to join Julia St. Connector Trailhead. If you started here, congrats on completing the 2020 StepTrek! If you joined at #40 and S. 21st St, pick up the rest of the narrative with direction #1.
StepTrek Route: StepTrek Route 2020
StepTrek Route 2020
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Arlington Ave.
Make left. Just past the Fire Station is Julia St. Though unmarked, it begins at the corner of M. J. Stein Building. Climb 2 steps on left side.
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* Wayne Lester Memorial Orchard
Just before the Fire Station Engine #22 and Arlington Ave. is the Wayne Lester Memorial Orchard. Mr. Lester, a Pittsburgh firefighter and active member of the Arlington community, was instrumental in planting the orchard adjacent to the fire station.
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St. Patrick St.
Be careful as you cross S. 18th St. to St. Patrick. Descend 5 steps on the right. Be careful of metal plates placed on the street as part of PWSA update to water lines. You will walk up St. Patrick St. for approximately 1/3 mile to Arlington Ave. Keep left and continue past Saber Way on the left and Gable St. on the right. This winding, narrow road borders South Side Park as it cuts through the Slopes. The view toward the top is of Oakland and the University of Pittsburgh.
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St. Paul St.
Make left to follow Church Route. The orange brick building on the left is the St. Paul of the Cross Retreat Center, which is available for individual retreats by arrangement. SSSNA holds its meetings here. Continue down the street to the brick walls that are part of the monastery. The walls appear to be the original ones that shielded the enclave from the outside world. Parts of the garden and its Stations of the Cross can be seen from either end of the wall. Follow St. Paul to the end of the stone wall and cross to set of steps on the right.
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Monastery Ave.
From the top of Monastery St., make a right and descend one block along left side of Monastery Ave.
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Monastery St. Steps
Cross street and make left to continue on Church Route. Ascend 15 steps on the right side. These steps and sidewalk were rebuilt a few years ago as part of a project to replace a larger set of steps that ran the length of Monastery. Ahead is St. Paul of the Cross Monastery.
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* St. Paul of the Cross Monastery
Known as the barefoot missionaries, the Passionists vowed to live a life of prayer, poverty, penance and solitude. The first bishop of Pittsburgh invited the Italian order over in 1852. Designed by the architect Charles Bartberger, who also designed St. Michael Church, the church was completed in 1859 in the midst of an 11 acre compound chosen for its serenity, natural beauty and seclusion. The architectural style is Romanesque. The interior rose window is a copy of one in Reims, Germany. The newly renovated chapel is open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please step inside for a quiet observation. On exiting the chapel, take in the stunning view of downtown.
