Xinyi District is gradually filling up with skyscrapers, being the newly-planned business district. Cathay Landmark's 45th floor is home to 2 restaurants. The Japanese restaurant has an outdoor balcony with lovely views towards the west, north, and east, and a small peek at Taipei 101 towards the south.
Created in a city reorganization in 1990, Xinyi became a new planned business district, and is now home to upscale malls, skyscraper offices, and fancy hotels.
Tucked along the hillside south of the city, Treasure Hill was founded in the 1940s by Nationalist Party soldiers who fled mainland China. They built a community with the minimal resources they could find and sustained themselves. Residents still live here today but many buildings have since been converted into artist studios and shops.
Looking forward to getting there in the near future.
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"The destructive effects of automobiles are much less a cause than a symptom of our incompetence at city building" - Jane Jacobs 1961ish
Taiwan has a huge night market culture, but to get away from other tourists, choose from more local places away from the centre of town. The area around Gongguan MRT Station has many stalls. Being close to the National Taiwan University helps keep the clientele young.
I'm not sure how comfortable I am eating sushi in an unair-conditioned environment.
One station to the north, Shida Night Market occupies a narrow side street that is mostly pedestrianized.
Nanmen Market is a typical traditional place to buy your groceries. They also have a good assortment of fermented snacks and cooked foods, and is easily accessible by MRT near Liberty Square.