ummatravels

Chill & Aesthetic Seoul, Part 2: Hannam-dong, Itaewon & Haebangchon Chill & Aesthetic Seoul, Part 2: Hannam-dong, Itaewon & Haebangchon Quiet money on the hillside, the most international street in the country, and a pojangmacha-alley market that never really changed — and that's exactly the point. If Seongsu-dong is Seoul at its most forward-facing, then the triangle of Hannam-dong, Itaewon, and Haebangchon is Seoul at its most layered. These three neighborhoods sit almost on top of each other on the south slope of Namsan — you can walk between all of them in twenty minutes — and yet they feel completely different. Old money and quiet boutiques in Hannam. The whole world squeezed onto one main street in Itaewon. And then Haebangchon, still a little rough around the edges, still a little local, still doing its thing despite everything that's happened to the neighborhoods around it. I've had some of my favorite Seoul meals in this ...

Chill & Aesthetic Seoul, Part 1: Seongsu-dong & Seoul Forest Brick warehouses, dinosaur-sized concept stores, Pokemon hiding in the trees, and the Seoul that actually lives and breathes. Every city has a neighborhood that feels like it's running about five years ahead of everywhere else. In Seoul, right now, that place is Seongsu-dong. Ten years ago this was a light industrial district — leather workshops, shoe factories, small machine parts suppliers. The buildings were low and gritty and functional. Rents were cheap enough that artists and café owners started creeping in. Then the concept stores arrived. Then the pop-ups. Then the flagship brands. Now Seongsu has a 14-story spaceship of a building sitting on one of its main streets, and there's still a shoe repair shop two doors down from it, and somehow that contrast is exactly why the whole neighborhood works. I come here a lot. Sometimes for coffee, sometimes for something specific, sometimes j...

Youthful Seoul: Hongdae, Seodaemun & Yeonnam — The Neighborhood I Used to Visit at Night, Now With Kids in Tow in the AM Street art, dinosaur bones, a waterfall café, and the best fried eggplant in the city. Yes, all in one neighborhood. I'm going to be honest with you: Hongdae is the neighborhood of my past life. In my twenties, I knew which clubs had the best lineups, which pojangmacha stayed open until sunrise, and which streets sounded like a live concert at midnight on a Saturday. I wasn't thinking about stroller-friendly paths or where to find mild food for a tired five-year-old. And then I became a mom. And now when I visit Hongdae, I'm there by 10am, I leave before 9pm, and I'm mostly looking for a good museum and somewhere the kids can run around. The funny thing is — I actually love it more now. Because this part of Seoul isn't just about the clubs. Hongdae and the surrounding neighborhoods (Seodaemun-gu and Yeonnam-dong, which ble...

Modern & Trendy Seoul: Your Family Guide to Gangnam, Apgujeong & Cheongdam K-drama streets, Michelin-starred dinners, cult cafés, and yes — you can absolutely bring your kids. Let me tell you something that surprises people: Gangnam is actually great with kids. I know the reputation — sleek, expensive, high-heeled, the kind of neighborhood where everyone looks like they just stepped off a runway. And yes, that's real. But underneath all of that is a genuinely fun, endlessly walkable part of the city with incredible food, world-class cafés, beautiful parks, and a lot of things to see that your children will absolutely lose their minds over. I'm talking about beautifully designed dessert cafés. Jeju black pork grilled at your table by someone who actually knows what they're doing. Bagels with a two-hour queue that somehow still feel worth it. And a Michelin two-star restaurant where my kids sat through a full tasting menu and behaved better than some ...

Historic Seoul: Palaces, Hanok Villages, and the Best Spots to Eat With Kids Your Korean Umma's guide to Gyeongbokgung, Bukchon, Insadong, and Jongno — with little ones in tow. So, I have dragged my two kids through every major palace, hanok alley, and traditional teahouse in this city. My 8-year-old now knows the difference between Joseon and Goryeo dynasty architecture. My 5-year-old just likes the cool rooftops because they look like "dragon hats." Both of them have eaten everything I've put in front of them in this part of Seoul. Historic Seoul — the area around Gyeongbokgung, Bukchon, Insadong, and Jongno — is where I always bring first-time visitors. It's the heart of what makes Seoul different from every other modern city in Asia. Here, 600 years of Korean history isn't behind glass in a museum. It's the street you're walking on, the building you're eating in, the gate you're standing under. And the food? Some of the be...