It was a late August evening — almost 8 PM — when my friend and I walked through the glass doors of Spa Land Busan, still carrying the salt-air smell of Haeundae on our skin. We had spent the whole day wandering around Busan together, and this was supposed to be our last stop before … Read more
You have probably walked through a Korean traditional market before — dodged the fish vendors, pointed at some tteokbokki, and left with a bag of dried seaweed. But have you ever followed a trail of hidden clues through one, solved five puzzles between produce stalls and fishcake shops, and gotten rewarded with handmade dumplings at … Read more
The elevator doors closed, and a hot-air balloon animation filled the walls around me. Fifty-six seconds later, I was standing on the 100th floor of Busan X the Sky, looking down at Haeundae Beach through floor-to-ceiling glass. The swimmers below looked no bigger than sprinkles on frosting. I arrived in the afternoon, fully expecting to … Read more
Haeundae in summer is relentless. The beach is packed, the heat hits early, and after an hour in the sun you start looking for anywhere with air conditioning and a reason to stay. That’s how I ended up at SEA LIFE Busan Aquarium — not because I had to, but because it sits right at … Read more
When you think of Gwangalli, the beach comes first. That’s fair — the sand, the bridge, the evening glow. But on my last trip to Busan, I ended up spending most of my day not on the beach, but inside a building one minute from it. Millac The Market Busan turned out to be the … Read more
If you only look for things to do on the Songdo Beach side of Busan, you’re missing one of the most satisfying ₩1,000(~$0.7 USD / €0.6) you’ll spend in the city. The Songdo Yonggung Cloud Bridge is a 127-meter suspension bridge inside Amnam Park that stretches over open water to Dongseom, a small uninhabited island. … Read more
If your idea of summer in Busan starts and ends with Haeundae or Gwanganli, there’s a whole side of the city you’re skipping. My husband, our toddler, and I spent a recent weekend at the Songdo Cable Car Busan — officially called Busan Air Cruise — and what was supposed to be a quick cable … Read more
I live near enough to Gukje Market that I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve passed through it. But passing through and actually looking are two different things. Most visits were a blur — cutting through the covered alleys on the way to somewhere else, maybe grabbing something to eat, then moving on. It … Read more
When I was in college, buying brand-new textbooks was a luxury I couldn’t always afford. So, at the start of every semester, I made the exact same pilgrimage — weaving through the narrow alley between Gukje Market and Bupyeong Market, past towering stacks of paperbacks and yellowed spines, searching for whatever copies the upperclassmen had … Read more
The weather was too good to waste indoors this weekend, so I went looking for somewhere close to home that wouldn’t turn into a full-day production. That’s how I ended up back at Busan Children’s Grand Park in Choeup, a place I hadn’t visited with my own family in years. Most people who think of … Read more