Basement food mania: Sunday in Seoul

Temperatures in Seoul today have plummeted below zero (that’s right, and that’s Fahrenheit), but do I know that? I’m underground. This is Lotte Department Store’s Premium food basement, just across the street — make that under the street — from my hotel.

On any given day, a good part of Seoul’s population is down here. Sogongdong, Myeongdong, Namdaemun — enormous arcades connect, so not only can you shop, eat, get a haircut, be fitted for a suit, even visit an aquarium, you can also walk miles under the city from one point to another without once emerging into the freezing wind. From Burt and Ryan’s Seoul Plaza Hotel to mine, the Ibis Myeongdong, for example, you can take a taxi (5 minutes), take the subway one stop down the same line (about 10 to 12 minutes total), or you can head underground and walk (6 minutes).

Clock’s seriously ticking today. It’s my final day in Seoul. Last chance to feast. And I’m so in the right place.

Photo by Stephen Larson