So I’ve got a friend coming into town on a business trip. She’s getting over a break up and wants to go out on a Friday night and “get really drunk and dance and meet people.” Never mind that I’ve never seen her drunk in 5 years of friendship, or seen her dance at venues where dancing is the norm, for that matter.
I fear the evening may end with either a) me holding back her hair and wiping her brow on a restaurant, bar or club bathroom floor while she waxes poetical about how shitty life is or, worse, b) fending off a group of young men who, in her intoxicated state, she promised to have a gang bang with.
With that in mind, I’m looking for a place where:
1.) getting ragingly drunk is not the norm. perhaps a little social pressure will help her limit her intake.
2.) there isn’t that weird competitive angry creepy vibe that so many clubs that cater to good-looking middle class 20-somethings can get
3.) a bit of an older crowd - we’re in our 30’s
and 4.) maybe an activity would be good…some kind of event where there’s a goal or something? A goal other than drinking and attracting gang-bangs?
Anyways, I avoid Taipei as much as I can but as the “friend helping a friend get over a break up” I believe it’s my duty to make an appearance. We’ll have a hotel nearish 101.
Venue suggestions?
Weird, you noticed that too? I thought it was just me. I got bored of clubs and tried to become an outdoorsman/health freak. I am spoken for so I just don’t need that scene.
Try Bobwundayes (EDIT: What’s that place called?) or a concert. Live music venues have a less aggressive crowd with fewer poseurs.
Yeah I think live music would be ideal.
Bobwundayes?
I am so uninformed as to Taipei nightlife.
Glad I’m not the only one who notices that vibe 
I pick up on atmosphere’s like an antenna or a sponge. That’s one reason why I moved to Asia. It’s harder to tune into Asian emotional gunk and they have it more under control.
It is so hard to be an Empath on Earth, oh my!
I hardly ever go in Taipei. Bobwundayes you can find on Youtube. They have a live music night Wednesdays. I guess that’s not a Friday. Or there’s a gigguide (EDIT: They just shut down)… Jazz, I heard Sappho’s is good but never went.
You will probably get better info on the Facebook groups like Taipei Language Exchange. They are a friendly group of people.
pool party on Saturday could be more fun…facebook.com/events/1580178338932331/
That’s a really nerdy reference… so it’s obvious I’m not a nightlife person. If it is up to my, my nightlife would feature my sitting on my couch with my cat in my lap, while I watch baseball, Daredevil or the finale of the Flash. I also don’t live in Taipei, so… yeah… take other more experience advise.
With that said, when it comes to higher end live music, internet seems to talk about these places around the 101 area:
ZIGA ZAGA Grand Hyatt Taipei, live Jazz band every 7PM
taipei.grand.hyatt.com/en/hotel/ … AZAGA.html
台北市信義區松壽路2號
Lotus Music restaurant, Taiwanese pop
lotusrestaurant.com.tw/
台北市信義區松德路171號B1
TPI Bistro & Theater, owned by a Taiwan rock?pop? musician, and features his students. So i guess also Taiwanese pop…
tpicafe.com/
台北市信義區松壽路18號
From the looks of it, these places might encourage moderate drinking behavior.
By the way, the ideal way to get over someone is strenuous physical exercise at a scenic and perhaps a bit dangerous locale… At least one would be paying more attention to physical pain than emotional ones for a brief while.
Hey, thanks Hansioux, those sound like good suggestions!
Brown Sugar is a good place for live music. It’s also in the Xinyi area (across the street from the Neo19 building.
Bobwandaye’s is a nice bar. Small, low-key venue. Not sure about their live music schedule.
May I suggest a big bag of beer from the 7-Eleven at Mucha MRT. Then spend the night drinking by the river until the sun comes up and the old folks emerge to dance under the bridge. You got everything covered that way.
And bring a guitar or a dog so they have an excuse to talk to you. These ppl are still fairly shy.