01. As befits elite areas, Gangnam is replete with designer towers, expensive boutiques and wealthy shopaholics. We can probably end with this phrase, since it succinctly characterizes these places. But still,
02. There are really a lot of different high-rise buildings here. But they are relatively low here. For example, KYOBO Tower is only 117 meters and 26 floors. 
03. But the unusual design has been decorating the area for more than 11 years, since 2003. 
04. Many Koreans, no, no, throw their heads up, looking at the high-rise building. 
06. It turned out that a different Korea was located, parallel to the main avenues. 
07. The weighty telephone and telegraph poles immediately caught my eye, 
08. and a huge number of Asian-European signs inviting you to try something delicious. 
09. Oh yes, everywhere you look, there are temptations everywhere.) 
10. Behind the front streets, there is indeed a whole network of small streets and alleys leading mainly to the residential part of the prestigious area. But I won’t go there, what should I do there? Removing high fences?) 
11. Wow! Parking. I assume that it works on the principle of an elevator. 
12. After wandering around the backyard for a bit, 
13. I again get out to the front streets. On the left is the headquarters of the signs of the Korean company Samsung. 
14. However, in this part there is a whole cluster of high-rise buildings belonging to the Samsung company. 
15. Meanwhile, shouldn’t we take the metro a couple of stops? As many as four branches of the Seoul Subway pass through the territory of Gangnam, and there are as many as 20 stations. There is plenty to choose from! 
15. But we won’t eat far, we’ll get off at the next station, let’s call it Universitetskaya (real name Seoul Nat"l Univ. of Education, 2nd line) 
16. This part looks more like an expensive residential area. Which in other ways is probably true. 
20. I return back to Gangnam station along Seocho-daero Avenue, looking around at everything. 
21. Mostly, of course, designer towers, for example Boutique Monaco, a 27-story residential tower built here in 2008. 
22. And standing next to it, literally exciting the imagination - Seocho Garak Tower East. If you believe the guidebooks, the office building hides as many as 8 floors underground. 
23. What can be hidden there, and even on eight whole floors!?) 
25. On the roads, if you look closely, this is the real kingdom of the Korean Hyundai. 
26. Teheran-ro or Tehran Street begins immediately after the Gangnam metro station. It's a local landmark in its own right. 
27. The offices of the largest South Korean and international corporations are located along it. Many people call it the “Tehran Valley”, by analogy with the “Silicon Valley” in the United States. More than half of the country's venture capital is invested in companies located on Tehran Street. 
28. I was pleased with the completeness of the area. I don't see any active construction sites here. 
29.That’s why I get a pleasant impression of the area. It’s beautiful, modern, comfortable and varied here) 
30. Let's not forget about alleys and courtyards! 
31. A little away from Teheran-ro, and it’s a different picture. The desertedness of the streets on a Sunday evening is a little surprising. 
32. Restaurants and bars are almost empty. 
33. And the parallel streets are deserted. 
34. The curve of my walk unexpectedly led me to a beautiful classical cathedral, 
35. which turned out to be Chunghyeon Presbyterian Church nearby. The building was most likely built not so long ago, but its size and appearance are certainly impressive! 
36. Back to the facades, heading towards Teheran-ro. 
37. Such nice contrasts can be found in the Gangnam-gu area. By the way, this name is simply translated as “the area south of the river.” Where is the Han River, which divides the city of Seoul into two parts, and along whose embankment we 
38. Towards the end, when I was about to go to the airport, the 228-meter Trade Tower, built in 1988, caught my eye. One of the tallest buildings in Seoul (9th in the ranking). 
39. Today I finish talking about wonderful Seoul. I liked the city, and I will definitely come back here again, see everything I didn’t see and tell you about everything I didn’t tell you about - unless, of course, you get ahead of me!) 
South Korea attracts tourists with its beautiful nature, ancient Buddhist temples, Confucian centers, cuisine and very interesting culture. But many tourists, especially from Asian countries, visit South Korea to have fun, plunge into the whirlpool of club life and shop in fashionable stores at fairly high prices. Recently, even a certain South Korean style has emerged - “Gangnam” or “Gangnam” after the name of a respectable district of Seoul, where young people from different cities of South Korea come to go clubbing. Gangnam style has become synonymous with a luxurious lifestyle. This fashion has also affected many European countries, especially after the resounding success of Park Chae San's song (Psy), which became one of the most famous in the world.
The word "Gangnam" itself means "the area south of the river." But the Gangnam area is one of the most famous for shopping and entertainment. Here you will find a lot of stores of famous brands: Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci, Prada and so on. The prices in these boutiques are probably no different from other stores of the same brands in other capitals of the world. But buying anything in the Gangnam area means entering a luxurious lifestyle. Therefore, numerous shopping centers and restaurants are usually filled with visitors.
If you are a fan of shopping malls, then you should definitely visit Shinsege, located in the center of Seoul. Despite the fact that this is the oldest department store in the capital of South Korea - it was built in 1930, it, rebuilt and updated, is also a symbol of Gangnam. On the ground floor of this fourteen-story shopping center is a huge food court and grocery store. Before you conquer the stores of famous brands, you need to eat well. If you decide to go shopping at night, you can have a meal at half price in the food court. Many shops and restaurants are open at night. There are enough stores of famous American and European brands in Shinseg, but since you are in South Korea, we advise you to look for clothes from local couturiers. In the stores of the shopping center you can find outfits that may not be suitable for Korean girls due to their transparency and openness, but will look quite decent on European representatives of the fairer sex, especially since they can get them at a big discount. On each floor of this large shopping center there are rest areas for shoppers, which are full of bored husbands - their wives have been enjoying their shopping for too long.
For those who like traditional shopping for “something to remember,” Seoul's central Insadong district, famous for its artists and craftsmen, may be the place to go. In shops located in this area of the capital of South Korea, you can buy things such as tea sets, boxes and other artistic items. You can simply walk along the street and look into each store, looking at the goods with interest. It's worth checking out the Ssamzigil store, which sells handicrafts made by indigenous Koreans. In this shopping center you can find traditional Korean clothes hanbok, products with Korean calligraphy, in this store under the roof there is a cafe where you can snack on noodles or eat ice cream, and also watch the life that is in full swing outside. The Insadong area is famous among Korean youth. The main street of Garugo-sil, lined with the famous Korean ginseng tree, is lined with expensive boutiques and trendy bars. If you want to buy souvenirs for friends and family, Insadong is the perfect place to do it. On store shelves you can find various interesting products, such as alarm clocks in the shape of fancy animals, stylish kitchenware and colorful stationery.
Lovers of Korean culture can be advised to go to Samseong-dong. This scenic area is the former village of Bokjeon, where the rulers of the Joseon Dynasty settled their servants. Some houses in the area have been restored to their original condition and are open to the public every day. In the stores you can buy modern cheap jewelry, bags and various fun accessories. While walking around the area, you can visit the National Museum of Folk Art and have a snack in a youth cafe.
For budget shopping, you can choose Myeongdong, which is the central shopping street in the capital of South Korea. You don’t even have to leave the subway to start shopping. Already in the subway you will find a huge selection of shops and fashion boutiques, both Western and Korean. If you get lost among the colorful shops, just say the word “Myeongdong” and they will quickly show you the way to your starting point. This shopping district fits the definition of “luxury lifestyle” perfectly. This area is mostly inhabited by merchants, but in terms of rent, this street is the most expensive street in Seoul.
We can't talk about Korean style without mentioning beauty salons and makeup culture. Korean girls are crazy about self-care. Korea now has more skin care patents than France. Some products like BB creams gained widespread popularity first in Korea before they became known throughout the world. For those who take care of themselves and dream of being more beautiful, we can recommend visiting The Face Shop and Holika Holika in Myeongdong. They sell various lotions, lip balms in the shape of animals, popular masks for different types of facial skin and for the care of problem skin. Usually these masks are sold in 5-10 pieces. Most of them have descriptions in English.
In order to finish our review, we must mention Gwangjang Market. Here you can find everything from flip-flops to sheets. If you want to buy traditional Korean clothes, then you won't find a better place in Seoul! This place is not very popular among foreigners, so you can buy traditional Korean things for relatively little money. There is also a large selection of cafes on the street where you can have a snack. You just need to make sure that you have enough cash for purchases, since stores in this area do not really like to accept plastic cards for payment.
As a rule, large organizations and production centers are based there, which deal with all Korean show business. Style " Gangnam"at first it was exploited mainly by American youth - the Koreans themselves got involved later. Everyone laughed at this Korean glam, so PSY did not hesitate to mock the cult of glitter. Near Gangnam made an installation for tourists to the well-known song of a South Korean artist PSY – "Gangnam style ".
In addition, the region is also the most densely populated - about 570,000 people permanently live here and is the most prosperous place in Korea, a kind of “Beverly Hills” in Korean. Gangnam covers an area of 39.5 square kilometers and has its own symbols - the ginkgo tree, the magnolia flower and the magpie bird. There are 38 kindergartens, 87 schools, medical and women's universities in the area. There are also a large number of shopping centers, entertainment venues, and four- and five-star hotels.
Like everyone else Seoul, area Gangnam has the same appearance, the same high-rise buildings, unisex in general. The fire hydrants are gold as expected. But there are fire hydrants in the area, as in everything else. Seoul the same, they didn’t distinguish themselves here. In case of strong winds, trees are secured with cables, and to prevent the cables from damaging the tree trunk, they are wrapped with a special cloth.
The area is divided into two parts, business and tourist. Large companies are located in the business part. In the tourist part of the area Gangnam There are: shopping centers, cinemas, restaurants, cafes, supermarkets, hotels. Information stands are a large structure with LED screens, on which advertising is also displayed. The traffic pattern is as expected Gangname from LEDs. You need to emphasize your status. By the way, the traffic diagram shows where the green or red light is on, you can find out if you look at the arrows. IN Gangname The phone booths are different from all over Korea. All the phone booths are covered with pieces of duct tape that used to hold advertisements. IN Korea It is not customary to spoil city property and therefore this is the only way they are sophisticated. By the way, in the area Gangnam There are a lot of shoe repair booths, they are found every 20-30 meters. For shuttle buses as in everything else Seoul a special lane has been allocated that motorists are not allowed to enter. The standard color of passing buses is blue and green, but there is a rare guest in orange.
Main highways Gangnam continue dear Tehran, connecting the direction Jamsil And Sadan in a western direction. From the Kyobo building intersection, turn left to the bus terminal connecting Noryangjin and western part Seoul, and also through Hannam Daegyo- northern part. In addition, south through Yangzhe, connects with capital cities Pundan, G. Shindo, G. Seongnam and others.
The main reason why a lot of people always gather here is because of the availability of a large number of places suitable for shopping, various cultural and other varied entertainment. This is the best place for group events, meetings or individual meetings. In this regard, on weekdays in the evening and on weekends in the morning at the station. Gangnam, especially in the area of 6.7 exits, opposite the New York bakery, City Cinema, Giordano store and other places you can always see a lot of young people. Convenient transportation, many fashion stores, cinemas, large bookstores, etc. always attract buyers here even from remote areas.
