When one thinks of the history of Seoul, thoughts usually jump to the north bank, with its palaces and walls, its monuments and markets. Much of the city south of the river didn’t even exist prior to the 1970s, and though it’s now the focus of much of Seoul’s economic, political, and cultural life, at…
I’m writing this at Hakrim Dabang (학림다방), on the second floor of a building whose windows look out over Daehang-no (대학로). As this project has progressed I’ve shied away more and more from talking about restaurants, cafes, bars, or any other kind of business because with the Darwinian rate of turnover among businesses in Seoul…
Dongjak’s best real estate sits on a large hill below the city’s southernmost bend in the Han River, giving it unobstructed views of the slowly moving waters and the northern half of the city spread out beyond them. It’s home to some 165,000 residents, all of them prominent though few famous, the identities of some…
Omokgyo is nice. I can’t think of another part of Seoul we’ve visited that’s more aptly described by that adjective, with its satisfied, bourgeois, slightly anodyne tones. With its upper middle to upper class housing, ample parkland, abundance of shopping, and well kempt streets, it struck me as what a friendly urban planner might come…
Three things stick out when you arrive at Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station. First of all, there’s the enormous field of construction to the west, which we also mentioned in our visits to Balsan and Sinbanghwa Stations. Second is the sizeable CJ Gimpo Factory to the east. Third is the not-unpleasant bourgeois atmosphere surrounding the neighborhood’s clean…
Seoul Sub→urban 