In addition to the countless Korean restaurants, Bucheon has a large number of western restaurants- both fast food and sit down eateries. Among them there is an Outback, TGIF, Sorrentos, Dijon, (a European style restaurant) California Roll, VIPS (steaks and an extensive salad bar) and Pizza Hut. The fast food chains include the ubiquitous McDonalds, as well as Burger King, KFC, Popeyes, Dunkin Donuts, Dominoes, Quizno’s, Starbucks, and the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. In addition to western restaurants there are a large number of ethnic restaurants including Japanese, Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian, Italian, and French. Bucheon has over 100 bars but the ones most noteworthy include the Bavarian which brews its own beer, Beer World that has a sampling of beers from over 20 different countries, and Presidents for its cool laid back atmosphere. In addition to the food and drink there are an amazing variety of cultural events in Bucheon. There are professional soccer and basketball teams with stadiums in Bucheon. If sports isn’t for you there is the nationally lauded Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra and the Bucheon International Film Festival. There are two movie theaters with a third currently closed for renovations and scheduled to reopen in 2006. There is a bookstore with an English language section inside Hyundae Department Store. There are seven different department stores inside Bucheon including Walmart, Carrefour, Home Plus, and E-mart. There are ten different parks in Bucheon. The largest is behind City Hall and in the spring and summer the road bordering it is closed to cars and opened to rollerbladers, scooters, and walkers. Throughout the summer there are frequent outdoor concerts and firework displays free to the public. The hogwons in Korea are not closed to foreigners and there are a number of classes available to residents of Bucheon. Teachers working here can choose to study, Taekwondo, (a Korean martial art that is now an Olympic sport which focuses on kicks) Hapkido, ( a defensive martial art that teaches counters and throws) Kumdo, ( the art of sword fighting) Chinese ink painting, ballroom dance, yoga, and of course, learning to speak Korean.
