Anyone been to Taipei?

[jimmy olsen]

I'll get there the 20th 9:30 pm and leave afternoon on the 29th.

Anyone been there? Have any suggestions on what to do?

[Caliga]

Do you actually work or do you just get paid to take constant vacations?

[Grey Fox]

Do you actually work or do you just get paid to take constant vacations?

It's not his fault that you are a workaholic.

[CountDeMoney]

Hey, there's a lot of Taiwanese students that need textbooks this year.

[Caliga]

It's not his fault that you are a workaholic.

I'm going to Disney World in April and Turks and Caicos in November.

[Grey Fox]

It's not his fault that you are a workaholic.

I'm going to Disney World in April and Turks and Caicos in November.

2 vacations? In the same year!?!

The nerve!

[Darth Wagtaros]

You should cut your hours down so mor epeople can have a chance at vacation.

[Monoriu]

I've been there at least a dozen times.  You should visit the entire island, not just Taipei, if you have that much time.  Just the city itself is probably a 3-4 day trip. 

[Monoriu]

Oh and this is probably the worst time of the year to go to Taipei because 23rd January is Chinese new year - a lot of stuff will be closed. 

[HisMajestyBOB]

Oh and this is probably the worst time of the year to go to Taipei because 23rd January is Chinese new year - a lot of stuff will be closed.

Fireworks!

[MadImmortalMan]

Protest the turnover of HK to the wrong China.

[Admiral Yi]

Smoke some opium and bang a hooker.

[Monoriu]

I go to Taipei primarily for its food    Taiwan is most famous for its snacks and comfort food.  A great way to start is to visit one of the many night markets.  These are very crowded places with tons of small shops that sell all kinds of local snacks.  One strategy is to forget about lunches and dinners, and just eat a little something here and a little something there.  These are great for you since presumably you go there by yourself and it is quite difficult to order food at formal Chinese restaurants for a party of one. 

The Taipei 101 tower is a world-famous landmark.  There is an observation floor up there - best vantage point to see the city.  Lots of restaurants inside the tower and in the surrounding areas.  I go there primarily for a large group of nearby buildings that are all Mitsukoshi stores (Taiwan branch of one of the largest Japanese department stores).  The basement of these buildings all sell food  

Another must see is the Forbidden city/national palace museum in Taiwan - yes, it refers to the forbidden city in Beijing.  When the nationalists retreated to Taiwan in 1949, they took a lot of the best works with them. 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g293913-d1516879-Reviews-Din_Tai_Fung_Xinyi-Taipei.html

This is one of the most famous restaurants in Taipei that has branches everywhere in the world, including HK.  Their speciality is Shao lung bao - small pork dumplings.  IMHO it started a world-wide and lasting revolution on how the dumplings are done.  Nowadays the quality of all the shao lung baos are much better almost everywhere thanks to its recipes and training.  Everybody tries to imitate them.  The chefs literally weigh the flour of every dumpling.

[Monoriu]

http://www.nileguide.com/destination/taipei/restaurants/shilin-night-market/1623491

Of all the night markets, the Shilin night market is probably the largest and most famous.  Don't go there if you dislike crowded places with people everywhere.  If you go, make sure you go with an empty stomach  

Chinese new year is a bit tricky because the celebrations are supposed to last 3 days, from 23 to 25 Jan.  It is also tradition for families to get together for a big meal (kinda like thanksgiving) on new year's eve.  So 22 Jan will not be a normal day.  All the restaurants will be full.  23 Jan is going to be the worst. 

Of all the Taiwanese snacks, probably the most famous is the pineapple cake.  It is actually more like a large biscuit with pineappple paste filling.  They are dead serious about these, and they hold regular island wide competitions on who makes the best cake. 

[Monoriu]

http://erindesantiago.suite101.com/chili-house-spicy-sichuan-restaurant-in-taipei-taiwan-a229298

This is my favourite Sichuan restaurant in Taiwan.  Sichuan is most famous for its spicy food, and this restaurant specialises in making pork dumplings in spicy soup (totoally different from the Din tai fung kind).  I first encountered the place in Vancouver - the family of the operator emmigrated to Canada.  When I went to visit Vancouver a few years after I left, I was dismayed to learn that the place was closed, because business was not good in Vancouver and the operator had stayed long enough to get the Canadian passport anyway (same story for 90% of Chinese restaurants there).  So I went to Taipei for the original restaurant.  Best dumplings of its kind anywhere in the world.  They offer spicy and non-spicy varieties of the dumplings.  Make sure you get the spicy ones.  This place also serves small portions that are good for parties of one.