Ben's Guide to Taipei and Taiwan

Second-Run Discount Theaters: http://www.forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.php?t=57497 Unless otherwise noted, I have not confirmed any of these addresses, I have only provided the translation to English / Pinyin. Following the link to Forumosa, there is also a list of of theaters in Taipei County. 西門戲院　　　(02)23814361　台北市中華路1段144號5F Ximen Theater, Taipei City, Zhong Hua Rd, Sec. 1, No. 144, 5F Ximen Xìyuàn, Táiběi Shì, Zhōnghuá Lù, 1 Duàn,144 Hào 奧斯卡戲院　　(02)23611691　台北市峨嵋街115號3F Oscar Theater, Taipei City, E Méi St.,No. 115, 3F ào sī ka Xìyuàn, Táiběi Shì, é méi Jiē, 115 Hào 大世紀戲院　　(02)23633909　台北市羅斯福路三段325號 Da Shi Ji Theater, Taipei City, Roosevelt Rd., Sec. 3, No. 325 Dà Shì Jì Xì Yuàn, Táiběi Shì, Luósīfú Lù, 3 Duàn, 325 Hào 朝代戲院　　　(02)25571300　台北市民權西路136號4樓 Chaodai Theater, Taipei City, Minquan W. Rd, No. 136, 4F Cháodài Xìyuàn, Táiběi Shì, Mínquán Dōng Lù, 136 Hào 湳山戲院　　　(02)27023130　台北市通化街24巷1號 Taipei City, Tonghua St., Lane 24, No. 1 Táiběi Shì, Tōnghuà Jiē, 24 Xiàng, 1 Hào 東...

This is more of a large pedestrian thoroughfare lined with shops than a traditional night market, but of course there are some street stalls as well. The Red House Theater is a dinner theater across the street. The building is backlit in red so it really stands out at night. They have a good gift shop if you are trying to find souvenirs to take home. Go to the Ximen MRT Station , which is one stop west of Taipei Main Station . If you are on the Red Line, you can bypass the chaos of the main station by transferring at CKS Memorial Hall to the Pea Green-Ximen Line. Taipei Site Seeing Index: http://taipeiguide.blogspot.com/2006/05/sites-in-taipei-city.html

Ta Chien Cinema / 大千電影院 / Dà Qiān Diàn Yǐng Yuàn For a bit of luxury the basement of the Westin Taipei Hotel has a theater in the basement level which has sofas with footrests. Tickets are NTD 350 and reservations are advised however if you show up and no tickets are available, you may wait to see if there is a no show and can get seated just before show time. Location: Nanjing East Road, Sec. 3, No. 133, B2 / 台北市南京東路3段133號B2 On the north-east side of the Fuxing Rd. intersection, this is walking distance from the Nanjing East Rd. MRT station on the Brown-Muzha Line. Their website is in Chinese only: http://www.whatis.com.tw/westin2005/act.php http://babelfish.altavista.com/ can provide a half-ass machine translation which should be adequate to see what is playing and maybe even make a reservation. http://www.whatis.com.tw/westin2005/news_content.php?eno=1#mvlist To make a reservation: Telephone reservtations are accepted for the same day only, but English may or may not be spoken: ...

BREEZE CENTER 復興南路1段39號,市民大道口 Fùxīng Nán Lù Shìmín Dàdào at the intersection of Civic Boulevard (Shiming Dadao) and Fuxing South Road No. 39, Sec. 1, Fuxing S. Rd., Taipei 台北市復興南路一段39號 Take MRT to Zhongxiao Fuxing Station, then walk 10-min or take Breeze shuttle bus to Breeze Center. http://www.breezecenter.com.tw/ Bellini Tokyo Italian Cafe: This is expensive relative to the quality of the food, which I didn't care for. The food seemed to be Asianed up a bit to suit local tastes so I hope they like it, but I won't be back. They have other branches in Taipei as well.

Living Mall Bade Road, Sec. 4, No. 138, on the North-west corner of Civic Blvd. (Shiming Dadao) 台北市105松山區八德路四段138號 Official Website in English: http://web01.livingmall.com.tw/about.asp?pgid=en0101 map with bus routes: http://web01.livingmall.com.tw/about.asp?pgid=en0109 Restaurant List: http://web01.livingmall.com.tw/about.asp?pgid=en0105 Yakiniku House This is a Japanese barbeque. It is very good as long as you don't mind cooking for yourself. 11 F Bird Taipei Very good Thai restaurant. 11F Lawry's The Prime Rib 12 F, Lawry's is good but it is over priced and over rated. Coyote This is a mediocre nightclub featuring mediocre live music that no one dances to. They do have their own group of dancers that give a performance later in the evening. Cinemark Theater : http://www.cinemark.com.tw/cmspecial.asp Most of the movies shown are English with Chinese subtitles. Their website is in Chine...

Formerly Warner Village there is a theater in the heart of the Xinyi District and in the shadow of Taipei 101. It is a good, modern, comfortable theater, but often has long lines and crowded theaters. I advise going to one of the other theaters as the theater quality is the same but the crowds are not as bad. No. 18, Songshou Road, Taipei Online Tickets in Chinese: http://www.vscinemas.com.tw/index.asp Xinyi District Office, Taipei City: http://english.taipei.gov.tw/xinyi/index.jsp?recordid=802 Living Mall Bade Road, Sec. 4, No. 138, on the North-west corner of Civic Blvd. (Shiming Dadao) 台北市105松山區八德路四段138號 Official Website in English: http://web01.livingmall.com.tw/about.asp?pgid=en0101 map with bus routes: http://web01.livingmall.com.tw/about.asp?pgid=en0109 The Cinemark Theater has a Chinese only website: http://www.cinemark.com.tw/cmspecial.asp Breezecenter Taipei City, Fuxing South Road, Sec. 1, No. 39 on the North-east corner of Civic Blvd. (Shiming Dadao) 台北市復興南路一段39號 The ti...

Taipei 101 and the Surrounding Area For a brief moment in time this is the world’s tallest building . Taipei 101 houses a large upscale shopping mall . Besides the observatory , highlights include the Page One bookstore on the fifth floor. It has one of Taipei’s largest selection of books in English. There is a large food court in the basement which has something for everyone, if you can find a seat. Nearby is a Theater (Formerly Warner Village). This is a large multiplex theater and shopping complex. There are also many other shops and department stores including New York New York, which features a replica of the Statue of Liberty. This is Taipei’s most pedestrian friendly area and doesn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the city. There are several blocks of pedestrian thoroughfares, and it is one of the few places where scooters and vendors are kept off the sidewalks. This may be because this area is trying to present an upscale image or maybe it’s because it’s next door to Taipei Ci...