the artsy district of Taipei

I think Taipei is quite random. Yes, it is a big city and therefore, diverse...but there are some places that I go to and gush to friends this doesn't feel like Taipei. I dunno, maybe because the places aren't "Asian" enough. Ha. I mean even Pitbull came to Taipei last night - which by the way was an awesome concert!! 

I spent the day in Zhongshan 中山, which is known to be the artsy place of Taipei. It is where MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) is located, a bunch of cute cafes, cool eclectic boutiques, Taipei Film House/SPOT...it feels like Austin to me. I started my day in ShiDa, munching on a grilled salmon panini and fries + some kind of dijon dip for brunch. Then, met up with other friends to head to Zhongshan. We had plans to go to MOCA to see the David Lachapelle (brilliant photographer/digital artist), but the line was way too long. We will go again later in the week. Outside of the museum was a mini-art festival. 

inside the Zhongshan MRT station

outside of the MRT exit

:)

Taiwanese Avant-garde art...kinda creepy

the shape of Taiwan

After deciding to come back on Thursday to catch David Lachapelle's exhibition, I pulled out my Taipei map too see what else was in the area. I had circled the Taipei Film House/SPOT as a Taipei destination, and that was nearby so we all walked towards it. The Taipei Film House building was originally a US Ambassador's house. Inside is a mini-art gallery, a small indie movie theater, two cafes (one dedicated to Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien), and a really cool, eclectic gift shop.

 Taipei Film House

inside the gift shop

I heart crafty stuff like this.

cool chandelier - I wish I could afford to bring it home!

 on the ceiling

Around Zhongshan neighborhood...

construction in progress guy

Ended the trip at Forkers, a Western restaurant that serves REAL American portions, that we stumbled across when walking down the lane of cafes. I shared a wasabi tuna + fruits salad (huuuuge Cheesecake Factory portion) with a friend and a real cheesecake.