three hundred twenty four

while on the market ghost tour, i learned that seattle's gum wall is officially the 2nd most unsanitary attraction in the world (right after the blarney stone). and i also learned that in the old days, barber shops did more than cut hair - they performed simple surgeries, tooth extractions, blood letting and gave leech treatments.. after blood letting procedures, the barbers would take the bloodied bandages and fling them on a line outside, giving rise to the symbolic red, white and blue striped pole (red & white for the bloody cloths, and blue to symbolize the veins).