「大台北」I ♥ Taipei

kevinliu74

This is a tutorial for dummies. Walk through each page and you would know everything a tourist must know about Taipei,
the capital of Taiwan. Taipei is different from San Fran in thousand ways. It’s most well-known of being “a city that never sleeps.
” In addition, its super-duper convenient public transportation takes you anywhere in the city. We do not print bus-schedules,
simply because there is a bus every three minutes. A very quick way to understand Taipei is to start by eating. We have tons
of snacks that all share the same things in common, they are all handy, economic, and HELLA delicious. One thing to remember;
be brave, you always wanna try everything that you have not seen before, cause I can assure you 99.99% of the time you will not regret it.  

EasyCard is the very first thing you want to get in Taipei, it is pronounced as Yo-Yo-Ca (first-pitch, second pitch, third pitch).
It can be used in almost all of the public transportation that could be found in the city. It is available in all MRT (mass rapid transit) stations
and seven-elevens.  

Aside: The number of convenience stores in Taipei is CRAZZZZZY.  They are literally everywhere.




Look at the interception of the blue and the brown line, shift down 1 unit and that is the nearest station from your place.
The MRT system works just like the BART in San Fran. This map can also be found in all stations with English translations on it.
The city in general is English-speaker friendly, though most of the people don’t speak English that well. Just don’t be surprised if the people
around you look at you like you’re an alien when you speak in either one of the languages, cause YOU ARE ONE.

Taipei City Hall Station
(the fourth from the right on the blue line)

Take the exit 3 at Taipei City Hall Station, look at the right, you will immediately spot the presence of Taipei 101. Walk towards
Taipei 101, there is quite a walking distance to the building. Along the way, you will pass by Shinkong Mitsukoshi
(consists of four buildings, namely A4, A8, A9, and A11, it is pronounced as  Xin Guang San Yue, one of the largest department
store chain in Taiwan), New York New York, Vie Show Cinemas.  The entire area is too large to be called a complex.
You could definitely spend more than one day here if you want to shop. Many nightclubs are also around in the area,
one of the most famous nightclubs is called Room 18, located close to Vie Show Cinemas.

The building on top is called Taipei 101, currently the second tallest building in the world.  Fireworks are displayed every new year after the final count-down of the year. You can take the elevator all the way to the top floor, but you gotta purchase tickets.


Recommended Hours: 11:00 am to 11:00 am in the next morning, yea I mean it

DanShui Station
(the north end of red line)

After you get out from the exit, you’ll be faced with crowds of people all moving towards the same direction. You wanna go straight
with the crowds to Dan Shui Old Street. Lots of snacks on the old street, but the place is especially famous for two,
namely Tie Dan (chewy dried stewed egg, pronunciation: third-pitch fourth-pitch) and A Gei ( colorless soup noodles covered
with bean curd sheet, pronunciation: fourth-pitch third-pitch)




Recommended Hours: 2:00 pm – 7:00 pm

JianTan Station
(5 units up from Taipei Main Station)

The most well-known night market in Taiwan. It’s about endless eating here. Do hesitate to choose between which one you’re going to have,
in that way you can save appetite for more various items. It would be great if your cousin can take you to the more famous snacks known
by the locals, because there are so many vendors selling the same thing. One easy way to tell whether the food they’re selling is good or not,
is to follow the crowds, those who queue aren't dumb people, they know what they are doing.





Recommended Hours: 7:00pm – 12:00 pm

Zhong Xiao Fu Xing Station
(one unit up from Da An)

This is the SOGO that you mentioned.  After you get out from the exit, you’ll see the SOGO immediately. There is another department store
in the area called Wei Fong (pronunciation: Second-pitch, First-pitch).   Many great restaurants and shops are in the area.  
The station is located in the center of business district. You will be dazzled upon seeing the traffic in the city.



SOGO opening hours: 11:00am – 9:30pm Sun-Fri  11:00am – 10:00pm Sat