Well, I had more to say today, but it’s been a busy day so that post’ll have to wait until tomorrow.
Micha’s niece stopped by, and we ended up going to Starfield Mall, a fairly new place that opened up just 20 minutes from our apartment. It’s so cool it’s got it’s own interchange access. I’ve taken quite the liking to the place, just to wander around. Their offerings are so-so — i think I’m well beyond the desire to actually “shop.” But it’s a great place to look at stuff. It’s got some decent food. And it has an E-mart Traders, which I think is better than Costco and doesn’t require a membership. It also has a Megabox theater, which I’ll go to once we start going back to movies.
And did I say it was only 20 minutes from our place? Most of that on convenient roads and expressways. I don’t even mind the two bucks in tolls it costs round-trip.
I think Malls and department stores still work in Korea because they’re a market-going people. They don’t mind crowding together en masse, and they’re good at it. They’re more socially-minded. They’ll clog the highways to go to a place or event, and they don’t seem to mind nearly as much as we Americans. So you have the combination of the destination and the event that is the mall, and it works.
These COVID days are a bit rough on them I’m sure, but once things settle down, I’m sure it’ll be quite the place. I’m content right now to be able to park fairly close in an underground or covered lot and just pass the time.