Seoul: Myeong-Dong Art Market & Bar Da

We chanced upon the Myeong-Dong Art Market while strolling down the streets of Hongdae my first day in Seoul. Hongdae reminded me a lot of Japan and the smaller streets of the shopping districts of Tokyo. It got pretty nostalgic.

The market is a collection of artists, music, and crafts. Some of the tables were so interesting, with some pretty, pretty things. It was super crowded though, so I didn’t take too many photos…

… although I did get this awesome badge! I love his beer opener characters. They live at the artist’s website.

Art in progress.

There were also stalls selling an assortment of stuff that were probably not handmade, situated just outside the market, and I vaguely recall seeing a sign warning visitors to the market about those very stalls.

^{H&M abstract zipper dress + F21 mint leaf necklace + Dr. Martens white boots}
Bourgeois pig and lazy pig.

Best hair salon name, ever.

Ottie, Mark, and Beth marveling at the incongruous and innovative parking lot in the vicinity.

Here, have some inevitable food pictures:

Ottie’s face after realising that in Korea, ‘lemonade’ means a whole squeezed lemon plus a three-quarter cupful of Sprite.

We had really good galbi at a restaurant we don’t remember the name of, somewhere in Hongdae.

Not to mention Beth’s favourite street stall food, served in a paper cup split down the sides.

Didn’t eat here, but I still am curious as to whether this establishment really does serve fried horse meat, like its name boasts.

Bar Da is this hole-in-a-wall gem tucked inconspicuously in Hongdae’s busy streets. It’s located at the second storey, as what I’ve come to notice seems to be the norm in Korea- I’d often see shop signs surrounding suspicious-looking narrow stairwells, indicating restaurants and other places of interest located above or below ground. As a bonus, Bar Da has free wifi, not to mention the kind of awesome I’d want to be if I were an inanimate space.