On Friday afternoon, a bunch of coworkers and I made a plan to take the bus from Osan to Seoul for unlimited crablegs at the E-Club at Yongsan. The bus ride can vary from 60 minutes to 90 minutes but really is a comfortable ride. Yongsan is the Army garrison located inside of Seoul and is really beautiful. The crab legs were tasty and we all seemed to enjoy the meal. It is real easy to get downtown by just taking a 5 minute cab ride, so that's what we did. Even though we went downtown, the area we went to is called Itaewon. It is really Americanized here with GI's all over the place, but nonetheless were able to find a German pub to enjoy a nice cold beer. 
Itaewon is alot like Songtan in where it is geared for the night scene and shopping with a bunch of clubs and bars to cater to us. There is even a Hard Rock Cafe right smackdab in the middle of Itaewon. Keep in mind that this is just a small area of Seoul and that an estimated 22-27 million people live in and around the Area. Seoul continues to increase it's economic output as it grows through globalization and with the presence of the US here, in other words, we love to spend our money here. The picture is from the Dragon Hill Lodge located on Yongsan. It really does no justice to the actual view. The mountains are pretty small and green, almost identical to the Appalachian mountains. When you look out, all you really see is the housing areas and brand new high rises. In the first picture I included, you can see the Seoul Tower that watches over all of Seoul. I haven't ventured up the tower yet, but plan on doing that soon. 
Some of the other places you all would be familiar with is Cold Stone Creamery, Starbucks, The Coffee Bean and hotels like The Hyatt and Hilton, all located in the general radius of where we were at. I don't know about you, but when I'm in Asia, I'm not looking for Mexican food or anything else I can find in the states. Also, it is nice not having to drive anywhere or worry about the price of gas. I have yet to see any of the American made trucks like the F-150 or anything being driven by the natives. It's kind of nice. This is definitely a place you would want to visit. For me, it is just one of many I would like to visit. Some of the others on my list next are Tokyo, Shanghai, Bangkok, Sidney and Beijing...
Itaewon is alot like Songtan in where it is geared for the night scene and shopping with a bunch of clubs and bars to cater to us. There is even a Hard Rock Cafe right smackdab in the middle of Itaewon. Keep in mind that this is just a small area of Seoul and that an estimated 22-27 million people live in and around the Area. Seoul continues to increase it's economic output as it grows through globalization and with the presence of the US here, in other words, we love to spend our money here. The picture is from the Dragon Hill Lodge located on Yongsan. It really does no justice to the actual view. The mountains are pretty small and green, almost identical to the Appalachian mountains. When you look out, all you really see is the housing areas and brand new high rises. In the first picture I included, you can see the Seoul Tower that watches over all of Seoul. I haven't ventured up the tower yet, but plan on doing that soon. 
Some of the other places you all would be familiar with is Cold Stone Creamery, Starbucks, The Coffee Bean and hotels like The Hyatt and Hilton, all located in the general radius of where we were at. I don't know about you, but when I'm in Asia, I'm not looking for Mexican food or anything else I can find in the states. Also, it is nice not having to drive anywhere or worry about the price of gas. I have yet to see any of the American made trucks like the F-150 or anything being driven by the natives. It's kind of nice. This is definitely a place you would want to visit. For me, it is just one of many I would like to visit. Some of the others on my list next are Tokyo, Shanghai, Bangkok, Sidney and Beijing...
2 comments:
Hey sweetheart,
Love the new layout, and PA would be crazy not to hire you - your writing is enticing and enjoyable. Glad you had a good time. Can't wait to come see and do it all w/ you. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
wifey
Hiya Jay-Jay,
Your writing is indeed enticing and enjoyable. I say the more you write the better, Jason. I am stunned at how excellent your "voice" is....What I find really remarkable is how you interweave your history/political commentary with your personal perspectives. You do it so naturally but it is a technique that takes some writers years and years to develop. Quite impressive, Jay-Jay.
Hope you are well. We're doing quite fine. Go over to my blog and see the girls in their lovely lovely Korean kimonos. I'm serious....(as you'll read....), they did not want to take them off yesterday and they wanted to wear them to school today. They kept saying "But Unka Jay-Jay gave it to ME!!" "No, Unka Jay-Jay gave it to ME!!!" It is very cute.
Thanks again for the delightful suprise of this lovely gift. You are such a SWEETHEART.
Lovelovelove,
cindy
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