A ‘Step Street’ Walk in New York City

Both the ‘C’ and the ‘1’ subway lines will take you north from Midtown.

Here’s a view of the Brush Stairway from the top.

Here’s how the stairway looked in 2011.

And here’s how they look from a similar view in 2017.

The 155th Street ‘C Line’ subway stop, shown in the picture at the beginning of this post, is only steps away from Edgecombe Avenue. This small sliver of a park, at the corner of 155th and Edgecombe, is called the ‘Sugar Hill Luminaries Lawn’. In the 1920’s many prominent African-Americans including, W.E.B. DuBois, Langston Hughes, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, and many others lived near here and called the area Sugar Hill.

If you head north on Edgecombe from 155th you’ll soon pass this ‘step street’ that connects Edgecombe to 157th Street. The stairway is called the Bushman Steps and has 30 steps. The John T. Brush Stairway is across the street and a bit to the north.

If you choose to head east on 155th Street, it will continue as a viaduct that will take you to Yankee Stadium on the other side of the Harlem River.

You also have the choice of taking 110 steps from 155th to the base of Coogan’s Bluff.

You’ll also be below the 155th Street viaduct. The Polo Grounds would have been a block north to the left.

I was headed for the ‘1 Line’ subway station at 157th and Broadway. This part of Manhattan is very narrow and by the time I reached Broadway I could see the Hudson River.

Across the street, there was a complex of great buildings that was at one time the home of the Museum of the American Indian and the American Geographic Society. The buildings are now a small college.

When you walk around New York you might want to look up as you’re likely to see one of New York’s ubiquitous rooftop water towers. I believe that a big part of urban walking is keeping an eye for something you’re not likely to see elsewhere.

After catching the ‘1 Line’ subway, I got off at the 181st Street Station.

There I ran into a very diverse and active street.

I soon ran into sight of the George Washington Bridge.

And into this 47-step stairway at 181st and Pinehurst.

A little bit north on Pinehurst, this small park (Bennett Park) has the highest natural point in Manhattan.

I wish I had swept off this marker, but it notes the high point as being 265 above sea level.

This little stairway takes you from Bennett Park to Fort Washington Ave.

A short distance up on Fort Washington will take you to this 130-step stairway at 187th Street.

Here’s a look at the 187th step street from the bottom. From here it is a short walk to Broadway.

In a very short time you’ll reach Gorman Park.

It has a 67-step stairway up to the next street.

If you continue up Broadway, you’ll pass people enjoying their parks.

And also pass many interesting buildings

If you stick with your walk long enough, you’ll reach a recently rebuilt step street at 215th Street.

There’s even some inspiration to start you on your walk.

And at each landing there is a cumulative step count to tell you how many you’ve climbed.

When you make it to the top, you will have climbed 110 steps.

And here’s the view from the top.

And when you get back to the bottom, you can find another inspiration for climbing the steps.