One of my favorite stops in my US trip is the Seattle, Washington stop. The weather was so good to me. In my twelve days of stay in the wettest state, it never rained! I have to say that visiting Seattle in the early summer is bliss – sunny yet breezy.
The reason why I love it more is because it is budget-friendly and there’s a lot to do in the evergreen state. You can shop for souvenirs, visit the first and oldest Starbucks, witness the famous fish-throwing and a lot more amazing things. What makes it the bomb is that you can do all these - by walking. These attractions are situated right next to each other. At the downtown alone, nearly ten famous touristy places are located here.
The reason why I love it more is because it is budget-friendly and there’s a lot to do in the evergreen state. You can shop for souvenirs, visit the first and oldest Starbucks, witness the famous fish-throwing and a lot more amazing things. What makes it the bomb is that you can do all these - by walking. These attractions are situated right next to each other. At the downtown alone, nearly ten famous touristy places are located here.
But among these to-do’s, what I adore the most is the 'accidental' artwork slash outrageous tourist attraction which could also be disgusting to some who are squeamish. It is notoriously named as one of the most germ-infected tourist spots in the world.
I am talking about the Gum Wall at the Public Market in Seattle, Washington. This creative grossness is located at the Pike Street alley, across the street from the Alibi Room.
As soon as you enter the alley, the “stench” might turn into a guilty pleasure because the minty smell from the hardened gum fills this accidental tourist attraction. Icky as it may sound but this work of different mouths from people across the globe has become a stalactite-like form of art that embellishes the entire brick wall.
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| The Culprits. My Washington friends who took me to the Gum Wall. They are so nice that I want to push them to the wall, literally. Love you! |
The weird thing is I enjoyed the smell at the gum wall. I promise that it smells better than Vicks Vaporub.
Perhaps, just like me, you might wonder how the gum has gotten that thick and high. According to my research, before my visit, this wall of hardened latex was already pressure-washed because the gums were sliding off the wall and onto the ground. So I suppose it was even thicker and larger before.
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| My friend sticking, err striking a pose in front of the colorful mess. |
How did this sticky glorious clutter start in the first place? People who have actual knowledge on the origin of the gum wall say that the gum started appearing on the wall around 1994 or so, the lines that would pile in to see Theater Sports would start putting gum on the wall. In the early years, authorities would scrape the gum build up but around 1998, Pike Place people began to recognize that it had become a tourist attraction and now they are protective of this bizarre tourist attraction.
HOW TO GET THERE:
Public Transportation: Take Sound Transit Link Light Rail or Metro bus to the public market. Metro bus routes will drop you off near the market and the Westlake Sound Transit Link Light Rail station is located a few blocks away.
Driving: Pike Place is a road open to vehicle traffic as well as pedestrians so it is not recommended to drive around here. Consider using the Public Market Parking Garage located behind the west side of Pike Place Market.
Entrance Fee : FREE
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