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As soon as I stepped foot in Seattle, I could sense something special. There are not a lot of cities I feel at home immediately in, but this west coast oasis surrounded by dense forest is magic. It’s full of people who have landed in a space that’s wonderfully welcome to everything that’s just a little weird. When hot entertainment consists of talented drag queens and art translates to a wall covered in gum, you know you’re in for a wild treat of a trip.

Someday I’d love to go back and splash out at one of the beautiful Seattle hotels, then explore even more strange parts of the city. I’m sure I’ll find even better experiences than before.

Bad Art Museum of Art

bad art museum in seattle WashingtonImage via Flickr by marlowharris

Creative talents and masterpieces are often subjective, right? Give this odd museum a chance, and perhaps you’ll discover something grand. Before checking out the walls covered in train wrecks, you can grab a tasty hot dog, as Racer Café owns the art. There’s even a hair salon on-site too so that you can kill three birds with one stone on your visit.

Fremont Troll

Something wicked this way comes under a nondescript Seattle overpass. In 1989 a group of artists won a contest to improve this abandoned space, and they came up with an 18-foot concrete troll. Apparently, local kids like to give the troll a makeover from time to time, so there’s no guarantee what state it might be in.

Gas Works Park

gas works park seattle washington

At first glance, this park looks…kind of like a dump. The space used to be an old coal plant and has since blossomed into an outdoor, grassy area for the local neighborhood. They’ve kept in a lot of the pipelines which makes for an interesting aesthetic. On any given day you can find intramural sports tournament, LARPing games, kite flying competitions and more.

Metropolitan Cat Café

Cat cafes have been increasing in popularity throughout Japan. But guess what – Seattle has its own you can visit. You’ll have to make a reservation, as only ten people are allowed at a time, so the cats aren’t bothered by too many guests. All the felines who live at the cafe are also available for adoption from the Regional Animal Services of King County.

Gum Wall

gum wall in seattle washingtonImage via Flickr by jareed

It’s gross. Really gross, but the famous gum wall under the Pike Place Market got a facelift in 2015 – so it’s a little less gross these days. People come from all over the world to stick their chewed gum on this section of the alley, sometimes up to 15 feet high up the brick walls. You can leave your keepsake if you’re not skeeved out by the whole thing. It was interesting to see up close, but I wasn’t crazy about touching it!

What is the strangest thing you’ve discovered on accident while traveling? What do you think of Seattle?

EileenCotterWright

Author EileenCotterWright

Eileen Cotter Wright is a Boston, MA local and a former London, UK expat. Despite losing her passport the first day she left her home country, she's continued to roam the earth with gusto for more than 16 years. You can keep up with her hot mess adventures on Instagram @CrookedFlight.

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Join the discussion 2 Comments

  • You really did only crack the strange Seattle surface! If you didn’t visit America’s largest cowboy hat and boots, you didn’t really see strange Seattle. You also skipped out on Crazy Cat Lady and bacon action figure shopping at Archie Mcphee’s! Come back again and keep doing the strange!

  • I love the fascinating spots that you mention in this post. I love visiting quirky attractions, so will be sure to take a look at some of these while I’m in Seattle.

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