October 6, 2026: From Korean Bagels to Korean BBQ… with a Stroll through Murals, Graffiti, and Small Metal Workshops
We started the day at a coffee shop about 7 minutes from the hotel. We had seen it yesterday as we walked to Analog Garden Cafe and decided to try it. What we didn’t realize at the time is that it’s a bagel shop! They use rice flour for the bagels and they had about a dozen varieties… We shared a bagel with salmon (lox), apples, cream cheese, and some greens. And we also shared what they called a tiramisu bagel (which came unexpectedly with whipped cream and wasn’t exactly a bagel–but very yummy.
From there we taxied to the Mullae-dong neighborhood, which is located in the southwestern part of the city and is home to active metal workshops and factories that coexist with art galleries, studios, and restaurants. Apparently the area was the major steel manufacturing district in the 1970s, and in the 2000s transformed into artist studios where cheap rent could be found for large spaces. But the small metal manufacturers are still there. As we explored the narrow alleyways we discovered murals, graffiti, and metal sculptures right outside working steel shops… and literally scores of really cool bars, cafes, restaurants, and even performance spaces. In one really funky place we met the owner who says he lived for a while in California in a city called Toronto.. but maybe he meant Torrance (??) His very funky art cafe was decorated with all sorts of memorabilia and mini collections — sort of Dada-esque.. and playing on his speaker were tunes like Barbara Ann..Anyway, he gave us a copy of an illustrated book that he created which is pretty cool. We love these kind of places and Mike is now ready to move to Seoul and live and work in one of these spaces in this industrial area.
Most areas like this in large cities in the states (like NY) have disappeared and are no longer affordable to artists–having been taken over by boutiques, wealthier renters, and fancy restaurants and spas. I hope Seoul can keep these places alive. Currently these one and two story buildings and shops sit pretty close to high rise housing. By the way, one other thing we noticed during our time here—the number of stores in both high end areas and working class neighborhoods is huge and you never see a boarded up store or a vacant store. US cities struggle to keep retail alive and as we all know, it’s not really working.
Along the way we stopped into one of many photobooth stores that are totally self-administered—no staff; there are several different types of shops that have no staff. And to our American surprise, the supplies and tools remain in tact; no theft, no mess. We took our photos, but we didn’t totally understand the directions so we got two copies of three images, but we took 8 images.. Now had there been an attendant…..
From Mullae, we taxied back to Hongdae (to begin to pack–strategically… since Mike will check his bag since he can’t lift it into the bin above.. and I will put whatever is heavy into his bag so that I can easily lift my bag) but got off a few blocks before the hotel to stroll and try to grab a quick light lunch. We wound up on the campus of Hongik University which had a pink popup van with tons of college students lining up — for collagen samples! And along the way we passed a few murals, perhaps done by art studnts at the university.
Another interesting observation… perhaps for the architect readers: Buildings here in Seoul, even large scale buildings show a lot of whimsy, with windows popping out or terraces suddenly appearing or cutouts within the frame.. or twisted and “warped” buildings.. or buildings with 15 different materials on one side of a building… and more. Each seems to be screaming for attention, but these features are actually made possible because there still remain fabricators and “artists” who can produce these things. Like in many countries, architects here in Korea are obviously trained to appeal to clients who want their building to attract attention, much like the advertisements for clothing and cosmetics!
Oh.. we did eventually stop for lunch at a place called Blue Roof. We went inside and there was a stairwell with about five flights to climb, but no signage about the restaurant except the big sign on the edge of the building where the door was… We climbed four flights thinking the restaurant must be on the roof (Blue Roof— got it?). But no restaurant so we climbed back down.. and there right next to the door with the stairs was the restaurant on the first floor. The Internet said it was a noodle restaurant, but it turned out to be Korean BBQ. We like that but hadn’t stopped at other BBQ places because it would be too heavy for lunch. Anyway.. all good. BBQ was tasty.
Now we are packing and then head to a supposedly upscale sushi restaurant… in lieu of our planned travels through Japan, which will alas have to be rescheduled…again! Will report on our final evening and morning tomorrow. Our flight is around 4 pm and wonder of wonders, we arrive at 11:30 am (same day).
