going through my pictures from the trip, and they're pretty abstract. think i was out of it most of the time....

this is Insadong, one of my favorite neighborhoods in Seoul. it is known as a traditional part of the city, this is one of the few places where all the signs are in strictly korean. there's a starbucks there (that and coffee bean are everywhere), and when it first opened it featured a sign written in english. There was major hoopla in response, so they eventually had to translate their sign into korean. this area was kinda touristy, but it had a real laid back feel to it with the trees lining the streets and all sorts of art galleries and craft shops.

this is pot-bing-su, a popular Korean dessert. kinda looks like that thing they have at Jollibees. it's made of shaved ice, condensed milk, fruit, rice cakes, and the signature bean sauce. so delicious. if you are interested, most korean bakeries in the states serve this dish.

i always had a feeling that koreans have a natural knack for graphic design, but the trip really solidified the idea. magazines, television, and store design were all consistently better designed than most cities I've visited. if you go to design schools, you'll always see a large contigent of overacheiving Koreans, now you know where they go after school.

many public buildings use this awesome mint colored paint for public areas (bathrooms, mailrooms, etc). at night time it has a weird eerie, muted glow... something you definitely see repeated in recent korean cinema like Old Boy.