By Samina Ahmed
It was a nice Friday evening. . . not too chilly and not too sunny, just the way I liked it. So why not go to Koreatown?
Koreatown is a lovely neighborhood located in Midtown Manhattan in New York City on 32nd Street. From karaoke spots, to Korean Barbeque, Asian dessert shops, restaurants, supermarkets, skincare stores, and a bookstore that sells Korean books and K-Pop merchandise —this is a perfect place to spend your day at if you’re into Asian culture.
My friends and I started our adventure at Koryo Books…
As you enter the bookstore, your favorite K-pop songs are played one after the other.
Classic American novels such as the Harry Potter series are translated into the Korean language.
For those who are k-pop crazed, there’s merchandise from numerous artists.
From BTS, EXO, MONSTA-X, SHINee, GOT7, SEVENTEEN, BTOB, RED VELVET, TWICE, BLACKPINK, GFriend, iKON, DAY6, BIGBANG, NCT, SUPER JUNIOR, GIRLS’ GENERATION, PENTAGON, WANNA ONE, 2NE1, VIXX, IU….you name it!
Available merchandise ranges from photo cards, postcards, posters, pins, albums, masks, accessories, pens, keychains, shirts, caps, stickers, and much more.
The price of albums ranges from $15 – $80.
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There are magazines covering the latest updates on K-pop artists and actors.
Plus, there are so many cute pens, humidifiers, dolls, and phone cases placed conveniently near the cash register. . .
Upstairs, they also have a section for skin care products, make-up, and dresses.
After spending some time at Koryo Books, we went to Paris Baguette.
This bakery shop is filled with a variety of baked pastries and drinks.
Most of the desserts there are under $10.
Chocolate croissants, soft strawberry cake, Belgian waffles, chocolate cream cheese bread, baguettes, fruit bites…oh sweet heaven.
I bought a raspberry macaroon for $2.75, yum.
Afterwards, we went to Caffe Bene.
Caffe Bene is a coffeehouse that also sells pastries and traditional Korean desserts.
My friends and I ordered a mochi and Bingsu. Mochi is a Japanese rice cake that is usually served cold and it costed $2.50. Bingsu is a famous Korean shaved ice dessert that includes sweet toppings and red beans.
The Bingsu was $12.95. We ordered the strawberry Bingsu. It took a while to finish it…
In the lounge, most people are working on their laptops. K-pop songs are also played lightly in the background.
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But if you’re looking for a place to dine and try different traditional Korean dishes, Five Senses is a nice restaurant to choose. Kimchi fried rice is a popular dish in Korea. It is primarily made out of kimchi (fermented cabbage with a variety of seasonings including chili powder) and rice, along with diced vegetables, cheese, and meats.
Photo: Sameera Ahmed
There are also many soups to order from.
Photo: Sameera Ahmed
Tteok-bokki or stir-fried rice cakes is also a well known dish in Korea. It is mainly made out of fish cakes, boiled eggs, and scallions.
Photo: Sameera Ahmed
There are a lot more stores to visit while you are in Korea-Town.
And although the sidewalks are usually crowded…
There is always room for you to visit this beautiful neighborhood!
I hope you enjoy your visit to Korea-Town!