Nice things in Taipei

Not sure if this will catch on, but we’ll see.

Linsen Park is getting nice as the trees grow in. The stretch of Linsen between Nanjing and Changchun looks very nice.

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Yeah, Linsen has some nice… er… trees… sure.

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Taipei isn’t bad in comparison with a lot of big cities. Cities are inherently ugly, but I can think of far worse places than Taipei.

I live in Danshui, and apart from the ironically-named golden river (it’s a sewage discharge into the Danshui river) it’s really quite a nice place to live. The cycleway/walkway through the mangroves is particularly well done (apart from the aforesaid golden river, which completely spoils the effect).

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I’m a big fan of the Taipei Botanical Garden. Tons of different plant species, old-growth trees, and it’s always filled with birdsong. And it’s a five minute walk from my apartment.

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Rich guy .
Gongguan area including Riverside park going up to Jingmei and down to Kuting.
Bitan at nighttime is a very relaxing place and quite beautiful view of the cliffs, you enjoy some rare night views and solitude in the big city , see some stars and a small temple across the river. Actually it’s a world class place and only messed up slightly by Taiwanese building codes

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Just married well. :grin:

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I see you Danshui and I raise you Kuandu.:grin: I absolutely love the bike path just before Kuandu , then through Kuandu and up to Danshui.

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The path across the river in Bali is nice too.

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It is very Nice except for sewage plant , is that Taipei too ?

Oops, wandered off the reservation… :slightly_smiling_face:

I think I like the GuanDu Natural park better. But both are far from the poor bastards area where I live in.

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I just love the riverside paths for cycling and at night stunningly beautiful.

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That’s another good one. Less old-growth trees, but tons of birds.

Look better than they smell for sure.:smiley:

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So many more birds here. I lived adjacent to the Chiltern Hills forest in UK but far more birds here, regularly see Hawks/Falcons over Xindian river, when I do wouldn’t want be anywhere else.

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Riverside paths as others have said - special shout-out to the somewhat trompe l’oiel murals on the west side of the Danshui River, around Sanchong. Scenes from around Taipei painted brightly on the flood-protection walls. Nothing spectacular, but pretty, and they bring a smile to my face every time I bike by.

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The very first time that I came to Taipei in 1997 co-coincided with the Authorities taking the heavy equipment to the shanty town that then occupied the site of what is now Linsen Park. Apparently threats had been made in the past that it would be demolished, but a ‘stay of execution’ always happened. But not this day, in they went at dawn, bodies racing everywhere… and by about Noon it had all been flattened without injury to any bodies.

The history of the park is very interesting. It was originally designated to be a park and then it was occupied by the KMT soldiers as a makeshift camp. So when it became a park again it was just fulfilling the original plan. Something along those lines.

Smelled, past tense. Believe me, I still remember how they smelled two decades ago.

Restored old buildings and structures are making Taipei look nicer, and this is largely to Mayor Ko’s credit. After the rebirth of North Gate a few years ago, Mitsui Warehouse across the street was transported (albeit by a few meters) and restored. The Main post office next to the gate is now getting a facelift, and the Old Ministry of Railways Building on the opposite corner has been nicely restored and will open to the public soon. Zhongzheng bridge will be turned into a bike/pedestrian bridge in a few years. They’re also making plans for the assembling of another Japanese colonial era structure, Zhongshan bridge, which has been lying in pieces next to Keelung River since Mayor Ma took it apart. Hau Lung-bin, the next mayor, just left it to rot. Now Ko is taking up the project. He may have his faults, but you gotta give him credit for making Taipei look a bit nicer.

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