According to Wikipedia, Hongdae is an area known for its urban arts and indie music culture, clubs and entertainment, located near Hongik University (from which its name is derived from). Being a place which attracts the arts and students, it is a hotspot for restaurants, cafes, art, ‘live’ music, clubbing, and shopping at reasonable (student) prices. One of the Hello Kitty Cafés’ is located in this area, along with other interesting themed cafes such as the Charlie Brown Cafe, themed with Peanuts characters, Bau House Cafe for dogs and puppies, Gio Cat Cafe, and Dr. Fish Cafe.
Like with Ehwa Woman’s University Fashion Street, we did not have specific shops/places in mind (well, except just one place for DramaQueen), so we tried to explore what we could (that’s the fun part about traveling!). The first time we were there was to fulfill DramaQueen’s adamant quest to eat at, Pal Ja Mak Chang (팔자막창), a BBQ restaurant opened by HaHa from (her absolute favorite variety show) Running Man (more on that in the next post). If she wasn’t going to get to meet any Korean celebrities on this trip, she was at least going to eat at a restaurant opened by one! Well, I’m glad that worked out well, we went we ate and it was a dream come true (for her). You can read all about her swooning here.
So based on some blog she read, we followed the instructions and exited from Hongik University Station's Exit 9 and slowly meandered our way (with GPS – Google maps is a very empowering tool) to the destination, while getting sidetracked along the way.
On our way to the destination, there were many interesting shops and sights - a visual delight!
As night approaches, more youths come out to play!
more people
and how could we forget about the shopping? ^^
I prefer the range of styles' here. They have a certain 'edge' to them :p
I saw this adorable grooming/petshop and went in to take a look. My dog remembers when you say you are going to buy him food, so no guesses that I bought him a couple of bones just to make him happy. ^^
Grooming and Spa!
The adorable little mascots (I assume?)
While on our way to Pal Ja Mak Chang (팔자막창). Isn't (s)he cute?
The second time we were here was to do some last minute shopping and we came across the Hello Kitty Café (I wonder why we missed it the first time we were there?)! Too bad it was a tad late at night and all (if not most of the cute Hello Kitty foods like waffles shaped like kitty were already not available). So we settled for blueberry yogurt on a cold spring’s night. >.< You can read more about that here when the post is up. Be prepared to be kittified!
Hello Kitty Cafe @ Hongdae! :)
From the moment you exit out of the subway station, street musicians line the street and provide entertainment for passers-by; mini-concerts/showcases everywhere. There are even bands with regular spots and dedicated fans cheering loudly and enthusiastically, adding some festivity into the air.
Adorable ^^
Serenading Part I
Serenading Part II
Hongdae is a place you definitely want to visit for its vibrant youthfulness and interesting foods, music and shops. The atmosphere at Hongdae is different from Ehwa Woman’s University Fashion Street – more vibrant and edgy. If you want to know more about the vibe and dressing of the crowd that, this is a pretty good read and makes me want to go back there again!
How to get there:
Alight at Hongik (Hongdae) University Station (line 2) and pick an Exit to walk if you haven’t got a specific one in mind. (During our time there we used Exit 9 and Exit 5)
When travel collides with a byte, a unit of information made up of bits, TravelBytez is formed: snippets of ramblings on travel, food, shopping, living and anything else that comes to mind.
The night is still young folks! 😍👍
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