Starfield Library, Coex Mall, Seoul Korea

There's something so attractive about bookstores and libraries. I'm sad I didn't get to spend a lot of time exploring all the different book selections but I loved how they set up this place.

There were a lot of people stoping by to take photos (myself included), and then leaving shortly after. You'll find a few desks on the second floor and on the bottom level too, but there didn't seem to be an abundance of space like you would see in a typical library. There's also a lot of people walking in and out, so this place was fairly noisy, so if you're looking to get some studying done here, best of luck. 

Mr. Holmes Bakehouse in Seoul

I was bummed I couldn't visit the Mr. Holme's Bakehouse when I was in SF last summer, so when I found out they opened up a shop in Korea, I knew I had to stat the hype was about.

This place is known for their Cruffin, so make sure you order one when you stop by. I highly recommend the red bean cruffin for those red bean fans.
Need directions? Click here.  

FoodJulia KimKoreaComment
Cafe Gabie (가비애), Hongdae

One thing I love about Korea is how there's an endless list of cafes you can explore. They have everything from book/study cafes, cat/dog cafes, themed cafes, etc. I wanted to go somewhere that was fairly quiet after lunch, but still had a nice ambiance, so Gabie in Hongdae was the perfect fit.

I appreciated the calm atmosphere and being surrounded by books. The cafe gave a nice studious-vibe. If I was a student living in this area, I think this is one cafe I would hit up. I also believe this place is opened 24 hours, so it would be perfect for those who are notorious all-nighters.

FoodJulia KimKoreaComment
Winter Wonderland, Seoul Korea

First day back in my motherland, Seoul, and I wake up to all this snow. This is one of the many reasons why winter is one of my favorite season. I was debating whether I should post the cropped photo to hide the buildings, cars, and playground in the back, but thought I'd post the non-cropped photos instead. Welcome to my backyard and make sure you stay tuned for more photos of my trip to Korea!  

Bethesda Crab House, MD

A friend and I decided to stop by the Bethesda Crab House for lunch. We ordered the medium 1/2 dozen crabs and corn. The crabs were really fresh and we ended up spending about 2 hours here since it took us a while to pull everything apart. 

If you're in the area and you're craving crabs, make sure you stop by this area. Oh, and ask for a bib too so your food doesn't get on your clothes when you're hammering the crabs.

FoodJulia KimDC MetroComment
Indian Food at Tandoori Nights, MD

I know I don't post a lot of Indian cuisine on my blog, so this might come as a surprise, but I actually love Indian food, specifically curry. There was a period of time when I would have to eat curry at least once a week because I loved it so much and ate Paratha with jam for breakfast almost every day for a few years when I was in high school. And so, here's my trip to Tandoori Nights in Bethesda, MD. 

I don't know what "real-authentic Indian food" tastes like since I only have restaurants to restaurants to compare them too, but in my opinion, I thought this place was pretty good. The place was clean, the service was great, and the food was good too. 

Cool December, DC

I can't believe it. This is it. Here's to the last month of 2017. 

Hello!

If you’ve kept up with my personal blog posts, you might have noticed the repetition of, “time flies” in my writing. Whenever a month concluded, I’ve been left in awe that yet another month has gone by, but when I look at 2017 as a whole, it’s honestly felt like this year has been one never-ending year.

But December, we meet again.

Time to start blasting Christmas music if you haven’t started to do so.
Time to make sure you have all your holiday gifts ready to go.
Time to prep for those Christmas parties.
Time to say goodbye to yet another year.    

Like many, I always start the New Year with a few resolutions and goals. I write them down on a piece of paper and constantly check back ever so often to make sure I’m staying on track. I have a few last items on my list I need to get through, so here’s to ending this year stronger than I started this year. Time to make the most of what we have left, especially since we’re never getting this time back.

Stay tuned for my 2017 wrap post.
Maybe I’ll even push out a way too overdue vlog.

Boqueria, Brunch in DC

I've been itching to check this place out for a while. Let's get started! 

After the french toast and churros, I had a huge sugar rush, which isn't a bad problem to have. The food, vibe, and service was great. The next time I visit, I plan to participate in their bottomless brunch deal. Either that or I'll be back for their churros! Yum. 

FoodJulia KimDC MetroComment
DGS Delicatessen, DC

Okay, so I'm not going to spend too much time writing about this place because I want to make another trip here to give this place another shot by trying their breakfast food/deli. I came here for dinner and ordered a burger (my mistake) while my friend ordered the falafel. I did like the vibe and interior and heard good things about this place, so keep a lookout for a follow-up post! 

FoodJulia KimDC MetroComment
Bangkok Joe's, Thai Food DC

A few old friends of mine were visiting DC from out of town, and they were craving Thai food, so we decided to make our way towards Bangkok Joe's on K Street near Georgetown. 

I know these dishes aren't the most exciting and you can't go wrong with them, but hey, they were still good and because the weather was nice outside, we got to enjoy the cool fall weather as we enjoyed our meal outside. 

November

Autumn. Words can't describe how much I love this season. 

I recently got a car and I've been debating for years whether I really needed one. I work/live in the city and next to the metro, and uber/lyft would come handy when public transportation would breakdown. So, I kept going back and forth, was it really worth all the additional expense? 

Yes.

Getting a car opened my eyes and it honestly felt like I inherited wings. I love how I can freely go wherever I want, whenever I want -- my options are endless (aka I can now get good Asian food whenever too). 

But it's not just this new freedom I love. 

Over the past year or two, I started to feel suffocated living here. I still found this city beautiful but it just didn't excite me as much as it used to. I had this urge to get out and thought maybe moving to a new city would be a good solve, but once I got my car, this feeling I had started to change its course.  

I forgot how much I love being encompassed by nature. 

There's a lot of greenery in MD/VA and a lot of parks/hiking trails. Having a car now lets me go on these spontaneous trips and surround myself with nature. The DMV lets me stay close to both nature and the city. Does this mean moving to a new city and starting a new chapter is off the tables? Absolutely not, but having this car has helped me fall in love with this area all over again.  

October Pt. 2

It's finally starting to feel like my favorite weather! Hello, Autumn. 

Whenever I go on these mini photoshoots, I like to return the favor to the friend who's taking my photo by taking a few photos of him/her. During this photo op, the friend I was with asked me what I would do and who I would be if I didn't have my camera. My response?

"I wouldn't be me." 

Being able to view the world through my lens and capturing moments is one of my favorite activities and something I've always cherished doing. When I was a kid, I loved going through old photo albums and watching old home videos. It would puzzle me that I couldn't recall some of the events that were captured on film even though I was in the frame.

The way our brain works and the way we're able to retain (or forget) things is so complicatedly interesting.

Once I got my hands on my first camera, I couldn't stop taking photos, not only because it was "cool" to take awkward mirror selfies with your BFF and post them on Myspace afterwards, but also because I couldn't trust my brain to remember everything. I wanted to capture these moments to look back to. 

I always joke with my friends that my camera is an extended part of my body.

I know I'm not a professional photographer and I don't know every single thing about photography, but this is just a hobby of mine I enjoy and helps me hit pause in life to appreciate my surroundings. 

Lincoln Memorial, DC

Time to play tourist. 

Anyone who lived in DC for a while will tell you that the time to stop by the monuments is during the night. Why? Because you get to avoid all the tourists and you get to see the reflecting pool sparkle. A friend was visiting DC for the first time, so I of course had to hit all the touristy spots during the day to show him around.

I still recommend coming here during the night so you can have your one-on-one time with Lincoln, but wow, it’s been a while since I stopped by the memorials during the day. It’s still as breath-taking during the day as it is during the night.

Burger at Duke's Grocery, DC

I'm kind of embarrassed that it took me this long to finally check Duke's Grocery off my list, but hey, better late than never, right? 

If you're looking for a dish that's a bit more light, a friend of mine noted that their Avocado Toast was a really good too. But in my opinion, if you're coming to Duke's Grocery, you should go for their burger. This place will not disappoint. 

DBGB Kitchen and Bar, DC

Here's my DBGB Kitchen & Bar experience part 2! During my first visit, which you can read about here, I ended up ordering a burger, but this time around, I decided to order something a bit more "brunch-like". 

I know I gave pretty strong ratings last year, but this place didn't leave me with the same level of satisfaction this time around. This doesn't mean the food was bad though, I just wasn't as impressed. 

Renwick Gallery, DC

I love how The Renwick Gallery constantly changes up their exhibition. They keep you on your toes making you want to go back and visit. Their current exhibition is this "Parallax Gap", which you can read more about here. See below for a few photos! 

The one thing I love about DC is their museums. I love being immersed in them and could probably hop from one museum to another all day. They also happen to make great (free) photo op locations, in case you're looking for some fun insta worthy spots, and did I mention they're free? 

October

It's that time of the year when the weather is supposed to start cooling down as we transition into my favorite season, fall, but for some reason, I'm still out and about wearing shorts as the weather continues to fluctuate.

Update on my life (for anyone interested): I was recently reunited with an old friend, and this friend re-reminded me the importance of carefully selecting who you allow yourself to be around. This friend of mine has an extremely kind-genuine heart, always has a positive attitude, and knows how to stay grounded. This made me re-realize how crucial it is to have people you respect and people who respect you in your life, and I know this all sounds cliche, but it's so true. 

When you haven't seen or talked to someone in a while, there's always that slight chance things might be slightly awkward, since people change and grow, but being able to pick things up quickly and naturally when you do reunite is one of the greatest feelings ever. It's almost as if you're able to revert back to those "good old days". 

When you revert back to those "good old days," you're reminded who you used to be and you see how much you've grown over the past few weeks, months, years. When you take a step back and pause to think who you've been spending your time with in absence of your old friend, you'll notice how everyone impacts your life differently.  

I'm about to take on new challenges and leap out of my comfort zone. As nervous as I am, I'm also excited for what's to come, and I know I wouldn't be able to do this without the support of my friends and family. After hanging out with this old friend, I felt refreshed and felt like the problems and stress I was facing 10 minutes ago were lifted off my shoulders. 

My old friend reminded me even more how thankful I am to call the people who are my friends, my friends. The people who truly care about you are the relationships worth fighting for, but remember, any relationship can't be a one-way street. 

Roofers Union, DC

A friend of mine was itching to try out the food here, so we decided to stop by one Saturday afternoon. P.S. this place turns into a bar at night.

My friend and I ended up sharing everything, family style. When the food came out, we were worried this wouldn't be enough for the two of us but as we cleaned our plates, we realized we ordered the perfect amount. I highly recommend ordering all three plates we ordered!  

FoodJulia KimDC MetroComment
September

Hello, September. I can't believe how quickly the last few months flew by. Safe to say, it's been a crazy past few months.

I took on a new project this summer that's been consuming my life. I wanted to prioritize this project of mine and give my 110% so I'd end up with the best possible outcome. I've also been trying to figure out next steps for my life/career and thought going on a social media cleanse would help me figure this out, so I left my camera on my shelf to collect some dust and deleted majority of my social apps from my phone too.

It recently hit me how much I've had to sacrifice for this ongoing project of mine and how wrapped up I've become, it was to the point I started getting lost (I know, not good). And so, after a few long weeks of hiatus, I finally decided to pick up my camera again and bring back the old me. Although I still plan to give my 110% on this project, I'm also going to make more time for me and to recharge.

Time for new adventures. Stay tuned! 

Indique, Indian Food DC

This is going to sound extremely depressing, but I've been craving Indian food since the end of last year (yes, 2016), so I was incredibly excited to finally visit Indique and get my cravings fixed. This post is going to be a little different. Instead of going into full details on what we ordered, I'll just list them out here:

  • Duo of Chaats (you have to order this as your starter, you won't regret it)

  • Naan

  • Chicken Curry Indique

  • Aloo Gobhi

  • Chicken Tikka Makhani

I know the portion sizes seem small, but you'll be surprised how filling everything is. Despite being way too full, my friends and I continued to eat everything off our plates until there was absolutely nothing left.

Did I mention I really like Indian food and the food here was amazing? 

Lapis, DC

My friend wanted to try out this Afghan bistro, so we decided to stop by Lapis after work on Friday. First impression: I loved the open space and how bright the restaurant was thanks to their large opened windows. It was a little too hot for my friend and I, so we decided to sit inside, but if you're up for it, you should consider snagging a seat outside. See below for what we ended up ordering. 

It was such an experience visiting an Afghan restaurant but the food here was really good. I also really like that they have a lot of gluten free and vegetarian options, so if you have any dietary restrictions and you're looking to explore new cuisines, this is a place you should stop by. 

Emissary, Cafe in DC

I think I just found a new favorite cafe near DuPont circle. Say hello to my new friend, Emissary.

This by-day coffee shop and by-night bar with brick walls as their interior lets you quickly settle in feeling cozy. The space is a little dark, which is why I snagged a seat next to the window, but if you're ever in the area and need a study/work spot, you should definitely consider this location. They have a lot of space and even a nice, semi closed off, sofa area for a larger group in the back. 

Although the food was a little salty for me, I really liked the ambiance of this place, loved my drink, and I really want to try out their lox & brioche next time I visit. Until then! 

June Summer Heat, DC

It's that time of the year again when we're finally able to pull out our summer shorts out of our closets, find new boozy outdoor brunch spots for the weekend, and soak some sun (just don't forget your sunscreen!).

This year feels like it's been flying by a lot quicker than other years, so I'm still in disbelief we're in June. I feel like I'm running out of time to accomplish the things I’ve been wanting to since the start of this year, so I've put together a schedule to help me stay on track. I also keep looking back at my 2017 resolutions to make sure I can end this year strong. Most view summer as a time to relax, but I'm going to use this time to work even harder to chase after my goals.  

Here's to the start of the warm DC weather that I'm not looking forward to and my favorite month of the year. Hello, June! 

Stylenanda, Seoul Korea

Hello! 
I'm currently in Korea for a quick trip and as I was roaming around meyong-dong, I came across this cute store: Stylenanda. Each floor had a different theme. The first was a hotel lobby, then there was a bathroom, dressing room, laundry, pool, and a cafe. This place is ridiculous but I'm glad I walked in to snap a few photos. See below! 

This place covered everything from your basic t-shirts, accessories, swim gear, to cosmetics. I didn't end up buying anything but am glad I stepped inside to take a few photos.