Thailand
A hip little collection of cake shops, cafes, restaurants, an Apple Mac shop, and a good supermarket. Grab a coffee and sit and watch Bangkok's finest come and go in their new 4WDs.
Thonglor Soi 15. Get a cab from Thonglor BTS station if you don't want to cab it all the way.
Bangkok is actually a very hip place; the people are entrepreneurial and have a great sense of style. Playground is a mini-mall with a great magazine selection, a couple of cafes and a good restaurant on the top floor, a bookstore, clothes, great regular art shows and other designy things to look at.
It's on Thonglor (Sukhumvit Soi 55). Get the BTS to Thonglor then a cab up the road. Playground is on the right. Or just get a cab from wherever you are, it's cheap.
Let's face it, Khao San is a 'farang' magnet. Everyone ends up there at some point. Grab a Singha beer from the 7/11 about half-way down the road, pull up a chair at one of the few patio-style tables on the pavement and do some of the best people-watching to be had in Thailand.
Banglamphu Neighbourhood. Just listen for Jack Johnson asking 'Where'd all the good people go?'
Search Been there