Seoul: Parting Shots

Just a few final pics of my trip to South Korea. (Gotta plan the next jaunt now. Any suggestions?)

Seoul's Mind-Blowing Dongdaemun Market

So, I'm going to be straight up: my photos of Seoul's legendary Dongdaemun Market simply don't do it justice. Not even close. The winding, if-you-want-it-here-it-is-come-and-get-it marketplace is a GIGANTIC place--much of it indoors, even--and I often felt a bit overwhelmed and a little claustrophobic, which kept my camera turned off a majority of the time.

However, I'm pretty sure that, even if I snapped every square inch of that neck of the woods, you still wouldn't get the total picture. Ooooh, the cool smells, the new tastes, the chance to try and buy almost anything you can imagine. Photo heaven! (You know, almost.)

All I'm saying is, next time you're in Seoul, be sure to go.

More Seoul Food: Coffee at Red Crow Street

After a marathon lunch in Seoul with Sarah Lee at Balwoo Gonyang, we all set out to explore a few other neighborhoods in the area. On our way, Sarah steered us toward the magical Red Crow Street coffee joint, a small, off-the-beaten path covered in customer-created and -hung illustrations, photos, notes, and doodles.

Now, Seoul has no shortage of coffee houses--almost to a fault, actually--but this one was so different, so unique, and so f-u-n, I think I spent more time taking photos than I did concentrating on the cute little cuppa hot chocolate I ordered.

(Incidentally, it was also the place where Danny and I took the only photo I have of the two of us together during our trip. Thank goodness Sarah was there to capture it!)

Seoul Food: Balwoo Gongyang

Just before I headed South Korea, I was lucky enough to run into the always lovely Hana Choi, who very generously connected me to her also lovely friend Sarah Lee--a food/design/travel blogger and girl-about-town who had recently relocated from Chicago to Seoul.

Sarah and I chatted via email a bit before Danny and I left, and we made plans to meet for a lunch at Balwoo Gongyang, a restaurant in the city's Insandong neighborhood. (Which, incidentally, has great art galleries, shopping, and general people-watching--place it on your Seoul travel to-do list ASAP.)

Ten (ten!) courses of mind-blowing vegetarian food later, we felt like we had known each other for ages. I honestly can't tell you all that we had (if it was placed in front of me, I just happily ate it), but it was definitely one of the top meals I had during my week away. (So thanks, Sarah--and by extension, Hana. Delish!)

P.S. Be sure to check out Sarah's blog at SeoulInTheCity.com. (That's her above. Isn't she the cutest?) Also cute? Hana, natch. Hit her up at StyleFare.com.