Walking Seoul October 2024. Seongsu - "The Brooklyn of Seoul".
Faces of Seoul.
More Seoul posts are here. And here.
Occasionally after nature walks, I like to explore “cool” urban areas, popular with young people, more locals than tourists, full of cafes and street art, and food from all around the world. Throw in the riverside location and I am totally in.
One such suburb in Seoul is Seongsu.
Seongsu neighborhood (Seongsu-dong) administratively belongs to Seocho-gu (one of the 25 districts of Seoul, the largest by area). Seongsu covers around 5 sqm and is home to Seoul Forest, Opera House and Seongsu Art Hall. The suburb used to be a site with many shoe factories and warehouses which were later repurposed to boutique shops and cafes, hence a nickname of the area as “Brooklyn of Seoul”.
Unlike another popular hipster area, but more on the chic side, Garosu-gil with its straight parallel streets, Seongsu still has some semi-industrial feel and is hard to navigate. It is a labyrinth of small alleys, bigger streets and connections between them.
I recommend starting to explore Seongsu from Tukseom Hangang Park. You can get there by taking MRT to Jayang (Tukseom Hangang Park) station. Then there is a nice walk towards Seoul Forest along the river.
I am already liking my choice of route for today. The overwhelming joy of being in a new place. Does it happen to you?
As usual in Seoul, there are paths for walkers and for cyclists.
But you can walk along elevation path also which is pedestrian only.
Fitness corner.
Observation deck ahead, I am definitely going there.
On the left I can clearly see Lotte World Tower (the world 6th tallest building boasting 123 floors).
On the right, more modest Namsan tower with beautiful park around featuring plenty of walking trails.
And behind me are the grey silhouettes of Bukhansan, literal translation - “a mount north of Han River”.
By the way, Bukhansan is the closest to Seoul “serious” mountain to climb for the enthusiasts. It is the highest in Seoul reaching up over 800 m.
I am returning to the path behind the observation point. Here is a sign pointing to Seoul Forest. Easy.
Soon I am inside Seoul Forest.
Formerly an industrial site for water treatment, the park was open in 2005 and now is one the largest green urban spaces in Seoul. It is made of four parks.
I walked through Park 1 and cross the bridge via a pond.
Here starts what I called a small “Café Street”. I switch on my autopilot and start roaming.
Well, since I’m on “Cafe Street “, it makes sense to cast anchor somewhere.
Autopilot turns my head up left. Looks good if not great.
The cake (forgot the name) and the coffee were excellent.
Afterwards I did not try to follow any direction. Just wandered, brushing shoulders with the spots which smelled good.
Or just colorful.
I did make a note of the name of one street which looked like the main thoroughfare.
It is called Yeonmujang-gil. The street is long and runs through Seongsu suburb starting from Tukseom station. Later I learned that this street actually is official “Cafe Street” of Seongsu.
Some creative designs.
Grandpa cafe is one of the most popular and eye-catching establishments in Seongsu. A former factory it now features a very large courtyard and a treehouse.
Another popular “industrial” cafe (formerly a rice mill) is Daellim Changgo.
Now Seongsu nickname as “the Brooklyn of Seoul” started to make more sense. Now when I made myself briefly familiar with the area, I will definitely come again. During the next trip.
Time to go home. On the map I find Konkuk Uni station and start walking there.
Interestingly, after the sign pointing to the alley of Chinese style restaurants. the environment suddenly changes. It is like the arch is a border between somewhat bohemian and creative suburb and its more down to earth neighbor.
I felt like I was transported to Kunming or Chengdu in China. People in plain clothes, smoking, trading and chatting. Hearty Chinese food with Korean accent.
Seoul has many faces indeed!
You almost made me feel like going to Seoul one more time.