November Travel News: Pike Place Gum Wall

Ew, ew, ew. Seattle residents have been strolling through Pike Place Market for a long time, stopping to watch the fishmongers fling massive fish through the air. About 20 years ago, the cool kids in Seattle decided that every visit had to end with a gift to the Gum Wall, now a tourist attraction of dubious distinction. It’s actually the side of a building, a poor, poor building, its brick completely obscured by a layer of hardened chewing gum. The crust is six inches thick in some places and undergoes a monthly steam cleaning. But see it soon if you’re so inclined, because it’s coming down. Any day now—most likely next week—a contractor will use the mother of all pressure washers to blast it all off.