"Bubblegum Alley is a local tourist landmark in downtown San Luis Obispo, California known for its accumulation of used bubble gum on the walls of an alley. It is a 15-foot (4.6 m) high and 70-foot (21 m) long alley which is lined with used bubble gum left by passers-by. The locally-created, "most-talked-about landmark" covers a stretch of 20 meters between 733 and 734 Higuera Street in downtown San Luis Obispo. According to the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Business Improvement Association, the history of who actually started this gum fiesta is "a little sketchy." Some historians believe that the tradition of the Alley started after WWII as a San Luis Obispo High School graduating class event. Others believe it to have started in the late 1950s as rivalry between San Luis High School and Cal Poly Students." - Anna Haro

As soon as the Poly students suspected that the High School was trying to out-do them on the gum walls, the college students stepped up their game and immediately became more creative, thus launching Bubblegum Alley. In any case, by the 1970’s Bubblegum Alley was well under way. When shop owners complained that it was "unsanitary and disgusting" the alley underwent a full cleaning. The gum graffiti survived two full cleanings in the 70’s but when, in 1996 the BIA attempted to have another full cleaning, it was not passed. - Anna Haro

http://www.flickr.com/search... - Anna Haro

Eeurgh! - Bec Rowe @d0tski

GROSS LOL - Mona Nomura

hahaha...I know! - Anna Haro

I wonder what it smells like EW! - Mona Nomura

As gross as it is, that place is amazing. It never smelled when I went up there, except for a sweet smell when it was full of people sticking their gum on the wall. - Anika

yuuuuuuuuuuuuuck - Andrew C (✓)

Yeah, as grossed out as I am, I know when I go, I won't be able to resist leaving my mark. :P - Anna Haro

Anna, you're braver than me. Whenever I've gone up with friends, I had to show it too them because they thought I was lying. Hmmmph. They all left their gum, but I couldn't get over the thought of accidentally touching someone else's chewed piece. - Anika

LOL! - Anna Haro

It doesn't reek of gum and spit? I don't know 'bout all that. I'll just uh, appreciate it via photos. - Mona Nomura

Dude, I can't stop looking at the pictures. Like a stinky piece of cheese. I keep smelling it, even if I know it smells. - Mona Nomura

And you see how someone put 'in gum we trust' in on there or the sculpture face? There are people who will sit there with a group of friends each chewing different color gum to get an image or sentence going. - Anika

@Mona...HAHAHAHAHAHA ...Anika, those are my people. :-/ - Anna Haro

As for the smell, I've only been up there handful of times during summer, but it's SLO and the alley is a wind tunnel. I'm overly sensitive to smells, so if it had a whiff of grossness ever, I would have never gone back. - Anika

I went to school there. I've contributed many times haha. :D - Rodfather

This will outlive the pyramids. - Louis Gray

Ugh, disgusting! Hiding with extreme prejudice. - Chris Charabaruk

Yeah, that's a pretty cool spot. It smells a little sweet, not as disgusting as you would think. - Jeremy Brooks

Ugh! Watch your feet. It might ooze down onto them!!! - Rick Cogley

Will the gum melt in a summer heat wave? ... maybe if someone applied a heat gun? - Andrew C (✓)

It's all dried up but the texture still remains. It's pretty much the same temperature all year round in SLO too. - Rodfather

not sure if i should be grossed out or completely amazed - Angela P.

Why do I imagine hungry street bums licking the walls of this alley. - Tony C (Unrated)

eww - stefan

That's gross!! - Rob Michael (Atmos Trio)

I have made numerous amazing contributions to that wall! Oh and best part... is when your friend shoves you into the wall as a joke! Ugh! - Susan Beebe

Is that load bearing gum? - Ralph Whitbeck