We were running extremely late on our first day at the architecture conference in COEX Gangnam. The beds at our AirBnB were just so comfy! Haha! Coming all the way from Seoul Station, it took us about 40 minutes to get there.
Outfit details: UNIQLO button-down, Penshoppe joggers, ALDO sneakers.
Despite COEX being in Gangnam, it's actually better to get off at Samseong-dong which is 2 stations away from Gangnam station.
The first thing you'll see is the small plaza to the Starfield Mall and the *huge* SM Town Building! This isn't the actual SM Entertainment building but it's pretty much a haven for SM Town enthusiasts. More on this later!
On the columns, in a metallic finish, you'll see a mosaic of random symbols and letters. Occasionally, you'll be able to see the names of the various SM Town Artists! Can you spot your favorite?
SNSD was the group with the most recent comeback at the time. So crazy that three members may be leaving! :O
Once you pass through the SM Town Coex Artium, you'll be greeted by a branch of the Starfield Mall which is the Starfield Library. (More photos later on in the series!) On the surface, the malls look like completely independent structures, but they're all linked underground and you can travel from building to building this way!
The Convention Center is just to right of the Starfield Library.
The plaza between Starfield Mall and the SM Town Coex Artium. Green spaces should always be a thing! I would love to hang out here during the height of fall and just enjoy some coffee. So gorgeous~
Finally inside the COEX Convention Center! Arguably the oldest building of the bunch that we just passed through. From the lobby, you can take the escalator down to the Starfield Mall, instantly linking the old with the new!
Finally, the conference!
At the time, the exhibit area was still closed so we attended a few lectures in the main hall before calling it a day. (I'll be doing a more in-depth post about the convention later on in the series!)
We took some quick photos around the plaza before exploring the SM Town Coex Artium! In the photo are my main companions for the whole trip, (from left to right) Ruby, Keena, and Lica!
Now for the surreal experience that is the SM Town COEX Artium!
You'll be immediately greeted by display cases of the awards garnered by the many popular SM Town Artists. Seeing the awards in the flash is an experience in itself!
Red Velvet is a current SM Town favorite of mine!
You can get almost all the SM Town Merch imaginable here, however, if you can't find what you're looking for, the SM Town Store at Dongdaemun Design Plaza will probably have it!
The famous SM Town Cafe is here as well. You can buy all your K-Pop themed food here! See photos below!
K-Pop equivalent of Gashapon! (Hope I spelled that right) Sadly though, the only pins available were for EXO. I really wanted something from Red Velvet but all other artists were out of stock.
SHINee rolls and Red Velvet cake, anyone?
After exploring the building, we headed on to Hongdae!
Forever my favorite place in Seoul. It can be a little overwhelming at times because of the crowds, but I'd take this over Myeongdong any day!
When you take Exit 9 from the Hongik University Station, you'll usually end up having to deal with a crazy crowd going up, but it's where all the magic is. Street food will greet you as you emerge into the bustling district. There are just so many reasons to go here!
I finally got to try Sundae! They're Korean blood sausages and they taste amazing. The sausages themselves are made of rice and pork blood, I think. It's cured and seasoned so well that you wouldn't even think that it was made of blood. It's just delicious and flavorful and there's no bad smell of any sort. It's served with a generous serving of liver, intestines, and tongue so people who don't like eating innards might need to just ask for the sausages themselves. I'm a huge fan of everything in Sundae though so this was heavenly. Just dip in the special salt and enjoy! The whole thing costs 3000won and if you eat it alone, can pretty much fill you up as well as a normal meal would. This could've been my dinner for the day and I would be happy.
We did some quick shopping before looking for a place to try Chimaek! (Korean Chicken and Beer) If you're looking to buy clothes that the locals actually wear, I suggest saving your money and shopping in Hongdae! The vendors aren't aggressive like the ones in Dongdaemun and the food is the cheapest here. I literally couldn't ask for more. Haha!
Even though we had just fried chicken the previous night in Myeongdong, we were definitely left wanting because of the small serving and less-than-ideal flavor. This place is just a few steps away from the Trick Eye Museum!
Servings here are *huge* and made to be shared. Half the price and double the size of the chicken we had in Myeongdong! We ordered the Fried Chicken and Seasoned Chicken which the first two on the top left!
The Original Fried Chicken. (16,000won) - I wasn't a big fan of this one, because I prefer my Korean fried chicken with some flavoring. However, dipping it in the sauce solves all your problems. Plus, it's boneless so you can chow down to your heart's content! I'll probably just order the flavored ones next time though!
The Seasoned Fried Chicken. (17,000won) - Sweet, salty, garlicky, and a little spicy. This is exactly why Korean fried chicken is famous all around the world. Just an all-around good deal! I literally have no complaints on this one. All the chicken here is boneless and I honestly think it's the only way to go when having Korean fried chicken.
Ending this post with a close-up of our heavenly chimaek feast!
Stay tuned for more! :)
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