A quick stop today at Famous Footwear at Tacoma Central Shopping Center (the Target Center) to check out cute discounted boots, which were either the wrong size or the wrong color. You know what I’m looking forward to? Cute spring sandals! Hopefully soon!
How could I have lived here all this time and not have known that Seattle had the World Famous Giant Shoe Museum! It’s in the lower level of the Pike Place Market and the photo shows all of it. For $1.00 in quarters one can see the entire exhibit. The stool on the left cost $.50 and the two in the middle cost $0.25 each and the one on the right explains the museum ad is free. The museum was built in 1997 by Sven Sundbaum and is next to Old Seattle Paperworks. One of the windows features the size 37 shoes of the world’s tallest man, Robert Wadlow. That is him on the mural in his real height of 8’11.1″. Robert Wadlow died at the age of 22 after complications from blister. 40,000 people attended his funeral. When I stand next to him, the top of my head is in the middle of the W of his last name. 
This salamander at the Gallucci Learning Garden (South 14th & ‘G’ Street) was featured in several gardens when the Community Garden Tour occurred. It is really a sweet garden with a large wagon, a lovely round courtyard, shoes filled with plants and, of course, plenty of plants. The garden, which was named in honor of local activist Bob Gallucci, was dedicated in August 2011. Their extensive website is here.
Tacoma’s Urban Exchange at 1983 Pacific Avenue in the University of Washington Tacoma Branch area is pretty cool. I didn’t have much time to look, but they had some really cute clothes and shoes at dynamite prices. The space is in the McDonald Smith Building which was constructed in 1890.
