Itaewon Nights

Saturday I was invited out to dinner and drinks at a place called Gecko's Terrace in Itaewon, a popular part of Incheon/Seoul. We caught the bus to the subway at Juan and then took the subway to a Soul Station. We could have taken another train, but in the interest of time, took a taxi the last leg of the way.

Taxi's are a pet-peeve of mine. I will have to address this sometime.

Anyway, I gathered by the name that it was going to be a western style restaurant. It did not disappoint. Of about 100 people in the place there were probably 15 or 20 Koreans. The rest were foreigners (primarily Americans, Canadians and Europeans).

The place had the feel of a sports bar-neighborhood grill and the food was not "too" expensive. The fish and chips were well done. The place was loud with people to be sure, but it was a great environment. It is easily the most foreigners (non-Chinese or non-Korean) I've seen in 3 years. It was rather surreal.

In spitting distance are any number of other bars and restaurants. After there, the group I was with went over to Hellos which had a small dance floor. A Screwdriver was around ₩5000 ($5.43). Men have to pay a cover as well.

Not much of a dancer, they had an open balcony which was a nice place to sit on a summer Saturday night.

The subway stop is Yongsan (also home of the Yongsan Electronics Market), I think. But if you get in the area of Itaewon you should be able to locate this place worth visiting with friends.

For a good night out this area is not too expensive; transportation doesn't have to be either. Some subways shutdown after midnight, I think. This means taking a taxi. A taxi from Itaewon will run you around ₩40,000 ($43). Of course, you can split the cost of the taxi with a friend. If you have three friends, the taxi is seeming more reasonable. The cost of the taxi compares unfavorably to the subway which is ₩3000 ($3.25) for the round trip. The ₩40,000 will pay for two nice dinners and two mixed drinks.

Bottom line, think about how much money you want to spend, and have a good time. Itaewon certainly has no shortage of good times.