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Changes in Seoul and Itaewon over the years
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Adventurer



Joined: 28 Jan 2006

PostPosted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 1:59 am    Post subject: Changes in Seoul and Itaewon over the years Reply with quote

I am going to relate what I noticed about coming back to Seoul after an absense of 2 years. Dongdaemun Stadium changed its name and has a very long name. I prefer the shorter name. The Russian lady who had a decent sized supermarket moved to a smaller one with less stuff. An Uzbek restaurant I used to go to has fancier tables, and has English menus at the ready, and the food is good, but the nice formers I liked are gone. There are more Central Asian restaurants than before. I noticed another Russian store. I didn't go in this other one.

In Itaewon, I noticed whatthbook moved, the foreign store expanded, I saw the new Taco Bell. In addition, I saw that the Iranian restaurant I used to like going to is gone, but, thankfully, the Parisian cafe with fabulous tarts is still there. I noticed a new shoe store had gone up. What else? There were more Middle Eastern restaurants. I noticed Jester's an Australian place. That seemed relatively new.

I wanted to stay at what used to be a motel near the McDonald's. It seemed like it was gone, and there is some place called "The Residence". What's that place all about? Some areas of Itaewon looked slightly better including some of the areas opposite of the Taco Bell. Pancho's, the Mexican place, is gone. The Turkish kebab guy who has been around for years is still there. I would have thought he would have expanded by now. I heard he was cheated by some local fellow he was trying to strike some deal with. If it's true, I feel sorry for the guy. He's very hard-working.

I saw people in navy uniforms. I've never seen that before. I've only seen people in army uniforms in the past. It was unusual. Then again, a friend who is in the navy went to Korea before.

Traffic seems somewhat worse or is just me?
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CentralCali



Joined: 17 May 2007

PostPosted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 2:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

There's a small Navy unit stationed at US Army Garrison Yongsan.
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hogwonguy1979



Joined: 22 Dec 2003
Location: the racoon den

PostPosted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 3:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Panchos is still in business (how they stay in business is beyond me) its across the street from Hollywood

Nashville's downstairs restaurant is long gone, used to be the best place to get a steak. in the old days in terms of shops itaewon used to be a bunch of mom and pop stores with fake goods now its all brand name stores

thats for openers
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Adventurer



Joined: 28 Jan 2006

PostPosted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 4:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

hogwonguy1979 wrote:
Panchos is still in business (how they stay in business is beyond me) its across the street from Hollywood

Nashville's downstairs restaurant is long gone, used to be the best place to get a steak. in the old days in terms of shops itaewon used to be a bunch of mom and pop stores with fake goods now its all brand name stores

thats for openers


Compared to even 5 years ago, Itaewon has seen some gentrification....
I think there will always be a mix of some of sorts, but the seedier parts will be reduced somewhat...
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Stan Rogers



Joined: 20 Aug 2010

PostPosted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 4:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Prices have gone up.
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Skippy



Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Daejeon

PostPosted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 5:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Stan Rogers wrote:
Prices have gone up.


So have the skirts Wink
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Adventurer



Joined: 28 Jan 2006

PostPosted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 5:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Skippy wrote:
Stan Rogers wrote:
Prices have gone up.


So have the skirts Wink


So you're paying for the view. Shocked LOL
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HELICIS



Joined: 15 Sep 2011
Location: USA

PostPosted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 6:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Same thing happened to Texas Street in Pusan across from the train station. There was a US naval base near there as well as a Russian Merchant Marine Base. It used to be pretty wild, had some great shops and was probably the best place to get some good HEAVY leather jackets. Not the thin, cheap kind--well made quality jackets. It probably had the highest % of bleach blonde Russian women per capita of anywhere in Asia. (I say it jokingly.) There was even a Wendy's hamburger joint there at one time.

Now it's long gone, the Chinese have taken over. Now it's mostly, Chinese restaurants, some so-so shops and lost all it's character. It used to be a fun place to go to drink and hang out, now it's so bland I can't believe it. Maybe that's whats in the future for the Itaewon a few years from now.
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seoulsucker



Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Location: The Land of the Hesitant Cutoff

PostPosted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 11:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Itaewon is about to turn a big corner. Watch the throne.
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T-J



Joined: 10 Oct 2008
Location: Seoul EunpyungGu Yeonsinnae

PostPosted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 3:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

HELICIS wrote:
Same thing happened to Texas Street in Pusan across from the train station. There was a US naval base near there as well as a Russian Merchant Marine Base. It used to be pretty wild, had some great shops and was probably the best place to get some good HEAVY leather jackets. Not the thin, cheap kind--well made quality jackets. It probably had the highest % of bleach blonde Russian women per capita of anywhere in Asia. (I say it jokingly.) There was even a Wendy's hamburger joint there at one time.

Now it's long gone, the Chinese have taken over. Now it's mostly, Chinese restaurants, some so-so shops and lost all it's character. It used to be a fun place to go to drink and hang out, now it's so bland I can't believe it. Maybe that's whats in the future for the Itaewon a few years from now.



The same corner has already been turned in Itaewon. It's a ghost of what it was...

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Adventurer



Joined: 28 Jan 2006

PostPosted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 3:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

T-J wrote:
HELICIS wrote:
Same thing happened to Texas Street in Pusan across from the train station. There was a US naval base near there as well as a Russian Merchant Marine Base. It used to be pretty wild, had some great shops and was probably the best place to get some good HEAVY leather jackets. Not the thin, cheap kind--well made quality jackets. It probably had the highest % of bleach blonde Russian women per capita of anywhere in Asia. (I say it jokingly.) There was even a Wendy's hamburger joint there at one time.

Now it's long gone, the Chinese have taken over. Now it's mostly, Chinese restaurants, some so-so shops and lost all it's character. It used to be a fun place to go to drink and hang out, now it's so bland I can't believe it. Maybe that's whats in the future for the Itaewon a few years from now.



The same corner has already been turned in Itaewon. It's a ghost of what it was...




Yes, but Itaewon hasn't declined in terms of what it has to offer. It still has some interesting bars and pubs, and it has more of a variety of good restaurants including a Brazilian restaurant. I haven't tried the African restaurant that opened near KB a few years ago. I think I'll try it some time.

I didn't know about Busan having a Russian merchant marine place. What was that all about? I guess it's gone. I like having a Russian flavor to places because I like Russians and Russian food.

Seoul still has a huge expat population, so it wouldn't be hit by a moving of the base in the same way as Busan/Pusan. Itaewon is not as associated with an American presence as it used to be.
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hogwonguy1979



Joined: 22 Dec 2003
Location: the racoon den

PostPosted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 4:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

well there was almost a huge change in the physical appearance in itaewon today, a truck came barrelling down the hill by the post office and standard chartered bank and ran into the building above the new balance store etc collapsing part of it.

apparently the driver was killed but only me and 2 other people were hurt, a woman was pinned by the truck, a woman down on street level was struck by falling debris and had a few scratches, I was also at street level but only had a couple of minor cuts. How I avoided getting seriously hurt is beyond me
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Adventurer



Joined: 28 Jan 2006

PostPosted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 4:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

hogwonguy1979 wrote:
well there was almost a huge change in the physical appearance in itaewon today, a truck came barrelling down the hill by the post office and standard chartered bank and ran into the building above the new balance store etc collapsing part of it.

apparently the driver was killed but only me and 2 other people were hurt, a woman was pinned by the truck, a woman down on street level was struck by falling debris and had a few scratches, I was also at street level but only had a couple of minor cuts. How I avoided getting seriously hurt is beyond me


Glad you made it okay.... You must have been absolutely frightened.
Some years ago in Ilsan, a bus driver ran into the Lotte Department Store. How he did it is beyond me.
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PEIGUY



Joined: 28 Mar 2004
Location: Omokgyo

PostPosted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 7:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Adventurer wrote:

]Some years ago in Ilsan, a bus driver ran into the Lotte Department Store. How he did it is beyond me.


that must have taken quite a bit of effort in order to do that...[/quote]
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Zyzyfer



Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Location: who, what, where, when, why, how?

PostPosted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 8:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Adventurer wrote:
Yes, but Itaewon hasn't declined in terms of what it has to offer. It still has some interesting bars and pubs, and it has more of a variety of good restaurants including a Brazilian restaurant. I haven't tried the African restaurant that opened near KB a few years ago. I think I'll try it some time.

I didn't know about Busan having a Russian merchant marine place. What was that all about? I guess it's gone. I like having a Russian flavor to places because I like Russians and Russian food.

Seoul still has a huge expat population, so it wouldn't be hit by a moving of the base in the same way as Busan/Pusan. Itaewon is not as associated with an American presence as it used to be.


Have to disagree with the bit in bold. Itaewon is really in with the younger Korean crowd nowadays. By itself, it's fine, but when they blog or whatever it is they're doing to make a place suddenly bustle with Korean customers, they end up having these long lines and falling out of the rotation of places expats discuss.

Smokey Saloon's, Taco Chili Chili's, Pizza di Roma, Jackoby's...they've all been converted. These places all do not appear to have changed their food around yet, but I'm wary that they will.
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