I went out solo tonight for a rare night alone.  I met up with a fellow UW MBA alumnus tonight near Gangnam Station for dinner at Platinum Micro Brewery, a local brew pub.  It’s been awhile since we’ve seen each other.  I chose the place based on an online recommendation.  I wanted to find a place that brews its own beer, and Platinum turned out to be a winner.  I’m not too fond of Korea’s three major macro brews, OB, Hite, and Cass, but Platinum’s beer is outstanding.  The brew pub offers an all-you-can-eat buffet and all-you-can-drink beer from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. each weeknight (yes, the beer tap shuts off at 8:30 p.m.  No sneaking extra pints).  The Western-style cuisine was delicious, and the beer was great.  I tried a cream stout and a sweet Belgian-style weiss bier.  Platinum does as good a job crafting beers as any brew pub microbrew I’ve tasted.  The place seems to be very popular with the college-age crowd.  Two others were supposed to join us tonight, but they had other commitments.  Still, my friend and I had a good time catching up.  The area near Gangnam Station was filled with activity, despite the fact that I visited it on a Tuesday night.  People there dressed up in suits and beautiful dresses, indicating that it is a slightly upscale part of town, albeit not as trendy as Myeongdong.

I went from work to Gangnam Station by subway.  I noticed a couple of oddities in the Seoul subway.  For one, peddlers love to hock their wares on subway trains.  Tonight a gentleman stopped next to me in the middle of the train car and began crying out about how good his product was to the passengers.  I think it was an exercise accessory, but I’m not sure.  In the past on the subway I’ve seen vendors sell key chain flashlights.  Based on the vendor’s claim, his product is the best on the market and could be purchased for a limited time on the subway for only 5,000 won (about $5).  I also noticed that many subway passengers play video games on their cell phones.  Korea is on the cutting edge of cellular technology, although I have yet to see it for myself (I have an old, cheap cell phone).  The screens are small, but on the subway simple strategy games seem to be a great way to break the monotony of the ride.  As usual, I did not see a single foreigner riding the subway.  It seems that foreigners living in Seoul may be too dependent on other means of transportation.