Seoul Adventures: Graffiti, Noodles, and a Street Corner
woke up at 6:30 to a sky blushing peach-another day in Seoul, where the neon never sleeps but the markets feel like they’re stuck in 1973. the hum of subways clashing with monks chanting at the nearby temple made my head feel like a drum solo. i’m here as a street artist, so my compass is always pointing toward murals. tried the bap at this tiny spot near Euljiro-they wrapped it in a newspaper sleeve, which felt authentically rough. okay, maybe that’s just seoul’s vibe: functional chaos.
i just checked and it’s 19.91°C right now, hoping that’s your kind of climate. feels like 19.11 when the wind hits the Namsan Tower, which is weird because the temp min and max are both 19.91? someone told me that’s new-probably caused by the construction near the Gwangjang Market. humidity’s at 44%, which is nice. not too sticky, not too dry. pressure’s 1016, whatever that means. maybe it’s why the air feels like it’s holding its breath.
bought a bun from the guy pushing a cart near the Myeongdong Cathedral. he gave me a free ginseng chocolate stick-crazy, right? locals say he’s a ghost. or maybe it’s the rumors. someone warned me the alley near his cart used to be haunted. now it’s just TikTok dancers and stalls selling fake BTS merch.
finally hit the street art district. the walls here are like a second language. saw a mural of a cyclops with a subway map for an eye. asked a guy in a denim apron why he didn’t tag it himself. he shrugged and said, ‘the city owns the paint now.’ funny, since the government spends more on roadkill removal than public art. pressure’s 1016 again-maybe that’s why the spray cans feel heavier.
had to dip late because my friend’s studio near Hongdae was flooded. woke up to a ceiling of rainwater and mold. the intern said, ‘we used to skate there until the cops turned it into a gentrification hotspot.’ neighbors from the apartment above filmed the leak on their phones and posted it to Cracked.com. viral sensations, honestly.
pro-tips: *don’t go to the Seoul Sky at sunset. crowds suck. go to the photobooth in Dongdaemun Design Plaza. snap one with the giant lens-a real-time orbit of the city. and if you’re lost, just follow the smell of tteokbokki*. it’s the easiest map you’ll ever find.
someone told me the sannakji (live octopus) at Gwangjang Market is banned in 7 provinces. I didn’t care. brought back a skewer of squid to my hostel and cried while eating it in the hallway. the staff said it was ‘young love.’ i’m starting to think Seoul’s a city built on weirdness and misplaced priorities. next stop: Busan. if you get bored, Busan’s beaches are a short train ride. but if you’re me? I’m chasing the noise. the static. the thing that keeps you human when the world’s just pixels on a screen.
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