Spanish Steps, Kalorama, Washington, DC, 2023.
All the pixels, but please consult a member of staff for wheelchair access, at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/53335651417
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@mattblaze are Spanish Steps the most common name for steps globally?
Asking because I've seen them in Rome and Tacoma
@bedirthan Mostly they're named after the steps in Rome, which are themselves called that because a Spanish embassy was once nearby.
Captured with the Rodenstock 23mm/5.6 HR-Digaron-S lens and Phase One IQ4-150 Achromatic Back, polarizer+590nm (red) filter.
Washington DC is not a city of many notable inclines, and so lacks the proliferation of "step streets" found in places like Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and The Bronx. Most famous are Georgetown's Exorcist Steps (so named for the fatal effect they have on members of that profession), and, shown here, Kalorama's Spanish Steps, which occupy 22nd St NW between S and Decatur.
DC's Spanish steps, shown here, aren't actually in Spain or in any way Spanish. They're named for the more famous, larger Spanish steps in Rome, which is also not in Spain. Once again, our nation's capital is built on a foundation of deception and lies, or at least on a deep misunderstanding of geography.
@mattblaze Hmm, you're putting mixed messages out here. It is correct to call them Spanish Steps if they are in tribute to Rome's Spanish Steps. In a way you are absorbing and propagating a bit of rich European history.
If most Americans think that the steps in DC came from Spain, you either have a problem with your education system, or maybe Americans just lack intellectual curiosity?
History is messy!
@khleedril I don't know what most Americans think. I speak for no one but myself here.
I apologize if my post didn't meet your needs or expectations.
@mattblaze And now I've learned that the Spanish Steps referenced in Guy Clark's Dublin Blues almost certainly weren't the ones in Rome.
@mattblaze
The Spanish Steps in Rome (I suppose I should add ", Italy") are impressive, also impressive is the Tea Rooms at the bottom, left facing up, which are a haven for hot British people.
And behind the visitor facing that, was an excellent glove shop, and another shop where my wife bought a perfect pair of black trousers, which I understand to be a wish slightly more achievable than "world peace".
Until recently it had not been felt necessary to impede driving a car down them.
