Did you know Feb 3rd is National Bubble Gum day? I had no idea until it started popping up in my social media feeds today. As a Seattleite, bubble gum is something I always think about when I go to Pike Place Market because we have a Gum Wall there. And then I recently went to San Luis Obispo (SLO) and they have a type of gum wall there too-but their wall is an alley. San Luis Obispo has a Bubblegum Alley! Does anyone else know of any more places like this where people stick their bubble gum?
What is the Seattle “Gum Wall” and why do I need to see it?
In Seattle, the gum wall is literally a wall where people have been putting gum on for years. According to Pike Place Market, it’s been happening since the 1990’s. And don’t we love the 1990’s so much right now? If you are at Pike Place Market and need gum, you might be able to get some from Ghost Alley Espresso or from Sweetie’s Candy. And if you’re at Pike Place Market and you’re looking for the Gum Wall look for Rachel the Pig and the guys throwing fish. (Doesn’t this feel like a magical journey already?) Then you go down the closest set of stairs and out the door. You could even close your eyes and inhale and find it. The bubble gum scent will be the first thing that hits you.
And how about Bubble Gum Alley in San Luis Obispo?
Bubblegum Alley in San Luis Obispo is easier and more difficult to get to than Seattle’s Gum Wall and it has more of a danger value. It’s not tucked away like Seattle’s gum wall but it is on a main shopping street, and it’s really narrow so if a bunch of people were there at the same time, there’s more chance of touching gum accidentally than at the Seattle Gum Wall. And it might be a lot older than the one in Seattle too-this article has it going back to the 1950’s!
We visited San Luis Obispo during a very unusual rain event where the city had just experienced a lot of flooding and it was even raining when we visited. It felt a lot like Seattle actually so I was not surprised that we were the only people visiting Bubblegum Alley when we were there but I bet it gets pretty crowded on normal days. I think it’s a fun attraction and it’s cool there is both one in Seattle and SLO too.
And nearby Bubblegum Alley is a must try in SLO-Lokum Turkish Delight and Baklava
Steps away from Bubble Gum Alley in SLO we had a wonderful coffee experience that we would come back and do all over again. We tried the coffee and tea at Lokum with some Turkish Delight and Baklava and there were so many flavors to choose. We usually take coffees to go but this made sit and savor. I wish we had this in Seattle too. (Maybe someone can bring it to Pike Place Market near our Gum Wall.)
(PS Do you know how to blow a bubble with bubble gum?)
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)