Chew On This: San Luis Obispo’s Bubble Gum Alley

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Have you been to the San Luis Obispo (SLO) landmark Bubble Gum Alley? It’s exactly what the name implies, a narrow ally set in downtown SLO layered with blobs and globs of chewed bubble gum. And yes, you can say, “Ewwww!” just like we were in the photo.

The history dates back to sometime in the 50’s and has been an easel for bubble gum artists and those whom simply care to add to the collection. I’ve heard it can smell of bubble gum when the temperature is right. I was expecting the alley to reek of a combination of strawberry, mint, grape, and traditional bubble gum, but fortunately the day we stopped by I didn’t get a whiff of any gum flavors.

As previously mentioned in a post a few weeks back, during our stay in San Luis Obispo we explored the new SLO Children’s Museum. One of the second floor interactive attractions is SLO Children\'s MuseumBubble Gum Alley, complete with magnetic “brick walls.” The museum has special-ordered magnetic “chewed bubble gum” shapes to decorate the walls and to allow the children to create their own bubble gum designs, without the risk of getting it stuck in their hair of course. This photo is “before gum.”

Even though the idea is gross you have to admit everyone loves a weird, or unique, attraction and this one is one that will definitely stick. Just don’t get it stuck on your shoe.

Happy chewing!

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August 12, 2008 | Filed Under Family Travel, The Cookie Jar 

Comments

3 Responses to “Chew On This: San Luis Obispo’s Bubble Gum Alley”

  1. jamie says:
    August 12, 2008 at

    Yuck! I’m imagining my husband (the family germ-phobe) here. It’s a pretty funny mental picture…

  2. jill says:
    August 12, 2008 at

    Seems fortune smiled on me a few years ago – I was driving down the California coast with plans to stop around San Luis Obispo. About 5 miles north of it I began to sneeze uncontrollably – eyes watering, full-blown sudden hay fever attack. Could only roll up the windows and bypass the place.

    Now I understand what Fate was saving me from.

    All that gum would make me physically ill. I can barely stand to think of it.

    I hate it when people chew gum near me, especially if they don’t close their mouth.

    Hate finding it, hate seeing it, hate smelling it.

    YIKKY YUCK YUCK

    THANK YOU MUDSLIDE MAMA – I would never have known about this without you!

  3. kimba says:
    August 19, 2008 at

    I have put many pieces of gum in Bubble Gum Alley over the years … mostly in the 80s when I lived there in SLO. I had totally forgotten about it until I read this post!

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