Seoul: first impressions

Seoul was a heady mix of Chicago, L.A. and Washington, with a large dose of East Asia thrown in. I rode the bus in today, and we made it to the middle of Namdaemun Market before the torrential rains set in again. As we stumbled, in heavy rains with broken umbrellas, trough the alleyways, tunnels, escalators, and teeming stalls selling every imaginable low-end consumable, I finally felt like I was in Asia. No system of rationality with which I am familiar governs this place. So, Alex and I launched a counter offensive, braving the Oriental streets until we made it to the high-end Shinsegae department store and the Attic embassy of a Starbucks on the 11^th floor.

Besides the Market, whose majesty is not photographable, we saw Seoul Station [pictured above]. Built in 1900 by the Japanese, modeled on the European Beaux Arts, the station added a hip new glass-and-steel addition in 2004 without tampering with the colonial original—neatly paralleling, I think, Korea’s economic and political development in the twentieth century.

10 million people live in Seoul, with another 10 million in the metropolitan area (including me!). By most measures, this is bigger than New York. But, let me tell you, New York feels bigger. Maybe Seoul sprawls more, but New York is certainly taller and just as busy. Anyway, I haven’t been around much yet. Let’s see how the nightlife is…

[Note, these are not my pictures--I found them online. I'll try to start taking my own soon.]