63 Building

63 Building

Some cities just offer more than others to travelers. There's cities that are great for museums, but have little else to offer. And then there are cities that can cater to a wide range of tastes. Seoul has a great combination of the latest technology intermixed with ancient cultural and religious sites, and just generally my all around favorite city to visit. Admittedly, it can be a little intimidating for non-Korean speakers, but it's really not that bad and you can get around quite easily.

Dividing Seoul into both northern and southern halves, the Han river has seen a fantastic revitalization over the years bringing with it updated parks and recreational areas. Given the sheer size of Seoul, taking a river cruise lets you see quite a bit of the city, and there's no better time than at sunset. If you time it right, you can even see the rainbow fountain that spouts out of the Banpo Bridge at night in a beautiful array of colors.

That tall and slender golden building on the left is known as 63 Building. It does have 63 floors, but it's a little misleading as 3 of those floors are actually underground. Don't hold that against it too much though - it's not the only skyscraper in the world that uses such tricks to embolden its claims as a tall skyscraper.

At the time it opened in 1985, it was the tallest building in Korea. A title it would hold until as recently as 2003. It is believed to still hold the title of the tallest gold-clad structure in the world, so it has that going for it. Even though I've been to Seoul many times, I still haven't made a proper visit to this building as there is just so much to see and do, and the city keeps evolving. Don't worry 63, you're still on my list to visit!