Lunar New Year 2014: My first time... in Seoul - Part I

This past lunar new year's weekend I jumped at the opportunity to take my first trip to Seoul. After three and a half months of living in Korea and having yet to visit the country's capital, it was about time. Thursday afternoon my friends Katherine,Guissell and I  took an express bus to the city, hopped on the subway, and after some minor wandering in search of our hotel we finally found the Pencil Mini Hotel nestled in a quiet alley in Hongdae: a nondescript building which housed a cozy yet modern hotel/hostel combination.

After settling in our first stop was the foreign district Itaewon for some long-awaited Mexican food. My friend Guissell recommended a place called Tacos Amigos, which is a tiny but appeared to be an incredibly popular foreigner establishment. There were about eight tables in the entire place and was easily 90 percent filled with foreigners. My favorite part about Tacos Amigos is the abundant offer of vegan and vegetarian options. In my small town finding one or two meat-free meals can be hard to come by, but the pages upon pages of burritos, tostadas and fajitas almost left me feeling overwhelmed. I finally settled on a salsa verde enchilada and double lime margarita. After voraciously consuming the entirety of my meal (which also came with a side of tortilla chips and rice) I have concluded that Tacos Amigos is one of the better Mexican restaurants I have had in Korea.

Katherine, probably regretting getting the alcohol-free horchata. I'm perfectly happy with this margarita.

A crisp beer to conclude a mild night.

Since we were a little worn-out from traveling the three of us headed back to Hongdae before the subways closed at 11 p.m. On our way back to the hotel a curious-looking bar by the name of Beer and Plates caught our eye. Only the owner and his friend were inside, but they welcomed us in and we settled down at a table near the window, overlooking an alley.The menu listed three kinds of beer, a blonde, pilsner and a lager. Guissel and I both ordered the pilsner-like beer, which after drinking months of Cass was delightful, not to mention only cost 3,000\ a pint.

Although my first night in Seoul was low-key, (low-key as in only staying out until 2 a.m.) it was pleasant. Stay tuned for details on the rest of my much more exciting and at times sketchy conclusion to my first weekend in here.