Is that gum in your mouth getting a little old and flavorless? Don't have a garbage can handy? No problem! Just stick it to the nearest wall!
Well, you might want to wait until the nearest wall is The Gum Wall in Post Alley by Pike Place Market. A collaborative effort by thousands of gum chewers over the years, the gum wall started in the 1990's soon after Unexpected Productions started their improv shows in the Market Theater.
The story goes that it started with some show-goer sticking a coin to the wall with gum. The wall became a magnet for mass coin-sticking, only to be relieved of the coins by some financially challenged soul who for some strange reason didn't see fit to take the gum as well.
And so The Gum Wall was born.
It's a little off the beaten Market track, so if you aren't looking for it, you might miss it. Start at Rachel, the big brass pig under the market clock, go down the steps to the alley below, go under the big Market Theater sign, and the wall is on your left across from the Market Theater entrance.
Alternatively, you can close your eyes and see if you can guess by smell alone when you've reached The Gum Wall (I've got a pretty deficient sniffer, and even I could have found it). Best to have someone lead you there though - you probably don't want to feel your way along with your hands.
Trust me on this one.
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