Last week, there was a big buzz about a new scratch ‘n’ sniff children’s book called New York, Phew York.
The author, Amber Jones, told The Guardian:
“I work in Times Square and one day while I was walking to the train I got a delicious whiff of pizza. As I was looking in the window at the pizza, deciding if I should buy a slice, I didn’t realize I was stepping in horse manure. I went to the corner to make sure I didn’t get any on my shoe and was engulfed by shish kebab smoke from a food cart. It’s then I thought ‘there should be a scratch-and-sniff guide of New York.’ Viola! The idea was born.”
Amber said if this book sells, she’d consider branching out with books about other cities. So here’s my question: What smells would you put in a scratch ‘n’ sniff book about Seattle?
Saltwater and car exhaust on the ferry dock? Coffee? Salmon? The smell of damp leaves decaying in the rain? Beer and bratwurst fumes emanating from a Husky Stadium tailgate party? Give me your ideas on our Facebook page or tweet us @1037TheMountain
UPDATE!
Here are the responses I got from the Mountain Tribe. Breathe deep:
Dried seawood on the beach.
Saltwater & coffee
Rain
The aroma of Tacoma paper pulp
The smell of leaking natural gas
Low tide
Open air sewer ponds – yay!
Coffe, pine needles, tide flats
The Arboretum, on a humid night, smells of trees and herbs.
Coffee, salmon, fir fire smoke, wet wool, salt water beach mixture, forest after a rain and downtown street – mixture of exhaust, garbage & people
Wet dog? used book store? damp pine trees?
Coffee, salmon, saltwater, and that smell that happens right before summer rain
The gum wall in Post Alley
The smell of evergreen and wet organic material breaking down after a heavy rain on a mild spring day
Elliot bay when the tide is out!
Fish and “other” pike market smells
Fran’s chocolates or maybe bubble gum from gum wall in Post Alley.
I’ve been here for five years, from San Diego. The smell of Seattle is pleasantly clean. However, I live near Marysville…and oh my gawd, if you’ve ever been there in the summer…its pretty embarrassing when you have visitors.
The smell of Pike St Market! Fish, Tea, doughnuts, lavendar, fresh fruits and veggies!!!!
Salt water, fresh water, rain, Ivars’ on the waterfront, evergreen trees. Dick’s burgers, Ezell’s, magnolias, cherry blossoms, sweaty bikers, fir trees, coffee, salt water, the Theo chocolate factory, rain, chicken coops, wet dogs.
Garden show flowers in february!
and perhaps the ultimate Seattle smell:
The smell of wet wool socks, in sandals!
Thanks for your brilliant thoughts!
