Un-waymarkable Waymarks

I've always been somewhat vocal about my opinion that not everything needs to be waymarked. The point of Waymarking is to mark unique, interesting places - places that aren't on every street corner. I hadn't ever come upon a place that I thought was really incredible and not had a category to waymark it in. It just doesn't happen that often. I mean, there are over 600 categories. A place is bound to fit somewhere. Typically categories like "Official Local Tourist Attractions" or "Roadside Attractions" can accommodate some of the truly unique spots that don't fall within any of the other categories.

Well this week I came upon not one, but two places in Seattle that are incredibly cool that I can't find a category to waymark them in. One is an old Seattle standby that we've been visiting for years, the other a cool new specialty shop. I figure that I'll tell you about them here and maybe someone else will think of a category for them (but no "Best Kept Secrets" category - I want to waymark them in a way that I can truly describe the spot.)

First is a new one that I had never heard of until researching their neon sign. The place is called "Real Soda." It's based in California, but has an office in the Fremont District of Seattle. This is a place specializing in soda pop. Not the Coca-Cola and 7-up type soda that you find on your grocer's shelves in aluminum cans, but sodas like pure cane sugar Coca-Cola in bottles, imported from Mexico, Bavarian Nutmeg Imported Virgil's Special Edition Root Beer with ceramic top, Mystic Seaport Creamy Birch Beer, Tianfu China Cola.... The list could go on forever. These guys stock over 700 varieties of soda imported from around the world, all in glass bottles. They call their Website the "bubbly backdoor that transcends the aluminum curtain beyond which you will find a paradise of effervescence excellence." They even have a great neon sign guys!! Where, oh where can this wonderland of soda and nostalgia be waymarked, I ask you?!

The second spot I couldn't find a category for is Archie McPhee's, "Outfitters of Popular Culture", a retail location that truly can't be classified. Located in the Ballard district of Seattle, Archie's has long been a must stop location each year in the search for Team Hikenutty Christmas stocking stuffers. Here's a short list of a few items that you will find for sale at Archie's that you just can't do without: an electronic yodelling pickle, a boxing nun puppet, a librarian action figure complete with shushing action, bacon shaped bandages, corn dog air fresheners, a bobblehead Jesus, gummy haggis, world's largest underpants, glow-in-the-dark Flesh Eating Zombie play sets... These are just a few things I found in their catalog, which is nothing compared to the actual store. This weekend we'll be heading for Archie's to pick up composer action figures for Hikenutty Jr.'s music teachers and some Shakespearean insult gum for a friend of mine. I'll take some photos but if you can't wait for those to be posted take a look at the store photos that they've uploaded to Flickr.com. You can also take their helpful "Are You a Nerd" test to find out your nerd level (BTW, I scored 209. Does that mean I'm cool, or that I need to work harder at it?)

So if you have any ideas of where to waymark these spots, or have a spot that you would like to share but don't have a spot to do it on Waymarking.com, then be sure to comment on this post and enlighten us.

P.S. I shamelessly ripped the above photo from Real Soda's Website, but since I have drooled all over my blog about them, I don't think that they'll mind.