With all the extra time I have on my hands by dragging my feet regarding either getting a second job or taking classes, I have a lot of time on my hands to explore Taipei. Yesterday, I ventured to the Grand Hotel (圓山大飯店) with my trusty 2.0 Megapixel camera in-hand. The hotel was built in 1952, shortly after Chiang Kai-Shek’s retreat to the island. The Generalissimo noticed the lack of 5-star hotels on the island, so had one built to house dignitaries. The Grand Hotel sits across the Keelung River and provides a spectacular view of the city.
The Grand Hotel and the entrance for an under-road pedestrian walkway.
The other side of the pedestrian walkway.
The Grand Hotel peeks through the trees to greet me.
The wind today was not fully cooperating with my picture taking.
The Daily Bubble Tea 
Today (Sunday) is the beginning of the playoffs! Pistons vs. Mil. Bucks. We shall destroy them. 7pm on TNT. Ha, i would bet you don’t get TNT. I say “BOOOO!” to the pistons parties. I will quit this damn job if i have to go through the extra work with no compensation…oh wait…Marriott gave us $1 per game for our hard work and bringing in $24,000 in sales for them! Sweet!
Joebot
Bucks will be a piece of cake.
I’ll read the results after every game.
i’ve stayed there back in the early 80’s! it was very nice back then. i remember donnie and marie osmond were there once at the same time. (yeah, i’m old. so what?!)
more girlie pics, chop-chop.
I’ll see what I can about more girlie pics… I will have to keep track as to when the tech shows happen around here…
Nice hotel, though expensive to stay in. We never did. We did go into it when we first arrived in Taiwan, it was pretty awesome.
These is a nice view. The Grand Hotel is one of the places we still haven’t ventured to. I think it is because the grounds are hidden from the ride on the metro, and it seems like a beautiful building without location, but now I see that’s an unfair assumption. We’ll have to check it out sometime.
I have to add, that the Hotel was built in 1952, but at that time the now famous old Chinese style building didn’t exist yet. The original Grand Hotel was much smaller. The current building is from 1973.
Thanks for the extra info MKL! This post reminds me that I’ve been here about five years now! Next time I’m in Taipei I should revisit this site.