korea :: seoul :: general

[herbology]

any places worthy to check out that i cant find in nyc? Im there every summer but i never really ventured out for shopping cause i never expected much from a place where high schoolers get home at 12 or later from hagwon.

[dizzhizz]

^^

there is no need to buy anything in terms of shopping when coming from nyc. save your cash for booze and womenz.

serious.

[thomas_highstreet]

suhsangyoung, juun j, hangsan bek or whatever his name is. laundry 101? i really cant remember the names.

but yeh, dont cop clothes, cop hoez

[Scais]

i plan on "studying" at yonsei language school this fall. anything i should bring from the states that i wont find in korea?

[thomas_highstreet]

anything niche, if your into skin care or something make sure you bring your own 'brand'.. but you can get it all out here anyway so no big problem.

just come and have fun, seoul is pretty far from 3rd world.

[dismalfuture]

Haha. It's all there, if you're not terribly fussy... The food about drives me fuckin crazy though, I can go about 3 days on rice n' mountain weeds and then I'm back to wanting a proper cheese sandwich, feel me?

I'd bring (seriously)

- Bounce dryer sheets, a small pack to get you started

- deodorant, a couple sticks to start you, more if you don't like one of the 2 brands the have on the black market

- American condoms

Yonsei KLI is my neighborhood, not born and raised but pretty close. I'm not sure how things go these days, but Yonsei KLI's defining point over all the other KLI's was that Yonsei boasted an average of something like 1.2 student pregnancies per term. I guess the rest of us from the other schools were just fucking the locals.

[Scais]

Haha. It's all there, if you're not terribly fussy... The food about drives me fuckin crazy though, I can go about 3 days on rice n' mountain weeds and then I'm back to wanting a proper cheese sandwich, feel me?

I'd bring (seriously)

- Bounce dryer sheets, a small pack to get you started

- deodorant, a couple sticks to start you, more if you don't like one of the 2 brands the have on the black market

- American condoms

Yonsei KLI is my neighborhood, not born and raised but pretty close. I'm not sure how things go these days, but Yonsei KLI's defining point over all the other KLI's was that Yonsei boasted an average of something like 1.2 student pregnancies per term. I guess the rest of us from the other schools were just fucking the locals.

that is what i hope to do

[readytoignite]

any places worthy to check out that i cant find in nyc? Im there every summer but i never really ventured out for shopping cause i never expected much from a place where high schoolers get home at 12 or later from hagwon.

go see a football match if you haven't - fc seoul's in town and world cup qualification is just getting underway. even if you're not a huge fan it's a trip.

um, uniqlo is slightly cheaper there than nyc and may have a couple things that they don't here. and i suppose if you like korean singers or movies you can load up on cds and dvds. but yeah, forget about anything else.

yondae/kli... takes me back. most of the dudes i knew were after the locals, i think they considered the americans to be tainted with feminism.

[dismalfuture]

re: KLI girls, they weren't tainted with as much feminism as they are just plain ugly. There might be one or two winners, and then a really shocking number of uglies. The Korean-American girls are perenially gross looking, you see them walking down 신촌 명물거리 around lunchtime on the weekdays with their grubby flip flop feet and the little monogram purse over their shoulder. You can spot them fairly easily at night as well, because they wander around and end up in the really dead/off bars and clubs, where they stand around in their group of 5 and drink tequila shots, and take lots of pictures that end up on flickr or xanga. Even the little Korean American guys who don't stand a chance with the local girls and come over with like $300 in their pocket for the whole summer and are completely out of it, they won't touch them.

There's usually a small gaggle of decent to sexy Japanese girls who come over by way of some private study abroad agency, end up living in squalor in some Shinchon hasuk, and wind up having an awkward and quiet half-semester relationship with aforementioned guy classmates.

Uniqlo has got several branches now, and better stores/brands have been popping up at a faster rate recently. Not a shopping mecca by any means, but if you're there and not going anywhere else for a while, you can get stuff, at a price. Much better than it was just a few years ago, definitely.

Limited/special edition things from mainstream brands are sometimes good to buy in Korea, as long as the brand has an official presence, like streetwear/shoes, etc, but this can apply to things like CDs and beyond. Some smaller boutiques who make their buys privately will sometimes have that kind of stuff as well. Koreans just don't know which is which usually and their tastes are much different, so a lot of stuff that gets quickly sold out worldwide can linger on the shelves in Seoul for varying amounts of time.

Fashion is the same way, but with commensurately larger markups. Korea is probably the most expensive places to buy labels, but one of the better places to go if you have the money and you're trying to get something popular/specific from a collection and it's late into the season and you wear like a 46 or 48. They don't even really do sample sales over there, and since a lot of stores are under the umbrella of department stores that have to clear their buys, you can even find year or two year-old items that didn't sell at sale price that have been snuck back on the racks until they sell them.

[shimshimhae]

hey dismal can you tell me what kli stands for?

[dizzhizz]

^^

KLI = Korean Language Institute.

[thomas_highstreet]

good post dis. what i have noticed is in 'select shops'/boutiques they often seem to buy old season from japan sales and resell in their own stores.. alot of the places sell fakes but the stores look proper legit decor etc. and they slide in a couple authentic things every now and then.

just check the stitching.. if your buying some raf kicks, the stitching isnt gonna be out of place.. you see ATO's where the toe box stitch is so wonky it crosses eachother... should have just use a twin needle..

import lables here as dis said, are a bit of a rip off, but you can find some cool older stuff.. there are actually quite a few interesting small korean lables, and they are really cheap.. 40-60usd for trousers etc. beats 84usd for cheap mondays.

buy some of the local lables, very japanese inspired so some cute cuts that are relatively current. i bought some odd sailorboy leggin/trousers the other day, full price at 38usd and they are pretty much my live-ins now.

for the party roundup, you just missed 'dosados' which was probably the spiciest night of seoul.. this weekend is spektra at answer [kangnam], and next is mixtape at mint [hongdae] which both look ok.. but dos is the headline as far as i understand.

today marks highstreets high barnet chopping session.. akpujeong [sp?] salon called fiore? dunno if its any good, got recommended by a friend.

latez

[dizzhizz]

^^

chopping the bowl? too bad i missed the dos party - i was too busy getting wrecked with my coworkers at fucking yong pyong.

hopefully your nights will get spicier. wild whiskey isn't the biggest fan of hongdae, but perhaps he's been spoiled hanging out in kangnam and getting his fill of fried chicken and beer.

ill see your new haircut this friday then.

[thomas_highstreet]

yes yes. how should i get it cut?!?

seriously i got no idea how to get it done and this place is potentially large on the wallet damage.

RE: wild_whiskey ; he was such a legend at dosados!!!! EDITED: GOTTA KEEP IT ON THE DOWNLOW. drew/dan peep the private section.

i looked fucking terrible.

[thomas_highstreet]

http://youweresleeping.com/ lol i made it into the animation <3

[Scais]

i heard liquor other than soju is expensive as fux in korea, smart to bring over a handle of gin or whiskey? or sucker someone into buying it for me in korea?

[dizzhizz]

^^

BRING ME A BOTTLE OF SUM GOOD SHIT PLEAZE! LIQUOR PRICES KILL ME OUT HERE! AND ITS ALL SHIET. A BOTTLE OF ABSOLUT CAN RUN UP TO 150 AT A BAR MAN! AND ITS ONLY FUCKING ABSOLUTE! WTF!!!

but soju is still less than a buck at the mart. keep it real.

[Scais]

^^ hahaha i geuss ill bring some shizz with me, tanquiray anyone?

[thomas_highstreet]

duty free yo, i got a bottle absolut + london gin for like 15dollars or something.

or just drink soju + cass

[werdna]

I'll be in Incheon for 2 weeks in July and was wondering if there are gyms in Korea with free weights, bench press, etc... If so, how are their fares? Is it usually membership exclusive (montlhy/yearly payment) or more of a pay as you go kind of thing?

[dizzhizz]

There are tons of local neighborhood gyms ranging anywhere from 30 - 100 bucks a month. Obviously the more expensive gyms will have better equipment so just ask to look around before signing a contract.

Given your two week committment, just negotiate.

[dismalfuture]

checkin the Titty forum in a sec...

I usually bring liquor to the motherland, I change it up every flight and it's whatever they have duty free at LAX or SFO, but it's either Tanq Ten or Goose, which they didn't have in Korea until like last year. I forgot the duty free limit but 3 fifths would be passable I think or they might excise tax on the excess 450mL, couple bucks.

Tommy, a haircut in Chungdam is still only 30 grand, it's double the 15G's in the student neighborhoods, but guys haircuts are cheap. Get your eyebrows and the lot trimmed as well, a little shoulder massage.

Those little neighborhood gyms are cheap, like $30 like dizz said. Some are weird though, they make you take off your shoes and wear rubber slippers while working out. (attn: Lib45!!!) twist your back much?

re: local labels, there are probably some ok things in those shops. I reckon they are pretty similar to the Uniqlo, Zara, H+M that people on this board like to beast over. Some labels are run by Samsung, LG, etc, so it makes me kinda weary of giving them $70 for their clothes when guys like Chong Mong Koo don't really need another cent. What is funny though, is that all the American fast fashion eventually gets imported either officially/unofficially and they charge an arm and a leg for it. Back a few years ago, they had little Banana Republic/Abercrombie + Fitch select shops, ahaha. They were proper expensive as well, priced like French clothes.

[thomas_highstreet]

hair was only 44bills, pretty good for 2hour cut, chemical straight, massage etc... he done the straightening for free, not magic straight, just a temp one but stil nice of him.

invited out for drinks+clubbing by the staff too so hopefully spot some beauties out

[azn8oi]

http://www.zenkimchi.com/FoodJournal/?p=477

HA ha ahA HA

http://www.zenkimchi.com/FoodJournal/?p=481

HA

[azn8oi]

I was fucking around on googlemaps and checked up on Seoul for fun... found where I stayed at last summer, and felt sad for a few minutes.

I miss the place ....

[dutsukyampu]

re: KLI girls, they weren't tainted with as much feminism as they are just plain ugly. There might be one or two winners, and then a really shocking number of uglies. The Korean-American girls are perenially gross looking, you see them walking down 신촌 명물거리 around lunchtime on the weekdays with their grubby flip flop feet and the little monogram purse over their shoulder. You can spot them fairly easily at night as well, because they wander around and end up in the really dead/off bars and clubs, where they stand around in their group of 5 and drink tequila shots, and take lots of pictures that end up on flickr or xanga. Even the little Korean American guys who don't stand a chance with the local girls and come over with like $300 in their pocket for the whole summer and are completely out of it, they won't touch them.

There's usually a small gaggle of decent to sexy Japanese girls who come over by way of some private study abroad agency, end up living in squalor in some Shinchon hasuk, and wind up having an awkward and quiet half-semester relationship with aforementioned guy classmates.

Uniqlo has got several branches now, and better stores/brands have been popping up at a faster rate recently. Not a shopping mecca by any means, but if you're there and not going anywhere else for a while, you can get stuff, at a price. Much better than it was just a few years ago, definitely.

Limited/special edition things from mainstream brands are sometimes good to buy in Korea, as long as the brand has an official presence, like streetwear/shoes, etc, but this can apply to things like CDs and beyond. Some smaller boutiques who make their buys privately will sometimes have that kind of stuff as well. Koreans just don't know which is which usually and their tastes are much different, so a lot of stuff that gets quickly sold out worldwide can linger on the shelves in Seoul for varying amounts of time.

Fashion is the same way, but with commensurately larger markups. Korea is probably the most expensive places to buy labels, but one of the better places to go if you have the money and you're trying to get something popular/specific from a collection and it's late into the season and you wear like a 46 or 48. They don't even really do sample sales over there, and since a lot of stores are under the umbrella of department stores that have to clear their buys, you can even find year or two year-old items that didn't sell at sale price that have been snuck back on the racks until they sell them.

your first paragraph made me LOL so fucking hard.

i did the KLI summer special program last year for some reason. i was in level 5 so there werent that many 2nd generation douchebags in my class..and i didnt stay in the dorms or hang out with anyone from the program, but your first paragraph is 100% head on in describing kyopos in korea.

i always remember quietly laughing to myself whenever a group of kyopos accidentally got off the bus at the shinchon train station instead of the subway entrances and looking totally lost and confused.

[dismalfuture]

^ 24 months of Korean study abroad here, lived literally in front of 연대동문. I started with level 1 and failed level 3 twice because I got sidetracked and mired in some alcoholic fantasy trip of Japanese girls, Korean BBQ, and cafe'ing my life away before noon that I've yet to make any sense out of. I wish I was joking about all the things I write in this thread, but they are 100% true.

[Scais]

hey dis, i just finished my korea apps. is kli hard to get into?

[dismalfuture]

You just need a GED, and some money, there's no admissions. Korean language schools are a safe haven for trash of all races, as long as they have $5000 and a few months to burn, as you will come to see...

[Scais]

lol damn now i feel stuipid for sending an app to hanyang as a backup