I feel like I have to put in a good word for dazhi, having lived here for two months now I love the place, it’s modern, clean, quiet, and has a good “suburb” feel to it, similar to lincoln park where I lived in Chicago. It takes about 30-40 minutes to get anywhere via a 10 minute bus ride to the MRT followed by the MRT ride itself. The rent is a bit on the expensive side but nothing ridiculous.
Is there anything to do here in terms of night life? Not really, at least that I know of. But when traffic dies down at night you can get into the city through neihu in about 20 minutes via taxi.
I also like having a 5 minute walk from the mountains, although there are some military compounds up there which was a bit strange at first. I have to ask whoever it was that commented on the military presence here, what makes you think it’s a danger to civilians?
Also don’t forget that if you are planning to live in a suburban style home then living in the city isn’t for you.
Yangmingshan can be a nightmare for traffic, but it’s predictable and fairly easily avoidable if you know your sidestreets. Will you be driving? During the week commuting up and down the mountain will be a breeze, and then MRT into the city to explore. Your husband can commute by cab or MRT and it won’t be that bad. A scooter will serve you well for jaunts into Tienmou for shopping/exploring. The sulphur hot springs up there do play havoc with electrical components, so have an electrician out to inspect/upgrade wiring before you choose a home.
There are some fantastic pads up there, and despite what some here are saying, does not isolate you that much from the environs of the city.
As many people have mentioned, Taipei doesn’t have a specific downtown per say, but rather a hodgepodge of different districts specializing in different things. None of which are geographically that far apart.
For a family looking for a suburban style home, Yangmingshan should top the list of places to seek housing in Taipei.
Hmmm…do they like the outdoors? Well, here in Texas it’s so friggin’ hot and humid in the summer that unless they’re in the pool, I’m going to have to answer “negative”. I think the weather is much the same in Taipei, no? They love bowling for some reason
Nonetheless, we do stuff outdoors anyway because staying inside all of the time just gets boring. I want to be able to take them on walks, sometimes just for the sake of going on a walk. But I really want to be able to check out museums, landmarks, shops, you know, see the things that make Taiwan, Taiwan. So I wouldn’t say we’re real outdoor people but we like to get OUT and explore all kinds of stuff.
I think someone else wrote that no one really lives where they work and that everyone travels to get to their jobs. It’s seems like there is a lot of truth to that because I can’t seem to get my husband’s job location (Xinyi near Taipei 101) reconciled with the kids’ school location (Shilin) reconciled with a location where I don’t feel isolated. While the kids are at school, I want to be able to do STUFF, check out the area, meet people, workout, etc. I think it will be important for me to be able to actually find the expats when I get there. I’ll be bummed if I live in a neighborhood where I know they are there but I never see any of them. Maybe the way expats connect in Taipei is through Forumosa or their kids’ schools or church or Happy Hour???
Kiwi, what you said about Taiwan disappointing on the surface fits with what my husband has told me. When I asked him if it was pretty he says, “Well, it’s kind of like Detroit.” I said, “Detroit or do you really want to say, Gary, Indiana?” He’s like, “Yeah, Gary, Indiana.” He quickly added that he thought the people in Taiwan were friendlier than in Shanghai. I’ll have to ask about dazhi. Growing up in Chicago I’m familiar with Lincoln Park.
You guys tell me something, is it easy to get to really cool, beautiful vacation destination spots from Taipei? Is it easier from Shanghai?
[quote=“meow”]Hmmm…do they like the outdoors? Well, here in Texas it’s so friggin’ hot and humid in the summer that unless they’re in the pool, I’m going to have to answer “negative”. I think the weather is much the same in Taipei, no? They love bowling for some reason
Nonetheless, we do stuff outdoors anyway because staying inside all of the time just gets boring. I want to be able to take them on walks, sometimes just for the sake of going on a walk. But I really want to be able to check out museums, landmarks, shops, you know, see the things that make Taiwan, Taiwan. So I wouldn’t say we’re real outdoor people but we like to get OUT and explore all kinds of stuff.
[/quote]
Yes, hot and humid.
One of the things I love about Taipei, however, is the quality of exhibits and performances, both asian and western. I have gotten a very good knowledge of Picasso, and the impressionists from living here. Of course the Palace Museum has the best Chinese art. It was amusing to be in Beijing last summer and see that the artwork at the Forbidden City was 3rd rate (the KMT knew what to take when they moved here). Taipei has a world-renowed dance company and hosts frequent Chinese opera performances both local and mainland.
Here are some pics taken from the south part of the city where I live (take the MRT to the Zoo Station and then a 10 minute taxi). This shows you just how close nature is. My region btw is a famous tea growing area and there are dozens of tea houses and restaurants in the mountains. The mountains in the back are Yangminshan where you will live.
These areas are all 30-60 minutes from the city:
Taipei is an ugly city for sure (though the area around 101 is good) but if you know the city and environs, and the places to go, it can be fantastic. Now that you know forumosa, you have nothing to worry about.
Thanks for those beautiful pictures! I’ve gotta check out those hot springs.
You know, I don’t really care so much about having the suburban style house though I know putting 5 people (3 of whom are getting really big and are fairly noisy) in an apartment might not be the move to make.
Forumosa is absolutely awe inspiring. I’m going to be able to go there a lot more informed than I was when I was just searching the web hoping to understand Taiwan.
We’ve got our TAS and TES appointments scheduled and are looking at housing in Tien Mou, Yangmingshan and Xinyi. I hope to get some free time to just walk around but will probably be kind of loopy from the trip and the schedule.
Extremely American question: real, indoor shopping malls anywhere?
What’s a ‘real’ shopping mall? There is an indoor mall at the 101 and there is the Living Mall aka Core Pacific City not to far from 101 (not counting the department stores like Sogo, Mitsukoshi and Takashimaya) but that’s about it in Taipei I think.
What’s a ‘real’ shopping mall? There is an indoor mall at the 101 and there is the Living Mall aka Core Pacific City not to far from 101 (not counting the department stores like Sogo, Mitsukoshi and Takashimaya) but that’s about it in Taipei I think.[/quote]
Breeze Center is a mall, and so is The Mall at the Far Eastern… both in Taipei.
Meilihua (miramar) is definitely a “real” shopping mall, which also happens to be right next to me in Dazhi. It has an IMAX movie theater, and a ton of stores (although they are mostly clothes and department stores).
The weather om YangMingShan is always a few degrees cooler, and much less humid than down the mountain. there are many hiking trails on the mountain, and they are often shaded, so they are a good way to be outside and cool. (ish!)
Sounds like one of you is gonna be doing quite a bit of driving. I’d suggest Elephant mountain to the south, slightly, of xinyi. I happen to know quite a few very nice foreigners live in that area. But then that means you’d be doing the driving each day, even though it is an easy and straight drive. If you live in/ near Shilin then HE can drive to work and back… But if you wanna get out and about maybe driving and dropping the kids off will get you up and out each day. (Me, if I didn’t have a job to do, boy I’d sit on my bum!)
About you meeting people and seeing other foreigners… Well, most people are horrible, you know that! I saw lots of furriners in Tienmou, but they weren’t travelling in large social groups. Forumosa etc will be they way to make friends, and you won’t know where they live until after you have arrived. Also, Taiwanese people can be befriended too, and they are everywhere!
How could I forget!? - I go often to the Breeze Center for lunch since it’s close to my office …
You are also right about the mall at the Far Eastern Plaza / Hotel (isn’t it actually called “The Mall”? → argh, you actually said this) though it’s rather small.
And Miramar, with the IMAX cinema and Ferris Wheel, mentioned by necroflux is of course a mall, too.
In the Taipei area…
Taipei101
Breeze
Regeant Galleria
Core Pacific Living Mall
The Mall (Far Eastern Hotel-Shangri-La)
There are others like Sunrise, the shops at Howard Plaza and more…The above ones are more like American style malls.
There are also huge department stores which are not like the department stores in the USA. They are kind of like malls as some even have boutique shop floors.
When you’re in Taipei on your look-see, be sure to stop by the Community Services Center in Tianmu. You’ll find expats there who will be happy to answer your questions about Taipei neighborhoods and schools.
The Center publishes a great book for newcomers “Taipei Living”.
I just stopped in tianmu today for the first time, and for a family coming in from the states it would definitely get my vote over DaZhi as the most “western friendly” place to live. I would personally rather live away from the horde of laowai’s for language learning purposes, but if I was here for any other reason that would be my place of choice, very very nice. And it is my new haven for non-chinese food (much harder to get than I previously thought).
Alright, I’m making notes of these things for I am off into the great unknown tomorrow morning. If nothing else, I am thinking this should be interesting as hell!
The most unexpected (and “foreign feeling”)place I have ever ended up was Bulgaria (yes, sometimes you do UNEXPECTEDLY end up in Bulgaria)…SO maybe Taipei is a lot like Bulgaria, minus the Bulgarians and dancing bears.
I will take my laptop so I can contact you in case things get weird.
Just how easy did you think it would be? You can get non-chinese food all over the city at various locations. Even in Muzha I can drive to City Super in 15 minutes, Costco in 20, Breeze center in 30, and Jason’s in about 20. These are all high end supermarkets with mostly imported products. Hell, even my local Wellcome has imported fruit, veggies, rice, meats, cereals, pastas, etc.
MM: I suspect it’s a matter of perspective. For us long-time residents, the increased availability of imported products and proliferation of western eateries is nothing short of miraculous. But new arrivals are going to compare Taipei to Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok, or Shanghai. And the truth is that Taipei falls far short in comparison.
Traffic is another example. I know I for one snicker when I hear people talking about bad driving, air pollution, traffic jams, or MRT construction. And it’s true that things are far better than in the dark days of the late eighties and early nineties. But Taipei’s traffic is realy pretty bad if you are coming here from North America.
