Yeouido Island--63 Building

It only took about 20 minutes to get to Yeouido Island on the subway. It truly looked like the pictures I've seen of Manhattan. So that's what skyscrapers look like! Nothing in Ulsan even begins to compare to that. I arrived at around 11:45 to see businessmen going to lunch in droves. I thought the 63 Building would be easy to find (as the tallest building in Korea) but with so many other tall buildings it didn't stand out. I stopped in at Starbuck's for a cold frappucino and to ask directions. (Another 100 degree day!) The employees told me how to get there (in Korean, and I understood!) but said that it was a long way. No problem, I can walk. It wasn't too bad, not over 15 minutes. Most of the walk was through Yeouido Park, a nice oasis of greenery amongst all of the traffic and buildings.

When I got to the 63 Building it did stand out. There were several 20~30 story buildings near it, which made its height seem even greater. The outside of the building was completely unimpressive, however. Just a plain boring building. It was built in 1985 and is 264 meters high. The buildings near the park were much nicer and more modern looking. I went inside to find TONS of Korean families going to the aquarium, theater, and observation deck. Too many people! No air! Do I really want to do this??

After buying a ticket I waited in line about 15 minutes for the elevator. It took roughly one minute to go up the 60 floors. The glass elevator was great; my ears popped several times on the way up. The view was OK, but nothing better than the Busan or Namsan Towers. I stayed around 45 minutes, enjoying the air conditioning and the pictures of Seoul circa 1900. The street scenes showed people in traditional clothes, men with long Japanese-style beards, traditional houses (no apartment buildings or skyscrapers!), dirt roads, horses and carts, and lots of hard work in everyday life. The pictures of the foreign tourists were particularly interesting for me. One French tourist was pictured on his horse with all of the supplies he needed, plus a sleeping bag. A Korean (servant?) led the horse through the crowded streets. In that era, foreigners lived like kings and were completely isolated in their own little foreign section of town.