Take a walk with me today. A walk down or rather up Post Street in Seattle, Washington. It’s a rather steep climb so pace yourself. I don’t want you to wear out before you reach the top.
What do you see? A lot of people are up ahead. They are milling around, taking pictures and posing. 
You have arrived. Take it all in. I know it is a lot to process.
Gum. Lots of gum.
Gum upon gum. Stuck on the brick wall in all different hues.
Gross? Yes, maybe a little. Wait – maybe a lot. But fun, don’t you think?
The wall is located by the box office for the Market Theater and supposedly the tradition began in 1993 when patrons of the theater stuck gum to the wall and placed coins in the gum. The gum was scraped away a couple of times then but eventually that effort was deemed fruitless and abandoned. The wall is beneath the popular Pike Market Place and has become a destination for many. Including us.
It has been named one of the top 5 of the “germiest places” in the world and ranks up there with the Blarney Stone.
My sources tell me that an attempt was made in November 2015 to eradicate the gum. The gum wall got a total cleaning and 130 hours of work was performed to remove 2,350 pounds of gum. Within days of the removal gum started to reappear.
Obviously when we visited it was well on the way to being covered again less than a year later.
I know you are wondering. Did we add to the wall? Yes. a definitive yes. But our gum was a blah white color.
Our trip to Seattle was memorable and this had to be one of the most fun parts of it. Germs and all.
