October 10, 2013
Do you have dreams of flying to Korea but don't have the $900 to actually do so? Perhaps you've wondered if there is an alternative. Or maybe you often find yourself wondering about the similarities and differences between LA's Koreatown, also known as K-Town, and Korea itself. Regardless of what the reason is, don't go anywhere and read on!
Similarities
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| Sorry for making your mouth water! |
Korean BBQ- Now I personally have never been to either Korea or K-Town (even though I live literally half an hour away), but I've seen enough documentaries, read enough articles and known a lot of people from both places to know that both Korea and Koreatown have Korean BBQs everywhere. There are over 20 Korean BBQs located in Koreatown alone and who knows how many are in Korea! BBQs in Korea have more variety however. There, BBQs can range from being stands on the street to an "outdoor style" restaurant.
Nightlife- There are so may varieties of nightlife such as bars, night clubs and dance clubs, but they are a little different from Western style. That's why I was so surprised when I found out that many bars, night clubs and dance clubs in Koreatown stay true to their Korean roots. Take night clubs for example. Now, you may be wondering what the difference between a night club and a dance club is. I will now present you with the answer: night clubs are basically eHarmony in real life. Dance clubs are the place where the actual dancing happens whereas in night clubs, the matchmakers waiters literally drag girls to other tables filled with guys who are interested in them. I guess the only good thing that comes out of this is free food and drinks for the girls, so guys, you better have your wallets ready if you're planning on going to a night club in Korea or K-Town!
24 Hour Spas- Another awesome similarity these two places share is the fact that there are 24 hour spas! If you watch a lot of dramas, you'll know that Korean spas and saunas are no joke. Besides staying open 24 hours a day, many saunas and spas in both Korea and K-Town have restaurants and PC rooms inside of them. Wi Spa is one of the most famous spas in K-Town while In Spa World in Korea even has a water park to frolic around in after getting your lovely spa treatment.
24 Hour Spas- Another awesome similarity these two places share is the fact that there are 24 hour spas! If you watch a lot of dramas, you'll know that Korean spas and saunas are no joke. Besides staying open 24 hours a day, many saunas and spas in both Korea and K-Town have restaurants and PC rooms inside of them. Wi Spa is one of the most famous spas in K-Town while In Spa World in Korea even has a water park to frolic around in after getting your lovely spa treatment.
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| Yoseob approves of Koreatown LA! |
So these were some reasons on how Koreatown can be an awesome alternative to Korea, but don't get too excited yet! There are still some differences between the two as well.
Differences
Culture- The first difference between K-Town and Korea is culture. K-Town does have a few Buddhist temples and traditional gardens, but if you want to go more in depth with the Korean Culture, then K-Town isn't a place where you're gonna find many Korean cultural museums or anything like that (all though it is said that a museum is going to begin construction by 2015). However, you can expect to see the SMTown Museum being created in K-Town by none other than SM Entertainment soon.
Shopping- Shopping in Korea is definitely different from shopping in K-Town. One difference is the fact that there are going to be different brands. Korean malls and shops will have brands such as Bean Pole, with celebrity models including G-Dragon from BigBang and our very own Tiffany from K-Pop Ranter (Ok so I lied about which Tiffany it is. It's actually Tiffany from Girls' Generation), and Codes Combine, featuring celebrities such as Jang Geun Suk and Yoon Eun Hye. However, K-Town has brands ranging from homemade ones to Prada. You also have to consider the fact that the sizes in Korea are so much smaller compared to the sizes in K-Town and the rest of the Western world.
Location, Location, Location! - The most obvious difference between LA'S K-Town and Korea is their locations! Don't get me wrong, Koreatown, (and not just LA's Koreatown, but all of them)is an amazing place, but in order to get the full experience of Korea, you have got to see the real deal!
So what do you think about Koreatown and Korea after reading this post? Go ahead and share your opinions below! If you liked this post, check out my blog, KBoost, for more posts like this one.
Shopping- Shopping in Korea is definitely different from shopping in K-Town. One difference is the fact that there are going to be different brands. Korean malls and shops will have brands such as Bean Pole, with celebrity models including G-Dragon from BigBang and our very own Tiffany from K-Pop Ranter (Ok so I lied about which Tiffany it is. It's actually Tiffany from Girls' Generation), and Codes Combine, featuring celebrities such as Jang Geun Suk and Yoon Eun Hye. However, K-Town has brands ranging from homemade ones to Prada. You also have to consider the fact that the sizes in Korea are so much smaller compared to the sizes in K-Town and the rest of the Western world.
Location, Location, Location! - The most obvious difference between LA'S K-Town and Korea is their locations! Don't get me wrong, Koreatown, (and not just LA's Koreatown, but all of them)is an amazing place, but in order to get the full experience of Korea, you have got to see the real deal!
So what do you think about Koreatown and Korea after reading this post? Go ahead and share your opinions below! If you liked this post, check out my blog, KBoost, for more posts like this one.
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| Peace out, ranters! |
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