The First 24 Hours

In order to get everyone informed about my first 24 hours in Seoul, this first real post will be quite long! But full of pictures!


The Neighborhood

I arrived only 2 days ago and have asked the question "so where do we live?" at least 3 times a day to RCP.....for two reasons....A). I rarely listen the first time RCP answers a question of mine and B). It's SO much more difficult to remember the name of your neighborhood here and what it means in Korean....So if you're interested in a little geography lesson on South Korea and if you want to understand a little more background about our neighborhood and where we're located please read on!

Seoul Geography 101

Let's start in the immediate neighborhood and work our way out in terms of geographical area. Our apartment building is located in a guarded complex known as U.N. Village. The U.N. Village contains residences of several high ranking Korean officials and many foreign ambassadors and is nestled on the side of a rather steep hill, so driving or walking home is much like being in Colorado....wonder what happens when it starts to snow....It's a VERY quiet, private feeling enclave....definitely a far cry from 92nd St. and 2nd Ave back in NYC! Our building name is Villa Nova. All of the buildings seam to be "villa's" of some sort. Next door is a residence known as Peacock Villa. While these aren't exactly "villa's" in the traditional sense of the word, our place is amazing and a welcome change from the 900 square feet we used to live in in NYC. (Interior pictures will be posted as soon as I unpack and removed the exploded luggage from the living room).

 Entrance to U.N. Village. 

You take a right and wind up the steep hill to get to our building.

Villa Nova!

Our balcony is on the 2nd floor.

Up the street and to the right is Villa Nova.

The street is much steeper than it appears.

 Dry cleaning just down the street. Just like in NYC.

Yay for convenience!

"Don't forget to mention 'discount'!" said RCP.

Seoul Geography 102

Now that you've seen our compound, we'll expand the radius a bit and discuss the actual area of Seoul where we reside. The area that U.N. Village is located in is called the Hannam-dong area. Hannam-dong has long been the domain of ambassadors, U.S. Military officers, and the old Seoul elite. The larger "district" in which Hannam-dong is located is called Yongsan-gu or "Dragon Mountain" district. Yongsan stretches from Namsan to the northern shores of the Han River (the river that separates Seoul into two north and south parts). Yongsan has been the heart of Seoul's international community since the United States set up its main base here during the Korean War. Because of this, the district has a heavy concentration of embassies, international schools, and expat-friendly stops and eateries.

There are other areas within Yongsan that I will no doubt discuss once discovered, such as the famous Itaewon where most expats like to hang out.

 Map of the neighborhood

 Main street outside of U.N. Village.

Feels a little like NYC with various cafe's, bakeries and even a cupcake shop!

I must meet Lynn.

 

 In our old neighborhood in NYC we had a wine shop/liquor store

that we lovingly referred to as "the ghetto wine shop".
RCP particularly liked the place because of the "Bargain Barrell"

located at the front door with no bottle over $5.00.

Cheapest bottle of wine in Seoul starts around $25.00.

Happiness.

Wonderful fresh-baked French pastries all the time.

Double-Happiness.

French macaroons!!!!!!

Now we just need to buy a toaster....and find something similar to Miracle Whip....

and find something similar to honey maple-roasted turkey lunch meat....so many things

to do in order to make a sandwich.

I love to cook. And I take pride in the fact that I never bake.

So RCP will continue to have gourmet birthday cakes, even over here,

lovingly hand-made by someone else.

The Neighborhood Bodega

Back in NYC, we had bodega's or deli's on every corner that carried a tiny selection of groceries. The ones here are very similar and the one in our neighborhood somewhat caters to the expat community with offerings such as Doritos, Cheetos, Picante Sauce, and pre-packaged vegetables....they also cater to us in terms of price. The Lipton Instant Ice Tea was $10....Lipton Instant Ice Tea is just so fresh! Why wouldn't I pay $10? And Aveeno Lotion? $19.00 

There are also whole pig's feet available....actually it's a whole pig's leg. Oh, and there are eggs a plenty, some kept in cold storage (like they should be) and some on a shelf next to the olive oil. When I figure out why these eggs are special enough to not be refrigerated, I'll let you know.

I actually happen to LOVE instant ice tea. Seriously.

$19. Seriously.

The room temperature eggs.

Minute Maid.

Aloe Vera flavor.

I'm sure it's great for the skin, but we'll stick to Minuet Maid Fruit Punch.

 

Field Trip to RCP's Place of Employment

Samsung is a short 10-15 minute, two-bus ride from home. Buses are one of the main modes of transportation here in Seoul and are extremely clean, just as crowded as NYC buses, but come so frequently, the longest you wait at any stop is 5 minutes. The area where Samsung is located feels very much like mid-town Manhattan with a multitude of Western brand stores like Adidas, Nike, Smoothie King, and Jamba Juice.

There are 3 buildings that belong to Samsung, all pictured below. Note to anyone visiting: DO NOT take a picture of the lobby of the main building. A security guard will come running up to you and ask to see the picture and make you delete it.

First Meal in Seoul

During my first full day, after the field trip to Samsung, we walked to an area very similar to the West Village or Nolita in NYC. Lots of small boutiques, young fashionable people and small eateries with their own takes on Western sandwiches like turkey and cranberry sauce on ciabatta and BLT's...all served with pickled turnips.

I know a turkey sandwich isn't very authentic, but I'm slowly working my way to more traditional dishes such as Bibimbap and Korean BBQ.

 

"Ade's" of all flavors can be found on many menu's in the summer.

This refreshing ade was lemon with cherries.