When you think about it, a wall full of ABC gum is pretty disgusting, even for a gum fanatic like me. But Seattle has one: The Gum Wall, located in Post Alley, very close to the world famous Pike Place Market. Visiting this wall of stickiness is something that everyone who visits Seattle must do—like kissing Oscar Wilde’s tombstone in Paris’ Père Lachaise Cemetery or taking a picture with a hand or foot in each of the states at the Four Corners Monument. Sticking gum on this wall outside of the Market Theater has been a tradition since about 1993, and in those roughly 22 years, the gum has gotten thick. There must be millions of pieces stuck to it, some attached to notes, others in shapes or words, and others strung for several inches.

With the launch of The Gum Blog, I thought it only fitting to make my pilgrimage to this Seattle oddity and leave my mark—a piece of Juicy Fruit Starburst Strawberry, chewed to gooey, sticky perfection. It’s weird how something so gross—the Gum Wall was named one of the world’s germiest tourist attractions by TripAdvisor, second only to the Blarney Stone—can be so colorful and beautiful. Gum wall or gum art? Go ahead and chew on that.

Leaving my mark on The Gum Wall.

All colors, flavors, brands, and levels of stickiness can be found at Seattle’s infamous Gum Wall.