KnowYourTrip.com

Hey Trippers,

As promised, over the weekend, I checked out the Pike Place Market’s “Gum Wall” in Seattle, WA, USA.  CNN listed it as one of the world’s “Germiest” tourist attractions.  Read the article HERE.  I’d been to three of the top five.  The “Gum Wall” is the closest attraction to me.  I’ve been to Pike Place Market 100′s of times over the years and I had not even heard of it – let alone see it.

Yesterday, I went to Seattle and hit a couple of the Farmer’s Markets (Ballard and Capital Hill), The Ballard SeaFest, checked out the new Starbucks Coffee Company concept store (15th Avenue Coffee & Tea by Starbucks), and swung by the “Summer Farm Days” at Pike Place Market.

The wall, or shall I say area, is larger than expected, but none-the-less disgusting.  There were about a dozen or so tourists there having their picture taken with it.  It is located in a rather dank, otherwise graffiti-filled alley way, not far from the iconic Pike Place Bronze Pig “Rachel” located in the market center.

I can only gather that it was started by people waiting to get into The Market Theatre because it is on both sides of the entrance.  It’s yet another reason to love the Pike Place Market – warts and all.

Happy Tripping,

Carter

Hey Trippers,

I was perusing, in an amusing way, an interesting article on the CNN.com website.  The headline:

“Kissing, chewing – the ‘germiest’ tourist attractions”

The provocative headline made me smile.  I clicked on it and then all the unsanitary tourist attraction horrors I’ve seen came to mind.  They listed the top five (in their minds) as The Blarney Stone in Ireland, Market Theatre Gum Wall in Seattle, St. Marks’ Square in Venice, Italy, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California, and Oscar Wilde’s Tomb in Paris.

I’ve been to three of them (Oscar Wilde’s Tomb, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, and St. Mark’s Square) but I could think of dozens more that are just as creepy.  When given an opportunity to go to The Blarney Stone in Ireland.  I dismissed it in kind because I couldn’t imagine kissing something hundred’s of thousands of people have kissed, nuzzled, sneezed-on, or licked before me – let alone have someone hold on to me as I hang over backwards while doing it.

I’ve been to the Pike Place Market in Seattle where the Gum Wall is hundreds of times and I have never heard of the “Gum Wall” – not even once.  I’ll have seen it by week’s end just as a curiosity.

St. Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco) is truly one of the top 20 squares in the world and honestly, during all of my dozens of visits I CRINGED at tourists who sprinkle food on themselves, allow the pigeons to perch on them, peck at the food, leave behind their poop, all while flapping their feather mites all over the tourist.

At first, I was very impressed by Oscar Wilde’s Tomb because of the Egyptian motif, but secondly, I was not expecting it to be covered in lipstick kisses.  It was truly an oddity!  Good luck or not, I wasn’t going to attach my lips anywhere on the tomb (besides, I forgot my lipstick).

Back when I lived in LA, I would take family and friends on “The Tour” of which Grauman’s Chinese Theatre was always a stop.  As we all fit our hands on top of the star’s imprints, it never crossed our minds that there had been many before us who probably scratched a scabie or two first.

When in Munich last May, I watched with fascination, people from all walks of life, as they detoured (far away) from their daily activities to rub the Lions Statues at the entrance of The Residenz (Royal Palace).  At least, two dozens strokers in the 15 minutes I watched.

Then, there was the sculpture of Everard ’t Serclaes in Brussels’ Grand Place that was worn shiny from the stroking of multiple parts and all the statues and plaques on Prague’s Charles Bridge.

On my flight back from Montreal this month, the gentleman behind me coughed and hacked his way through the 4 ½ hour flight . . . . . no wonder how the Swine Flu finds its way around the world so quickly.  Just pack your hand sanitizer, a good immune system, and here’s hoping that all the traveling you’re doing is actually inoculating you against all the germs . . . .

Happy Tripping,

Carter