Voice of the People

MorningCalm

To understand something of Armenia, it’s helpful to know that the country’s most cherished symbol, Mount Ararat — depicted in souvenirs, placed on the national coat of arms, said to be where the Ark settled when the floodwaters receded — is not actually in Armenia.

11 Sophisticated Hotels…

Travel + Leisure

Minneapolis’ best hotels combine this urban sophistication with a patently Midwestern lack of pretension, creating welcoming stays where you half expect the concierge to greet you with a truffle-topped Tater Tot hot dish.

The best road trips in…

Lonely Planet

Toss a bag of gyul (tangerines) in the passenger seat, slip on some shades, put the top down and cruise the 1132, the highway that traces the coastline of Jeju-do island.

Feline’s Fortune

MorningCalm

Maneki-neko are inescapable here. A road near the train station, dubbed Maneki Neko Street, is lined with artisans’ interpretations of the figure, and Aeon Mall has a 6.5m-tall version that is said to be the world’s largest. Tokoname’s municipal Wi-Fi password is “luckycat.”

An Urbanist’s Guide to…

The Guardian

Now the Cheonggye Stream is an urban oasis for residents, a major tourist draw, a venue for art installations, and a refuge for waterfowl. It’s also representative of modern Seoul: an artificially engineered version of something natural, a show of will, a comeback story.

This Old House

Aspire

“Western-style buildings’ clean, modern spaces don’t feel new [to Koreans] anymore. What feels new are old hanok,” says Louis Park.

Salty Silkworm Pupae…

Matador Network

Every cuisine has its secrets — ingredients that don’t get exported, offerings that live off-menu.

Tables for One

Aspire

Even the most passionate advocates of solo dining might admit that eating alone lacks something essentially Korean. In a word, that something is jung, a hard-to-translate term that alludes to notions of affection and camaraderie, and one of the words Koreans will inevitably mention when trying to explain Korean-ness.

Style and Substance

MorningCalm

Oodi is a combination of book depository, workshop and public space. The staircase winding through its center emphasizes this democratic approach; it’s lined with words stating whom the library is for, as submitted by the public: lovers, the overworked, the lost.

Blurred Lines

Aspire

The result is avant-garde, almost genderless pieces, such as a white button-down shirt that starts at the shoulders, but keeps going until its cuffs swallow the wearer’s hands and the hem reaches the knees. Is it a men’s dress shirt or a women’s dress? The answer probably depends on who’s wearing it and, more to the point, what the wearer wants it to be.

Industrial Revolution

Smile

Its name sounds like a moment of indecision, but you shouldn’t have any doubts about visiting or.er., a neat, back-street café. Its main room windows look out on an old barbecue joint and a motorcycle repair shop — vintage Seongsu at its best — while small rooms in the back feel more like a home than a café.

Free Rides

MorningCalm

“A bicycle is an object of desire,” says Frédéric Jastrzebski, CEO of Maison Tamboite Paris. “It brings you back somehow to childhood. It’s the first tool that provides you with a different level of freedom when you’re a child. It’s the first thing that lets you go far.”

Digging Deep

MorningCalm

Kwon then braises the meat for galbi-jjim, or braised short ribs, adding yams, carrots, onions and sliced chilies. Reminiscent of a good Irish stew, it is hearty and sweet. The yams do the work potatoes usually do, but add a crispness that mirrors the late fall air.

The Heart of Seoul

iNews

It’s no accident that Squid Game’s two central characters, Gi-hun and Sang-woo, hail from this neighbourhood in far north-eastern Seoul, as Ssangmun-dong has long been something of an Everytown in the Korean imagination.

South Korea’s top…

Lonely Planet

Yangyang’s a vibe. Near the beach, surfers stroll around with longboards, and Seoul escapees snap pics for social media, but just a block inland, the place is still your typical rural Korean town, with old farmers rolling by in pickup trucks.