Built in 1889 the Gladstone hotel, with its iconic red sign and dramatic arched windows, is the city’s oldest continuously operating hotel. Whether you drop by for weekly karaoke in the Melody Bar or sample fresh fare in the café, there is always something going on inside this architecturally stunning space. Rotating and permanent art exhibitions showcase local artists and a beautifully restored Victorian hand-operated elevator transports guests from their artist inspired rooms to the lower level gallery spaces and bustling bars. The hotel holds a special place in my heart as my parents met in a lovely old Victorian on Gladstone Avenue just down the street.
Just a couple blocks east the Drake Hotel, a self-proclaimed “hotbed for culture” draws sleek nightlife lovers and scruffy urban artists alike. Inside the funky hotel a refurbished 1950s art deco grand staircase leads guests up to the nineteen stylish bedrooms. The suites are chic yet artfully retro with a candy heavy snack bar and in-house Starving Artist wine on offer. The rooftop skyard features sun soaked cabanas under colourful muraled walls – the perfect spot for an early morning Caesar or a late night cocktail. The Drake’s corner café boasts the city’s best scones (blueberry...try the blueberry!) and its quirky gift shop lures foot traffic westward with plenty of Canadiana themed trinkets on offer. The hotel continues to expand along the Queen Street strip between Beaconsfield and Lisgar with a new ice cream/t-shirt shop opening this month appropriately named Scoops and Tees. And of course, Katie and I have both forced our boyfriends to jump in the old fashioned photo booth with us.
Both of these unique hotels feature creative touches that give back to the art communities living and working in the neighbourhood. The Gladstone has thirty-seven distinct artist-designed bedrooms while the Drake’s artist in residence program provides short-term living arrangements for budding artists looking for a space to create. Showcasing the best in local culture, art and cuisine these funky west-end accommodations offer so much more than your average downtown hotel. I only wish I could justify a staycation at one of these lovely hotels...but since I'm only a 10 minute walk away I guess I'll just have to settle for the ice cream and cocktails.
p.s. You can also read a (slightly edited) version of this over here.
Hasisi Park takes beautiful pictures.
Some pictures I took outside a cafe/gallery in Itaewon. I liked their window coverings.
Along with pretty tape, they're coming out with a new line of wrapping paper. See some cute wrap ideas over here - I love the donuts (and the 'wrap only myself' heading).
Jung is a freelancer illustrator based in Korea. She loves to observe and draw everything from people, trees, cliff, forest, streets, animals to council flat. She captures ideas from everyday life and bring it to drawings.
I picked up these postcards from a little antique store in Insadong last week. There were many to choose from, but I so liked the colours in these two.
The Book Society is a great little bookstore/project space run by Media Bus. Here you can find a well curated selection of small press and artists' publications, along with a variety of self-published books. It's easy to spend well over an hour here fondling the beautiful covers and smooth pages (even longer when it comes time to decide which ones to actually purchase). The store itself has a refreshingly unpretentious DIY feel, which made for a very comfortable browse. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it's only about a ten minute walk from Hongdae, which means I'll certainly be visiting again in the near future.
Toast It is a cork bread-shaped trivet/coaster from Brazilian design studio Oiti, which is run by Patricia Naves.
Carlos was testing out display options for his new prints (see more here). I am very lucky to live with someone who can so playfully brighten up our loft.
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