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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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 Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 2:47 am Post subject: Some People Have All the Luck |
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At least in Seoul.
First, if you come out the #3 exit in Itaewon and walk one measly block up the street and turn right, you are in foreigner heaven. Up that side street (dodging hookers all the way--or not) is Taj Mahal (haven't been yet, but it might be good food), Foreign Food Mart on the corner has 90% of the kind of food I'm looking for, right next door is Whatthebook? and if you turn left at the corner of the Foreign Food Mart (foot of Homo Hill) is Pharoah's, which I visited today. Pretty darn good eatin'. A little pricey for the quantity, but it gave me an excuse to go back to Sultan's Kababs and fill up.
The way I see it, a person could buy a good book, do their grocery shopping, eat a decent meal and get laid (take your choice of gender) all within about 30 meters.
What's not to like about Seoul? |
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hellofaniceguy
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Location: On your computer screen!
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| Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 3:00 am Post subject: |
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| Homo hill? Man....that's cold! Where did that name come from!?!? I thought korea had none. Now they have a hill named after them? |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 3:13 am Post subject: |
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| People have been using that for years. The first time I heard it was when someone was warning a chronically straight guy who was on his way to Seoul not to take a wrong turn on Hooker Hill. |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 3:20 am Post subject: Re: Some People Have All the Luck |
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| Ya-ta Boy wrote: |
| a person could buy a good book, do their grocery shopping, eat a decent meal |
I do that there once every two months, from here near the southern coast via express bus to Seoul's Nambu Terminal for 22,000 won, in on Friday, out Saturday.
Itaewon is good enough for a quick in and out.
To go there every week or two would be too much. No need to live in Seoul to get the best of Itaewon, in fact, the more distance from it the better usually. |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 3:34 am Post subject: |
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I used to be in the same boat you are now. I refused to take 4 hours out of my Saturday just to get to the bus terminal in Seoul, then ride the subway to Itaewon for shopping/eating, spend a wad staying overnight and try to sleep on the bus on the 4 hour trip back home on Sunday.
Did it a few times when I lived only 2 hours outside Seoul, but 4 hours was just too much, in my opinion. Also, limiting my purchases to what I would be comfortable carrying around for the rest of the trip also crimped my style. |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 4:02 am Post subject: |
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| Ya-ta Boy wrote: |
| I refused to take 4 hours out of my Saturday just to get to the bus terminal in Seoul, then ride the subway to Itaewon for shopping/eating, spend a wad staying overnight and try to sleep on the bus on the 4 hour trip back home on Sunday. |
I've crisscrossed North America seven times by Greyhound. Korea's distances are nothing.
I love traveling, plugged into tunes and looking out the window, express bus with those comfy aisle/window single right side seats are awesome (never been in such luxury for a public bus!), stops only once, at a truck stop diner complex. The four hours and fifteen minutes to the south coast goes by like nothing. Really easy to nap if so inclined, and never too hot or too cold or too stuffy in those first-class cheap express buses.
Great in the winter to see how different the snow formations are as one crosses the peninsula, heaviest in the middle, half way down. Took the trip back from Seoul the morning after that city's first snowfall this winter. Very nice.
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| spend a wad staying overnight |
No need to blow a wad. Never paid more than 45,000 won ever, usually less.
When I was on Geoje I took the overnight express bus to Seoul, leaving about midnight Friday night, sleeping easily and comfortably until arrive just before 5:00 am., the first light of dawn in the summer. Saves a night's accommodation too. Coming back was the scenic way.
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| limiting my purchases to what I would be comfortable carrying around for the rest of the trip also crimped my style. |
Timing is everything, as is a huge collapsible backpack. Moreover, for those busy times, shipping a bunch of stuff back is actually very cheap, it's a mental thing that prevents people from going to the post office and boxing it up and sending it for a couple of bucks, gets there Monday or Tuesday.
A question remains about being lucky to live near Itaewon...
Do any of us really go to Itaewon once a week or a few times a month? |
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kangnam mafioso
Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Location: Teheranno
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| Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 6:19 am Post subject: |
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| why not move to seoul and then visit the countryside when you feel up for it? |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 6:59 am Post subject: |
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| kangnam mafioso wrote: |
| why not move to seoul and then visit the countryside when you feel up for it? |
Because during the workweek one can enjoy the daily benefits of country living, like fresh air, quiet, walks to work. No daily "grind". Seeing stars at night after a hard day at work, having nobody bump into you as you walk about, no subways or big crowds to suck energy, no sense of rush, rush.
That leaves the weekends to travel, to seek excitement and hustle, bustle when one wants rather than try to escape a concrete jungle and being too exhaust or drained by city life to enjoy the country!
Maybe if I grew up in a large city rather than a smaller community I'd feel differently.
It's funny though, that most of the benefits I hear about living in a big city (social and cultural events, shopping, restaurants) are things one mostly enjoys on the weekend whereas most of the criticisms of city life (pollution, traffic, commutes, rudeness) are regarding workweek experiences. So why not get the best of both worlds? |
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kangnam mafioso
Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Location: Teheranno
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| Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 8:04 am Post subject: |
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| i guess i was lucky in seoul in that i was able to live a simple life: work was only 7 minute walk away and so the subway was unnecessary all the time. i would have no desire to spend a couple of hours on that everyday. also, some neighborhoods have better parks and are less crowded .... i lived in seoulleng-dong and the place wasn't too crowded -- great park nearby -- quiet on the weekends, but you still had good markets, bars and restaurants. 5,000 won taxi to itaewon if you were up for it or a 30 min subway ride. on the other hand, i lived in jongno for 3 months and that was pure craziness ... people shouldn't be allowed to live there and not many do. |
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JongnoGuru
Joined: 25 May 2004
Location: peeing on your doorstep
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| Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 8:10 am Post subject: |
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| kangnam mafioso wrote: |
| i lived in jongno for 3 months and that was pure craziness ... people shouldn't be allowed to live there and not many do. |
WTF? |
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kangnam mafioso
Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Location: Teheranno
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| Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 12:27 pm Post subject: |
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| JongnoGuru wrote: |
| kangnam mafioso wrote: |
| i lived in jongno for 3 months and that was pure craziness ... people shouldn't be allowed to live there and not many do. |
WTF? |
i lived a block over from jongaak station in the center of the night life zone in a 5th floor walk up. while it was cool to be in close proximity to a lot of exciting areas and nightlife, the area is not really residential and is overpriced for everything. the air and noise pollution is insane (i lived across the street from a 10 story hof that served people until 5 am 7 days a week and a horrible korean style night club that cranked the music up at midnight to an ear-shattering volume .... korean techno/dance music sucks by the way. random drunks passed out in our stairwell every week, fights broke out on the streets and the sidewalks were covered with puke every morning. oh, there is a pretty good raw fish place just off piano street if you're in the area. |
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Young FRANKenstein
Joined: 02 Oct 2006
Location: Castle Frankenstein (that's FRONKensteen)
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| Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 7:43 pm Post subject: |
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| kangnam mafioso wrote: |
| i lived a block over from jongaak station in the center of the night life zone in a 5th floor walk up. |
I've lived in jongro going on 8 years now, but I'm over in the Anguk area which is a lot quieter and it actually has enough trees and quaint little cafes and wines bars to make a nice romantic night out with the little lady.
Live in DOWNTOWN Jongro? Pthththhht! |
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superacidjax
Joined: 17 Oct 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:03 pm Post subject: |
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| hellofaniceguy wrote: |
| Homo hill? Man....that's cold! Where did that name come from!?!? I thought korea had none. Now they have a hill named after them? |
Homo hill is the classic name of that "second" hill. It's been like that for years. Even the gays call it that. |
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leebumlik69
Joined: 05 Jan 2006
Location: DiRectly above you. Pissing Down
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| Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 4:09 am Post subject: |
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| kangnam mafioso wrote: |
| JongnoGuru wrote: |
| kangnam mafioso wrote: |
| i lived in jongno for 3 months and that was pure craziness ... people shouldn't be allowed to live there and not many do. |
WTF? |
i lived a block over from jongaak station in the center of the night life zone in a 5th floor walk up. while it was cool to be in close proximity to a lot of exciting areas and nightlife, the area is not really residential and is overpriced for everything. the air and noise pollution is insane (i lived across the street from a 10 story hof that served people until 5 am 7 days a week and a horrible korean style night club that cranked the music up at midnight to an ear-shattering volume .... korean techno/dance music sucks by the way. random drunks passed out in our stairwell every week, fights broke out on the streets and the sidewalks were covered with puke every morning. oh, there is a pretty good raw fish place just off piano street if you're in the area. |
Jongno (Jongro) and Eujiro are classic examples of what goes wrong when a city sprawls - the centre gets squeezed like a pressed pee. No normal person ever wants to live in inner city areas in Western countries (crime, noise, pollution) so why do it in Korea. Unless you're a country bumpkin wanting to get a taste of city life by being in the centre of things, you'd have to be a retard to want to live there. A good well planned suburban area is much more healthy. I wouldn't want to live in Itaewon or Haebangcheon either. They're not quite as awful but still bad - BUT at least very convenient for foreigners.. |
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kangnam mafioso
Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Location: Teheranno
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| Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 5:45 am Post subject: |
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| leebumlik69 wrote: |
| kangnam mafioso wrote: |
| JongnoGuru wrote: |
| kangnam mafioso wrote: |
| i lived in jongno for 3 months and that was pure craziness ... people shouldn't be allowed to live there and not many do. |
WTF? |
i lived a block over from jongaak station in the center of the night life zone in a 5th floor walk up. while it was cool to be in close proximity to a lot of exciting areas and nightlife, the area is not really residential and is overpriced for everything. the air and noise pollution is insane (i lived across the street from a 10 story hof that served people until 5 am 7 days a week and a horrible korean style night club that cranked the music up at midnight to an ear-shattering volume .... korean techno/dance music sucks by the way. random drunks passed out in our stairwell every week, fights broke out on the streets and the sidewalks were covered with puke every morning. oh, there is a pretty good raw fish place just off piano street if you're in the area. |
Jongno (Jongro) and Eujiro are classic examples of what goes wrong when a city sprawls - the centre gets squeezed like a pressed pee. No normal person ever wants to live in inner city areas in Western countries (crime, noise, pollution) so why do it in Korea. Unless you're a country bumpkin wanting to get a taste of city life by being in the centre of things, you'd have to be a retard to want to live there. A good well planned suburban area is much more healthy. I wouldn't want to live in Itaewon or Haebangcheon either. They're not quite as awful but still bad - BUT at least very convenient for foreigners.. |
i don't really care for the suburbs but jongno was a bit much. i lived there temporarily because the school put me there. |
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