Siam Square

It doesn’t look like much, just an ageing open-air shopping area divided into 12 soi (lanes), but Siam Sq is ground zero for teenage culture. Pop music blares out of tinny speakers, and gangs of hipsters in various costumes ricochet between fast-food restaurants and closet-sized boutiques. Digital Gateway, a new and imposing mall, stocks everything electronic, from computers to cameras. DJ Siam carries all the Thai indie (like Modern Dog) and T-pop albums you’ll need to speak ‘teen’. Small shops peddle pop-hip styles along Soi 2 and Soi 3, but most outfits require a barely-there waist. Centerpoint plugs in on weekends with concerts from the latest bands, b-boys (breakdancers) and perky models. And intertwined are fast-food joints, sweets, snacks and drinks.