Gum Wall

Many travelers that head to Seattle have visions of the Space Needle, Pike Place Market and time spent soaking up the views of Puget Sound in their head. While these landmark destinations and moments are bound to happy, sometimes it’s those encounters with the stranger parts of a city that are the most memorable. When you’re looking for a photo opportunity in Seattle that comes with a side of interesting, head over to the Market Theater in Post Alley for an encounter with the now infamous gum wall.

A Sticky Tradition

The gum wall is exactly what it sounds like. Since the early 1990s visitors waiting in line to enter the theater found the wall a convenient place to stick used up wads of gum. Over time, the tradition caught on and what was first a nuisance to the cleanup crew was ultimately left to chance as the amount of time it took to clean the wall didn’t touch the vast collage of sticky colors left behind each night. Today, thousands of pieces of chewing gum cover the wall in a rainbow of rubbery goo that’s best left to the eye and not touched. The gum extends over 50 feet of wall space and has become one of the city’s most iconic if not most unique photo stops for visitors.

Adding a Personal Touch

You won’t get scolded for adding your own gum to this wall when you visit and in fact, that’s just what many visitors come to do. Evidence of truly creative minds lingers on the wall in the form of gum words, pictures and pieces stuck to heights that are hard to imagine reaching. It might be interesting to note that the wall has only received a true clean out and scrub down one time since it came into existence. In 2015, the wall was thoroughly cleansed, and the result was the extraction of over 2,300 pounds of gum. Of course, it didn’t take long for the gum wall to regain its original patchwork look, and as of today there are no plans in place to try and change it.

Gum Wall Seattle

If your visit to the Emerald City includes some wacky stops along the way, let the team at Seattle Oasis Vacation Rentals take care of your accommodation details so you can make the most of your time in this amazing place! We’ll book you into a customized and comfortable rental downtown where luxury and convenience are key. Contact us today for more information and to begin planning your Seattle adventure!

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