We walked down this ramp to reach an old cobbled alleyway near the Pike Place Market on Saturday.
This is an area of Seattle that gets over 7 million visitors every year. Situated on a hill overlooking Elliot Bay, it is the most famous part of Seattle's commercial district.
It was a tad spooky as my eyes adjusted to the low light of the alley. Several men walked uphill to the market, bent over, carefully considering each step as they passed by. I'm fascinated by alleyways, by the lack of pretense, by the unexpected. You'll see pidgeons here, pecking at crumbs, and homeless men rumage through garbage cans.
This wall is a depository, for chewing gum. Over the years, passersby have covered the walls with chewing gum, pressed into the surface of the bricks and mortar.
Looking closer, I noticed some artists chewed double wads, to create words strung out into letters, holding embelishments, like feathers, coins, shells and colorful stones.
Gum became mortar, holding images of starfish, hearts, and initials. Anything, to say "I've been here. I've left something of myself behind."
