Once in awhile you just need a midnight snack! I was finishing up a powerpoint last night for my Sports Medicine class and afterwards I went to Andrew's room to hang out and plan our upcoming trip to Busan. Around midnight we both gave each other the "I need some nosh" look. Midterms were finally over and after barely leaving SK Global House for the past 4 days, we were feeling a little stir-crazy.
We decided to venture into Sinchon for something to eat. We bundled up, which was an entirely new experience for us since being in Korea. It was still 70 degrees just two days ago, and last night it was only 36 degrees! Well that's Seoul weather for you. It's hard to imagine Seoul being anything but hot and humid. Walking outside with our wool coats, scarves, and gloves, felt really good though. To me, it was the familiarity of upstate New York weather. You could even feel the refreshing coldness in the air, I just love that wintery smell!
Between the quiet of the night and the cold temperatures, Sinchon was so peaceful! Of course the only things open were Korean BBQ restaurants and coffee and waffle shops. That was okay though, we found a delicious K-BBQ restaurant that we haven't tried before and it hit the spot. Surprisingly, the place was actually busy at that hour, it seems that New York isn't the only city that never sleeps.
We headed back, and although it was late and we both had class the next morning, I'm still glad we went. For the first time in awhile I slept really well last night. And of course it was nice waking up to the heated floors. So bring on the cold weather, Seoul!
Showing posts with label Sinchon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sinchon. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
And another one bites the dust...
Well my roommate Joe moved out last week. That's the second roommate I've had thus far. Maybe it's me? But in this case it was just a matter of polar opposite schedules. Joe liked to stay up all night, and I mean all night, to about 4 or 5 in the morning if I was lucky! She had been thinking about getting an apartment for awhile now so it made sense for her to go now. Especially since it's midterms week and I need my sleep!
Sometimes I miss having a roommate, but it's nice to have two closets again and to have the room to myself. And truthfully, I'm really not in my room much so it's not that big of a deal.
Yesterday marked the halfway point for my semester here in Seoul. I can't believe it! It seriously feels like last week that I got off the airplane, greeted by a sea of Asians in this big city, lost, confused, and blonde! At this point I definitely feel more at home though. I have my schedule memorized, I am finally able to pronounce all of my professors' names, and I can communicate with a cab driver to get back to SK Global House. I even have the Seoul subway system down, now that's impressive!
Sometimes I miss having a roommate, but it's nice to have two closets again and to have the room to myself. And truthfully, I'm really not in my room much so it's not that big of a deal.
Yesterday marked the halfway point for my semester here in Seoul. I can't believe it! It seriously feels like last week that I got off the airplane, greeted by a sea of Asians in this big city, lost, confused, and blonde! At this point I definitely feel more at home though. I have my schedule memorized, I am finally able to pronounce all of my professors' names, and I can communicate with a cab driver to get back to SK Global House. I even have the Seoul subway system down, now that's impressive!
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| The Seoul subway system. Sinchon is located at stop 240 on the green line, #2. That's in the middle, left hand side. |
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Myeongdong
This afternoon after I got out of class, I decided to venture out of Sinchon for a bit and explore Myeondong. Having a roommate again is great, but I was really craving some alone time. Myeondong is one of Seoul's biggest shopping centers. Namdaemun and Dongdaemun are Seoul's biggest open-air markets, but Myeondong makes up Seoul's biggest commercial area. It's many many street blocks filled with food and clothing vendors and the shops on these streets are mainly clothing and cosmetics. It is also the location of many popular Western stores. I saw a Gap, Forever 21, Ralph Lauren, and there was even a Lacoste and Louis Vuitton store.
Honestly, today was the first day I set out with the intentions to do a little bit of shopping for me. Up until this point I hadn't had a chance to do much clothing shopping and I've mostly been shopping for all my wonderful friends and relatives. But I wanted to see Myeongdong and also check out the Forever 21, which is one of my favorite stores at home. Everyone talked about how huge and wonderful it is, and I gotta say, when I went in I wasn't that impressed! It was a nice store, and it was by no means small, but the Forever 21 in good ole' Smallbany is probably 3 times as big! Who woulda thunk?
I did enjoy shopping there though, I felt like I was back home at Crossgates, except for the fact that I was maybe one of 4 white people in the whole store. That's okay though, I've gotten used to standing out. Now I just smile back at people when they stare, especially the small children. I did manage to find 2 things though and if you know me, you know that I probably didn't pay full price for them either! I found a skirt and a top, both on the sale rack! I was very pleased and I think Grandma Rhoda would've been quite proud.
I wanted to stay a little bit longer but I had made plans with my friend Kara to make fried rice together for dinner so I decided to head back to Sinchon. The Myeongdong subway station was extremely crowded so it took me a little while to reach the platform; I definitely plan on coming back to Myeongdong soon though. Also, this weekend I'm hoping to check out the other markets for a little gift shopping! And yes, I am taking gift requests/suggestions, so don't be shy and speak up!
Honestly, today was the first day I set out with the intentions to do a little bit of shopping for me. Up until this point I hadn't had a chance to do much clothing shopping and I've mostly been shopping for all my wonderful friends and relatives. But I wanted to see Myeongdong and also check out the Forever 21, which is one of my favorite stores at home. Everyone talked about how huge and wonderful it is, and I gotta say, when I went in I wasn't that impressed! It was a nice store, and it was by no means small, but the Forever 21 in good ole' Smallbany is probably 3 times as big! Who woulda thunk?
I did enjoy shopping there though, I felt like I was back home at Crossgates, except for the fact that I was maybe one of 4 white people in the whole store. That's okay though, I've gotten used to standing out. Now I just smile back at people when they stare, especially the small children. I did manage to find 2 things though and if you know me, you know that I probably didn't pay full price for them either! I found a skirt and a top, both on the sale rack! I was very pleased and I think Grandma Rhoda would've been quite proud.
I wanted to stay a little bit longer but I had made plans with my friend Kara to make fried rice together for dinner so I decided to head back to Sinchon. The Myeongdong subway station was extremely crowded so it took me a little while to reach the platform; I definitely plan on coming back to Myeongdong soon though. Also, this weekend I'm hoping to check out the other markets for a little gift shopping! And yes, I am taking gift requests/suggestions, so don't be shy and speak up!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Heart and Seoul gets a makeover, and I get pancakes
Happy half birthday to me! I was in the mood today to spiff something up and since I'm not allowed to decorate the walls in my room, I thought I'd play with the design templates on my blog. So here's the new Heart and Seoul!
Today Andrew and I went to Gangnam. Gangnam is one of the more modern districts of Seoul, many more skyscrapers than Sinchon, and more western style chain restaurants and stores. Also the Ritz Carlton of Seoul is located in Gangnam. When we got out of the subway station, we both said "Ahh, this feels like New York". We came here once before a few weeks ago for a Mentors Club party that was held at a bar on the 23rd floor of the building, so we had an awesome view of the this part of the city at night. But we wanted to see it during the day, so we jumped on the subway around 2pm and explored.
Some highlights of our afternoon were walking through the Ritz Carlton, going to Artbox, and eating at Paris Baguette. Andrew located the Ritz Carlton right away; he told me has a "natural ability to sniff out luxury hotels". Something tells me he's not kidding. We walked through the lobby and looked around. Needless to say, it was beautiful. Also, they were in the process of building a marble fountain outside the lobby, which I'm sure will be really nice once it's finished.
Artbox is a Korean stationary store that has many shops all over Seoul. It's really not just stationary though, it's much, much more. They sell so many "Asian-style" gadgets (a.k.a. bright colors, hello kitty, strange quotes) that you could just look around that store for hours. Korean students are completely obsessed with school supplies. Even university students have matching pens, notebooks, binders, pencil cases, all themed of course. And in Korea, you're never too old for Hello Kitty, or any cartoon character for that matter! Artbox also had a candy section, but Andrew and I resisted because filling up those bags of candy and paying by the weight is a rip off everywhere, even in Korea. We still had fun looking around though and I will definitely be returning for some gift shopping!
We ended up getting a late lunch at Paris Baguette. PB is a coffee shop/bakery cafe all over Seoul, but the one in Gangnam is especially big. They have a "brunch all-day" menu and a large outside sitting area along with all of their usual cakes and baked goods. It was the first place I've seen so far that had PANCAKES on the menu and so because after all it is my half birthday, I treated myself! Waiting for my buzzer to go off felt like the longest 10 minutes in the world. But when they were done it was worth the wait; they had banana slices and maple syrup on top and in between each pancake. Delicious!
On our way back to Sinchon we stopped at Grand Mart, which is our home grocery store, and Andrew and I bought some items to make ourselves fried rice for dinner. He bought pork and I bought chicken, and we both shared some onions, broccoli, eggs, and garlic. The fried rice was delicious and although I still hate to cook, perhaps if you ask nicely, I will make some of my fried rice medley for you when I get home.
A very cute and Asian Artbox sign:
Today Andrew and I went to Gangnam. Gangnam is one of the more modern districts of Seoul, many more skyscrapers than Sinchon, and more western style chain restaurants and stores. Also the Ritz Carlton of Seoul is located in Gangnam. When we got out of the subway station, we both said "Ahh, this feels like New York". We came here once before a few weeks ago for a Mentors Club party that was held at a bar on the 23rd floor of the building, so we had an awesome view of the this part of the city at night. But we wanted to see it during the day, so we jumped on the subway around 2pm and explored.
Some highlights of our afternoon were walking through the Ritz Carlton, going to Artbox, and eating at Paris Baguette. Andrew located the Ritz Carlton right away; he told me has a "natural ability to sniff out luxury hotels". Something tells me he's not kidding. We walked through the lobby and looked around. Needless to say, it was beautiful. Also, they were in the process of building a marble fountain outside the lobby, which I'm sure will be really nice once it's finished.
Artbox is a Korean stationary store that has many shops all over Seoul. It's really not just stationary though, it's much, much more. They sell so many "Asian-style" gadgets (a.k.a. bright colors, hello kitty, strange quotes) that you could just look around that store for hours. Korean students are completely obsessed with school supplies. Even university students have matching pens, notebooks, binders, pencil cases, all themed of course. And in Korea, you're never too old for Hello Kitty, or any cartoon character for that matter! Artbox also had a candy section, but Andrew and I resisted because filling up those bags of candy and paying by the weight is a rip off everywhere, even in Korea. We still had fun looking around though and I will definitely be returning for some gift shopping!
We ended up getting a late lunch at Paris Baguette. PB is a coffee shop/bakery cafe all over Seoul, but the one in Gangnam is especially big. They have a "brunch all-day" menu and a large outside sitting area along with all of their usual cakes and baked goods. It was the first place I've seen so far that had PANCAKES on the menu and so because after all it is my half birthday, I treated myself! Waiting for my buzzer to go off felt like the longest 10 minutes in the world. But when they were done it was worth the wait; they had banana slices and maple syrup on top and in between each pancake. Delicious!
On our way back to Sinchon we stopped at Grand Mart, which is our home grocery store, and Andrew and I bought some items to make ourselves fried rice for dinner. He bought pork and I bought chicken, and we both shared some onions, broccoli, eggs, and garlic. The fried rice was delicious and although I still hate to cook, perhaps if you ask nicely, I will make some of my fried rice medley for you when I get home.
A very cute and Asian Artbox sign:
Friday, October 1, 2010
Joe tries Mexican food!
Happy October 1st everyone! I can't believe it's October already, it's so weird to me that I've been here since August. Time sure does fly, and now that I think about it, it feels like camp time! At camp we would always joke about how a day feels like a week, but a week feels like a day. Today is Friday and normally I don't have classes on Fridays anyways, but today is a University holiday so everyone has the day off.
Last night Joe and I went out together because she wanted me to try "patbingsu" which is her favorite Korean dessert. I thought that for dinner I would have Joe try something that was my favorite. She's never had Mexican food before so I brought her to this yummy, little Mexican restaurant in Sinchon. We both ordered steak quesadillas and they were delicious! Below is a picture of Jo trying her first Mexican dish! She really enjoyed it, especially because it had MEAT in it!
We then walked a few blocks down to Red Mango, which is a cafe in Sinchon known for it's frozen yogurt and patbingsu. Patbingsu is a traditional Korean dessert which is made up of ice chips, topped with frozen yogurt or ice cream, and then different kinds of fruit, red bean, rice cake or cereal. We both ordered smalls, which were huge, and I had vanilla frozen yogurt, blueberries, strawberries, corn flakes, and peaches. Also, they give you a small cup of sweetened condensed milk to pour over the ice chips once you ate everything on top. It was delicious!
Last night Joe and I went out together because she wanted me to try "patbingsu" which is her favorite Korean dessert. I thought that for dinner I would have Joe try something that was my favorite. She's never had Mexican food before so I brought her to this yummy, little Mexican restaurant in Sinchon. We both ordered steak quesadillas and they were delicious! Below is a picture of Jo trying her first Mexican dish! She really enjoyed it, especially because it had MEAT in it!
We then walked a few blocks down to Red Mango, which is a cafe in Sinchon known for it's frozen yogurt and patbingsu. Patbingsu is a traditional Korean dessert which is made up of ice chips, topped with frozen yogurt or ice cream, and then different kinds of fruit, red bean, rice cake or cereal. We both ordered smalls, which were huge, and I had vanilla frozen yogurt, blueberries, strawberries, corn flakes, and peaches. Also, they give you a small cup of sweetened condensed milk to pour over the ice chips once you ate everything on top. It was delicious!
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