I-Heart-Seoul
My recent trip to Seoul has restored my faith in Korea and in Koreans. Seoul has everything I wish Ulsan did: art, live music, international cuisine, history, intriguing architecture, and a friend from my Chicago days whom I can discuss Frankfurt School aesthetic theory with, Ja Young. For those of you I-House alums that might be reading this, it was great to see Ja Young and she's doing well now. She was kind enough to show me around some of her favorite haunts in Seoul, and she taught me a lot about Korean politics and the social divisions between the north and south of the R.O.K. In short, I couldn't have had a better vacation to the capital city.
(Note: as my bus was pulling out of Ulsan I realized that in the mad dash to pack everything I had forgotten my camera, so this post will not be visually enhanced. However, not having a camera was a great thing as I felt a little less like a tourist).
Here are some of the highlights of the trip (I won't bore you with the mundane details):
Friday: I arrived late at my hostel and met up with Ja Young for a very late dinner in Hapjeong-dong, where I was staying and, coincidentally, where Ja Young lives. We randomly walked into a tuna sashimi place where I ate enough raw tuna to last me through the new year. I also experienced something which is becoming more and more familiar, and that is the almost ridiculous lengths that Koreans go to in order to show deference to foreigners. The sashimi chef kept piling extra pieces tuna on our plate and was eager to explain everything I ever wanted to know about tuna. Honestly, the special attention makes me feel very uncomfortable, especially when I think that the only reason I get this attention is because I'm white and I am morally opposed to exploiting white privilege for personal gain. However, I think non-white foreigners also get this attention, and it's really offensive to refuse anything.
Saturday: I headed up to the palace district to visit some of the numerous art galleries in Seoul. First, the Kumho, which had a small exhibit by some modern Korean artists (paintings, photographs, sculptures and video installations), all nice pieces but nothing remarkable. Right next door at the Hyundai gallery there awaited a surprise I didn't expect to find: an exhibit of Robert Rauschenberg's work, spanning most of his career from the 1970s to the 21st century. I've always liked Rauschenberg but had never seen his pieces in person. It seems that he has become far less chaotic in his mature years, as his collages from the 2000s usually have only three of four images rather than fifty. From the Hyundai, I headed over to the ArtSonje center. There were some contemporary non-Korean artists' works displayed there, but the Korean pieces were much more interesting. Describing art that is entwined in "webs of significance" that the viewer is not intimately associated with is always a difficult thing because one is lacking in semiotic fluency and doesn't always immediately understand the indexicality of certain works. In the end, one is left with a mess of unconsummated references and a vague understanding of the work in question. A perfect example of this was my viewing experience of a sculpture titled "Gimhongsok (Oval Talk)." Basically, it is a large purple egg with an audio loop coming from inside the egg. Apparently, it is supposed to interrogate the "myth of oviparity," something I am unfamiliar with. Later, Ja Young explained to me that many of the myths about the kings and queens of the Three Kingdoms period involve the leader emerging from an egg. Perhaps this has something to do with "Gimhongsok," perhaps not. Next, I headed down to Insa-dong to meet Ja Young for lunch at a samgyetang place tucked away in the maze of alleyways. Insa-dong is quite beautiful, but maybe a little too touristy for my likes. Later, Ja Young suggested that we tour Changdeokgung, the final palace of the Joseon dynasty, which ruled the country at the time of the Japanese occupation in 1910. The palace was fantastically beautiful and I imagine it would be even more so in the summer months. Ja Young had previously studied to be an English-language tour guide, so she was actually able to tell me more about the palace than the official tour guide! After one more stop in Insa-dong for tea, Ja Young went to meet some universtiy friends in Kangnam and I went down to Itaewon for dinner. I was struck by the diversity in Itaewon (Ulsan is about as diverse as Maine is), especially where I had dinner, at a Turkish restaurant called "Salam" near the Seoul Central Masjid, one of the only mosques in the entire country. Unfortunately, the mousakka I had wasn't as good as I'd hoped it would be, and the flatbread tasted a little too yeasty. Finally, I ended my night at a jazz bar called, appropriately, "All That Jazz." There were two groups, the first a foursome that wasn't very good, and the second a five piece group (piano, drums, electric bass, electric guitar, and saxophone) who played an absolutely, heart-rendingly beautiful version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and a lively take on Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely."
Sunday: Sunday found me heading down to Yeouido to indulge myself in my love of skyscrapers by visiting the 63 building, the tallest building in Korea. Back in my Chicago days, one of my favorite activities was going to Sky Lounge at the Hancock building for a cocktail. It was a little too early for cocktails, but the feel was essentially the same as I surveyed all of Seoul with a capuccino. The building itself is unique, a sleek (sexy even) tower of iron and glass that has a slight curvature to its twin facades. Determined not to be a tourist, it seems as if I ended up doing some of the most touristy things one can do in Seoul, and the 63 building was perhaps the most touristy. From there, I visited two of the more upscale Seoul neighborhoods: Apgujeong-dong (Korea's "Beverly Hills") an Myeong-dong (home of Ewha Women's University and a favorite shopping spot). I didn't do any shopping, but I did see some incredibly beautiful buildings in Apgujeong, all of which housed top fashion names like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Ferragamo, etc. The two Louis Vuitton locations were especially interesting, the one time I wish I had brought my camera. I also drank the most expensive espresso of my life. As the sun was setting, Ja Young got off work and I went to meet her in Sinchon for dinner, where she went to college as an undergrad. We had some Vietnamese food, my first bowl of pho in almost six years, and then headed out to celebrate the New Year's festivities. Most places in Sinchon were absolutely packed; eventually, her older brother showed up, who was bored and girlfriend-less, which was a good thing because he knows Sinchon very well and led us to some more secluded spots where I can almost guarantee no tourists have ever been. First, we headed to his favorite sake bar where he generously provided us with a $100 bottle of the driest sake that exists. It was delicious, the best sake I've ever had by a longshot. It was there that we watched the Korean equivalent of the ball dropping in Times Square, which is the ringing of the bell in Independence Park, on TV, rather than standing around in the cold to see it live. The night was just beginning, so Ja Young's brother led us around the corner and down into the bowels of Sinchon to an out of the way soju bar. But this was unlike any soju bar I've seen; the walls were filled with old records and the proprietor played requests while cooking up various anju for the customers. Ja Young and her brother educated me in the history of Korean rock (which is surprisingly good music) and we threw in a few Anglo selections as well. There aren't many experiences as surreal as hearing Run DMC's "King of Rock" blasting at top volume early in the morning on New Year's Day hundreds of thousands of miles from Hollis, Queens. Finally, it was on to the obligatory first norae bang experience of the year, and then back to Hapjeong to crash.
Monday: I spent most of Monday taking it easy, going out in Sinchon for lunch and then waiting for Ja Young to finish New Year's dinner with her extended family. After she was free, we walked to Hondae, which immediately became one of my favorite Seoul neighborhoods. It surrounds Hongik University, the top art school in Korea, and the neighborhood reflects the attitude of Korean art students. It is filled with hip restaurants, bars, clubs and record shops. After wandering around in the snow that was just beginning to fall and getting slightly lost, we eventually decided on popping into "Gr8," a relatively new hookah bar (although, I don't think it was real chicha that we were "smoking" as the menu advised the customers that everything was 100% nicotine free, thankfully for me who is one and half years smoke-free). The whole atmosphere was geared toward providing the most relaxing experience possible. We choose a table upstairs, lounging on plush pillows and cushions as we drew clouds of pomegranate "smoke" from our hookah and sipped on cocktails. We talked about everything from Habermasian modernity theory to popular Korean movies of the past few years. It was one of the best evenings I've had since arriving on the peninsula, mostly due to the excellence of the company I found myself in. At last, the charcoal burned out and it was time to leave. I bid Ja Young adieu with plans for her to come visit Ulsan some time this spring. The perfect ending to a perfect vacation.
The next day I made my way back to Ulsan. I wonder what things would be like if I hadn't moved to the southern industrial city and had gone against instinct and chosen Seoul. At least it will always be there and I am sure to return someday.
(Note: as my bus was pulling out of Ulsan I realized that in the mad dash to pack everything I had forgotten my camera, so this post will not be visually enhanced. However, not having a camera was a great thing as I felt a little less like a tourist).
Here are some of the highlights of the trip (I won't bore you with the mundane details):
Friday: I arrived late at my hostel and met up with Ja Young for a very late dinner in Hapjeong-dong, where I was staying and, coincidentally, where Ja Young lives. We randomly walked into a tuna sashimi place where I ate enough raw tuna to last me through the new year. I also experienced something which is becoming more and more familiar, and that is the almost ridiculous lengths that Koreans go to in order to show deference to foreigners. The sashimi chef kept piling extra pieces tuna on our plate and was eager to explain everything I ever wanted to know about tuna. Honestly, the special attention makes me feel very uncomfortable, especially when I think that the only reason I get this attention is because I'm white and I am morally opposed to exploiting white privilege for personal gain. However, I think non-white foreigners also get this attention, and it's really offensive to refuse anything.
Saturday: I headed up to the palace district to visit some of the numerous art galleries in Seoul. First, the Kumho, which had a small exhibit by some modern Korean artists (paintings, photographs, sculptures and video installations), all nice pieces but nothing remarkable. Right next door at the Hyundai gallery there awaited a surprise I didn't expect to find: an exhibit of Robert Rauschenberg's work, spanning most of his career from the 1970s to the 21st century. I've always liked Rauschenberg but had never seen his pieces in person. It seems that he has become far less chaotic in his mature years, as his collages from the 2000s usually have only three of four images rather than fifty. From the Hyundai, I headed over to the ArtSonje center. There were some contemporary non-Korean artists' works displayed there, but the Korean pieces were much more interesting. Describing art that is entwined in "webs of significance" that the viewer is not intimately associated with is always a difficult thing because one is lacking in semiotic fluency and doesn't always immediately understand the indexicality of certain works. In the end, one is left with a mess of unconsummated references and a vague understanding of the work in question. A perfect example of this was my viewing experience of a sculpture titled "Gimhongsok (Oval Talk)." Basically, it is a large purple egg with an audio loop coming from inside the egg. Apparently, it is supposed to interrogate the "myth of oviparity," something I am unfamiliar with. Later, Ja Young explained to me that many of the myths about the kings and queens of the Three Kingdoms period involve the leader emerging from an egg. Perhaps this has something to do with "Gimhongsok," perhaps not. Next, I headed down to Insa-dong to meet Ja Young for lunch at a samgyetang place tucked away in the maze of alleyways. Insa-dong is quite beautiful, but maybe a little too touristy for my likes. Later, Ja Young suggested that we tour Changdeokgung, the final palace of the Joseon dynasty, which ruled the country at the time of the Japanese occupation in 1910. The palace was fantastically beautiful and I imagine it would be even more so in the summer months. Ja Young had previously studied to be an English-language tour guide, so she was actually able to tell me more about the palace than the official tour guide! After one more stop in Insa-dong for tea, Ja Young went to meet some universtiy friends in Kangnam and I went down to Itaewon for dinner. I was struck by the diversity in Itaewon (Ulsan is about as diverse as Maine is), especially where I had dinner, at a Turkish restaurant called "Salam" near the Seoul Central Masjid, one of the only mosques in the entire country. Unfortunately, the mousakka I had wasn't as good as I'd hoped it would be, and the flatbread tasted a little too yeasty. Finally, I ended my night at a jazz bar called, appropriately, "All That Jazz." There were two groups, the first a foursome that wasn't very good, and the second a five piece group (piano, drums, electric bass, electric guitar, and saxophone) who played an absolutely, heart-rendingly beautiful version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and a lively take on Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely."
Sunday: Sunday found me heading down to Yeouido to indulge myself in my love of skyscrapers by visiting the 63 building, the tallest building in Korea. Back in my Chicago days, one of my favorite activities was going to Sky Lounge at the Hancock building for a cocktail. It was a little too early for cocktails, but the feel was essentially the same as I surveyed all of Seoul with a capuccino. The building itself is unique, a sleek (sexy even) tower of iron and glass that has a slight curvature to its twin facades. Determined not to be a tourist, it seems as if I ended up doing some of the most touristy things one can do in Seoul, and the 63 building was perhaps the most touristy. From there, I visited two of the more upscale Seoul neighborhoods: Apgujeong-dong (Korea's "Beverly Hills") an Myeong-dong (home of Ewha Women's University and a favorite shopping spot). I didn't do any shopping, but I did see some incredibly beautiful buildings in Apgujeong, all of which housed top fashion names like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Ferragamo, etc. The two Louis Vuitton locations were especially interesting, the one time I wish I had brought my camera. I also drank the most expensive espresso of my life. As the sun was setting, Ja Young got off work and I went to meet her in Sinchon for dinner, where she went to college as an undergrad. We had some Vietnamese food, my first bowl of pho in almost six years, and then headed out to celebrate the New Year's festivities. Most places in Sinchon were absolutely packed; eventually, her older brother showed up, who was bored and girlfriend-less, which was a good thing because he knows Sinchon very well and led us to some more secluded spots where I can almost guarantee no tourists have ever been. First, we headed to his favorite sake bar where he generously provided us with a $100 bottle of the driest sake that exists. It was delicious, the best sake I've ever had by a longshot. It was there that we watched the Korean equivalent of the ball dropping in Times Square, which is the ringing of the bell in Independence Park, on TV, rather than standing around in the cold to see it live. The night was just beginning, so Ja Young's brother led us around the corner and down into the bowels of Sinchon to an out of the way soju bar. But this was unlike any soju bar I've seen; the walls were filled with old records and the proprietor played requests while cooking up various anju for the customers. Ja Young and her brother educated me in the history of Korean rock (which is surprisingly good music) and we threw in a few Anglo selections as well. There aren't many experiences as surreal as hearing Run DMC's "King of Rock" blasting at top volume early in the morning on New Year's Day hundreds of thousands of miles from Hollis, Queens. Finally, it was on to the obligatory first norae bang experience of the year, and then back to Hapjeong to crash.
Monday: I spent most of Monday taking it easy, going out in Sinchon for lunch and then waiting for Ja Young to finish New Year's dinner with her extended family. After she was free, we walked to Hondae, which immediately became one of my favorite Seoul neighborhoods. It surrounds Hongik University, the top art school in Korea, and the neighborhood reflects the attitude of Korean art students. It is filled with hip restaurants, bars, clubs and record shops. After wandering around in the snow that was just beginning to fall and getting slightly lost, we eventually decided on popping into "Gr8," a relatively new hookah bar (although, I don't think it was real chicha that we were "smoking" as the menu advised the customers that everything was 100% nicotine free, thankfully for me who is one and half years smoke-free). The whole atmosphere was geared toward providing the most relaxing experience possible. We choose a table upstairs, lounging on plush pillows and cushions as we drew clouds of pomegranate "smoke" from our hookah and sipped on cocktails. We talked about everything from Habermasian modernity theory to popular Korean movies of the past few years. It was one of the best evenings I've had since arriving on the peninsula, mostly due to the excellence of the company I found myself in. At last, the charcoal burned out and it was time to leave. I bid Ja Young adieu with plans for her to come visit Ulsan some time this spring. The perfect ending to a perfect vacation.
The next day I made my way back to Ulsan. I wonder what things would be like if I hadn't moved to the southern industrial city and had gone against instinct and chosen Seoul. At least it will always be there and I am sure to return someday.
posted by TSF in Ulsan | 10:10 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home