Hongik and Namdaemun Market

I had been interested in seeing Hongik. Hongik University is a pretty big school, and like UT Austin, has stimulated its surroundings into catering to the students. Walking from the subway station towards the school, we were surrounded by shops, mostly clothing and fashion, but media stores, restaurants, and bars were in the mix.

Walking towards Hongik University

Catering to those restless college students.

Don't forget the boys...

There are lots of things to do here.

Just like the rest of seoul that I've seen, every side street is just as loaded with stores and shops as any main road.

The fashion shopping here is very trendy. Many shops feature some kind of gimmick to grap the attention of passers-by. 

Some fun graffiti.

American fast food abound. Also available were Taco Bell, Subway, Dunkin Donuts, and TGI Friday.

More graffiti that caught my eye.

Finally made it to Hongik University. This large structure hovers over the main entrance.

Under the entrance tunnel.

There wasn't any real motivation to venture very far into the campus, so I snagged a shot of the building with the school name for formality's sake.

There was a neat sculpture though.

Noticed this guy on the roof of a shop on the way out of the campus and back into the shopping area.

The stairway to TGI Friday.

iPhone5? O RLY?!?! .... ಠ_ಠ

There may or may not have been actual cats in there.

Obviously a fun part of town.

More street art.

Again, this place reminds me of the area around UT. Great shopping and lots of cool, fun things to see and do, and there is always that little bit of grunge.

Our next target was Namdaemun Market, a hustle and bustle place full of vendors trying to convince you to buy their stuff. But first, we had to find it.

Ahhhh. There it is.

Lots of people. Lots of stuff.

Like any backstreet market, there were several shops all selling the same knock-off designer handbags.

Then, out of nowhere, we spotted a 반데기 cart.

These cute little things are the larvae of silk worms. Definitely worth trying, but I wouldn't eat them again. Not that they are bad. They're just not very good. They have the texture of maybe a bean with a little more crunch if the shell isn't cooked enough.

Namdaemun probably never ends. We found some deep dark areas that thankfully had places to eat before heading home.

My legs were still feeling the climb to Seoul Tower from the day before, so I was happy to get home and grab a little nap. The crew followed me on a quest to get some cool shots of the city at night, but unfortunately what I ended up with wasn't all that good. I still need more practice with low light environments. Anywho, I'll be here doing my thing. Thanks for following me.

~Let's get lost. 잘가