Checking in: Seoul

I think I sound like a broken record when I bemoan how my time in "x" city was too short, but I really felt that in Seoul. I went in with zero expectations (besides expecting to eat some damn good soondubu – which I did) but was quite blown away by the museums, food, design, how cheap everything was, and how modern everything felt.

I started my trip at the Grand Hyatt, which was located fairly centrally to many of the things I wanted to do. For instance, you can walk to the Leeum Museum from there, though the walk back is up a gnarly hill. The views are beautiful and the light in the restaurant is insane in the morning.



For the second half of my stay, I moved over to the Park Hyatt which is located in the Gangnam financial district of Seoul. There's something terribly luxurious about a bathroom that's bigger than your NYC studio. After checking in to a handful of hotels this year, I've come to realize I really do appreciate an unnecessarily large bathroom and shower that lets me spread out shamelessly. Though the location was a little less convenient, taxis were incredibly cheap (being stuck in traffic and going way across town for an hour would still only cost $17 USD or so) so it wasn't a problem.



(How beautiful is this staircase? I came across so many well-designed staircases during my short stay; no detail was spared!)

For me, it's fun to check out different neighborhoods so I don't mind the hassle of moving hotels mid-way through a stay, though it does cut into exploring time. There are still so many museums I want to visit and I didn't even scratch the surface with other visual attractions. I'm so looking forward to getting back there (especially as I've been completely ruined with Korean food and can't even think about having it in NY right now!).

*Lingered Upon received a press discount at the aforementioned Hyatt properties.