Hunting down a city's next coolest neighborhoods is a never-ending mission.
Yesterday's hot districts soon get gentrified and flooded with corporate opportunists, pushing the people who built the scene out to somewhere else.
The same thing is happening in Seoul.
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Here are three neighborhoods in the South Korean capital that are riding a wave of social media buzz right now.
Seongsu
Hailed as a hot spot by local media and eager property investors, Seongsu, the area around Seoul Forest, Ttukseom and Seongsu subway stations, packs in a cluster of fashionable restaurants and shops alongside a hub of art spaces and cafes.
For years, the district near Seongsu station was a zone of warehouses filled with auto repair shops and shoe workshops.
Drawn in by cheap rents, more interesting cafes and studios began moving into the spacious renovated factories.
That may be one reason Seongsu is so often compared to Brooklyn.
But the more residential pockets near Seoul Forest have a completely different feel.
They have become a gathering place for social enterprises and nonprofits. You will find community spaces and socially responsible businesses here.
Cow & Dog bills itself as a coworking space.
It hosts talks, networking events and flea markets for entrepreneurs and people with an entrepreneurial mindset. The ground floor is open to everyone as a cafe.
Ddukddeok is a bunsik restaurant serving cheap flour-based snacks a short walk from Seoul Forest.
Its signature dish, the one it takes its name from, is a take on the classic street food tteokbokki, rice cakes generously coated in a sweet and spicy sauce, priced at a true street-food 3,500 won ($3).
Closer to Seongsu station is Zagmachi, an incredibly photogenic cafe and exhibition space set inside a former print shop.
Further down the street sits Daelim Warehouse, a Seongsu landmark and event venue that has also helped drive the neighborhood's rise.
Seongsu has long been known for its quality handmade shoes, and the state-run From SS is one of many shops along Seongsu's handmade shoe street.
Cow & Dog, 20, Wangsimni-ro 2-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
Ddukddeok, 22-1, Seoulsup 6-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul; +82 70 7795 7209
Zagmachi, 88, Seongsui-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul; +82 70 4409 7700
From SS, 100, Achasan-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul; +82 70 4418 6283
Usadan-ro 10-gil
The smallest of the three, Usadan-ro 10-gil is the name of an alley in the Itaewon district in central Seoul.
Usadan-ro might look unassumingly charming, but it is packed tight with quirky boutiques and studios.
Magazine offices and vintage clothing boutiques blend seamlessly with old grocery stores and barbershops.
The best way to explore this area is to start at the Seoul Central Mosque and stroll down the road.
The Itaewon Gyedanjang community flea market, held on the last Saturday of the month, mostly deals in handmade goods and local crafts.
Go Zip specializes in teas and fermented drinks.
The teas are grown on an organic farm in Jeongseon-gun, in the southeastern part of South Korea, and the drinks are fermented for three years in traditional Korean earthenware on a farm in the northeastern region.
The result is a drinks menu that tastes far better than the names might suggest.
Maesil Ade (4,000 won/$3.30) is a fizzy, fermented Chinese plum drink, where the fermented syrup is served in a syringe so you can control just how strong you want it.
The same owner also runs a fruit-themed dessert shop on the same street.
Eid serves simple but delicious home-style Korean food (bibimbap, fried rice, bulgogi) made with halal ingredients.
If you keep walking, you will eventually pass showrooms, studios and shops from local designers.
Hanahzo is a studio that makes pastel-colored soaps.
WORKS sells pieces from several local designers and also doubles as a studio.
Go Zip, 40, Usadan-ro 10-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul; +82 70 4235 4235
Hanahzo, 135, Usadan-ro 10-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul; +82 2 3785 0120
WORKS, 77, Usadan-ro 10-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul; +82 70 7559 0570
Seochon
Seochon is a broad term meaning "western village," referring to the area west of Gyeongbokgung Palace, the most famous ancient palace in Seoul.
It is often compared to neighboring Bukchon, a wealthy and historic "village" north of the palace that was once home to the nobility and has drawn tourists for many years.
Seochon, not quite a tourist zone yet, used to be where translators and palace administrators lived.
Here, new establishments sit side by side with old residences, adding to the neighborhood's quiet charm.
A lovely, peaceful place to start is the Yi Sang House, a memorial named after the early 20th-century avant-garde poet and writer who once lived here.
This traditional hanok house, renovated with glass walls, holds a small library of books by and about Yi Sang.
There is also a tidy memorial room where a video about him is shown.
The Story of Lotus is a restaurant and lunch delivery service that specializes in lotus leaves stuffed with 10 different kinds of fragrant rice.
The focus is on organic and local ingredients.
The restaurant is run by Cho Eun-ju, a food editor and head of a local cultural marketing firm who has been rooted in Seochon for over a decade.
Seochon Garage is a shop founded by the creative design group Z_Lab and the alternative travel agency TH&D.
Its selection features carefully chosen souvenirs gathered from across Korea, along with pieces from local designers.
Ogin Arcade, which has existed in one form or another since 1988, is a small, brightly lit space packed with classic arcade games like Street Fighter and Tetris.
Sol Jae-woo, publisher of the local lifestyle magazine Seochon Life, took over the place after the previous owner stepped away.
A photograph of the elderly former owner, a matriarch of the neighborhood, is now on display in the arcade.
Yi Sang House, 18, Jahamun-ro 7-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul; +82 70 8837 8374
Story of Lotus Food Cafe, 53-30, Pirundae-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul; +82 3446 7369
Seochon Garage, 24, Jahamun-ro 9-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul; +82 2 732 0106 or +82 2 732 9101
Ogin Arcade, 28, Ogin-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
