One of the most iconic, maybe also the most disgusting, tourist attraction in Seattle got a reboot. During my short visit in Seattle today, I went to the city between flights and found the wall almost completely without gum. After some research I found out that it has undergone some extensive cleaning.
The famous Gum Wall. located in Post Alley under Pike Place Market, got a complete scrub down. It was needed because of the sugar in the gum started eroding the wall. The Gum Wall has grown to eight feet high and over 54 feet wide with approximately one million gum wads covering the wall. The cleanup started November 10th, 2015. This is the first time Pike Place Market will clean the wall since it was started 20 years ago by people waiting in line for a late night improv show.
Some facts after the cleaning was completed
- The cleaning took an estimated 130 hours
- The weight of the gum that was cleaned off the wall was 2,350 pounds or 1.175 tons
- The gum filled 94 gallon buckets
Some Seattleites might welcome the cleaning project, but those folks will be chagrined to learn that once the wall is cleaned, everyone is more than welcome to start gumming the wall again.
What do you think about this tourist attraction. I think it’s a weird piece of art, but that is what makes art art. Below some photos from before and after the clean-up.
Peter has a passion for Traveling, Photography, and Geocaching. These are the best ingredients for amazing adventures all over the globe. “Traveling is fun, no matter if you stay in a luxury hotel or travel like a backpacker.” Peter shares his experiences on his Blog www.gatetoadventures.com
Some of Peter’s photos are published on corporate websites, in-flight magazines, travel guides, and much more.