Giant Shoe Museum (sometimes the World Famous Giant Shoe Museum) is a museum in Seattle's Pike Place Market, in the U.S. state of Washington.[1]

Giant Shoe Museum
The exhibit in 2022
Map
LocationPike Place Market, Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Coordinates47°36′31″N 122°20′27″W / 47.6086°N 122.3407°W / 47.6086; -122.3407

Description

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The museum has "odd and outsize shoes displayed behind sideshow-style curtains", according to Harriet Baskas of CNBC.[2] The one-wall exhibit allows guests to view shoes through a stereoscope.[3] It has been described as "the world's largest collection of giant shoes",[4] as well as "likely one of the world's few coin-operated museums".[5]

History

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The museum was designed and built by Sven Sundbaum in 1997.[6] Owned and operated by adjacent Old Seattle Paperworks,[7] the exhibit is curated by Dan Eskenazi.[8][9]

Reception

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Cody Permenter included the museum in Thrillist's 2015 list of "The 11 Strangest Museums in (and Around) Seattle".[10] Christina Ausley of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer included the Giant Shoe Museum in a 2020 overview of the city's 14 "strangest" landmarks, writing: "Drop a humble 50 cents into a small coin box for the world's largest collection of giant shoes. Nestled a few floors below downtown Seattle's Pike Place Market, approach the flamboyant circus entryway and gaze through the binoculars for a myriad of Herculean hi-tops and a size 37 work by Robert Wadlow."[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Top 15 things to do in Seattle: experience the best of this unique city". Lonely Planet. Archived from the original on 2022-10-22. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  2. ^ Baskas, Harriet (26 January 2020). "The Overnight: What to do in Seattle if you're there on a business trip". CNBC. Archived from the original on 2021-04-11. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  3. ^ Manzanares, Mary Jo (2021-09-15). Secret Seattle: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. Reedy Press LLC. ISBN 978-1-68106-308-9. Archived from the original on 2023-01-12. Retrieved 2022-10-30.
  4. ^ Calamusa, Kate (2017-04-18). Seattle Family Adventures: City Escapades, Day Trips, Weekend Getaways, and Itineraries for Fun-Loving Families. Sasquatch Books. ISBN 978-1-63217-098-9. Archived from the original on 2023-01-12. Retrieved 2022-10-30.
  5. ^ Volk, David (2013-11-05). Cheap Bastard's® Guide to Seattle: Secrets of Living the Good Life—for Less!. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4930-0658-8. Archived from the original on 2023-01-12. Retrieved 2022-10-30.
  6. ^ Spradlin, Thomas (2012). Collectey Global Record Book 2013. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-1-300-28395-9. Archived from the original on 2023-01-12. Retrieved 2022-10-30.
  7. ^ Devine, Bob (2016). National Geographic Traveler - Coastal Alaska: Ports of Call and Beyond. National Geographic Books. ISBN 978-1-4262-1635-0. Archived from the original on 2023-01-12. Retrieved 2022-10-30.
  8. ^ Baskas, Harriet (2011-04-12). Washington Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-7627-6900-1. Archived from the original on 2023-01-12. Retrieved 2022-10-30.
  9. ^ Landes, Cheryl; Rule, Ann; Tuttle, Craig (1999). Beautiful America's Seattle. Beautiful America Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-89802-708-2. Archived from the original on 2023-01-12. Retrieved 2022-10-30.
  10. ^ "The 11 Strangest Museums in (and Around) Seattle". Thrillist. 4 August 2015. Archived from the original on 2022-10-22. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  11. ^ Ausley, Christina (2020-02-22). "14 of Seattle's strangest landmarks: Have you found all of these classics?". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on 2022-10-22. Retrieved 2022-10-22 – via KTVL.
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