The artworks and exhibits inside Chapultepec Castle | @museodehistoria, aka their National History Museum.

Mexico City, as seen on a recovery run on my first morning in town.

It’s good to be back. #LGM

Chez Ma Tante | @chez_ma_tante was hosting a Pub Night with Intermission / Jay Wolman | @intermission.intl / @jay_wolman. With the promise of reimagined pub fare and Oasis on the stereo, this was a no-brainer. Only complaint? Not enough Oasis on the stereo.

Finally got around to having dinner at Sami & Susu | @samiandsusunyc - they turn out some really good stuff in such a small kitchen.

Friday afternoon happy hour at The Ten Bells Brooklyn | @thetenbellsbk where a lot of food and, just as importantly, a lot of carafes of wine were had.

No better way to close out #asianwinterbreak25 than with one last flight in Korean Air Prestige Class, this time on the upper deck of their A380.

A wonderful start to 2026, eating and drinking my way through Seoul.

Seoul, as seen on my walkabouts around town.

Plenty of cocktails were had over two visits to ZEST SEOUL | @zest.seoul. Many thanks to Danny | @danny_youngmin_park for getting me a spot at the bar on my last afternoon in town.

Lunch at ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Mingles | @mingles_restaurant which was most assuredly one of the best lunches I’ve ever had. The food was phenomenal, the plating impeccable, and the service overwhelming (in a good way) even if did they mispell my name on the menu.

For the cost of 42,000 World of Hyatt points (entirely transferred over from Chase Ultimate Rewards), I was able to spend two nights in the very swell Park Hyatt Seoul | @parkhyattseoul. Category 5 is pretty low for the Park Hyatt brand but I won’t complain as this was a very solid redemption.

The cocktails at Bar Cham | @bar.cham are categorized by regions in South Korea; five in total. That meant I had to have one from each, right? Right.

On our way back to Seoul from the DMZ, we stopped at the Majang Lake Suspension Bridge, the longest towerless suspension bridge in South Korea.

I’m gonna acknowledge from the jump that this tour of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is told from a South Korean perspective and, try as they might, there are inherent biases in their descriptions/depictions.

With that out of the way, I’d definitely recommend doing this tour if you have a morning and afternoon to kill as it’s the only legit way you’ll be able to catch a glimpse of North Korea, a place that’s almost suspended in time.

For my first night in Seoul, I stayed at the Courtyard Seoul Namdaemun | @courtyard_namdaemun, for its convenient location and to burn my last FNA. As Courtyards go, this was a standout amongst the brand (definitely nicer than the one I stayed at in Osaka) - decidedly not fancy but more than adequate and a decent-sized room, which is also an indication I was no longer in Japan. I arrived on New Year’s Eve and went to sleep before 11 pm as it’d been a long day but was “treated” to fireworks at midnight to ring in the New Year.

Seoul, as seen on the coldest run of this trip.

The experience in Korean Air Prestige Class from Tokyo to Seoul which was… fine, I guess? Nothing spectacular but a meal on a short regional flight is always welcome.