Read the article here: http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/entertainment/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20100422000439
Here are a few pictures (This isn't a very scenic place so I didn't take many!)(click on album to view)
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| Itaewon |
These are my personal thoughts and memories of Itaewon:
I went to Itaewon many times. I think I only liked it because you can see tons of foreigners. There's an army base nearby so you'll see some soldiers. Its a kind of shady and dirty place (that's how most foreigners I know describe it). They have an alley called "hooker hill." One of the red light districts in Seoul. Its illegal but they turn a blind eye. You can find more English speaking Koreans in Itaewon. I never checked out 'gay hill' where the gay community is located. I did go down 'hooker hill' a few times with friends.
There are lots of restaurants with various types of food. I haven't tried any of the restaurants in the article.I wanted to visit the Hard Rock Cafe, but it never seemed to be open. I'm not even sure if its still open. I heard they were getting a Taco Bell soon.
There's a Foreign Food Market where you can buy overpriced imported food.
One thing that really made me laugh was a country bar on 'hooker hill'. I just wasn't expecting a country bar in Seoul. It seemed so out of place. The name was Grand Ole Opry. I had my first and last sip of beer at the Grand Ole Opry. I will never drink beer again. It tastes awful. Why do people like it so much?
Club Friend on 'hooker hill' stays open till 7am if you really like to party hard all night long. I'm not a party person. I was just there one night because one of my friends thought it would be awesome to stay out all night until the subway opened in the morning. Itaewaon is truly the city that never sleeps. I was still in this bar when it closed at 7am. There's another bar right nearby that stays open till 10am if you really like to party hard. Don't ask me the name because I don't know.
There's an 80's bar called "Flashdance" which I never got around to checking out. I love 80's music. I tried to go there once. There was a sign on the stairs that said 'happy hour' between 5:30 and 10:30. I went between those times and they weren't open. I never tried again.
I do recommend one place: Gecko's Terrace..but don't go on the weekends at night unless you love being crammed in there with a night club vibe. Its crowded on the weekends. They have a great cheeseburger. Its expensive, but good. The cheeseburger with fries costs $10.50.
I went to an American Diner-Richard Copycats. They served breakfast all day long. It doesn't even compare to Dennys, but its okay. I probably wouldn't go back.
There's a nice hair salon, "The Green Turtle". They have English speakers and know how to style 'western hair'. I got a haircut there once. I think it was about $25.
Its hard to find "big size" clothes in South Korea so I used to go to Itaewon. You have to look for signs that say "big size" or there will be people sitting outside the door who will mention their store to you. There are at least 4 or 5 stores that have 'big size' clothing. Its a little pricey and not stylish. I found one dress that was cute. I didn't really like the other things I purchased, but I got it because I needed something to wear.
Itaewon is a big shopping area, but I never bought anything (except souveniers). They were cheap. $3 bucks for a nice keychain. Maybe there was a reason they were cheap. They were poorly made and 2 of them broke shortly after returning to the USA. I didn't buy anything else because I was trying not to accumulate items that would have to be stuffed into my suitcase when I had to pack up and leave.
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