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Ode to Jonggak StationJun 12 '06 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line This is a great subway stop in a city of great subway stops. Ode to Jonggak Station I wish I had discovered the joys of Jonggak Station earlier in my tenure here. It requires one transfer to get to from my home station, but once you are there you never have to go above ground and you’ll have access to 2 large bookstores, numerous little shops, and a couple of food options (including a Family Mart convenience store.) If you go up to street level, you’re in the vicinity of Jongno and Insadong where shopping and eating options abound. It’s a surprisingly nice station too though it’s also a haven for homeless people. Mostly, Korean homeless people are not aggressive though on rare occasions they will shout or get in your face. And they aren’t enough to make you want to avoid Jonggak If you arrive at Jonggak via the subway, you’ll come up to the turnstiles to exit into the station. Both northbound and southbound exit at the same place but on opposite side of the hall. If you turn one direction you will go up a short flight of stairs and be faced with 2 parallel halls. Each hall is lined with shops on both sides. Mostly they sell clothing, but there is an optometrist and at least 2 tchotchky shops mixed in. The prices in the clothing shops range from $5 to if you have to ask, you can’t afford it. Good rule of thumb, if the clothes are artfully arranged inside the store or if there are very few clothing items in the space, you can’t afford it. At the end of those halls there are stairs to the left and the right. If you go up the stairs to the left you will arrive on the street with a Subway (sub shop) immediately to your left. Insadong is straight ahead about a block and a half. There are a couple of little vendors that are worth checking out. Right in front of the subway exit is a woman who sells really cute socks. A bit further along is a man who sells the most amazing little brass wire sculptures. If you go up the stairs on the right you are in the Jongno club area. You’ll have to double back a little to get to the giant piano keys in the middle of the area, but you’re there. But this area is going to have to be its own essay. We’re talking about the station. Though, before we abandon street level completely, if you exit through Exit 1 and walk straight down the street you will come to the door of Fresco. The restaurant is on the second floor and the food is quite tasty (except for the carbonara, which is on the watery side. Oh and the pizza is really light.) Inside the station there are 2 bookstores, Yongpyeon and Bandi & Luni’s. Bandi & Luni’s is the better known of the two. It spills out of the store and into a skylit atrium in front. They keep all their bargain books out there and it’s worth checking out because you can pick up some good stuff very cheap. The English language section is pretty nice. What’s better is the food court area upstairs. Largely it’s Korean food, but there’s also a coffee shop, a not very good frozen yogurt shop, and a Family Mart convenience store. The convenience store is just a convenience store, but it’s great to have access to when you need a cheap bottle of water. The food court area also makes for a great place to take a rest, though they tend to have the music up a little loud. The other bookstore is my personal preference. It’s at the same end of the station as Bandi & Luni’s. The English language section is about on par with Bandi & Luni’s, but Youngpong has a really nice stationary and gift area. They also have a Starbuck’s, a Baskin Robbin’s and a Dunkin’ Donuts. There used to be a Schlotsky’s, but recently vecame a Schlotzky’s Han’s Deli, which serves Korean food and some pasta. The seating area is divided up among the different establishments, but it’s all very comfortable. Sadly, they don’t have the selection of bargain books. If you enter Youngpong from the subway station, you’ll need to go downstairs to get to the English language section and the eating area. The staff is also very helpful when they can understand what you’re asking for. Also, right outside the bookstore, inside the station, is a little shop that sells waffles. Waffles in Korea aren’t for breakfast, they’re served as a snack. Order one, for about a dollar, and you will get on waffle, smeared with butter and syrup, folded in half and wrapped in either a napkin or a folded paper plate. Very tasty. While Jonggak Station probably isn’t going to make it on the average tourist’s itinerary, it is a good thing to know about if you happen to be in Insadong or Jongno and in need of a quiet place to rest for a few minutes. It’s really handy if you happen to be here for a longer time. Jonggak is a great place to go during those long cold days when you need to get out, but don’t want to actually face the weather. Plus, it happens to be one of my favorite places to just hang out. Just know that you’re going to see a lot of homeless people.  |
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