3-1-15
After seeing the dentist, Leona
and I went to Taichung Park for the Lantern Festival. The park was so crowded;
it was a pleasure. Usually Taichung is empty except for derelicts and
prostitutes at night. There should be an event in the park often; it would keep
the riff-raff away. We strolled around and I took some photos on my smart
phone. Yi-Zhong Street, which abuts the park, is always busy with students from
the nearby college and high school. It could be to Taichung Park what Greenwich
Village is to Washington Square, What Asbury Street is to Golden Gate Park in
San Francisco, if they hold artistic events there.
The whole downtown area of Taichung
is in need of revitalization; it has deteriorated since I first saw it in 1979.
Slowly it is happening. The Taiwan Railroad is being elevated with a new
terminal while the old Japanese terminal is being kept as a museum. Many
downtown stores are being reopened with more upscale boutiques and eateries; it’s
not a gentrification because Taiwan is too small for interlopers and I don’t
think foreigners are investing. Ironically, Leona and I may become future
investors to help preserve the old style of downtown.
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