My second business trip to Seoul earlier this month was another epic experience. I oversee the Asia Pacific territory and head to Asia about twice a year. In Seoul we have a local rep, Gabshin (Jeff) Hwang, who has been with us for many years. I traveled solo on this trip, and Jeff was a fantastic host in his home country. I jetted out of LAX on the red eye and flew All Nippon Airways‘ business class for the first time. The business-class cabin is very spacious and provided a comfortable night’s sleep. I was able to get about six hours of sleep on the way to Toyko, where I laid over. The onboard food was tasty and included Japanese and American cuisine. I’m also always a fan of the amenity kits at the front of the plane! I landed in Seoul on a Tuesday mid-morning and didn’t have meetings until Wednesday. I checked into the Plaza Seoul, Autograph Collection, and stayed in a beautiful suite with perfect views of City Hall and Deoksugung Palace. After finishing work emails, I popped over to the palace and walked around the large property to soak up some Korean culture. Fun fact — South Korea actually gifted the United States with a replica of the Korean Friendship Bell and stone pavilion located in Los Angeles back in 1976. I hopped in a cab and ended up in the Gangnam neighborhood. You may recognize this from Psy’s infamous 2012 “Gangnam Style” pop song. Gangnam is known as the Beverly Hills of Seoul, and here you can find high-end luxury retail shops, coffee shops and boutiques to browse for days. I took a few wrong turns and ended up lost in the plethora of identical alleys in Gangnam but somehow ended up eating at a traditional Korean restaurant. This was a perfect way to start my trip. I ordered Korean bulgogi, which is grilled marinated beef with onions & garlic, which this restaurant topped with mozzarella cheese. The food in Seoul was my favorite component of this trip, besides the endless options of Korean skincare. The multiple selections of kimchi were spicy as ever, and I couldn’t get enough. It was really nice to be able to enjoy the culture of Korea between business meetings. And just like the city slogan says, I. Seoul. U. — Rafie Iannello, account director, Pacific Rim