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Cheonsang Gaok is a rooftop café on the 3rd floor of Seongsu Yeonbang, a cultural complex that was developed on the site of an abandoned factory. At first sight, this rooftop café resembles a botanical garden. The ceiling is made of glass, under which white textiles are hung in the shape of waves, adding a decorative detail. The café is furnished with yellow lighting and tropical plants, which combine to create a comfortable ambience. A warm and gentle sunshine enters the indoor space of the café, making it a good place to relax on a languorous afternoon. Around the corner is a place like a terrace, where people can lean against the wall, talking over coffees. The ceiling is made of transparent glass and gives guests a sense of openness. The café’s signature coffee is Pepper Honey, which goes well with chocolate croissants and Earl Grey scones. Pepper Honey is a café latte sprinkled with pepper, which gives it a spicy taste. The pungent yet sweet taste is deliciously addictive, making it a favorite among many of the customers. Seongsu Yeonbang has a range of stores that draw attention, making it a good place to learn about healthy and trendy lifestyle options favored by local residents. In the middle of the 1st floor, there is an Art Pavilion, which presents exhibitions of various kinds that change with the season. On the 1st and 2nd floors, there are Changhwadang (dumpling restaurant), Jafa Brewery (craft beer pub), Arc-N-Book (bookstore) and Thingool (lifestyle shop).
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On a beautiful, sunny day, take a leisurely walk from Hangang Park across Hangangdaegyo Bridge to Nodeul Island. Nodeul Island was formerly a small, deserted island with a white beach located under the Hangangdaegyo Bridge, but it was later transformed by Urban Transformer, a space-creating group led by the graduates of the Department of Architectural Engineering from the University of Seoul. At first, Urban Transformer built a concert hall with 465 seats and organized a concert by inviting musicians and artists, such as the music bands “Autumn Vacation” and “Broccoli, You Too?” Currently, the facilities on Nodeul Island include: the Nodeul Live House; a Rehearsal Studio; Nodeul Office; Boksoondoga Rice Wine, a fermented wine lounge bar; Nodeul Bookstore, a curation bookstore; and Picccnic, a picnic goods rental shop. Regular programs and live performances by various artists are regularly held on Nodeul Island, so it’s practically impossible to ever feel bored. On Nodeul Island, you can spread out a picnic mat or blanket to enjoy a picnic right in the middle of the downtown area. A visit to Nodeul Island is like stumbling upon an oasis in the middle of a dry, urban desert.
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The Daechung Park café, tucked among the city’s labyrinth of buildings, is marked by a signboard with the Chinese characters “無目的,” meaning “no objectives.” The four-story building that houses Daechung Park on the top floor also features a shop selling handicrafts and design products on the 1st floor, a photography studio on the 2nd floor, and an art gallery on the 3rd floor. After you walk up to Daechung Park on the 4th floor and get yourself settled, look out the wide windows for a bird’s-eye view of Seochon and Inwangsan Mountain stretched out below. The two wings of the building are connected by sets of stairs and terraces, but a small set of side doors leads to a walkway and the café. According to Yoon Han-yeol, the CEO of Daechung Park, the café is named “Daechung” (meaning “large animal”) after the tigers that populated the area during the Joseon period. The name “Daechung” reminded CEO Yoon so strongly of Inwangsan Mountain that he wanted to open the 1st Daechung Park in Seochon. However, he couldn’t find a suitable place, and so he opened the 1st Daechung Park in Yeonnam-dong. Later the owner of a building in Seochon contacted him, and that’s how he was able to open the second café in the area. Of the four animals representing each of the four cardinal directions, the white tiger represents the west. It is said that many tigers once roamed Inwangsan Mountain, located to the west of Gyeongbokgung Palace. Perhaps the café’s name, inspired by the tigers that inhabited Inwangsan Mountain before disappearing in the 1930s, is the reason why the café seems to be filed with some inexplicable, vigorous force. In addition to its unique back-story, the café on the 4th floor also offers a stunning panoramic view of Seochon and Inwangsan Mountain that is unforgettable. The wide rock face of Inwangsan Mountain seems to gently look down upon the city where many people meander along the alleyways and modern structures intermingle
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Seoul Green Lab is a quiet place located on the third floor of a building overlooking the beautiful trees of the Seoul Forest. As you sit back and relax in the shade of deep green trees, you may find it hard to believe that you’re still in Seoul. Green Lab runs a reservation-based program called “Enjoying My Own Seoul Forest” through Naver Booking. After making a reservation, check in at the flower area on the 0.5th floor, and then go up to the 3rd floor where you can take a seat on the floor for a comfortable rest. When entering the resting area, you will be given a wicker basket containing refreshments, a wildflower, paper, an envelope, writing instruments, and a book. You may use the paper to write a diary entry as a form of self reflection or relax by reading a book. The unique beverages, such as grapefruit vinegar and lotus leaf tea, are designed to help you fully immerse yourself in nature. If you make an additional reservation for the rooftop, you can go upstairs and spend time in the outdoor garden. The rooftop with its open view is a great place to go to revive yourself in the downtown area, as you overlook the city’s skyscrapers and the forest greenery.The gentle scent of the trees and the fragrance of the tea, wafting out of the ceramic teacups, will remain long as a memory in your heart. Your experience here of taking deep breaths and spending some time by yourself is something that will enrich your everyday life.
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Piknic is a cultural complex that was opened in 2018 in a remodeled building that originally housed a pharmaceutical company. It is interesting to see how experts from different fields participated in creating different parts of the space. Piknic is a hip place with a bright and familiar vibe, much like a picnic, but that still presents new and unfamiliar elements. Much attention is given to all of the exhibitions held at Piknic, including the first exhibition of the musician Ryuichi Sakamoto. Piknic is a place that is often visited by people looking to free themselves from their routines and to gain new inspiration. At the glass conservatory in front of the building is the Piknic brand shop and greenhouse where the vegetables used at zerocomplex, a Michelin Guide 1-star restaurant on the 1st floor are grown. The front view of the building seems to be a visualization of the meaning of the word “picnic.” The renovated, minimalistic building from the 1970s seems to harmonize with the surrounding hills, hidden in the downtown area between Namdaemun Market and the foot of Namsan Mountain. The rooftop lounge, directly connected to the back door, features a garden furnished with sun beds that envelope visitors in its relaxed ambience. From Piknic it is about a 20-minute leisurely walk to Namsan Park and a 40-minute walk to N Seoul Tower. Visitors should note that the first exhibition of 2021 is scheduled for April.
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There are other things you can do besides walking and hiking on Gwanaksan Mountain, which sprawls across Seoul and Anyang and Gwacheon in Gyeonggi-do. In order to create more meaningful ways for people to enjoy the excellent resources of Gwanaksan Mountain, which stands proudly in the middle of the city, the Seoul Metropolitan government has begun conducting a variety of programs, such as the Healing Forest, Outdoor Botanical Garden, and Forest Eco Experience Center programs. The Healing Forest in particular is designed as a place where visitors can come and get a first-hand experience of the effects and functions of the forest. If you walk about 20 minutes from the entrance of Gwanaksan Mountain and turn in the direction of Seongjuam, a small temple, the Gwanaksan Healing Center will come into view. The center is the starting point of the Gwanaksan Healing Forest. As you wander along the forest trail, you’ll find special designated places, such as the Hydrotherapy Space, Sound Trail, and Meditation Space. As you walk, take in deep breaths of the phytoncides and oxygen anions naturally emitted by the trees. If you participate in the Healing Forest program, you will also have the chance to walk along and enjoy comfortable conversation with a forest instructor and even drink some tea. Before you know it, you will arrive at the Meditation Space where Yeonjudae, a small temple at the peak of Gwanaksan Mountain, sits among the trees. At the Meditation Space, you can perform meditation, with gentle guidance from your instructor, and draw vital energy from the mountain. The Healing Forest program, which lasts for two hours, is provided mostly to cancer patients and people involved in emotional labor, but it is open to everyone, including families and youths. The program offers a good chance to relieve your stress in a place that is easy to visit, even if you have a busy schedule.
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Set against the backdrop of Maebongsan Mountain the Oil Tank Culture Park was originally an oil depot, a legacy from the country’s industrial period, which was closed to the general public for 41 years. The oil depot has been transformed into an eco-culture park through urban regeneration. The oil reservoir tanks have been reborn as cultural spaces, and the forest has been preserved to the greatest extent possible and planted with various flowers and trees, in order to build a park. Thanks to these efforts wild rabbits and red squirrels are now often seen on the trail leading from the park to Maebongsan Mountain. An audio guide (in Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese) is available at the Guide Hall and provides you with an in-depth commentary as you walk around the park. Visit the Oil Tank Culture Park website for more information on exhibitions, performances, and workshops held on site.
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There are many other places you can go for healing other than natural forests. One such place is the Design Forest, located in Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), where anyone can experience healing in an indoor space, regardless of the weather. The Design Forest features a living garden, filled with thriving Khingan firs and other plants, and a library, furnished with Korean novels translated into different languages. Here visitors can take a seat and rest, walk around and enjoy the green plants, or read books in a tranquil atmosphere, all while calming their minds. The DDP Design Store is a great place to shop and sells a variety of Korean design products. Media Tree provides various information on major events held at the DDP, which is helpful for tourists and other visitors. The DDP Citizens' Lounge is a complex where you can experience various designs with plants serving as the artistic medium. A wide range of events are held at the DDP Citizens' Lounge, such as performances, exhibitions, and educational events, allowing you to design your own wellness regimen.