DW/LJ knows all!

[oyceter]

1. The new code push for DW is awesome! Especially the expandable cut tag, omg. On another note, I currently xpost to LJ with comments on LJ closed. If that's the case, would people find a link on my DW entry going to the xposted LJ entry useful or not?


2. I am going to Korea soon! Rec me things to do!
   
   I am usually very for wandering into odd places, and I don't tend to like places with a lot of tourists. On the other hand, if it's a good museum, I'm for it. I am not great with scenery or outdoor activity. I would especially love anything on food and/or historical clothing, interesting neighborhoods, fun people watching, etc. A "things to eat" list is also excellent (I eat mostly everything, with the possible exception of bugs, although I am considering trying the silkworms)!
   
   I already am planning on going to as many bookstores as possible, finding used bookstores (any recs?), ordering take out jjajjanmyeon, sitting in one of those outside stands and getting ddeokboggi, and popping into as many convenience stores as possible. What else?
   
   ETA: I am going to be in Seoul for most of the trip, but I think weekend excursions should be possible.

Comments

[starlady]

The National Museum in Seoul is overwhelming, and awesome.

The restaurant with temple vegetarian cuisine run by an ex-monk in the "traditional" district of Seoul that's in all the guidebooks totally lives up to its billing. As does the teashop down the street with the birds in it.

They have these star-shaped black rice things at Dunkin' Donuts that are amazing.

I'm making myself hungry.

[coraa]

The only reason I check the LJ version of a DW post is to look for comments on the LJ side, so if comments are off on LJ, I don't have any need for the link.

I have no suggestions for Korea, but I hope you enjoy yourself (and have interesting stories to bring back)!

[rachelmanija]

I request that you bring me back something edible (that is not bugs.)

[jain]

I currently xpost to LJ with comments on LJ closed. If that's the case, would people find a link on my DW entry going to the xposted LJ entry useful or not?

Not useful. I only ever use crosspost links to check out the conversation happening in the other journaling site's comments. (In fact, I'm not sure that there is another reason to use crosspost links, though I'm curious to see if anyone else mentions one.)

[dhobikikutti]

Agreed. Though ZOMG if the people who do have comments on both would hurry up and get their cross-links in place it would be nice!

[oyceter]

So agreed! I keep forgetting to check for comments on LJ.

[nightowl]

For what it's worth, I follow you via DW, and like coraa above, I can't think of any reason why your readers would need a link to the LJ if comments are disabled there. But some people have mentioned wanting an easy way to click over to the cross-posted entries in order to make changes there (I imagine because they need to customize their post at LJ), so having the link might be helpful in that respect.

So lucky to be able to travel!!! Alas I can't help with what to see in Korea, but I hope you have lots of fun!

[torachan]

I can't see a reason to put the link unless you have comments open on DW. I would have really loved this feature a couple months ago, but I've closed off comments, too, so it's not useful for me personally. I hope everyone on my flist who has comments open starts using it, though.

[dichroic]

For Korea, mostly what I saw and would recommend are the obvious things: palaces like Gyangbokkung, markets like Namdaemun (less overrun with tourists / American soldiers than Itaewon, as I recall). The War Museum was interesting and educational, though a bit depressing; the folk life museum was good. It was very easy to get around, because the roads and subway have signs in English and Japanese as well as Korean.

Oh, and if you happen to need eyeglasses, apparently Korean is known as a great place to get them. I can vouch that I picked up disposable contacts while I was there without needing a prescription (I just got the same kind I'd been getting in the US; I knew my prescription hadn't changed and at the time I was living in AZ where you need a scrip less than a year old to get contact lenses.)

[laceblade]

The only reason I can think of is, if someone reads you on DW so that they can comment there, but LJ is their main platform and so they want to tag posts in their Memories system there. That's probably not a huge amount of people, though?

[telophase]

Can you put an automatic link on DW going to the LJ crosspost now?

(edit: nevermind, I found it. :D)

[rilina]

The National Museum is very nice, and I feel that at least one of the palaces is obligatory. For markets, try Namdaemun or Dongdaemun--the latter has some 24 hour places, and night is apparently the time to go. I think they have some hanbok stores there, IIRC. There's the manhwa museum near Namsan Tower, and Namsan Tower itself if you are into the long hike + pretty view thing. That area is also known for its donkatsu, and while that's obviously not a traditional Korean food, it's still pretty yummy.

Hongdae is a college area, known for being artsy and having many what few good live music places there are in Seoul. You can go by the Coffee Prince cafe if you like, though I'm told that it's really overpriced! I think they have a street market on certain days with indie artists and crafts and such.

Insadong is a bit overrun with tourists, but is a good place to go for historical trinkets; also, there's a fair amount of decent food. Also a bit touristy but nice for a walk is Cheonggyecheong, the restored creek area in downtown Seoul.

Food: since you'll be there in summer, you should definitely have good naengmyeong and samgyetang.

[issenllo]

For the weekend, I suggest Gyeongju, the ancient capital of the Silla kingdom. Good museums and Bulguksa temple is lovely.

If you don't mind the outdoors, Gaya-san/Kayasan is awesome too.

[troisroyaumes]

Everyone's recommended the places I would mention! I second Gyeongju though if you can make it down there and Insadong is good for buying souvenirs. Also, the Korean Folk Village (Minsokchon) is worth visiting too.

I definitely recommend getting seolleongtang and as much pojangmacha (street cart) food as you can. ^^