Travel NYC like Many K-pop Idols
While on our Travel NYC Like ___ journey, we knew this next place was a definite must see! From all the pictures we had seen of so many different idols making the spot a stop on their NYC travels the place was a no brainer.
ATEEZ shooting a dance practice video The spot we’re talking about today is a setting that we have seen many a k-pop idol frequent. Not even just K-pop idols like Stray Kids, and ATEEZ, but K-drama actors, like our boy Woo Do Hwan, who inspired Hwan Soo in Seoul Searching, jokingly, made a stop here.
Woo Do Hwanss funny insta post at the famous location This was another location that we had always seen and wanted to go to, but never actually went. But as we drew up the plans for this series, it was one of the top on our list. Rather easy to find, and not actually in Manhattan but in the borough of Brooklyn, we found this gem of a location.
Stray Kids during one of their challenges Located at the intersection of Washington and Water St. in the area lovingly named DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass), is where you will find this picturesque setting. Settled between the cobblestone streets and old brick factories now converted to shops and apartments, it has a view of the Manhattan Bridge so breathtaking it’s no surprise why idols make the trip.
Sammie and E. enjoying their day at the gorgeous area of DUMBO We felt like we could’ve spent all day stood in that intersection. The lighting changed with every passing cloud, and the sun dipping back down to bring on the moon, and we wanted to stay to witness it all. We unfortunately had a lot more ground to cover and we had to sadly move on. Maybe we will hit it up once again and spend all the time we had planned. And maybe we will even see you there while you take amazing, Instagram worthy photos and enjoy your travel like many kpop (and K-drama) idols.
Sammie wishing she could dance along with ATEEZ (Actually just wishing she could dance) Travel NYC like Bang Chan, Changbin, Jisung, and Hyunjin of Stray Kids
On a hot summer weekend in NYC, the heat not only radiated from the sun above but off the concrete below causing us to want to spend the whole day in the nice cool AC of our hotel room. But no! We were determined to go hunting for travel spots. With our list as long as Priyanka Chopra’s veil, we ventured out into the jungle.
Hopping onto the subway, we made our way to the always entertaining area of SoHo (short for South of Houston). A place filled with amazing restaurants, cool shops, and all around fun stuff to adventure and find.
On this adventure we were going to a place we had actually never been, but knew from a movie called Two Weeks Notice (released in 2002). See how we have, are, and always will, love love. While they had put a different name on the building, Sammie’s mom had said she knew where the place was and had been with coworkers years prior.
When we watched “Stray Kids: 제 9구역 시즌2 ( chae 9 guyeok shijon 2 – the 9th district season 2) we loved seeing so many sights of the city we love, which will be showcased in future articles, but when we saw them walk past an iconic scene in RomCom history we paused and proceeded to screech. We knew the image very well.
Sandra Bullock running to save Hugh Grant Sandra Bullock had run to that very spot to find Hugh Grant had called her for the ‘emergency’ of not finding the right outfit to wear to an event. And our fan fiction hearts started imagining Jisung meeting us in one of the gorgeous rooms in the hotel for a romantic rendezvous, or Bang Chan ordering room service so we didn’t have to leave our room and simply spend time together, or Changbin buying us a drink while Hyunjin performed on the small stage in piano bar.
Stray Kids Bang Chan, Hyunjin, Changbin, and Jisung outside The Roxy We knew we had to go. And so here it is. The Roxy Hotel is located at the intersection of 6th Ave, Church St. and White St. Yes, three roads all meet to make the area that is The Roxy Hotel. Outside is a gorgeous old black clock with a white face that reminds us of the clock in the historic Waldorf Astoria Hotel (which is currently closed).
Sammie outside trying not freak out too much that she was living out a childhood memory. After you see some art at a small local gallery, do some shopping at some cute boutique, get a gelato from the local creamery, or a drink down at one of the local pubs, go and relax in the gorgeous venue that is The Roxy Hotel so you can say you travelled NYC like Bang Chan, Changbin, Jisung, Hyunjin of Stray Kids.
PLT make fans Go Holic in NJ
White Eagle Hall in Jersey City, NJ was once again packed with K-pop fans. This time, it was for PLT. A group consisting of five solo artists ranging in different genres of music, like R&B, rap, and pop made NJ their kick off stop in their US tour. Fans lined up around the block, even in the chilled windy air, to wait to get in and get the best spot to see, Gaho, Moti, Jung Jinwoo, Villain, and June perform not only their solo songs, but also their combined music as PLT.
A little background on PLT. The five members, like stated above, are all solo artists under the label Planetarium Records. They have mixtapes, solo albums, singles, etc. singularly and then together to mix their genres to make music as a group, named PLT (a play on their record label name).
As we entered the venue, which we have been to many times, it never ceases to amaze us how gorgeous the place is with it’s stained glass ceiling windows, the large open space for fans to clamor into and the stage in the far back awaiting the presence of the artists who are waiting in the wings to perform.
The lights cut out, a screen dropped to promote the company that was able to make the concert possible, My Music Taste, and as the screen raised, the curtain opened and out walked Gaho. Dressed in a sleek black suit that, when he turned around, had pieces of printed cloth on the back, Gaho grabbed the mic and kicked off his set. He nervously explained her was jet lagged, but hearing the fans cheers gave him all the energy he needed to perform. The fans swooned as he sang his dulcet tracks like, “Going On”, followed by the soul crushing, heart breaking, ‘WHO HURT YOU?!’ song called, “있어줘 (eessojyo- stay here)”, and his most recent single, “Pink Walk,” which we still have stuck in our heads.
Gaho After thanking the crowd for coming, and letting him perform his music, Gaho walked off the stage to make way for the next artist. Jung Jinwoo, with his fluffy curls, oversized suit jacket and pants, stepped out to kick off his set with “위성 –weeseong – satellite) He was so nervous and excited, and the crowd was so happy he was on stage he missed his cue and asked for them to restart, letting the crowd enjoy his melodic entrance once more. He was sweet as he grabbed the hands of the fans as he walked across stage singing “She’s Got Everything,” a yet to be released song, and also “문제 (munjae – problem)” Jung Jinwoo had everyone begging for more and when he walked off stage, it was June’s turn to make the crowd lose their minds.
Jung Jinwoo June kicked of his set rather calmly. Sitting relaxed on a stool, dressed in a green and black flannel, with the new version of UFO pants (which we didn’t think would ever make a come back and have and we’re here for it), and a voice like Jay Park, he slayed the R&B game with his songs, “Gas Station,” and “Serenade.” The chill vibes of his set didn’t stop the fans from screaming for him to continue. When he wrapped up a few songs he spoke about how excited he was to be there and how he wanted to share some new unreleased music. Honestly, most of the members announced and performed an unreleased song and mentioned that new music was coming soon. It not only was exciting for them, but it made the fans crave more. After “오늘 밤은 (onul bamun- tonight)” he concluded his set and asked the crowd if they were ready for the next performer.
June We don’t believe they were and neither were we. As the music started, the fans went absolutely bat sh*t crazy and Villain, in his white denim jacket, spray painted jeans, blue hair with a center part and round Harry Potter like lenses, took the stage to start singing “Fairy.” Now we have never seen PLT perform live, we had heard that all their stages are amazing and we had seen some videos from previous shows but Villain came to kill. His overtly sexual motions as his hands ran up and down the mic stand caused us to hear squeals and even some straight moans from the crowd as he continued. He knew what he was doing and it fueled his entire performance. He finished the song and went into a personal story about how people are essentially shitty, and realized as he went to start his next song he had forgotten his set list. With a laugh and a smile he continued on and performed his hits “마니또 (Manitto),” and “Luhvin It” before also announcing he would be coming out with new music soon.
Villain It was then time for the final solo act. Moti. Once again, a man rocking a black suit, white shirt, but this time he added his own flare by having some pretty sick diamond chains. He kicked his set off with, “겸손 (kyeom seon- humble/modesty)” and when he moved away from his mic stand all hell broke loose. We’ve been crushed by fans before while taking photos. ASTRO at K-expo was probably the most insane. That was until this show. While we were crowded and pressed against the stage for all the other performers, when Moti came out is was a whole different ball game. The dude was running from side to side and seemed to always stop right in front of us. See crotch shot below for proof. He had the crowd who had already been at a 10 shoot up to a damn 20 as he performed, “Blue,” “GO,” and a new track set to hit the rest of the worlds ears next month.
Moti (crotch shot lol) Did you think after he performed it was over? Oh no. They still had their group act to perform. Remember how the crowd had bounced up to a 20? Yeah at the point they were over 100 and climbing to flipping infinity fast. PLT came out and it was like we entered Coachella with how loud and chaotic the crowd went. As they sang their group tracks like, “Igoholic,” “Blah,” and “Hocus Pocus,” they began showering the fans in water. As we were crushed in the front we got a solid shot to the face a few times. And while we were hype on how excited it made the fans we weren’t hype on it getting our camera wet. But such is the life of a concert photographer.
PLT Chaos All in all this concert over shot our expectations. We knew PLT were coming for us but not as savagely as they did. Every solo performance brought new waves of excitement, and when PLT came together there was no stopping the tsunami of hype. If you’re interested in seeing them and are in the US. Their up coming stops are Dallas, Los Angeles and Chicago so hopefully you can make your way over to any of those locations. We highly suggest experiencing “We Go Holic” for yourselves.
Travel NYC like Jin-Young of GOT7
Do you ever have one of those moments where you look at something and say, “Wait. This looks familiar.”?
After starting this “Travel NYC like _____” series, we realized we say that A LOT. Most of the time, while the buildings look similar, they are in fact, not the same. Which can be disheartening, but it hasn’t stopped us yet. And this is a tale of one of those times.
We will say, this picture was a challenge. Our lovely friend over at @starlightseungmin sent us this insta post of Jin-Young from GOT7.
brb just letting Sammie know she’ll never find me. -Jin-Young Gorgeous right? We’re talking about the waterfall obviously…*clears throat* anyway…
We wanted to find the place just for sheer amazement that there was a location like it in NYC. But Sammie had her own reasons.
When she was in High School, her and a friend skipped prom to roam around NYC. While on the adventure they stumbled upon an amazing waterfall tunnel. And to this day, almost 15 years later (omg we’re old), they still have not been able to find the mysterious passageway. Seeing another waterfall triggered Sammie and she became even more determined to find this one.
But even with our combined group of eyes, including Sammie’s mother, none of us had a clue where this place could be. We pushed it to the side for a lot of the other locations we knew where to find, and in time it had become forgotten.
Sammie had gotten out of work early one day, and was meeting her mother for their monthly mother/daughter date (a location The Boyz visited as well! Look forward to that in an upcoming post). They chose to kill some time and walk around to find a few locations they knew were near each other.
As they walked Sammie paused, smelling the fresh scent of misting water. If you’ve ever sprayed a hose, you know the smell of that scattered water as it nourishes the ground beneath your feet. The smell stopped her dead in her tracks. Water misting in NYC? How? WATERFALL!! She looked around frantically trying to find the source of the smell. Did she find the tunnel she had been always searching for since her high school days? Was it where Jin-Young chose to sit and relax and scroll through his phone?
She pulled her mom along the streets to follow the scent and she finally found its location. She ran over, seeing a restaurant where couples were out to a late lunch, a mother with her kid fresh out of school, some coworkers out for drinks, sitting by the side of a waterfall. It was at that moment she said, “Wait. This is familiar.”
The chairs were exactly the same as those in Jin-Young’s photo, the color of the marble/granite behind the waterfall was identical. But when she looked from the photo to where she stood, it wasn’t the same. So as that familiarity and hope subsided, she realized she had not found the spot she thought would never find in the first place.
She snapped a few photos as it was gorgeous either way, and she was resigned to keep a small hope alive to find the real scene.
Come on! They looked so similar! Walking away to move on to another location she saw her mom, a few steps ahead, stopped, looking off to what seemed like a small alleyway. Her face unreadable, Sammie ran up concerned her mom had stumbled upon a not so pleasant sight, but when she followed her mom’s line of sight and her jaw hit the floor.
A small waterfall with red marble/granite stairs, modern white metal chairs, flowers surrounding large trees, and the kicker? A building with a turret like structure with windows on each side.
Her mother had found where Jin-Young sat and enjoyed a nice spring day in New York.
Queen of the awkward poses? Our loving leader Sammie. Sammie wanted to cry. It was a gorgeous little hidden gem that she was shocked existed in Manhattan. Brooklyn? Sure. Queens? Maybe. But in the center of New York City? For real?! And yet, there it was. This gorgeous secluded, serene, majestic spot, that she had searched months for that her mother and her had simply stumbled on.
And so we get to share the location with you guys! This hidden spot is in an area not normally frequented by most tourists. The block (53rd st) is nestled in between the large office buildings, housing massive corporations (between Madison Ave & 5th) and a few blocks away from the MoMA. If you make your way into the city, this is definitely a chill place to relax after all your Traveling NYC like Jin-Young of GOT7.
Pentagon lights the universe at Beacon Theater in NYC
A cooling end-of-summer Thursday night in NYC always brings out some beautiful things. The last budding daisies blooming in corner parks, the restaurants fill their outdoor seating with patrons who enjoy people watching as the street lights flicker on to light others paths home. And finally, far off into the distance, the universe lights the night with twinkling stars to guide the world safely below.
But the universe in the sky wasn’t the only lights shining bright. The Universe of 펜타곤 (Pentagon) shown more dazzling than the heavens, as the band brought their fans to the Beacon Theater for what was to be a night that will not be soon forgotten.
Fans not only lined-up around the corner to wait to get in, they wrapped around the entire block. It was a sight to be seen.
Met cool people waiting online Walking into the theater we were greeted with an impressive architectural and artistic beauty. The theater was ornately painted and had insane large statues of goddesses and knights. We hope more concerts are at the Beacon Theater just so we can take more pictures of the venue itself.
While the concert started a little late, it didn’t stop the fans from freaking out the second the lights cut turning the whole building black and a video of the members began playing. 펜타곤 consists of 9 members (formerly 10, E’dawn left amid controversy of him dating Hyuna), Jinho, Wooseok, Yeo One, Kino, Hui, Shinwon, Yuto, and Yanan. While Yanan was not present for to concert due to injury, the other 8 carried on to perform and make him proud.
Once the video ended, fans got even louder as the members appeared on stage to perform the intro to their debut album, “Wake Up.” Fans were wide awake not wanting to miss a second of these guys owning the stage. “Sha La La (신토불이-shintobulee- there really is no real translation. It is Shalala…)” followed, which felt like a warm up, prepping us for what they had in store for the rest of the show. We’ve have followed these guys since their debut in 2016 under C**e Entertainment (If you’ve seen Sammie’s youtube channel you will understand this joke. If not click here to see.) and have been waiting patiently for them for them to come to the NY for their own tour. This summer has been the one where a ton of our favorite groups have come to NY and we are not complaining.
during their first ment In the middle of performing several title tracks from their albums like, “Gorilla,” “Like This,” “Runaway,” and their most recent “Humph!” they introduced themselves (but let’s be real, they need no introduction) and spoke about how excited they were to be on a US tour. They cracked jokes with each other and interacted with the audience asking questions like, “Are you excited to be here?” and “Are you ready for more?” Oh and did we forget to mention Hongseok pulled open to show off his abs but some one *cough* Shinwon *cough* walked in front of our section so we couldn’t even see?!? THE NERVE!!
Wooseok sending hearts to the audience The second video break ended, and they had clearly finished an outfit change, one member stood on stage. Kino. Now, Kino has slowly been creeping up our bias list and after we watched the sway of his hips as the opening music to Camila Cabello’s “Havana,” pumped through the speakers, we knew we were done for. Suddenly, YeoOne, Jinho (who had actually done a cover video on Youtube of this song), and Hongseok joined him on stage and, we cant lie, panties hit the floor. These boys were able to seduce us with a song we actually can’t stand due to it being so overplayed. That. Is. Skill.
When that song completed and the four men walked off the stage, the other four members, Yuto, WooSeok, Hui, and Shinwon came out and slayed another overplayed song, “Uptown Funk,” by Bruno Mars. Seriously, both these are songs we have been so sick of hearing and suddenly we didn’t want them to end!
Uptown Funk These boys went through more outfit changes than we had seen in a while and all 8 came out in all white ensembles to slow down the pace of the concert with several of their ballads including, “When it rains at night(밤에 비가 내리면 -bamae biga naerimyun- If it rains at night),” and “Beautiful.” Their vocals could bring tears to anyone who heard them. The harmonies? UGH! PHENOMENAL! No other word can truly describe what was heard. Even if we have video it couldn’t do it justice.
So let’s just recap:
They blew minds.
They dropped panties.
They melted hearts.
It was time for them to put all three together for their mind blowing, panty dropping, heart melting final few songs. Hitting the stage in yet another outfit change (not joking so many changes and they all looked handsome in different ways), they took the standard group photo with the crowd and performed “Critical Beauty (예뻐죽겠네- yepo jukkaettnae- deadly gorgeous) “Naughty boy(청개구리-chonggaeguri- tree frog),” “Shine(빛나리- beechnari – shine),” and a new fav of ours, “Fantasystic.”
Get you a man who looks at you like Kino looks at Shinwon (Yes we stole Sammie’s tweet) While we had to leave before the encore, we heard they came out in their tour t-shirts for a final speech and performed a song or two while waving and throwing their hearts to fans everywhere in the audience.
Talking about their tour 펜타곤 came, saw, and conquered NYC. Their vocals made us shiver, their rapping made us quake, and their choreography shot us up into the sky to become the Universe they love so much. It was a night to not be forgotten by the fans and hopefully not by 펜타곤. We wish them the best of luck on the rest of the tour. If they’re in an area near you we suggest checking them out immediately. If the ticket prices are out of your price range, we totally get that, we suggest you check out their music anyway you can.
#WAFFLEDEBACLE
Sammie here. Thanks for reading our blogs about the recent concerts we’ve been to and even our book Seoul Searching. This post is a little different than what we’ve done in the past. This is my account of what we here at K.F.C, as well as my coworkers and friends, have now deemed the IMFACT #waffledebacle.
Enjoy.
The day started like any other concert going day. I picked out an outfit, proceeded to change it fifteen times, until I ended up going shopping and finding the cutest dress to wear (on clearance too! I love me a sale J). I put on my most basic of make-up as I have zero skills in that department. And I spent an hour fixing my hair only to throw it up in my usual bun because I hate my hair any other way. My normal concert routine.
I arrived at the venue, waited in line, met up with friends, got into the building to meet the members of IMFACT as they signed an album to me, even some of them wished me a happy birthday. I fangirled a bit as we took group photos, and then the concert began. I rocked out, screamed, danced, and went crazy when they played my favorite songs. Again, my normal concert routine.
Then the show concluded, and it was time for the Pick-a-poses. This has always been one of my favorite moments of concerts run by Studio PAV. While most other companies have a hi-touch and a quick group photo after the show, Studio PAV delivers a once in a lifetime experience. A short, but intimate time with idols one on one. I have been to close to ten shows that Studio PAV has put on and usually I tend to say very little to the idols during these Pick-a-pose sessions. They say, “Thank you for coming.” I quickly respond with a smile and maybe a, “You’re show was great.” Click! The photo is taken, I walk away to get on the next line and repeat the same steps. MY NORMAL CONCERT ROUTINE!
WELL NOT THIS TIME!
I stood in line, waiting patiently, talking to the people around me about how amazing the show was and how hard IMFACT had gone during both their group and solo performances. I had no order to whom I wanted to see. As much as Jian was my bias, after the show they put on I was ready to make them all my biases. So, I chose the shortest line and asked who I was in line for as I couldn’t see the members ahead.
Main vocalist, visual, aka: perfection in an idol, Lee Sang.
A name I know I will now never forget. Nor will any of my friends, coworkers, or even my fiancé.
I was internally practicing what I wanted to say, like always, knowing the second, I was in front of him I would say absolutely nothing of what I had planned.
I heard the click of the woman ahead of me as her final photo was being taken and braced myself. It was my turn. My heart was racing, I told the woman with the camera in her hand the two photos I wanted and walked up to Lee Sang, his smirk could’ve knocked me off my feet if I wasn’t too preoccupied in my head. Thinking about it now, it was probably one of the sexiest things ever directed my way and I was too stupid to register it in the moment. I walked over and proudly, in Korean, told him the two numbers I wanted. The smirk suddenly became a full out smile as he asked if I spoke Korean. I responded quickly that I was learning and looked toward the camera for the poses.
And then, something I never planned for, happened. Something I never in a million years thought would ever be spoken to me from anyone apart from maybe my fiancé, left this idol’s lips.
“You’re very pretty.”
I’m not even joking I could feel his eyes on me. They were on me, and nowhere else.
My response? I laughed. I hadn’t looked at him. I couldn’t. Surely, he couldn’t be serious. And when he said nothing and the woman taking the photo still hadn’t taken the photo, I looked over to him. His eyes surprised at my response. Finally, my brain came to the conclusion, “Beesh he’s serious.”
I bowed my head and said thank you.
He followed up by asking me my name.
THIS WAS MORE INTERACTION THAN I’VE HAD WITH ANY OF THE OTHER IDOLS I HAVE MET!
I was simply staring at him for a little too long and his eyebrows raised while in my head I’m screaming, “Answer the damn question!”
I respond with my name. Mind you, we still have not taken the first photo. The woman was simply watching us. I’m pretty sure she had been in the middle of changing the film. It’s the only way the conversation was able to continue.
I will say again, I’ve done these Pick-a-poses multiple times. I have been there when the film needed to be reloaded and I stood awkwardly next to the members who simply waited for the film to be filled and the photo to be taken. We say nothing to each other. And I acknowledged it as, this is there job, they are being paid for this, they are tired and they want to go home so they want these pictures done and done quickly. I don’t blame them for that at all and I always forget to wish them a nice rest, but as you can all clearly see, talking to the idols is not my forte.
Lee Sang was different from all of them. Even from the rest of his members. He spoke confidently, but nervously. He was worried he had something incorrectly but also knew that he wanted to get out what he had to say.
I had again looked back to the woman ready for the photo, only to once again be asked a question, “Are you from around here?”
Snapping my neck in surprise that this conversation was continuing, I nodded my head and said, “Born and raised.”
That’s when the woman finally put the view finder up to her eye and we made the first pose.
Click.
One photo down. I looked to the poses as at that point I had totally forgotten what the second one I chose was and that’s when another thing fell from this man’s lips I never thought I would ever hear someone of his magnitude say to me.
He leaned in a bit and spoke slowly to make sure what he said was perfectly clear, “What should I do after the show? What should I see?”
My body felt like it had gone limp. My soul had left my body. No way. This god of a man was most definitely not asking me to hang out. No way. He just wanted to know what he should go and do before he had to hop on a plane back to South Korea.
I shrugged and responded, “hmm. I don’t know. What is it you want to see?” while internally I was saying “DO ME! SEE ME!” (disclaimer: I love my fiancé. With all my heart. But a damn sexy idol was potentially hitting on me. I’m still a woman. I have urges. And by the end of this, you’ll all see why my fiancé has nothing to worry about.)
The woman had begun to rush us to take the second picture. I was sad that moment had finally arrived but as she was trying to take the picture he kept talking saying, “We can still talk.”
WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU WANT TO KEEP TALKING TO ME!?!?
He then mumbled something while smiling that I couldn’t understand, and I simply nodded my head thinking he had asked a yes or no question.
When I went to pull away he grabbed my hand and kept repeating a word that at first I was unable to understand and finally he spoke louder and I realized he was saying, “Waffle.”
I nodded to say I understood and repeated, “Waffle?”
He nodded excited and said, “I really want to try them.”
And here is where you will all see why my fiancé has nothing to worry about.
I responded, “Oh yeah! I love waffles.”
He smiled brightly and the hand that was holding onto mine went to my neck. I was dreaming. It had to be a sick vivid dream that wanted nothing more than to torture me. And then he gently squeezed and massaged, confirming I in fact was not dreaming, and suddenly 18+ thoughts were running in my mind begging for me to let them live their fantasy.
He let go and all I could think to do was walk away with a small “맛있어 (Masheeso- it’s delicious)”
You read that right. I WALKED AWAY! Instead of taking the bold move of saying something like, “I know I great waffle place!” for him to ask where and me to offer to take him…my dumb nervous ass walked away.
I could’ve gone back. I could’ve bought another Pick-a-pose, stood on his line, walked back up and said, “So about those waffles…”
So many scenarios I could’ve done, that I have now since played out in my head, all ending with me potentially EATING WAFFLES WITH LEE SANG OF IMFACT!
But alas, I didn’t do any of these things. I walked away never to see him again. Not knowing if he got those waffles he seemed so eager to devour. I walked away from an unfinished fan fiction moment. The romance writer inside of me died and has been laid to rest. She no longer resides in this body because she can’t believe what an idiot I was.
I told my friends and coworkers and all they could do was shake their heads in shame and say what an epic fail I had pulled. And that is how the IMFACT #waffledebacle ended.
But did it have to end like that? I could write a better ending, saying we found the typical New Jersey twenty-four-hour diner and got those waffles. I could say we talked about our lives, our likes and dislikes, and had some deep conversation over a large plate of warm fluffy squares topped with butter and syrup with a side of strong coffee to keep ourselves awake to enjoy each others company. I possibly could’ve said we drove around finding the perfect spot to wait for the sun to rise over New York City knowing I had to bring him back and we had to face reality.
And yet, none of that would be true and I am sat here left simply to wonder if Lee Sang got his waffles or not.
#waffledebacle
IMFACT Makes Impact on NJ IF’s
Studio PAV did it again. They brought one of K.F.C’s favorite groups to a town near us and made an unforgettable night for hundreds of IF’s. If you’re not sure what an IF is, read on to not only learn what they are, but also become one!
The date? August 17th. The time? 4pm. The place? White Eagle Hall in Jersey City, New Jersey. Fans of the band Imfact, lovingly known as IF’s, waited excitedly to get into the venue to not only watch one of their favorite five membered bands perform but also meet and take group photos with them. And we were there to enjoy the party.
Imfact debuted in January of 2016 under Star Empire Entertainment. Consisting of five members, Jian, Ungjae, Lee Sang, Taeho, and Jeup, the group has pumped out solid single after solid single since their debut. Mixing up their styles from bubblegum pop, to hard rap pop, to their most recent style of build-to-a-sick-beat drop pop. We know these are not professional music terms but they make sense and describe perfectly IMFACT’s many era’s of music.
If readers are unfamiliar with Studio PAV, the company has brought bands that we would consider ‘underrated’ to the US to give their North American fans a shot to see their favorite small groups close to home. Bringing groups like VAV, Up10tion, Teep Top, and JJCC who would’ve most likely never made their way over here with any other company. What we love most about Studio PAV is what they offer to fans. Not only do VVIP/VIP fans get hi-touches and group photos, but after the show, fans can get one-on-one photos with their biases.
So kicking off in standard Studio PAV fashion, before the concert, fans were lined up, very well organized we might add, and brought into the venue to await receiving the album for the group members to sign. Once all the VIP fans received their signed albums, it was time for the hi-touch. Walking past all the members as we gave them high fives and they smiled and grabbed our hands just a little while longer than a simple high five to walk around behind them for a group photo where we posed, making our best finger hearts, grew the anticipation within us for what was next to come.
The concert.
The organized lines were then funneled calm, cool, and collected-ly in front of the stage for their special general admission spots. The actual general admission were placed a little further back behind the barricades. The excitement was building throughout the hall. Chants began and suddenly the lights went down and a small video began implying the show was about to begin.
The screams got louder as shadows moved around on stage. The stage lights came up and five amazingly talented men stood on stage. As they pumped out their hits like “The Light” and “Only U” they danced, some rather provocatively (looking at you Lee Sang), their hearts out and we could feel the energy radiating from them. They were as excited to be there as we were. We surmised they were giving it their absolute all since we were the last stop of the tour. Go big, and then go home. Lol. Following their latest songs they dove into some of the slower songs like, “In the club”.
After slowing it down, essentially giving themselves some time to calm their racing hearts and ours, they then went into their solo stages. Kicking it off was Lee Sang. Walking out onto the stage , guitar in his hand, he explained the song was for people who are struggling and how they need to hold on for the better days. It was so moving it even made members of the audience cry.
Ungjae was ready to make that stage his b*tch, for lack of a better phrase. Rapping over the backtrack of “Closer” by Chainsmokers, he rapped his deep voice out getting the audience to jump and dance to the beat.
What could possibly follow that up? Maybe a duet with Ungjae and Lee Sang? Yep. They. Did. THAT.
And then it was Jian’s turn. The opening beat of BTS’s “Mic Drop” flooded the speakers and the volume of the crowd strengthened. the boy not only rapped he danced so freakin hard we were astonished he had any sort of energy to continue the show after that.
The next two soloists were Taeho and Jeup, whose vocals made the whole room melt, and then probably the most iconic thing we’ve seen in K-pop concerts happened they both hit the stage for duet and what was it they started to sing?
QUEEN!!! FREAKIN QUEEN!!
How could it get more iconic? Oh, we know. Jian walking out in a white t-shirt and jeans with a half mic stand like Freddy Mercury to get the crowd to repeat his aye-o’s just like Freddy freakin Mercury. They did an entire medley of Queen songs! We will never forget that.
ICONIC!!
They all came back out dressed in sexy black suits to sing a cover of “Gangnam Style”, and then back to their original songs, performing their debut song “Lollipop”, and they finished the concert off with “Tension Up,” the song that got us into IMFACT.
This concert experience was a highlight of our summer concerts this year. In fact, we would positively say it was the BEST concert we have been to in quite some time. It could be because ever since we found out they existed, we had been dying for them to come to the US since we don’t know when we will make it to South Korea.
IMFACT delivered in both fan service and performances and we were sad the night had to end. But is almost didn’t end. At least for Sammie.
What are we talking about? Stay tuned for what is sure to be the saddest funniest thing you’ve ever read in your life. #waffledebacle
Travel NYC like a K-pop Idol
Ever wonder where your idol is when they are in a town or city near you? Or even, in a place you’ve always wanted to go? We have. And when they come to our city, New York City, and post pictures of places we see daily, or have heard about, we always feel the need to go and check out said places ourselves just to say “We were there too!”
That’s when we wondered…” Are we the only ones who do this?”
The answer we found was no! People are dying to see what idols see and be in an idols shoes even for that sliver of a second. Friends of ours, who are not familiar with NYC had reached out to us a few times with pictures of their bias standing at a street corner, sitting in a park, or eating in a restaurant, and asked us if we knew where they were. The crazy part was…we did. Having a mother who worked in Manhattan for all her young adult, and adult life, Sammie was bound to get the NYC bug as well. For as long as she could remember hopping on a train with her mother, walking up to the Chrysler Building where her mother worked, going out to lunch at different, fun, and unique spots, and once a month, for almost two or three years, going to see a Broadway show, was the norm. Her mother knew the city like the back of her hand, and unbeknownst to either of them, she was passing that trait down to her daughter.
Whenever we saw a celebrity post a photo of New York, we would run to her mother with the photo asking where it was. And like Rain Man, she knew exactly what street they were on and other stores and such around it. Sammie, while well versed in certain areas of the city, went on a different path for awhile and the city seemed like a distant past she would most likely forget. But when she got a job working in Manhattan, she found she would meet up with her mother to continue their adventures of unexplored areas of NY. And that’s when the genetics kicked in.
We will never forget the day we knew we had a series on our hands. A friend had reached out, fangirling over a photo ASTRO(아스트로) had posted on their Instagram, and Sammie laughed while saying, “Oh I haven’t been there in ages!”
We looked at her in awe. It was a picture of a hamburger. As we stared between her and the photo, the friend who had texted the image in the first place responded with the emoji that perfectly fit our faces :0 . This friend continued to send photos in which Sammie quickly identified where the members were. It soon became an ongoing thing. The second an artist came to NY, this friend sent a picture and within minutes Sammie had identified where it was.
And so Travel NYC like _____ was born.
We will be watching videos that the bands post, looking through their Instagram’s, and Twitter’s to find all their travels in NYC so that when one journeys here they will be able to follow the path of their kpop counterparts. So come and travel like an idol.
TRAILER:
MAJOR DISCLAIMER: We do not condone the act of stalking. We go to these places well after the idols have posted the videos, pictures, etc. DO NOT STALK!
K-CON NY 2019 CONCERT NIGHT 1 (하나)
Now the content we know you all have been waiting to read about…THE CONCERTS! There was so much to talk about for each night we’ve decided to separate them into two articles.
After the convention wrapped up, fans made their way to the concert line, and unlike Prudential center, which was a free for all to try and get into the venue (even if you had seats), MSG came through with organization and the professionalism one expects from a venue of its magnitude. Once inside we were greeted with the loud cheers from the fans. The excitement coursed through our veins as we found our section. And we proceeded to walk down, and down, and down to our seats.
Our seats? Well, let’s just the words, “Holy sh*t,” and “대박 (dae bak- jackpot or amazing),” left our mouths a few times. Yes, we were only a few short rows from the stage, but that wasn’t even the best part. While everyone else eagerly awaited the idols to arrive on stage, we had a view of the backstage area. Want us to top that? Ok. While the members awaited their cues to head up on stage, all the fans around us would wave, send finger hearts and even hit some whoa’s, and guess what? The idols responded with waves, even more finger hearts and even more whoa’s hit. It was a sight to see. That joy the idols brought to the fans faces was worth the price of admission in our book.
On day one we had a total of 5 bands, as sadly one had dropped out unexpectedly a few days earlier. TXT (투모로우바이투게더– tomorrow together), ATEEZ (에이티즈), IZ*one (아이즈원), NU’EST (뉴이스트), and finally The Boyz (더보이즈). Every single member of every single group came out with full force and energy. The Boys and ATEEZ kicked it off with some amazing dance covers that got people out of their seats dancing and screaming along to the songs.
They were followed up by TXT, who is the baby brother group to BTS (we acknowledge they are their own group and are in no way related to BTS other than their management team), who, we in all honesty hadn’t listened to past their debut song, “어느날 머리에서 뿔이 자랐다 (CROWN)”(ohnewnal moroaeso bbulee jarassda- one day a horn grew in the head). We slept on talent and we apologize for that. They came to show they are a band to follow and have such a high energy, we soon after the concert, downloaded all their music.
Next to hit the stage was ATEEZ. We have seen these boys in concert before and we knew we wouldn’t be disappointed. What we hadn’t seen was the live performance of their the latest hit, at the time, “Wave”. They have already released another single “Aurora”, we highly suggest you check everything they put out. We were excited to see the choreography in person, and they brought their A-game. Their synchronicity and attention to detail made our eyes stay glued to them. Like all the other groups, the second they walked onto the stage, it was theirs, and they made everyone in the audience know.
The Boyz came out to some of the loudest cheers we’ve heard since the last time we saw BTS. And funnily enough they did a cover performance of BTS’s hit song “Fire”. Since their debut in 2017 they have come out with bop, after bop, after bop. All similar sounds but they tend to put different spins on each title track to keep their fandom (The B) coming back for more. Performing their latest hit “Bloom Bloom” among others, we were once again blown away by the amazing skills they presented not only choreographically but vocally as well.
If you have followed us awhile, you know, girl groups are not our thing. It is nothing against them. They have talent and looks, among a lot of other qualities that normally would sell us on any other artist. But for some reason, very few (we will say CLC and Momoland have us disturbingly hooked) can keep our attention for longer than maybe a song. IZ*one were interesting. They had a lot of different things we liked about them. Their music was very bubblegum pop, their outfits were doll-chic, and their vocals could rock you into another century. And while the vocals and, once again, choreography killed it, in all honesty we probably won’t listen to them again.
The final performers of the night were NU’EST. NU’EST was one of the first k-pop groups we started to follow religiously. After we saw the “Overcome (여왕의 기사- yewangwe kisa- Knight of the queen)” music video and questioned if it was fair that Ren could look sexy as both a man and woman, we knew we were forever hooked. They slowed down the pace of the concert. In away, they were like the end of a work out. You need your cool down after doing all the high intensity. NU’EST, while being the cool down process for the first night of K-con, kept people on their feet, screaming and slowly bopping to their songs. (Still kinda salty they didn’t sing Overcome)
The first night wrapped up with the standard k-con crazy confetti explosion as the bands came out to give their final bows. The whole show blew us away and we were happily anticipating what the second night had to offer and you guys should too! Check back soon for KCON NY 2019 DAY 2!
K-CON NY 2019: Convention
A convention that continuously has one-uped itself, not only one-uped for this year, but it made us die to know what they have in store for 2020.
K-Con NY, had two new venues this year. The convention was held in the Javits Center, and the concerts were held in Madison Square Garden (MSG). We, at first, were a little nervous of how that scenario would work out. Thousands, if not tens of thousands, of fans leaving one venue to walk to the next? All we could think was chaos. We were proven dead wrong. There was no issue at all. Fans filed out when they felt like it, and walked to and from the venues with ease. And while the sweltering heat and nearly suffocating humidity would’ve been a problem at the previous convention location, the refreshing air conditioned Javits Center made for an amazingly enjoyable experience.
And with the new indoor location, came fun and creative booths from both vendors and K-con themselves. As we walked around we found so many Instagram worthy sets, including the new trend of a ball pit filled with inflatable flamingos and donuts.
(check out the ball pit in the back of the photo) The K Food Fair within the convention offered K-con goers a one of a kind food experience. We got to sample Korean melons, pears, crunchy ramen snacks, and even a meal worm burger (which was shockingly delicious). Bibimgo offered samples of their 만두(mandu- dumplings), Melona had people spin a wheel to pick from a multitude of flavored ice cream pops, and for sale was Kung Fu Tea, who sold out by mid day both days.
The entrance to all the amazing free and tasty Korean food. After eating our way through the convention, it was time to shop the convention. The dominating force was Korean skin care. As Korean drama and K-pop fans all know, Korea takes their skincare very seriously and that prestige showed. There were several k-beauty, skincare, and makeup booths that came to show both their new and tried and true products. While we received a handful of samples, we also ended up purchasing some goodies as well. (Hint: we will be doing a skin care blog soon.)
The freebies we gave out and some of the stuff we bought! Albums stalls had lines wrapped around them twice if not three times of eager fans waiting to get their hands on exclusive merchandise, posters, and above all else, albums. There was even a small amount of clothing booths (we had actually hoped for a few more) that not only promoted k-pop, but Korea in general.
To put it simply, our bank accounts were heavily depleted.
The other aspect of the convention was panels. There seemed to be a lot more panels then previoulsy, which we have the larger venue of Javits Center to thank. These panels covered creative things like create your own fansign, and making your own embroidered patch, to educational like Women in Hallyu media, and how to start your own YouTube channel. Fans got to sit in and listen to some of their favorite YouTubers, artists, and industry professionals and left feeling inspired.
While we couldn’t cover the fan engagements, we did hear from several of the fans in the audience as well as ones who got to meet their idols that it was a once in a lifetime experience. Fans were shown so much love and appreciation from their favorite groups.
This two day experience was one to remember. We ate a lot, we saw a ton of bands, we learned a lot and we simply loved meeting all the amazing fans who love the same things we do! We have already begun to countdown until next K-con!
