Yeouido Park. Cutest Place on Earth? Maybe Yes.

Quiz: Which of these amounts is greatest?

1. The number of couples in matching clothes riding tandem bikes in Yeouido Park
2. The number of older couples holding hands and walking by the river in Yeouido Park
3. The number of grandpas teaching their grandchildren how to fly kites in Yeouido Park
4. The number of flirting middle school couples hanging out by the wading pool in Yeouido Park
5. The number of children learning to ride their bikes (training wheels everywhere!) in the “Cultural Event Area” of Yeouido Park
6. All activities have equally numerous quantities since there are like a billion people doing each of them.

Kate and I went to Yeouido (여의도) last Sunday to enjoy a picnic in the stunningly beautiful weather. The temperature was probably 78, it was sunny, and the air was clear. We hopped over on the Metro, picked up some kimbap and some black sesame drink, and plopped ourselves down by the riverside to eat.

Apart from the tasty food (and of course the beautiful company), one of the nice things about picnicking in Seoul is the abundance of public spaces that have been created for shared merriment. This is just speculation, but it seems as though one of the effects of people having fairly small apartments/houses is an abundance of beautiful public spaces that can be shared by large groups of people.

These spaces seem to facilitate informal parties with friends with a frequency that is much greater than we experience in the United States. Here in Seoul — at least in these public spaces — it seems much easier to round up a group and sit down together for an evening out or day in the park. There are wading pools and kite areas for the kids (and adults), permanent sunshade demi-shelters for you to picnic under and vendors set up so you can purchase everything (blanket included) on site easily and affordably.

Of course, half the fun of a picnic is the food and drink, and there is lots to choose from at Yeouido park. The more adventurous can go for squid on a stick or steamed silkworms from sidewalk street vendors. The less-bold might lean toward pressed, dried squid or takoyaki. A lack of open container laws even means that groups of friends can have tipsy fun times and play loud games all along the river bank.