WHERE: Stair streets at West 176 Street, West 175 Street, West 174 Street, Undercliff Avenue to Sedgwick Avenue, West 170 Street, Bronx
START: Morris Heights station, Metro North Railroad (Hudson Line, fully accessible)
FINISH: 170 Street subway station (4 train, fully accessible)
DISTANCE: 2.2 miles (3.5 kilometers)
Photographs by Michael Cairl. Maps courtesy of Google Maps.
Route of today’s walk, reading from top to bottom.
Profile of today’s walk, reading from left to right.
Back to the very hilly West Bronx for another good workout and fun walk. I had planned to tackle six stair streets. The stairs at West 169 Street were barricaded, so I didn’t climb those and chose to tackle the nearby West 168 Street stairs when I’m able to climb those at West 169 Street. On the other hand, I came upon a stair street not noted before, so the day’s total was five.
I started the trip taking a Metro North commuter train to Morris Heights, my second time doing so. See my post “West Bronx Mix 2” on this page. I walked a few blocks to the bottom of the West 176 Street stairs. These stairs encompass two blocks, from Sedgwick Avenue to Undercliff Avenue (71 steps) and from Undercliff Avenue to Popham Avenue (95 steps). On both blocks the steps are in decent condition and the railings are at a good height. After climbing these, I walked one block south on Popham Avenue to descend the West 175 Street stairs (96 steps). These stairs are in good condition and the railings are at a good height. From there, I walked one block south on Undercliff Avenue to climb the West 174 Street stairs (76 steps).
Art work on the second set of stairs at West 176 Street and interpretive sign, view from the top of the second set of stairs at West 176 Street (Popham Avenue), at the bottom of the West 175 Street stairs, at the top of the West 175 Street stairs, at the top of the West 174 Street stairs.
Stairs from Sedgwick Avenue looking up toward Undercliff Avenue.
From there I went along West 174 Street, University Avenue past the Washington Bridge (not the George Washington Bridge, Boscobel Place, and Undercliff Avenue. I came upon a set of stairs from Undercliff Avenue to Sedgwick Avenue that I hadn’t known about before, so I went down them and back up, 36 steps in each direction. The stairs themselves appear to be little used and are in worn condition but they accumulate a lot of dead leaves and trash. The bottom 9 steps do not have a handrail on the right side going down, so I descended them carefully, one step at a time. A bit farther south I walked underneath the High Bridge and arrived at the newly reconstructed West 170 Street (High Bridge) stairs. This magnificent switchback staircase was built in the late 19th century to give access to the High Bridge from the Harlem River waterfront. I could have had a rewarding day just by climbing these stairs, 172 steps up. For years these stairs were overgrown and in disrepair. For more information on the reopening of these stairs go to https://aqueduct.org/news/reopening-highbridge-step-street and https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/highbridge-park_bronx/pressrelease/21931.
Late 19th Century engraving of the High Bridge grand staircase, view of the High Bridge from 63 steps up the West 170 Street stairs, view from the top of the stairs, interpretive sign.
Next on the agenda were the West 169 Street stairs. I arrived there to find them closed off with barricades. I’ll return one day and will tackle the West 168 Street stairs, from Shakespeare Avenue to Edward L. Grant Highway, at the same time. I walked back uphill on University Avenue to West 170 Street, then east and down some steep hills to Jerome Avenue for lunch and the subway ride home. Lunch was at Suyo Gastrofusion, a very nice space with very good food to which I shall return. More at https://suyonyc.com/. I’m glad they are where they are and not in Manhattan. Just don’t go there expecting chorizo chow mein. The 170 Street subway station was made accessible only in the last week, and a very nice job was done.
What looks like the opening to a coal chute in a building on University Avenue, the barricaded West 169 Street stairs, the interior of Suyo Gastrofusion.
Today’s stair count:
West 176 Street: 166 up (2 blocks)
West 175 Street: 96 down
West 174 Street: 76 up
Undercliff Avenue to Sedgwick Avenue: 36 down, then back up, total 72
West 170 Street (High Bridge): 172 up
Total: 582, a personal best so far. I’m very pleased with my progress in stroke recovery and I’m glad, as always, to enjoy great swathes of this city that tourists - and many natives - don’t know about.
ONWARD!