Seoul Searching | The Great Gangnam Adventure (Part 2).

On our second attempt to find the Namoo Actors building, Yue and I chose to take a different route - a subway ride to Apgujeong Rodeo Station, then a bus ride to Cine City, a posh movie theater and one of the more popular hangouts in Gangnam. Having been to Apgujeong Rodeo several times before, I was confident that we will no longer get lost and this time around, we will finally be able to get to the (elusive) Namoo Actors Building.

But first, a photo op with the BTS Gangnamdol at K-Star Road. We didn't take pictures with this bear when we first visited Apgujeong Rodeo two years ago, mostly because I did not have much interest with the group back in 2016.

Finally, a photo op with the BTS Gangnamdol!

And then Mic Drop came along. Released in 2017, this collaboration single with Steve Aoki had a beat so catchy and a music video so lit that the next thing I know, I have a BTS playlist on my Spotify. And a son who says he's also a BTS fan. Lol!

Oh the places we will go...
More of our Gangnam adventure after the jump! :)

From the K-Star Road, we walked for about five minutes or so to get to the Hanyang Apartment bus stop. We did not have much difficulty finding this particular bus stop since it's located right across the Galleria Department Store, one of the most popular landmarks in the ritzy side of Seoul.

The Galleria at Rodeo Street, Apgujeong.

From here, we rode the Green 145 bus all the way to Cine City, which was just two stops away. And then from the Cine City stop, we walked around for a bit, stopped at the nearest Starbucks for free wifi to check Google Maps if I'm on the right track, walked a bit more, until we found this building tucked in one of the alleys in the area. Namoo Actors, finally!!!

We finally found what we were looking for - the Namoo Actors building!

Yue was flabbergasted that we went through all sorts of hardships just to find this building, but he posed for photos anyway, lol. Had we bumped into Lee Joon Gi as we loitered by the main entrance, it would have been an even more amazing experience. But this will do for now.

With our mission finally completed and with no other plans for the rest of the day, Yue and I moved on to our next destination - Dosan Park. According to Google Maps, the park is just a five-minute walk from the Cine City stop. And so we retraced our route and walked back to where we came from. Along the way, we came across YG KPlus, a model management company and a subsidiary of YG Entertainment. 

YG KPlus.

Yue was dubious about all the walking that we were doing and kept on asking if we got lost again. I was starting to get confused myself (it sucks to not have pocket wifi!), until I saw the Sulwhasoo flagship store standing tall in the streets of Gangnam. I knew I was on the right track because right across this brass-covered building is what we were looking for. We finally made it to Dosan Park!

Sulwhasoo flagship store.

A lush landscape in the heart of Seoul's most prestigious neighborhood, Dosan Park was built in honor of Ahn Chang Ho, a Korean independence activist and one of the key moral and philosophical leaders in Korean in the 20th century. He is often referred to as his pen name, Dosan.

Dosan Park, finally!

Established in 1973, this park spans nearly 30,000 square meters and is adorned with beautiful trees and flowers, walking trails, and sports facilities. Here, you will find the Dosan Memorial Hall which houses photo, letters, documents, and other memorabilia of Ahn Chang Ho and the Shinminhoe (New People's Asssociation), which he formed in 1906 together with other Korean social activists.

At the east end of the park stands a bronze statue of Dosan Ahn Chang Ho. His tomb, together with his wife's, are also located inside the park.

Statue of Dosan Ahn Chang Ho.

After a quick tour of the memorial hall, Yue and I decided to call it a day. On our way back to the subway station, we passed by a golden cube-shaped building that looks as expensive as the name it carries. It's the Maison Hermes, and yes, it's THAT Hermes.

Maison Hermes Dosan Park.

This astonishing architectural structure has been in the area for years, but was temporarily closed for renovation some time in 2017. The Maison Hermes is a multi-function building which houses a museum, an exhibition space, a cafe, several offices, a floor dedicated to men's merchandise, and another floor for women's goods.

Yes, it's THAT Hermes.

As we inched closer to exit 3 of the Apgujeong Rodeo Station, Yue saw a familiar logo on one of the buildings across the street.

Mommy, look! It's Road FC!

Apparently, the Road FC Gym is located in the basement of this building in Cheongdamdong. Road Fighting Championship (Road FC) is the largest mixed martial arts organization in South Korea and is affiliated with international MMA organizations such as Bellator FC and Invicta FC in the United States.

Road FC Gym in Cheongdamdong.

Meanwhile, another fancy-looking building caught my eye. It's the Hera Makeup Academy, where you can actually enroll in a makeup class, get to know more about the K-beauty trend, and learn how to apply makeup and which products, shades, and colors best suit your skin.

Hera Makeup Academy.

For customers who buy Hera products worth over 60,000 Korean won, they can attend the makeup workshop for free. Individual classes are also an option, as well as an extensive, one-month makeup course complete with a makeup manual.

This makeup class is right up my alley, and I'm considering joining one on our next Seoul Searching trip. If you're coming to Seoul anytime soon and would like to take this class too, let me know! Let's go to the Hera Makeup Academy together! :)

And that's a wrap for our Great Gangnam Adventure!
Addresses of the places/buildings that were featured in this blog post are listed below:

K Star Road
407, Apgujeong-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

Namoo Actors
135-010 34 Eonju-ro 150-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

YG K Plus

332 Dosan-daero, Gangnam-guSeoul

Sulwhasoo Flagship Store
18, Dosan-daero 45-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

Dosan Park
20, Dosan-daero 45-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

Maison Hermes Dosan Park
7, Dosan-Daero 45-Gil, Gangnam-Gu, Seoul

Road FC Gym
JW Building 85-2 B1 Cheongdam-dong

Hera Makeup Academy
Modern Bldg., 834, Seolleung-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Korea