city scene – Ruth E. Hendricks

Paper Streets City Steps

There’s a tag on my blog from blogposts past:

Paper Street You can’t drive on them.

“In Pittsburgh the term “paper street” takes on a unique dual meaning. It covers both the standard legal definition of an unbuilt road and a famous piece of local infrastructure: the city’s public staircases”

Pittsburgh is know for its bridges, hills, rivers and valleys. The topography has lots of steep inclines. And City Steps!

The book I first mentioned was Bob Regan’s book with photos by Tim Fabian.

The Steps of Pittsburgh:The Story of the City’s Public Stairways. Published March 2004

Here’s a link to Pittsburgh Steps with a different cover

“Pittsburgh features **739 individual sets of public steps** (accounting for 44,645 risers and 24,108 vertical feet), famously documented by geophysicist and University of Pittsburgh professor **Bob Regan** in his book ***Pittsburgh Steps: The Story of the City’s Public Stairways*** *(and his earlier work* ***The Steps of Pittsburgh: Portrait of a City”***

A new book 2024 (Link here) by Laura Zurowski Charles Succop and Matthew Jacob includes a forward by Professor Bob Regan. Check out her instagram Mis.Steps and StoryBurgh

Some photos from my archives

November 6, 2026 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: Bob Regan, Charles Succop, city scene, city steps, Laura Zurowoski, Matthew Jacob, neighborhood, paper street, photography, Pittsburgh PA, postaday, stairs, steps Leave a comment

Lucky Day. NO LEAD! One Inch Copper Pipes

This is happening all over the city. It was a very exciting day!

The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Department checking for lead pipes. Several houses on our street have to have their pipes replaced. We do not.

My grandson called the shovel and dump truck Mighty Machines (which is an educational Canadian Show about all types of vehicles (premiered in 1994) you can find episodes on YouTube.)

They dug a big hole. Then filled it back up.
Ananda went to get his hard hat and little dump truck.

We watched from the car for quite some time –
A “digger” and a dump truck.

October 26, 2026 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: city scene, copper pipes, family, hard hat, lead pipes, Mighty Machines, neighborhood, photography, Pittsburgh PA, postaday, water department, workmen 15 Comments

Drive By Night Game at PNC Park

Charlie (11) captured the night game as we entered the city Saturday night.

Pirates beat the NY Mets 9-0

August 10, 2026 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: Baseball, bridge, city scene, photography, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA, PNC Park, postaday 2 Comments

Meet Mr. Darryl Cann

The City of Pittsburgh Roving Art Cart opened the season at the Highland Park Super Playground on June 16th. There was a puppet show and Mr. Cann’s Aunt Mary Lou Williams was being honored in the show so he came to participate. He plays five instruments I learned. And he told me he’s a retired Bellman of the historic and classic Omni William Penn Hotel downtown. Over the decades he met over 350 celebrities he said.

Here he is playing along with a recording of the famous George Benson. He gave us his gift of live music. Click to listen https://youtu.be/_yizufqbZ0Q?is=1WUC2GDWpnEuDTDk

At a picnic table in Maple Grove shelter at the Citparks Super Playground.

June 17, 2026 by Ruth Categories: Music, PhotographyTags: bellman, city scene, Clarinet, Darryl Cann, George Benson, musical instruments, musician, neighborhood, photography, Pittsburgh PA, postaday 8 Comments

Did you ever read Watership Down?

My granddaughter Shanti (6) photographed the bunny in the yard next door.

I think of the book when I see rabbits in the wild.

“Watership Down is a classic 1972 adventure novel by Richard Adams about a group of wild rabbits fleeing their doomed warren to find a new home, facing predators, challenges, and building a new society on Watership Down in England”

She captured a little video of the bunny on the move

June 4, 2026 by Ruth Categories: Animals in the City, PhotographyTags: animals in the city, bunny, city scene, family, neighborhood, photography, Pittsburgh PA, postaday, rabbit 8 Comments

Problem and Solution

February 4, 2026 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: city scene, knitting, neighborhood, photography, Pittsburgh PA, postaday, weather 9 Comments

Wordless Wednesday

February 3, 2026 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: city scene, parking, parking chair, photography, Pittsburgh PA, postaday, respect the chair, weather, winter, wordless wednesday 14 Comments

Street Parking Space Savers

The first photo is from 2010. What they called Snowmageddon.

STREET PARKING PLACEHOLDER

Street Parking Space Savers- revisiting Snowmageddon 2010. Many people are experiencing more snow right now. So is it a Pittsburgh thing? You see all kinds of chairs reserving parking spaces all around the city after someone has shoveled out their space, planning to return to it, later.
I’ve seen a port-a-crib to reserve a parking space!

And here’s the update on our 2026 snow. Thursday the fourth day that school is cancelled.