Seattle's massive Gum Wall to receive a major scrub-down
After 20 years and an estimated one million wads of gum, the famous Gum Wall in Seattle is getting a total scrub-down.
The wall is located in Post Alley, under Pike Place Market, and was started one night by people waiting in line for an improv show, King 5 reports. It's now eight feet high and more than 54 feet wide, with about 150 pieces of gum stuck to every brick. The sugar in the gum is causing the bricks to erode, which is why a deep cleaning is in order. The project will start Nov. 10, and because of the enormous task at hand, it's likely going to take several days to complete. Don't expect to see a blank space for too long; as soon as the wall is clean, people will be allowed to stick their gum back up again.
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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