The Korean Melrose Avenue – Garosugil Street 신사동
There’s nice little lane in Seoul where people crowd the sidewalks to shop, eat, and play. Yet, there could be a few places in Seoul that describe it. But Garosugil Street 신사동 in the Sinsa-dong District 가로수길 is distinctively different.
There’s a poshness without the stuck-up pretension, hip & cool without the goth, and European feel without the trash. Garosugil feels a little like Melrose Avenue of Los Angeles with some of the little boutique stores, coffee shops, and restaurants. You don’t see many large franchised or big named western businesses here. And that’s good. Seoul has its own style. I know Taiwanese, Chinese, and perhaps even the Japanese follow Korean fashion and style through TV dramas, maybe even from the stores from Garosugil.
Though the winter days have slowed some of the foot traffic, you still see bundled up groups of young people parousing, strolling, and cruising this famous street. I heard it gets really crowded on the weekends on a nice day.
This is also the area where I saw a couple of guys upholding the Korean custom of holding their girlfriend’s purse. This funny custom is a common deed in which the girlfriend will give their purse, bag, or sack, (or all of them) to their boyfriends while walking. I know it maybe seen elsewhere in the world, but in Korea its like a birthright for females to bestow their handbags to their subservient males…Anyways…I chuckled when I saw that on Garosugil Street…(and yes, I have done it, too)
I hope to visit Garosugil Street again on my next visit. But I hope that I come when it is warmer and the street is more crowded. Another good thing would just be to people watch… I think that’d be fun.
Garosugil Street 신사동 in the Sinsa-dong District 가로수길
#gallery-2 { margin: auto; } #gallery-2 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 20%; } #gallery-2 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-2 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; }
