One of the few stores selling Halloween costumes (people may dress up but they don’t go trick or treating from what I’ve heard)
Two very fashionable looking stores – at prices that easily reached 6 figures (100,000 won = $100 USD typically) for one garment.
The sign says it all – and yes, apparently one store does carry all those brand names. I have no idea about the ‘EEEK’ – just smile, nod, and keep walking.
Look at the photo carefully – that’s right, Stupid Char’s is the name of the store. I cannot make this up and burst out laughing when I saw it.
One oddity happened after a block and a half: the road came to a T with no indication which way the drive continued. After walking for aways, I came to the conclusion that I was on the way out. A tourist with a map asked me for directions, and upon reviewing his map we found the area we were in had a whole lot of nothing worthy enough to make the map. We eventually got oriented and walking in our own directions – him to a local restaurant and me down the main road in search of… whatever else there was to see. The photo above is the entrance / exit from the other way.
Walking around the Gangnam area in general was quite fun. As a whole, the entire area spans almost 40 square kilometers, about 20 subway stations, and a general feeling of affluence. The large area means you almost certainly won’t be walking anywhere for long – get to know the buses or flag a taxi if you plan on doing any serious exploring or shopping.
The fall colors are beginning to make their presence known. Thanks to a warmer-than-normal late summer / early fall, supposedly the leaves are delaying their own color-changing as a response.
One of many grand buildings in the Gangnam area.
The other place I set out to find in the area was Dosan Park, supposedly within walking distance of Apgujeong / Rodeo Drive. It turns out it was closer than my slightly meandering path had taken me.
Dosan Park is named after Dosan Ahn Chang-ho, who “dedicated his life to the national independence movement and modernization” of Korea during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Always nice to know why there’s a park in the middle of the towering buildings… Considering the very urban nature of the area, it’s nice to have a place to retreat to with some greenery.
The park is nearly 30,000 square meters large, claiming over 7,600 trees and bushes planted within. That sounds about right, although the park is actually a pretty easy walk – and pretty simple to see it without getting lost inside of it.
The entrance to the park is somewhat hidden from the world, although this large rock at one street corner has Dosan gongwon (Dosan park) carved into it. Once you see the rock, walk down the tree-lined sidewalk for a couple hundred meters and the park will be in front of you.
A walking trail that goes around the perimeter of the park. The trail as a whole is perhaps a kilometer long – there’s only one trail and it covers everything of interest in the park.
Here stands the man himself – Dosan Ahn Chang-ho – in a statue originally made in 1973. According to a nearby plaque, the statue was getting corroded, so a replacement statue was used starting in May 2003.
Dosan Ahn Chang-ho’s burial site, along with his wife Lee Hye-reon.
No park would be complete without a playground. Here in Korea, many playgrounds also double as practical exercise spaces. The silver contraption to your right is fun – Stand on the circle and hold onto the hand rails, then do the Twist or simply twist your body left and right. The circle spins quite freely, and can be a decent way to stretch and flex a bit.
An overall fun day – with plenty of touristy and non-touristy areas to see, there’s more than enough to keep you occupied for a full day. Find a map of the area before you go, as there seemed to be few places offering tourist services. If you plan to shop, bring your favorite credit card or a pocketful of won – clothing in the area is definitely not cheap.
