No Yellow Cabs in This Black Market

It was a beautiful, sunny day in La La land. I had just arrived at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), rolling around my 2 big luggage carriers and hands filled with gifts I brought back from my study abroad trip. I had spent the last six months in Seoul, making my way around town attempting to speak my broken Korean to the native people of Korea. Without even realizing it, I waived my hand for a taxi as soon as I left the gates of LAX. I was accustomed to the Korean lifestyle, where I would take the taxi everywhere I went. The distance from LAX to Koreatown, Los Angeles is about 20 miles, and knowing Los Angeles traffic, I know it would have taken about 45 minutes to arrive at home sweet home. So I let my eyes rest gently, falling into a deep nap from jet lag due to the severe time difference between California and Seoul. I woke up around the halfway point, and slowly gazed at the fare meter. $35?! I was so used to riding the taxi in Korea that I had forgotten just how expensive the cabs in LA were. By the end of the trip, the charges had come out to $68. The same distance in Korea costed me 15 USD.

Then I found out about Koreatown's black market for taxi. Uber? Lyft? Please. These underground Korean taxis in Koreatown would run you out of business. In Korea, the basic fare is around $2.50, and when you split that with a couple friends, the price comes out very friendly. Although these Koreatown taxis aren't that cheap, you can get anywhere in Koreatown for only $3. This is extremely convenient for me. Since there are a lot of bars in Koreatown, its not costly at all for you to take these Korean cabs and avoid drinking and driving at all costs. The better thing is, these cabs also take you to LAX! Now remember I had paid $68. These cabs only charge $25... I could have spent the difference on a new pair of chuck taylors. The cost of a regular yellow cab from LAX to Koreatown (one way) is more than the cost of a Korean cab TO AND FROM LAX (round trip). So all of you Loyolans, the next time you want to grab a drink, make your way down to Koreatown. There are lots of cool, hip bars. But I'll save that topic for another blog.

Your Seoul Survivor,

Albert Ko