Seattle: AJ's Day out around Capitol Hill

Capitol Hill is one of the trendier neighborhoods of Seattle, rife with hipsters, indie cafes, local coffee shops, tongue-in-cheek gay bars with outlandish names, a weekly farmer's market, and SO MUCH ART! There's a lot to do around the area, and parking isn't exactly the easiest thing to find, or cheapest if you end up having to opt for one of the long-term parking lots, but there is so much to see and do in the area that it ends up being almost kind of totally worth the exorbitant parking rates depending on what you do or the day you visit. I had a gig to attend to, so I was going to be busy for at least 3 hours, while Antho was free to roam around the area and partake of the local culture. He had a lot of fun and got a ton of awesome photos capturing the colorful vibe and ecclectic nature of the area. 

On our way to get there, we passed this friendly fellow who was happily feeding the gulls. He'd forged a sort of kinship with the birds, and was ensuring they got plenty of snacks on this awkward little bit of corner. We had a nice chat with him before we moved on with the flow of traffic, and I like to think he's carrying on a piece of Ivar's legacy, as the founder of Ivar's was a fan of seagulls, too. 

One of the first things to catch Antho's eye during his explorations were the streetlights and posts, which were predominantly wrapped up in deep layers of flyers. Each proceeding generation of flyer had seemingly just been stapled, spackled, or otherwise smashed on top of the previous generation, causing the heavily trafficked corners to have poles over-stuffed in decaying layers of flapping paper, advertising months, if not years, worth of local events and entertainment. There is no order to the chaos, other than the chronological necessity of the most recent things landing on top of the pile, only to be covered up by the next big thing. 

So it goes. 

Plenty of photos below!

Korea: Bukchon Hanok village part one

If you want to experience the beauty of an earlier time in Seoul's history, Bukchon Hanok Village is a great spot to do so! The buildings lining the streets of this lovely little enclave are meticulously and lovingly preserved over the decades. The style of buildings dates back all the way to the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897) and they're absolutely stunning! It's an easily accessible area, too, a short walk from Anguk station. The streets themselves can be quite steep, so be prepared for a bit of a hike, but it's well worth it. There are many shops, restaurants, museums and cultural centers throughout the area and it would be a shame to miss out on any. I spent several hours walking up and down the hills, checking out all the buildings and marveling at the intersection of modern and historic. While many of the buildings have been converted for public use, I believe some are still privately owned. I touched the edge of this area on my first visit to Seoul, but didn't venture too far in. I didn't know what I was missing then, but I'm glad I made the time to go while living there!

This area is close to SO MANY different areas that are worth checking out while in Seoul! There's Insadong for the arts and crafts, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace, and Jongmyo shrine immediately nearby but if you're willing to walk a little bit you're also quite close to Gwangjang and Dongdaemun markets. The trains and busses in Seoul are also exceptionally handy in getting around, so while you are certainly welcome to hop in a taxi it's not really necessary (in my humble opinion, but Antho and I did walk across San Francisco once). I found Seoul to be an excellent city for taking in via walking, even when I found my way into some dark and shuttered corners. There's a lot of beauty in Seoul and sometimes it's best to just slow it down and take it in by walking, and Bukchon Hanok Village is an especially ideal locale for this. Everyone I encountered was pleasant and respectful, even the random kitty cat who forced his affections on me (despite my severe allergy, I didn't protest it). 

There are plenty of places to grab a cool, refreshing beverage while here, too, in case you visit during the warmer months. Towards the end of my walk I even spotted a couple of bars and things, but that's as I got closer to the main roads where modern Seoul resumes it's ppari-ppari pace. I highly recommend taking an afternoon to pound the streets... there are even especially marked locations for ideal Instagram photos!