16 Bridges in One Day (out of 22)

Now that I'm into my third week of living abroad, I thought it best to start figuring out the public transportation system here in Seoul. I love to walk. I mean, I REALLY love to walk and was determined to abstain from taking public transportation for as long as possible. In part because it kind of makes me nervous when I don't know where the mode of transportation is headed. Even though one can always get off at the next stop and head back the other direction I just find it a little nerve-racking. Buses I find scarier than subways, which is odd, because a bus is at least above ground and you can see where you're going (and less strange people ride the bus). In the eight years I lived in NYC, I took a bus MAYBE a total of six times, and all of those times were with RCP and half of those were the easy bus from Madison, across the Park to Lincoln Center, with no stops or transfers.

Here, all modes of transportation are incredibly inexpensive. It's about 90 cents to ride the bus and subway, sometimes it's less depending on how far you ride. Cabs are a deal at roughly $10 for a 45 minute cab ride (depending on traffic and no trip is really ever that long). The best part of all is that you don't have to have a "Metro Card" that has to be "refilled" constantly. You can simply register any credit card you have to act as your metro card. All credit cards have 'NFC' or 'Near Field Communications' in a little built-in chip. Simply scan the card to get through the turn-style and your account is automatically charged.

Figuring I would see more of Seoul and at a more efficient pace, on Tuesday I decided to attempt the subway system to visit two areas just on the other side of Mt. Namsan called Dongdaemun-gu and Jongno-gu. The intended points of interest within these two areas were the Namdaemun and Dongdaemun Markets. After it was all said and done, I had walked under 16 bridges (out of 22), seen the largest market eatery in Seoul (along with plated pig's snout, ears and feet) and realized how glad I am that I didn't go into the wholesale or production side of fashion.

(You'll have to wait for the exciting food pictures....this post is already too long.)

The Seoul Subway

Ahhh, public transportation. So familiar, yet so not.

(My stop was Cheongnyangni...no idea how to pronounce it,

but "the stop that starts with 'ch' " works for now.

Subway waiting platforms resemble more of airport trams and are much more sanitary than those back home.

(We still love you, MTA, New York City Transit...and miss the automated and repetitive message,

"Stand clear of the closing doors, please.")

Made it to "the station that starts with a 'ch' ".

I never start out going the right direction, so this was a major success.

The 4th Gate

Heunginjimun was the east gate of the city. It was built in 1398, but then rebuilt in 1869. At that time, four large gates and four malls gates were erected within the fortress wall that surrounded the city. The four large gates erected in the north, south, east and west were inscribed with the four letters 'in' (perfect virtue), 'ui' (justice), 'ye' (civility) and 'ji' (wisdom). Of those, the large gate in the east was called Heunginjimun. It is said that the letter 'ji' was specially inserted on the tablet to reinforce the energy of the flat land in front of the gate.

Finally! I've found one of these ancient gates to the city.

They're scattered all over the city but until now, I've had yet to come upon one.

 

Stacks and stacks of dumplings.

Namdaemun and Dongdaemun Markets: Retail Merchandising and Wholesale at it's Finest

Namdaemun Market is the nation's wholesale center and anything you want can be found here; clothing, shoes, housewares, food, flowers, tools, wigs, glasses, accessories of every kind, gift items, sporting goods, construction materials, electronic appliances, etc. Dongdaemun Market is where some of the best bargains can be found. There are about ten modern clothing malls that are built around the older markets and apparently these shops are open all night. TEN malls in one area! Popular items are fabrics, clothing, leather goods, costumes, bedding, housewares, footware and sporting goods. I decided to forgo the typical mall experience (although I will go back, because I'm sure they're nothing like malls at home) and stick to the semi-outdoor markets that are completely foreign, no pun intended.

I have seen a whole lot of things in the world of retail and have been semi-overwhelmed numerous times, but nothing that wasn't manageable. But if I had worked at this market or had to visit it for wholesale purposes, I would definitely have had a nervous breakdown. I think any sane person would.

These markets were wholesaling shoes 

but I think the average person can purchase something. 

I was not in the market for imitation shoes of any sort,

so I didn't ask.

OMG.

This is what we used to call in retail a "situation".

Retailers actually come here and perform buying operations?!

Why not have the delivery motor bike drive through the 5 ft wide walkways?

 The only place in the world Tod's would be only a $1 more expensive than Tory Burch....

and the only place in the world Tod's would be $14.

 The most perfect imitations ever created.

Because one sole is never enough.

Scary, scary memories of a past career.

After piles of shoes came piles of books.

This is what we call not shopable.

Then there were buttons....

....and lots and lots of sparkle.

Hardware, curbside.

Wholesale hoses.

The fashion world is rough.

Wholesale takes no prisoners.

Cheonggyecheon Stream: Ah, serenity.

The real reason I had come to this side of the mountain was to see Cheonggyecheon Stream., but I got a little sidetracked in the markets. After I'd had enough wholesale for one day, I escaped to some nature in thh city. Cheonggyecheon Stream is a 5.8 km creek flowing west to east through downtown Seoul, which in turn connects to the Han River and empties into the Yellow Sea. 

The stream has had quite a life. It was originally named Gaecheon, meaning open stream, after the first refurbishment project to construct a drainage system during the Joseon Dynasty. Gacheon was renamed to Cheonggyecheon, its current name, during the Japanese colonial period. During this time, financial difficulties prevented the colonialists from covering up the stream despite several attempts to do so. After the Korean War (1950–1953), more people migrated into Seoul to make their living and settled down along the stream in shabby makeshift houses. The accompanying trash, sand, and waste, and deteriorating conditions resulted in an eyesore in the city. The stream was covered up with concrete over a 20 year period starting in 1958, and an elevated highway was completed in 1976. The area became an example of successful industrialization and modernization of South Korea.

In July 2003, the then-Seoul mayor, initiated a project to remove the elevated highway and restore the stream. It was a major undertaking as not only did the highway have to be removed, but as years of neglect and development had left the stream nearly totally dry, 120,000 tons of water were to be pumped in annually from the Han River, its tributaries, and groundwater from subway stations. At that time, safety problems also occurred due to the deteriorated concrete construction. Despite this, restoration of Cheonggyecheon was deemed important as it fit in with the movement to re-introduce nature to the city and to promote a more eco-friendly urban design. Other goals of the project were to restore the history and culture of the region, which had been lost for 30 years, and to revitalize the economy of Seoul.

There are 22 bridges over Cheonggyecheon Stream. I made it under 16 of them. Along the stream there are wonderful displays of community art projects, cultural and historical markers and lots of Seoulites simply enjoying the running water.