Uhjjuhdah Promenade • 어쩌다산책

The first time I discovered Uhjjuhdah Promenade (어쩌다산책) which means ‘Strolling by Chance’ (cmiiw) was through Instagram. Saw somebody I followed posted a picture of their zen-like courtyard and I remember thinking “Wow, I didn’t know there’s this kind of place in Seoul”. So then this place immediately went to my Seoul-places-I-want-to-visit list.

Located near Hyehwa station (혜화역) at the heart of Daehag-ro (대학로), Uhjjuhdah Promenade (어쩌다산책) could easily fit to the hidden-gem category because finding this place wasn’t as easy as I thought it’d be. I followed the map to the location and arrived at the destination but saw no single sign of the place. I even rounded the block twice just to see if I went to the wrong side of the building. In the end, I found out that the bookstore cafe is located on the basement of the building.

As soon as I descended the stairs, I was greeted by the sight of the zen-garden inspired semi-outdoor courtyard I saw online. From the gravel, the rocks, the plants, and the lighting, everything about the courtyard definitely gives a sense of peace and calm to visitors who step into the space.

The indoor area itself is divided into two section, the bookstore section to the left of the entrance and the cafe section to the right. Once I stepped inside, I immediately realized that this is one of those quieter places that’s perfect for reading (it is a bookstore after all) or working. The cafe has two types of seating. One big communal table and smaller seating areas for solo visitors or small group.

The bookstore is very neat and well organized. I browsed through the shelves and saw most of the books (if not all) are Korean books.

Uhjjuhdah Promenade (어쩌다산책) is easily one of the nicest bookstore cafe that I’ve been to in Seoul. I came here during a weekday and the place was pretty quiet (not sure how busy it is during the weekend though). Even if you’re not looking to buy any books, I think this place is worth the visit just for its calming atmosphere.

Note: Photos were taken before the pandemic.

 

Uhjjuhdah Promenade • 어쩌다산책

Address: 서울 종로구 동숭길 101 지하 1층
Telephone: 02-747-7147
Hours: Everyday 12:00-21:00

Instagram: @ujd.promenade

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BookPark • 북파크

I still remember the first time I stumbled upon a picture of a book cafe online. It was a couple of years ago and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Back then, book cafe hasn't became a thing. My association of rows of books wasn't usually paired with a cup of hot chocolate or ice green tea on the side to sip on. The consumption of food and drinks is usually prohibited in libraries and bookstores. And reading books in libraries or bookstores usually involved some level of discomfort caused by standing too long in one of the corners of the bookstore or sitting down for a prolonged period of time on one of those uncomfortable library chairs.

I don't know when the book cafe trend started, but it's definitely a thing in Seoul. I stumbled upon quite a number of book cafes in the city and BookPark (북파크) is one of the recent book cafe that I visited. Located on the 2nd and 3rd floor of Blue Square (블루스퀘어), the place is pretty huge for a bookstore. Other than great selections of books, you can also find Hollys Coffee inside the store, plenty of chairs and tables if you decide you wanna read a book or do some studying, and there's even a balcony area for you to chill at if you want to enjoy the nice weather outside. If you are not into books, there's a section on the third floors that sells accessories, toys, stationeries and other knick knacks that you can browse. And they also have another cafe on this floor (which name I didn't pay attention to) and a sitting area with tables bigger than the one in Hollys Coffee area.

If you're looking for books, definitely check this place out. If not, this is also a great place to meet up with people or to get some work/studying done. Or if you are not into all that, you can always come for their instagrammable tall bookshelf and stairs ;)

p.s: thank you @seoul_stateofmind for bringing me and @_marshellia to this place!

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And oh, started to upload video to my Youtube channel. Subscribe of you wanna see more! :) Here's the first video.

 

BookPark • 북파크

Address: 서울특별시 용산구 이태원로 294
Tel. No: 02-6367-2018
Hours: 10:00 - 23:00
Subway: Hangangjin Station (Line 6) Exit 2

Instagram: @bookpark_

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Cafe Comma

Cafe Comma (카페 꼼마) is probably one of the most popular cafes in Hongdae (홍대) area, amongst tourists anyway. Where else can you find a high-ceiling cafe with an entire wall dedicated for shelves filled with books? I believe there are 2 locations of Cafe Comma in Hongdae, one near Hongdae Subway Station and the other one is near the parking lot street. This location is the latter one and a little smaller than the other location. Also, good to know, since cafes and restaurants in Hongdae seem to open their doors at a more later time during the day, this is a good place to go to for an early coffee fix.

I actually came here with two fellow instagrammers that I met for the first time on that day, @noahskim & @hannahmuhh. We spent a whole day hopping from one place to another so you'll probably be seeing them again on my future posts (as well as the previous one if you haven't already :p).

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Foresta Book Cafe

Visited Foresta Book Cafe at Heyri Art Village a couple of weeks ago when I went to Paju. I was there on a weekday, so the cafe was pretty quite and only a couple of people were there. I have to say I love this place. High ceilings and plenty of natural lights that come into the place makes this a perfect place to read, study, or if you simply want to escape the hustle bustle of the city (although I'm not too sure how this place is on weekends though). Walking in, you'll be greeted with colorful tables and chairs and the big triangle tables in the center of the room is a nice touch to the interior of the cafe. For Korean drama viewers out there, you might've seen this place from a couple of dramas. The very recent one that I watched is the scene from 'Fated to Love You'. The cafe is also connected to the bookstore, although I don't think you can bring your drinks to the bookstore. If you're visiting Heyri Art Village in Paju, I would recommend visiting this place.