and Seoul is a wrap

We made a few last stops before leaving for Tokyo. We started in Itaewon and toured the area, circling the best coffee spot.

Then we walked over to Pace. Like all the big brands that have stores across the globe, so do the major art galleries. A constant reminder of globalization in its prime regardless of different cultures. This piece drew us both in from Lee Ufan, which was made in 2018. We were drawn to this piece by Lee Ufan, made in 2018, that I contacted someone at Pace to find out the price. Drum roll please, $3.5M.

Fall is just starting in Seoul, and this neighborhood has lots of new construction happening.

The Leeum Museum of Art is an incredible brutalist structure. It is one of the three private museums in the country, run by the Samsung Foundation of Culture, one of the wealthiest families in Seoul. Over 40 billionaires live in the country.

It isn’t easy to see from this photo, but on the top right are the signs of a home that is old school architecture, and it is unclear to us who lives there, but it is quite the spot.

We needed some cash to go to the Mangwon market, and the ATM wasn’t happy with our card, so we went to the bank. The entire transaction was quite entertaining; we felt as if we were at the DMV. I have never understood why they need our passports to exchange cash.

The Mangwon market is in the Hangdoe area. It reminded me of a down-and-dirtier version of the covered market in Kyoto.

We were looking to sit down and eat, and of course, one spot had a line. We got in and had a delicious lunch: Janjangmyeon, chewy wheat flour noodles in a black bean, and hand-pulled dough noodle soup with perilla seed.

This is another stand grilling sandwiches.

The groceries are great, with a vast variety of kitchen staples.

We jumped on the subway to check out Shinsgae, which the Samsung family also owns. This department store stands where the first Korean department store opened its doors in 1930. Shinsgae was renovated and opened in 1960. We noted that there is ample art for sale, mostly prints from known artists such as Alex Katz.

Koreans love their beauty products and facials, so when in Korea, one must have a facial. We went to Myeon Dong Spa, and they were lovely. Fred waited for me, and they put him in his massive futuristic massage chair where he relaxed and napped while I had my facial.

Dinner was at Mishmash, a fusion Korean restaurant. Then, we returned to the hotel to take off for Tokyo the next day.