There was a place I liked called My Place which appears to be at or about the same location. It doesnāt appear to be what it once was but it still exists. Those were my happiest days in my first years in Taiwan.
I think the original, or a previous popular location, for My Place, was located at what is now a new apartment and condo building. Same street as now but around one block east near Imperial Hotel.
The current location is popular with a few separate areas with 2 bars, some sitting areas, a pool table area. Some flight crews have reserved tables when they are in town. The staff and customers are mostly friendly and talkative.
Well, Iām not going anytime soon. The old location sounds about right. Weād stumble towards either Yuanshan or Minquan E Rd Stations if we were having an early night. I miss those days.
I think the zone covers more than just one street unless there is some official designation Iāve never heard about. Itās a few blocks wide in all directions and used to be filled with bars. Like B52, Sailor, others for example arenāt on Lane 32.
Green Door is just one street over about a 30 second walk from Lane 32 and those pubs that might be now considered the main Combat Zone area since so many other clubs in area closed down.
Plus a rotating selection of four craft beers on tap, which youāre definitely not going to find in the āZone.ā MyPlace did recently (and somewhat surprisingly) add a Hoegaarden tap, though, and Malibu sometimes has Guinness.
It looks like it hasnāt been remodeled since about 1970, so unless you went even longer ago than that, it is probably exactly what it once was! (Except with more worn decor and possibly more worn customers.) Its a western-style dive bar of the kind that is weirdly hard to find in Taipei. Kaohsiung has more of them, as does most of S.E. Asia.
It was a regular hangout for KLM flight crews (who always stayed at a nearby hotel) pre-Covid. The absence of European flight crews and European/American business travelers during the pandemic has really been speeding up the (already in progress) demise of that whole area, sadly. Filipinos on Sundays might be the only thing keeping it going now!
I would have called it a British-style pub when I was there. There were places I would have called dives, but that wasnāt one. That was often where we started the night. The dives were the place to end them.
I think the difference between āpubā and ādiveā can be a matter of semantics. (The term āpubā isnāt used in much of the USā we call cozy friendly unpretentious bars ādives.ā) Iām sure it is more dive-y now than it used to be just due to lack of upkeep, though.
I am an American and that is not how I use the word dive. A dive is a cheap, dirty, often sad bar and not friendly at all, though sometimes with a redeeming quality. A cozy, friendly unpretentious bar, is just a nice little bar.
Thatās why I said āIn much of the US.ā There are regional differences within the US in how that term is used. To me a dive bar is a friendly chill casual (and yes, usually cheap) place. Perhaps called a pub in other parts of the US, as in the UK. Basically a place that isnāt trying too hard to be upscale, fancy, or trendyā and friendly is the biggest selling point of a good dive bar! Think of the friendly neighborhood bars in the Northeastern or Midwestern US, where everyone either knows you or wants to know you. They are sometimes also dirty or sad, yes, but thatās next-level dive-y. Haha. MyPlace is more of my definition of dive than yours.
I described it as a pub because it, at that time, described itself as such. I donāt know how it markets itself now, but it was a British-style pub, fish and chips and all. And Iāve lived in two parts of the US and met people from all over and watched lots of TV and movies, and Iāve never heard a dive described as you do. Maybe itās a generational thing, like how geek has flipped in meaning.
Interesting. Iāve never known MyPlace to serve food. Like most of the bars in the Zone it is Filipino-owned and therefore much closer to American-style Western than UK-style. (There are several of the latter in other areas of Taipei, though.)
Iāve lived in 5 or 6 parts of the US and am middle-aged, with friends ranging from young to old. I can say with confidence itās a regional difference much more than a generational one with that term.
How long have you been here? Iām speaking of 17-20 years ago. Admittedly I was drinking much of the time I was there, but the Union Jack was prominently displayed and British club football (soccer) was on the big screen during the season.
I probably first went a decade or so ago. It hasnāt changed much in that time. Iām not doubting your account of it from before. Sounds like they were going after the niche that On Tap has now.
I should add that another prominent feature it has, which I tend to associate with dive bars, is pool tables and dart boards, though I can see how those would have also fit well with the British theme. Itās still weird to imagine it serving food, though! I canāt even picture where the kitchen would be.