when janice and jason come to korea, we're gonna do some stuff. that's a given. what we do will depend on their interests and our combined energy level. to that extent i've made of list of possible events/activities from which they can rate their top 3 to 5. anything we see/do in addition to those top 3 to 5 will be icing on the cake (.... ummm ... cake ...)
here's the list i came up with based on my interests, what i think janice and jason would find interesting and what would be considered Seoul-Must-Sees. in no particular order:
- Insa-dong
good to stroll through; traditional korean trinkets and hand crafts; great place to pick up souvenirs; Insa-dong is to Seoul like Occoquan is to Woodbridge, kinda ~ quaint with cobble stone streets
- N. Seoul Tower
this is the space needle that is right smack dab in the middle of Seoul, on a mountain, we are very close to it, to get to the top of the mountain we can hike, bus or cable car; the views from the top of the tower are going to be great on a clear day; N. Seoul Tower is to Seoul like Eiffel Tower is to Paris or Sears Tower is to Chicago
- A Palace
any one will do; there are about 5 in seoul and they are unique to Korea; nothing from back home compares to it; if we go it would be best to go on an English tour so they can tell us the significance of each room/living quarter of the palace. i found them to be boring at face-value but i'd be interested in going on an English tour and knowing the story behind the architectures
- Itaewon-dong
this is the foreigner's enclave - you'll see Americans (soldiers and civilians), Europeans, Nigerians, Middle Easterners (there's a mosque here too) working and shopping and hanging out here and as much as i dislike the sleazy run-down feel of it, it really is a good place to shop, look around and see some odd things about korea; i would say the closest match to it back home would be DC! LOL
- Namdaemun Market
this is one of the oldest surviving markets in seoul. it's for retails to come and buy stuff at wholesale but there is tons of shopping for onezee-towzee types of things. this happens to be my favorite place to go shopping because you can find anything you want here from fruits and snacks to footwear and bedding, watch batteries and eye glasses to fur coats and Christmas lights. the typical shopper and vendor are old korean ladies and i seem to like to be elbow and elbow with them ~ watch out for the sidewalk sales that pop up anywhere on any given day offering things for super cheap. as a tourist it's great to be in the thick of this market, even if you don't intend to buy anything. btw, this is where i go to get imported good like Cheese and Quaker Oatmeal; the stuff you can't get at the local grocery stores.
- Chongdong Theater (http://www.chongdong.com/chongdong_english/m01_00_intro.htm)
i've never been here, but have wanted to go. this theater offers three things: 1. we can watch traditional korean dance performances, 2. we can try on traditional korean costumes and get photos, and 3. we can go to their school and learn Korean Traditional Percussion. i would really like to do this. it's not that expensive.
- Myeong-dong
this is the shopping mecca; you'll find the youth (high schoolers and college aged) of korea here at any time of day or night; streets are packed. Seoulites go here to meet friends for coffee, eat and shop for the latest fashion trends and spend a ton of money on said fashions; one thing i think would be cool is to go to what's called the Sticker Photo ~~ it's basically a shop with several photo booths; you and your friends go into one and for a couple of dollars you can get your picture taken and make stickers out of them in all sizes and decorate the photos with all kinds of fun icons and words, etc. it's just like our photo booths back home but on steroids with the options and what not. i think it embodies the korean desire for visual noise. you could easily go into visual over load in Myeong-dong but it's worth a gander. quite ironic is the fact that Myeong-dong is home to the Myeong-dong Cathedral - (http://www.mdsd.or.kr/pilgrim/eng/default.htm) which has English service on Sundays but we could just poke our head in to see what it looks like.
- Walk the CheongGyeCheon Stream (http://dobo.visitseoul.net/walktour/eng/course05.jsp)
this is a recently restore stream in Seoul. it was once paved over because after the Korean War it had become an attraction for shanty towns and the stream became polluted. but now it's been restored and it is a great source of pride for Seoulites. there is a CheongGyeCheon museum too that will surly show some great before/after photos.
- Seonyudo Park
this is a nice place to enjoy some nature for nature's sake. it's an island right on the Han River and was once a water treatment facility turned into a sanctuary for all things green. it's a great place to go walking with a loved one.
- 라커스 (Rockers) Bar
this is a great (small, shabby-ish, personal) bar with sometimes live performances but mostly they just play requested rock songs all night long; and sell beer. they've got posters of old rock legends on the wall and the vibe is great. i think it's great to be in Seoul and yet find a bar that is so western but enjoyed and frequented and owned and operated by koreans who appreciate old american rock. some pictures here: http://momanse.kicks-ass.net/blog/archive/20060620, and here: http://momanse.kicks-ass.net/blog/archive/20070221
- Meeting my friends
- my photography friends: YoungDoo, Betsy, Stephanie, Joon, the rest of the crew!
- my korean friends: DooJin, Eric, SeonUn & Hwang, Namhee, Mrs. Jin Kim
- matt's family: HyoJu and Matt's dad and step mom
some other miscellaneous activities we can consider:
- checking out E-Mart for the heck of it
- experiencing street food
- going to a bathhouse and being naked in front of a ton of koreans (gender separated of course) at Dragon Hill Spa
- bike riding at Yeouido Park
- an art museum // local artists
- national museums (but i found them to be boring)
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