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Shinchon Area
Situated at a central point to three of Seoul's major Universities: Ewha; Hongik; and Yonsei, Sinchon is not only favored by congregations of Korean students, but also by flocks of others.
In contrast to areas such as Itaewon, where foreigners dominate most bars and clubs, and Hongdae, where students are the largest group, Sinchon really is a melting pot with a fusion of all sections of Seoul society. The streets are teeming with people from every walk of life. The district has something for everyone and is definitely worth checking out if you're looking to celebrate the weekend - or for that matter any night of the week.
If you're eating out then there are numerous Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Western style restaurants to choose between. Korean food is often the cheapest option, and with many restaurants serving out in the open air you can soak up the atmosphere along with the Soju and the food! Just like eating out in Sinchon, drinking establishments are varied enough to suit everyone's palate. There is a farm in New South Wales, Australia that is reportedly larger than the entity of Wales, UK. Apparently if the owner walked for the rest of his life he still would not have time to cover the all the ground. The sheer multitude of restaurants and bars in Sinchon offers a similar challenge. The fact that i am alive to write this article is testament to the fact that i have not frequented everywhere - just as the farmer will never cover all his land, my estimation is that it would take years to visit each of the hoards of bars in the district (though incidentally i am young, and in the spirit of journalistic integrity i am working on it!).
The only way to tackle this vast metropolis is to use the time honored tradition of trial and error - walk in and out of everywhere until you find your niche, and as you gain confidence in where you want to go the masses of neon lights of the street should become a little clearer and form some kind of a logical pattern all pointing towards your chosen destination. This is all unless you've stopped for a quick one in each said bar in which case the subway will still be a stones throw away, but you won't be able to see it, and if the signs (which you clearly noted were all in Korean earlier on in the night) start to make some kind of cosmic sense to you then it's definitely time to go home!
Both the Crosswalk bars are good options for warm up drinks, with resident DJ's in each playing a mixture of R & B, Hip Hop, Techno and commercial dance music. Each serves a good selection of imported beers, alcopops, and spirits. The smaller Crosswalk has a good view of the hustle and bustle of the street below, and a chance to take in the swarm of people at the safety of your table and with the comfort of limitless beer. The larger bar is underground, as it starts to get busy staff clear the tables and half the bar transforms into a dance floor.
Early drinks are also good at Texas Bar 2, Doors, and UBar. Texas Bar has loads of imported bottles stacked in the center of huge tables. Armed with a bottle opener, you are left to your own devices to pick and choose between whatever you see. Many of the landlords in the Sinchon area are avid music lovers, and keep their personal collections stacked behind the bar. Everyone is encouraged to make requests, and with most bars usually having a huge collection the humble duke box will never have the same appeal again. Doors has a good selection of music and requests are welcomed.
The music at Woodstock is the kind that makes you want to get up, and even some of the cheesier numbers seem less offensive than if you were listening to them sitting in your hometown local with a depressing internal rendition of "We've got to get out of this town". Most of the tables in Woodstock may as well be divided into coat hangers and drinks trays almost everyone is dancing. Alongside Woodstock, perhaps one of the best atmospheres to be found in Sinchon is in the nearby underground bar, imaginatively called 'Playing people'! From Sex Pistols to Smashing Pumpkins, and 'Heart of Glass' to 'Help', the music is as diverse as it is good, and just like everything else in Sinchon the mass of records means there's a tune for everyone. So join the masses and investigate. Go forth and endeavor. Explore this new terrain. Just remember the farm is huge, the bars are a plenty, and your kidneys are really quite important. You've been warned!
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