Vita in Vitro: Dongdaemun

Dongdaemun is really close to our goshiwon - about 30 minutes by walk and 5 minutes by subway, so it became one of our favorite hang-out spots. We haven't had the opportunity to do a 24-hour tour of Dongdaemun, but next year we surely will. I mean, there are malls that don't open until late evening and don't close until the first rays of sun. Add designer platforms, exhibition halls, cafes, concerts, clubs, restaurants, street food, stages, a historical gate and a couple of traditional street markets.

The wholesale markets have really strong fabric conditioning agent smell and most stalls sell exactly the same thing as their neighbour, but none of them display prices - so it's a little hard to compare unless you want to go around and ask every single one of them. Also, at 9:30, it's still totally dead and half of the shops is not even open.

Doota - we haven't been inside since they closed it for reparations when we were actually planning to go in.

Dongdaemun History and Culture Park

New Mall

In one of the side streets near the major malls we found this cute café - though I'm not sure if I can recommend it. The interior is really nice, the non-smoking part is well separated from the smokers and the service was friendly, but I was served ice coffee instead of the hot one I ordered and the dessert was apparently cut from a frozen cake - which wouldn't be unusual - but it was still frozen when the garcon brought it, which is a no-no. It wasn't supposed to be an ice cream cake.

Innisfree limited edition Transformers face masks for men! (Wow, this sounds like an eBay description.)

Princess Happy Ending display at Etude House - they did a great job with the design! The empty holes usually have the items that are being sold as part of the edition in book-shaped packaging.

Design Plaza - we expected to see mostly work of young Korean designers but there were both less and more famous design studios from all over the world. The prices range from affordable to hella expesive.