The Gum Wall in Seattle, WA
There are two critical components involved with completing any Bubblegum challenge – concentration and good eyesight. You must keep your eyes glued onto your target from start to finish without veering off course, or you will fail miserably; but if you can see enough, then even gum closer should be within reach!
The Gum Wall of Seattle is a strange tourist attraction in the Northwest. It’s not exactly clear when the wall was first started, but it seems to have been going strong since 2008. The gum wall has taken on many forms over the years, and there are new pieces added every day – making it an ever-changing work of art for visitors to enjoy.
History of The Gum Wall
The Gum Wall is a brick building on Pike Street in Post Alley under the Alaskan Way Viaduct. It was built by Jeff “Church” Churchill and David Lewis, who was inspired after reading about an art exhibition at Seattle Center where visitors contributed their gum to create a piece of modern art. They brought two rolls of chewed gum with them from Lake Tahoe, California, to begin what would become known as The Great American Spit Bomb Memorial or The Bubblegum Wall shortly after that.
The Gum Wall of Seattle is located in Post Alley under Pike Place Market, between the market’s main thoroughfare and the waterfront. It was created by a few guys looking to provide entertainment for other people in an alley they thought was pretty dull otherwise. The pieces are either chewed gum, or bubble gum stuck on walls or tiles with saliva adhesive and then peeled off when dry. Their goal was to make it look just as if art had been there all along!
One unique characteristic of the gum wall is that it has been growing for over 20 years! It isn’t a permanent fixture but instead made up of thousands upon thousands of pieces of chewed wads and chunks pasted to the alley walls by passers-by. One-piece was even signed “King B,” with a crown drawn next to his name.
Another exciting feature about this tourist attraction is how visitors have attempted various methods to make their mark on the wall: drawing faces or writing messages; however, most people chew some gum into a flat shape before sticking them onto any available space on the wall.
Things you can do on The Gum Wall
In addition to simply viewing the wall itself, you can also play games with a friend on it. In what has been dubbed “The Gum Wall Challenge,” you place a piece of gum on the wall and then try to pull it off without touching anything but the gum. If all goes well, there should be an intact sheet of bubblegum left behind! You can also take part in “Gum Relay Races” with your friends by lining up next to someone else and trying to stick as much chewed gum onto their body or clothing within one minute before switching places.
There are two critical components involved with completing any Bubblegum challenge – concentration and good eyesight. You must keep your eyes glued onto your target from start to finish without veering off course, or you will fail miserably; but if you can see enough, then even gum closer should be within reach!
Things that The Gum Wall is not
A fun place for kids: While this might seem like something children would enjoy doing instead of sugary treats, they are unlikely to appreciate both works equally; and if parents don’t allow them near sugar, they definitely won’t want to touch this.
Here are some tips to know before going to The Gum Wall:
What are some tips for tourists?
Tourists should come with an open mind as this is not your typical tourist attraction, but it does make for amazing photos! Gum wall visitors have to watch out, though, because there may be gum stuck in awkward places such as someone’s hair or on their shoes if they weren’t careful where they stepped. And since Seattle gets quite cold during certain times of the year, you might want to wear gloves so that you don’t get sticky fingers while walking around The Gum Wall. Safety precautions should always be taken when visiting any location, no how odd it may seem, as there have been reports of people getting injured in the past.
What are some tips for residents?
Residents should be reminded that The Gum Wall is not a trash site, and therefore gum should NOT be spit on the wall, as it could cause damage to the structures surrounding it or make an awful mess! This place has become pretty popular over time, so there may be tourists around when you visit, but they will most likely mind their own business if you want to enjoy this oddity by yourself with no interruptions. It’s important to remember, though, that this location can get crowded at times, so patience is needed. Remember what we said about safety precautions because although locals aren’t always aware of these things, visitors from out-of-town sometimes don’t consider the consequences of their actions.
Location of The Gum Wall
The Gum Wall is located in an alley under the Pike Place Market sign. This area can get crowded with people, but the Gum Wall is just off to the side of this path.
This location is odd, but it’s also so cool that people love to visit and even take selfies there! Either way, The Gum Wall in Seattle has become a staple tourist attraction for many visiting Washington or just looking for an exciting place to snap some unforgettable photos at. If you want to show your friends back home that you’ve been into areas they haven’t seen yet, make sure you add this one to your list because no matter how bizarre it may seem, it will be worth every second spent there!
Address: 1428 Post Alley, Seattle, WA 98101, United States
Hours:
Monday Open 24 hours
Tuesday Open 24 hours
Wednesday Open 24 hours
Thursday Open 24 hours
Friday Open 24 hours
Saturday Open 24 hours
Sunday Open 24 hours
Phone: +1 206-587-2414
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