| Go> Layover: Seoul |
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City with a Seoul
The Han River provides miles of open water
Harold Shim, founder of the city's 700 Yacht Club
For Harold Shim, a Seoul attorney, sailor, and founder of the 700 Yacht Club, the Han River, which bisects the city, is the ultimate escape. “It is one of the few clean and navigable inner-city rivers in the world,” he says as he relaxes on the patio of the club’s waterfront café. When the lean 53-year-old bought his sailboat five years ago, there were few other recreational craft in the country and no sailing culture, so Shim started 700. Since then, the club has become a close-knit crew of sailing enthusiasts. Shim describes how he and a few friends often cruise his boat downriver to Haengju, where dramatic cliffs block the city noise. There, they lower anchor for quiet picnics. “It’s unbelievable we can do this in the city,” he says. It’s characteristic of Seoul’s hidden allures, adds Shim, who shared a handful of other city picks, maritime and otherwise. 1. When he’s not on the waterfront, Shim likes to roam the labyrinthine side streets in Anguk-dong, an aromatic neighborhood with some of the city’s very best cafés and restaurants, tucked away in historic wood-framed, tile-roofed houses. “I like to explore the little alleyways where the old Seoul still remains,” he says. After a stroll, drop into one of Shim’s favorite haunts, Min’s Club (minsclub.co.kr), for a plate of roast beef with pine mushrooms or braised oxtail with abalone.  2. Visible to the north from downtown, Bukhansan National Park is ground zero for the city’s thriving rock-climbing scene (koreaontherocks.com). Two giant granite domes, Seonin and Insu, offer 58 slab and crack routes (one stretches six pitches), with grades up to 5.12. But the truly toughest part may be avoiding other local climbers, especially on Sundays, when Seoul’s climbing elite queue for routes. On weekdays, however, expect to have the crag to yourself.3. Mountains blanket some 70 percent of Korea, yet few foreigners have tapped into the country’s network of mountain biking. Grab a bike (mtbk-adventure.com) and head to Namhan Sanseong Provincial Park, 18 miles southeast of downtown. There, ride through dense pine forest and along the hewn-stone walls of a 17th-century fortress, which encircles temples and shrines. For more technical riding, the trails at Achasan, on the city’s eastern edge, wend straight down sheer granite precipices, with stunning views over the city. 4. For a taste of the most authentic Korean fare you’ll ever eat, head to Yongsusan (yongsusan.co.kr). Specializing in recipes from the royal court of the Koryo dynasty (circa a.d. 900), the restaurant serves food entirely different from what Koreans ordinarily eat. Shim suggests ordering the set menu, which will earn you a parade of dishes ranging from marinated jellyfish and barbecued short ribs to pumpkin porridge. 5. Retire at the Shilla hotel (shilla.net), the five-star that picks up more international awards than any other hotel in the city. Its elegant Guerlain spa offers hydrotherapy and pressure-point treatments to help you recover from a day at Insu or Achasan. |
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