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Everything you want in one place

Where is the right place to go when the cold winter wind blows and you just want to stay in the warm indoors? How about the mall? You can easily go from store to store without moving around too much. The Times Square Mall in Yeungdeungpo allows you to do just that. Its services take care of shopping, culture, wedding & convention, food, fitness, hotel, business and more. A rooftop garden awaits you on the 5th and 6th floors just in case you want to take a breather in the middle of your shopping. It has grass, a pavilion, and benches to sit on. A perfect spot to catch your breath. People also like to mull about the IFC Mall, which is located in the basement of the International Finance Center. From floors B1-B3, this large-scale shopping mall carries major brands from all over the world. The CGV theater here is also a sight to see because it is constructed to look like a street in a town. Last but not least is the already well-known COEX mall in Gangnam. Not only does COEX offer a splendid shopping and food experience, but there is also an aquarium and an exhibition space for those who have the time.

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Stimulate your senses

Now that we've got shopping covered, let's move onto the arts! Several exhibitions are currently open in some of Seoul's main exhibition spaces. From October 23 - March 27, 2015, you will be able to experience part 5 of the Kansong Munhwa Exhibition at Dongdaemun Design Plaza. The theme for this exhibition is "Flowers & Feathers - Embrace Nature." The drawings mostly include images of flowers, crawling animals, and winged animals. Korea's painters of the past often incorporated such imagery into their work. At the Seoul Museum of Art, check out the "Stanley Kubrick Exhibition." It is the first time this exhibition has made its mark in Asia and is the biggest one yet. The exhibition is divided into 3 themes: "The director's birth" - a look at Stanley Kubrick's early days as a photographer and his first attempts at movie directing, "Kubrick's odyssey" - a chronicled look at Kubrick's fascinating works, and "Kubrick's never ending story" - a look at his unfinished works and his everyday life. The last noteworthy exhibition is of Paik Nam June, a famous Korean artist known for video art and robots made out of TV sets. This exhibition at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts will give a glimpse into his unique world and give the public further insight on his work. Until now, the work of Paik Nam June might have been hard to comprehend, but this exhibition is set up to go deeper in meaning by uncovering what the work is trying to convey instead of just highlighting its outer appearance.

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A doser look at Seoul

Visible from Seoul Plaza is the shining, futuristic glass-paned building of City Hall. On the basement floors of the City Hall is a space that is specially made for citizens. This space can be used for exhibitions, performances, forums, lectures, etc. B1 of City Hall also has a Citizens' Gallery where art work is constantly changed out on a monthly basis, a special Cloud Gallery where screens are installed into the ceiling as a form of exhibition, a City Gallery where stories are told, a sound gallery, and more. On B2 of City Hall, there is a Public Square space that can be used for education or experience programs, the Taepyeong Hall for wedding ceremonies, and a variety of other spaces. Aside from this, there is another way to get to know Seoul a little better: the Tong Tong tour. With this opportunity, you can tour around Seoul with a multilingual guide (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese) and visit the Seoul City Hall and the Seoul Metropolitan Library. You have your choice of either the regular course, the family course, or the course for people with special needs. City Hall is also conveniently located in the midst of major attractions such as Myeongdong, Deoksugung Palace, Gwanghwamun, the Cheonggyecheon, and more. While you're in the area, you might as well stop by!

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