Hongdae Guide

If you are just visiting the layout of Seoul can be a bit confusing. 

Head in one direction and you end up on a street with nothing but cafes, another direction only clothes, all while the alleyways twist and turn with sprinklings of tiny shops.

Hongdae is known for it's clubbing scene and lots of all-you-can-eat/drink restaurants. If you can't tell, Jay and I aren't exactly the clubbing type so we wanted to share a few of the great places we like between Hongik University station and Sangsu station.

Google Map version

Coffee:

1. CoffeeLab - great espresso based drinks

2. Zombie Coffee - best for pour overs and lattes

3. 5 Extracts - great pour overs and specialty drinks

Eats:

4. Molly's Pops - ice cream based popsicle, try the milk tea or makgeolli

5. 신선설농탕서교점 Seolleongtang - a chain restaurant that serves oxbone soup and great kimchi 

6. Paul & Paulina - french style pastries and bread

7. 옥상달빛 Rooftop Chicken - delicious garlic fried chicken, one order is enough for 2

8. The Beastro - new american bistro, a little pricey but worth it

9. Fell & Cole - ice cream shop with inventive flavors

Select Shops:

10. Style Nanda - for 3CE cosmetics, fun colors and nice finishes

11. 호미화방 - a fantastic art store that carries almost anything you'd need

12. Åland - international and local designers, this location has 6 floors

13. Gentle Monster - high end eyewear, store space changes monthly with a new art concept

14. Object - great for gifts: jewelry, cards, phones cases, magazines, homewares

Fun:

15. Mustoy - draw on a ceramic toy of your choosing, comes with a drink and no time limit

16. Vault - escape room, dine in the dark, and drinks

In addition to the places listed there are also streets packed with shopping (as highlighted in the map in pink). Often these filled with single shops and a few chains. I'd recommend looking around at a few of them before you make your purchase because they often carry the same items at varying prices.

To be embarrassed or not to be embarrassed?

Nothing like a youtube video to let one decide. What is it about movement that makes one a bit uncomfortable? These are both quick, dirty, and easy tutorials for when you are in a dash and want to look put together enough.

Escape from winter blue's mountain

Living in the northwest for so many years brought up a strong case for seasonal SAD-ness. The never-ending gray skies meeting gray water, going to work/school in complete darkness and missing out on the only peeking of light for the day, and the constant countdown of how many months left of winter left quite a lot to be desired.

A dose of vitamin D does wonders for your health and mood and I've always been convinced that that would be all I need to kick the SAD out. Thankfully, we now live in a place where I can see a bright blue sky for hours at a time and a golden sunset in January. but this year I've noticed it isn't quite as helpful as it was previous winters. Thus I'm already beginning the winter countdown.

Style snapshots: Coffee date

On Elle: glasses: Style Nanda sweater: JCrew pants: H&M shoes:small shop in Shibuya bag: Sephora freebie (shh!)

On Jay: jacket: Todd Snyder shirt: H&M watch: komono pants: GU shoes: sperry top siders

On a coffee date in Yeonnam-dong on a unusually cool day.

Japan: Week Two

Could it get any hotter in Japan then our first week? Well, yes. We made our way to Tokyo for the first time! Flying into Haneda airport was one of the better decisions we made; compared to Narita airport (which we flew out of) it is a breeze to hop on a bus and get into the city.

One of the dilemmas a lot of people face while travelling is where to actually stay when you haven't been there before. You want to find some place convenient for your planned activities, ideally affordable, and hopefully an interesting neighborhood. After some quick research (ahem, Googled "hipster neighborhoods Tokyo") we settled on an AirBnb in Shimokitazawa. Easily the best decision in our entire trip; its streets are littered with cheap eats, thrifts shops, and hair salons.