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The Sticky Tale of Gum Wall, Seattle

Batul Nafisa Baxamusa
It’s kind of gross, but you have to see it to believe it. If you happen to be in Seattle, then you can’t miss visiting the Gum Wall. Before you even arrive at the scene, you will catch a whiff of tutti-frutti aroma of spearmint. You will definitely stop in your tracks once you see the rainbow of gum stuck to a wall.

Where Is the Gum Wall?

The Seattle Gum Wall is located in the alleyway of the Post Alley under Pike Place Market in Downtown Seattle. Just like the Bubblegum Alley in California, the Market Theater Gum Wall is a tourist attraction.

Why Is It So Popular?

This grimacing yet so famous wall is a must-see place on every traveler’s list.

This is all because of its popularity on social media. People love posting their selfies against the wall on their social media accounts.

Many even travel to Gum Wall for their wedding photo-shoot or expressing their creative imagination.

What Led to the Existence of Gum Wall?

It is all due to the warning at the Market Theater ‘No Gum under the Seats’. This rule led to patrons chewing their gum and sticking it to the wall outside the theatre around 1993.

Is the Gum Wall Hygienic?

Absolutely NOT!! It is one of the top 5 germiest tourist attractions second only to the Blarney Stone. It contains an assortment of germs which will be delightful as well as a nightmare for any microbiologist at the same time.

Has It Ever Been Cleaned?

The theater workers did attempt to clean up the wall twice but gave up after the officials considered it as a tourist attraction around 1999. In 2015, for the first time in 20 years, the gum wall was scrubbed down and steam cleaned. After the cleanup gum was re-added to the wall as a memorial to the November 2015 Paris attacks.
If gross does not freak you out then do visit the Gum Wall Seattle. In case you forget to carry a piece of gum, you can buy one from the many vendors selling gum around the wall. It is quite an idea to leave your DNA on a wall amongst thousands of other DNAs from around the world.