Category Archives: Downtown

Downtown Gyeongju photography

Downtown Gyeongju: Photo Slideshow Part 2

05/13/2012 – 21:47
Downtown Gyeongju

Downtown Gyeongju

Oddly, my slideshow last month of photos exploring the grungier, funkier side of Gyeongju’s downtown has turned out to be one of the more popular posts here on Gyeongjublog (which might not be saying much, really). I’m going to keep the write up here brief, as I pretty much said all I had to say about Gyeonju’s downtown as whole in part 1.  Not to mention, I’ve been busy grinding out papers for my Masters courses these last few weeks, so I haven’t had much time for blogging lately. I hope this keeps things from getting too stale until I find a bit more free time.  As promised, here’s part two of the slide show, and if you missed part 1, you can check it out here.  Same as before, you can scroll down through the page to view the slideshow or click on the photo above to start flipping through. Hope you enjoy the photos!

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Downtown Gyeongju history photography tips for tourists

Downtown Gyeongju: Photo Slideshow Part 1

04/21/2012 – 21:35
Downtown Gyeongju

Downtown Gyeongju

This post probably won’t win me any awards from the Korean Tourism Organization, but once upon a time I was a Fine Arts student.  So after the last few weeks of beautifully blossoming cherry trees, please forgive me if I’m in the mood to post something a bit more urban and gritty.  Here’s the first part of a slideshow of I’ve put together of Gyeongju, so you can scroll down or click on the photos for the slideshow viewer.  I wanted to break in my new Nikon D5100 last month and went for a stroll downtown, so most of the photos here are from that shoot.  Also I’ve thrown in a few older pictures that, for some reason or another, haven’t made it up on the blog yet. read more »

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Downtown East Sea history Hwangnam-dong Namsan-dong Ruins & remains Sites to see Statues & carvings Temples & shrines videos

Gyeongju Videos on the Korean Heritage Channel

01/20/2012 – 00:01

 

The other day I was rummaging around on Youtube for videos to fill out a playlist on Gyeongjublog’s fledgling Youtube Channel and I stumbled across some amazing videos on something called the Korean Heritage Channel.  I know I use far too many superlatives on this blog already, but this channel features some of the best promotional videos I’ve seen produced on Korea.   Some might say that’s wouldn’t be too difficult considering the schmaltzy overdubbed travel schlock typically broadcast on Arirang.  However these videos are of a different class entirely.  They’re each brief 2 to 3 minute long vignettes of rich HD footage tastefully edited together with traditional music and subtitled commentary.  read more »

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Arts & crafts Buddhist culture Downtown Gyeongju Gyo-dong shopping tips for tourists

Gyeongju Shopping Guide: Part 2 What to buy?

11/28/2010 – 09:46

Continued from Part 1…

Pottery Shop, Gyeongju

Pottery Shop, Gyeongju

If you’re shopping for gifts or personal mementos in Korea, there are a lot of options.  You could get something functional, like a hand-made tea pot or a brass ware dinner set.  Or, if you’re searching for something ornamental, take a look at the calligraphy scrolls or hand-carved wood work.  The fashion conscious might want to try a Korean “Handbok” dyed with traditional Korean pigments, like Je-ju mud.  However, if you’re looking for something more unique or unusual, here are a few suggestions: read more »

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Downtown Events Music & dance Shamanism

Fall Concert under the Ginkgo Trees

11/23/2010 – 00:00

The other week I posted on an upcoming concert at the Gyeongju Cultural Center (경주문화원) in honor of the changing leaves of  the 500 year old ginkgo tree (은행 나무) on the premises.  As it’s just a short stroll from my house, I manage to pop down there for about half an hour before running to class.  The atmosphere was a little somber as the event seemed somewhere between a cultural performance and religious ritual honoring this ancient dang namu  (당나무),  or tutelary tree spirit.  I actually felt slightly voyeuristic being the only foreigner there.  In fact, aside from the photographers, I didn’t see a single person in the audience that looked younger than 50. read more »

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Arts & crafts Bomun Resort Downtown Gyeongju shopping tips for tourists

Gyeongju Shopping Guide: Part 1 Where to Shop?

11/16/2010 – 23:44
Folkcraft Village, Gyeongju

Folkcraft Village, Gyeongju

Christmas time is just a few months away, which means (for a lot of folks in my country anyways) that it’s time to start shopping for presents.  Korea offers some very unique and interesting gift options for folks back home and I’m not just talking about the kimchi chocolate or plastic fans that you can buy in the airport.  In places like Insa-dong in Seoul you can find everything from Korean antiques and calligraphy to hand-made pottery and high quality green tea.  What you may not know is that Gyeongju is also a great place for gift shopping, and you can usually find things here for a lot cheaper than in the big cities.  The trick is knowing where to shop and what to buy. read more »

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Downtown Events Gyeongju history Korean culture Sites to see Top 10

The Quiet Beauty of the Gyeongju Cultural Center (경주문화원)

11/06/2010 – 20:07
Front Gate, Gyeongju Cultural Center

Front Gate, Gyeongju Cultural Center

Downtown Gyeongju can sometimes seem a mess of cars, cluttered streets and concrete buildings.  Yet tucked behind the Police Station, is the quiet oasis of the Gyeongju Cultural Center (경주문화원) with its lovely traditional architecture and serene gardens.  It has a relaxed, unassuming sort of beauty and, although it’s not quite Bulguksa, it’s home to a fair bit of local history in its own right. read more »

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Downtown Food & drink Gyeongju restaurants shopping tips for tourists

Restaurant Review #14: Ah Sa Ga Tea House (아사가찻집)

10/17/2010 – 07:27
Ah Sa Ga Tea house, Downtown Gyeongju

Ah Sa Ga Teahouse, Downtown Gyeongju

As we’ve been on the topic of tea lately, I figure it’s about time that I post on Ah Sa Ga Tea House (아사가찻집).  Ah Sa Ga is in the middle of Gyeongju’s downtown shopping district, on Bonhwang-ro Culture Street (봉황로).    It’s been open for almost a decade, though I only discovered it a little bit ago myself.   For years, I thought it was a pottery shop, which I hope is excusable as they do actually display and sell tea sets in the front of their shop. read more »

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Downtown Food & drink Gyeongju restaurants tips for tourists

Restaurant Review #13: Sam-po Ssam-bap (삼포 쌈밥)

09/15/2010 – 23:02
Sampo Ssambap Restaurant, Gyeongju

Sampo Ssambap Restaurant, Gyeongju

Looking back on my blog I realize that it’s been months since I’ve posted any restaurant reviews.  To make up for this oversight, I hope this will be the first in a series of reviews that focus on restaurants both unique and accessible to tourists.

Sampo Ssambap Restaurant, Gyeongju

Sampo Ssambap Restaurant, Gyeongju

To start off with, I have to mention group a of “Ssam-bap” (쌈밥) restaurants just east of the Daereungwon (대릉원) parking lot.  If you’ve not had “Ssam-bap” before, it is a culinary force to be reckoned with.  Any Ssam-bap joint worth its salt will bring out no less than 20 plates of Korean side dishes: all known manners of kimchis, veggies, fermented fish, spiced squid, marinated tofu, pickled eggs, and peppered salads along with a couple of dishes of soup and pork or beef. read more »

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Arts & crafts Bomun-dong Buddhist culture Downtown East Sea Food & drink Geumcheok-ri Gyeongju Gyo-dong hiking history Namsan-dong Outside Gyeongju Ruins & remains shopping Sites to see Statues & carvings Temples & shrines tips for tourists tombs Top 10

Itinerary: 10 Days in Gyeongju

08/06/2010 – 15:35
Tongdosa Temple, South of Gyeongju

Tongdosa Temple, South of Gyeongju

Not to become a broken record or anything, but most tourists just bounce down to Gyeongju for a long weekend, hit up the big tourist sites, and head home Sunday night. It’s a shame really. You can barely even scratch the surface of what Gyeonju has to offer in 2 days. To finally prove what I’ve been harping on so long, I’ve cooked up a 10 day itinerary for visitors to Gyeongju. That’s right: over a week and a half of things to see and do in the area.  If you don’t have 10 days, feel free to pick and choose what suites your liking.  But here are some ideas for exploring a deeper side of Gyeongju and Korea as a whole. read more »

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