Fremont, WA - When you walk about Fremont you’ll see any number of strange items good for gawking at. In fact Fremont is so enamored with it’s collection of odd attractions that you can pick up a walking tour of the area at just about any of the strange Fremont visitor spots that give full descriptions on what it is you’re looking at an how it got there. The Rocket Ship is no exception.
It is easily the tallest of the weird Fremont attractions, located on the corner of what appears to be a functioning clothing store, but has nothing to do with the store itself. According to the plaque that is posted along side of the Rocket Ship it was brought to Fremont in the 90’s after the chamber of commerce decided that it was time to have a truly unique monument that said “Fremont” all over it. The rocket, an actual 50’s cold war rocket, was salvaged by the town and brought to Fremont where it sat idle for about 5 years before taking it’s place on the corner of 36th Street. Now it stands as a unique marker and a true reflection of the people of Fremont. In fact the Rocket even bears the Fremont crest and their motto:
“De Libertas Quirkas”
or
“Freedom to be Peculiar.”
Ballard, WA - My 1st and 4th day stops on my Seattle tour were to the always incredible, always awesome Archie McPhee store. I’ve been shopping their online store for years and and was a ball of nonstop excitement about visiting the real life place. It is the rubber chicken and bacon floss mecca of the world. I was in heaven.
When you first enter the store you’re assaulted by a sheer wall of crazy plastic bits hanging from the celling, tacked to the walls and in bins for your buying pleasure. They have a section of wallets, shelves bobble heads, a wall of Jesus’, wigs, masks, urine specimen kits. The place is a wonderland of junk, and yes it seduces you into buying it. I mean really, who doesn’t need a glow in the dark squid?
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Seattle, WA - I’ve seen the AWESOMENESS of gum art before. Having lived in Philadelphia I became acquainted with the strange revolution and attraction that comes from seeing gum donnors cover a surface with gum…but never like this. In Philly we have gum trees, but in Seattle they have a gum wall. And WOW what a gum wall it is. Almost every square inch of the brick from the reach of a person’s arm down is covered in gum. And not just globs of gum, but words and symbols written in gum, items stuck to gum, gum icicles, gum phrases, gum memories. One of the chef’s of a nearby restaurant was taking a rare Seattle smoke break staring at the wall and the select groups of tourists the took pictures and added their mark. I asked him how many of the pieces were his, he said none, he tries to stay as far away from the wall as possible…but his mom had left more than a few pieces behind. This gum wall has history.
