BEST OF KOREA

I’m doing this late anyway, so we might as well just skip the extra posts and make it one big scroll party! Enjoy!

IP Boutique Hotel

After extensive searching for a hotel in Seoul, I ended up booking a room at the IP Boutique Hotel in Itaewon. The hotel is a fun, eclectic art boutique tastefully decorated with art pieces from modern pop culture. From the swings in the lobby, to the giant yellow couch, to a wind-up Minnie Mouse carrying a gun, to the zebra mural painted above the comfortable bed, there were visual delights in every nook and cranny!

Shopping

Myeong-dong is one of the busiest places in Seoul and is among Korea’a premier shopping destination. This shopping district was definitely crowded with both locals and tourist alike with flashing lights and blaring music – it was insane! Shops for clothing or cosmetics can be seen at every corner, and street stalls dot the spaces in between, offering tasty snacks, inexpensive clothes, and sparkling accessories.

Namdaemun was by far my favorite place to shop at! I could have spent all day in this awesome night-and-day market and still feel like I’ve not seen it all. Each section has hundreds of stalls – in which the market specializes in cheaper-range clothing and accessories for all ages and styles!

Night Life @ Hongdae

After making our way into the crowded streets of Hongdae we came across a bar that seemed like a good place to ring in the New Year. It was only to find out that New Year’s in Korea is celebrated in February, the same day as Chinese New Year. So before you know it, it’s midnight and we were both like “oh hey, Happy New Year”, no one else was celebrating…everyone was just going about their usual business!

Food-Porn

From trying out Mcdonald’s bulgogi burger, to the street food that was super cheap&fast, as well as the delicious Korean BBQ and then washing it all down with soju&beer – I was simply in food heaven!

Street Art

I read somewhere that there is a lot of art in Seoul. That includes street art, murals, and graffiti. Here are a few that I came across while exploring the city!

Getting Around

Our everyday transportation consisted of taking a bus, to hailing a cab, to waiting for another bus, to riding the train and then doing tons of walking to finally get to our destination! I can’t begin to explain to you how difficult figuring out the subway station was. There were so many times that we got lost by getting on the wrong train and then we would bicker back and forth about who got who lost. Fortunately, he had his iPad and I had my kindle to keep us occupied during these long commutes.

Incheon International Airport

For multiple years, Incheon Airport has been ranked the best airport in the world! There was sooo many things to see and do that I was wishing for a flight delayed just so that I can go exploring! I did however come across this huge entertainment system located near The Korean Culture Museum where I got a little jiggy with it!