[wonderboy416]

I've been in Seoul for just over a week now and thought I'd share some pics I took today. Most of these are from Insadong (near Myeondong, the main shopping district), a few are from Hongdae, Itaewon and my area (Guemho - which is central to downtown). This is only a small fraction of this enormous city but I'd like to share them.

The plane ride in:

My new hood:

Just outside my apartment:

Insadong (and area):

Hongdae (the main party destination, although there's a few, lots of university students and 20'somethings to be found)

This dog is a fixture in Hongdae:

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Itaewon (Foreigner area - not many pics last time I had my camera)

The nearest subway stop (Singuemho station - that giant escaltor you see is one of two needed to get to the platform in addition to 3 full flights of stairs - many of Seoul's subway stations are buried deep into the ground due to the hilly terrain and multiple lines crossing each other cell phones work and are able to receive full digital tv service from the subway).

The best bathroom sign ever:

I hope you all enjoyed, there will be more to come later on.

 

[Minato ku]

Lol the last picture.
I surprised to see a french car in the first picture in Seoul, I didn't know that french cars where sold in South Korean. (I knew for Japan where these are quite popular)

 

[wonderboy416]

I surprised to see a french car in the first picture in Seoul, I didn't know that french cars where sold in South Korean. (I knew for Japan where these are quite popular)

I was surprised too. I've actually seen a number of BMW's, Chevrolet's (they look Equinox based) and Cadillac's in addition to french cars. I think non-Korean cars are something of a status symbol here as they pay heavy tariff's on them meaning it's a sign of wealth. Also Koreans seem to accept American products as much if not more than Japanese products, Xbox 360 and American cars are more common then you'd think to name a few examples.

 

[Mustapha]

Great street scenes; thank you. Good luck in your work there. I never thought of doing anything like those nasties in the bathroom.

 

[syn]

Terrific pictures WB. I had heard there was a lot of English signage, but it's still surprising to see just how much.

 

[oreoshack]

Itaewon (Foreigner area - not many pics last time I had my camera)

is that a viva bus???

 

[Towered]

Seoul looks tacky and uninspiring based on these pics.

 

[oreoshack]

well seoul definately lacks some of the soul that older cities may have, since it was completely levelled during the korean war in the 50s. almost all of the buildings were built in the last half of the 20th century. now these buildings do tend to look tacky and gimmicky, especially the ones that have been built to look like older buildings. they are extremely gawky and seem displaced. but koreans like them, so who cares?

*and seriously, is that a viva bus in my previous post?

 

[wonderboy416]

Seoul looks tacky and uninspiring based on these pics.

My second phto thread shows the city in a better light, these ones are mostly from one day I spent in the central area.

Oreashack is right, Seoul has been re-built so many times that the building stock is quite generic. It's not easy to re-build one of the world's largest cities from scratch. Thankfully newer construction is at a world-class level and starting to get quite inspiring.

I would say it's anything but uninspiring though, it's electric on a level you simply can't find in North America. The outdoor markets and shops just buzz with activity. People truly live and utilize Seoul to the fullest... unlike your typical NA city where everyone flee's to the suburbs come dinner time, Seoul doesn't really have any suburbs and almost everyone lives in an apartment.

I think Seoul is very much like Toronto. Those that live here know first-hand how truly special it is and think it's every bit as world-class as Hong Kong or Tokyo, just as Torontians like to think their city is as special as NYC, Chicaco or LA despite the other cities always getting more credit.

Orea: not a Viva bus, a lot of Seoul's busses look like them though. Bus frequency is often 5-7 minutes and a better option than the amazing subway system, it's something to behold.

 

[MisterF]

Seoul looks amazingly dense, alive, and ugly all at once. Great thread.

 

[oreoshack]

actually, seoul does have suburbs (uijungbu, suwon, outer districts) and most of the people there live in small shanty-villas (its hard to describe).

also on a side note, in condos here, the price goes up with the floor the unit is on. However in seoul the most expensive apartment units are in the middle of the building, with prices decreasing as the floors go up and down from the middle.

and obviously i knew that they werent viva busses, but i am pretty sure the blue bus in the picture is the same make Van-Hool busses we have here in york region.

 

[CGM]

Thanks for the pics... I always wanted to see Seoul ... Keep them coming
Are you teaching there?

 

[wonderboy416]

ctually, seoul does have suburbs (uijungbu, suwon, outer districts) and most of the people there live in small shanty-villas (its hard to describe).

While I guess they're technically suburbs in reality they're far more urban and have a much greater density than anything we have in North America. I wish I brought my camera with me today as I was in Incheon and Suwon (talk about a long day!). I wouldn't be surprised if the population density of both places far exceeded downtown Toronto. There's no towers in the park, houses with a garage and large yard... just a whole lot of 2-5 story apartment buildings crammed in next to one another... which is I guess what your'e calling shanty-villa's even though they're all quite modern (each unit seems to have its own laundry, heated floors etc).

and obviously i knew that they werent viva busses, but i am pretty sure the blue bus in the picture is the same make Van-Hool busses we have here in york region.

I saw a few busses that looked exactly like the one pictured today (in fact I rode on one) and on the front was a Daewoo logo... maybe Daewoo just slaps their logo on them to avoid importing tariff's? (Similar to how Samsung brands Nissan and some other makes with their name so they count as Korean cars).

Thanks for the pics... I always wanted to see Seoul ... Keep them coming
Are you teaching there?

Yeah I'm teaching here, so far so good. It's quite the easy life and I'm enjoying it. Stress free job, no real bills or expenses, fantastic transit system and decent money. As for the pictures, I've been quite lazy about that. Both Seoul threads I made were from a couple of trips I took out when I first arrived. To capture everything of interest in this city would require dozens of 100+ picture threads, everytime I go somewhere new I'm just amazed by what I find, to call it gigantic would be an understatement and that's probably what's keeping me from bringing my camera everywhere... but when the weather is nice again I'll be sure to grab some more.