Downtown, Donuts and the 1,000 Won shop!

Dee has been talking about the "dollar store" since before Christmas and we have been trying to arrange it to go shopping. Last week we planned on lunch and shopping today. Dee and her son plus me and my 3 kiddos went in one car. Sheila and Crystal went in another car. Sheila and Crystal both live in my building and I am pretty friendly with both. So we headed downtown. I have been downtown one other time walking about and it was at night. It is really different during the day. We got there pretty early...around 9:30 or so and most of the shops were not open. But there was still so much to see.

Here is a little park in the middle of the city. Underneath it is a parking garage and this is where we parked.

This is a large department store. I have never been to it. I hear it is expensive.

Dee, Sheila and Crystal walking down the street.


Hmmmm the logo for this coffee shop looks pretty familiar.

Narrow streets and store after store after store. Mopeds and car were going down the sidewalks so we had to be careful. I was getting a little anxious about Maddie...afraid she was going to get hit.

I would like to come back when this fountain is running.

We stopped in front of these food vendors. Later on we had lunch at McDonald's. It is just amazing. It tastes exactly the same as back in America. Even the soap in the bathrooms is the same soap. Amazing.

A nice lady hard at work making all sorts of yummy snacks.

I am not sure if this is pork or chicken or something else? Looked pretty good.

Dee wanted some squid... yuck but hey she was the one eating it.

Sheila and I knew there had to be a Dunkin Donuts around here. We walked up and down and got lost and then....FOUND IT!

For those of you who know me...you know how happy I was to find this place. You know how I feel about donuts. Lookie lookie lookie!!! Real Donuts!

And I got a BIG BOX!

Don't they look just wonderful? The glazed were not the greatest but the chocolate were sooooo good! I am hiding them from the kids....I am such an evil mom.

Sheila feels the same way about donuts. Don't we look so happy! :) After the donuts we parted ways with Sheila and Crystal. Crystal had an appointment to go to. So Dee and I went in search of a "dollar store" or a 1,000 won shop.

On the way we saw these. I have seen these plant things before but never had a camera to get a picture. I am not sure what they are made out of but I think they are really neat looking.

Here it is...the first of many 1,000 won shops. This one was kind of small and crowded but it was fun to browse around.

I ended up with a toy for each kid and some other odds and ends.

Just a few shots of the street on our way back to the parking garage.

We found a craft store near the park but it was not open yet. We are making plans to go back another time.

Then it was to Dong A department store. Underneath the store is a mall of sorts. It is connected to the subway. We parked in the Dong A parking lot and took the escalators down. The mall was pretty good sized. I would like to go back when we are not so pressed for time. There seemed like a lot of neat shops I would like to go into.

This was a neat fountain in the middle and since it is inside had water in it.

Here I am with Maddie.

Here is another 1000 won shop. I think the prices varied. I bought three little kid folding chairs for 2,000 won each.

Here is another shop. This one was about twice the size of the other one. It had a really good selection. Time was running out so we rushed through it.

More shots of the same store. It is not unlike Dollar General or Family Dollar store back home. They did not seem to have the food those places have though.

I did not get to go into this store since we were out of time. It looked pretty neat though. Dee bought a dish rack and I waited out with the kids. Then it was rush, rush, rush to get out of there and back home. We got back right at 2 pm just enough time to unload and get kids from school. It was a great time and I always enjoy adventures with Dee. She is getting braver as far as driving about and is always willing to go and see something new. I got my shopping fix and for the first time since leaving the US I actually got my shopping buzz even though I maybe spent 50,000 won and that included the donuts and lunch.