Recent content by warpus

I had a bit of an AC problem a number of years ago. My (walk out) basement was always like 5 degrees colder than the main floor, which was 1-2 degrees colder than my upstairs bedroom, which was 1-2 degrees (C) colder than the office and my roommate's room (now home library) My issue was likely...

Minneapolis? Fargo? Duluth? Grand Rapids? You don't have to narrow it down if you don't want to. Out of all those I've only ever driven through/near/around Grand Rapids

Yeah, but then you have to live in one of the praire provinces. Let's break it down: Manitoba - Winnipeg is the coldest large city in Canada, a bunch of my body parts almost froze off there when I visited a friend in January. And in the summer they're overrun by mosquitos Alberta - The...

That is a picture of the same temple complex taken from another vantage point.

I live by the great lakes where it is not unusual for it to be -20C w/ windchill in the winter, but also not unusual for it to feel like 40+C w/ humidex or even without humidex in the summer. So yeah, we need snow shovels and air conditioning, because houses in north america are built out of...

Tainan Sacrificial Rites Martial Temple (祀典武廟) This temple has a very interesting history. In 1661, when the Ming Empire was in decline, a Japanese born southern Ming general landed in Taiwan with a force of 25,000 men. He had two objectives: to kick out the Dutch East India Company from...

When you cross the street you get the sense that you've walked right into Yan Jhen-fa's open air workshop. A bunch of his art is just lying around. Another look at some of the painted movie posters hanging above the theater:

Quan Mei Theater (全美戲院) and Taiwan's Last Movie Poster Painter Established in 1950, this second-run theater is a bit famous for being the last theater in Taiwan to use hand-painted movie posters. They are all painted by Master Yan Jhen-fa, who is Taiwan's last movie poster painter. He is now...

At the top of the Hayashi Department Store is an observation deck, a gift ship, and a small Shinto shrine dedicated to Inari, the deity of prosperity and success. The shrine was built during the Japanese colonial era and is a rare example of such a rooftop Shinto shrine in Taiwan. You are...

Cool find! What's interesting is that this building was known as the "five story building" as early as 1932. In that photo there is a fifth story you could easliy miss... It's a lot more prominent these days, that's one thing that was expanded during renovations. There was also a new story...

Hayashi Department Store (台南林百貨) Originally opened in 1932 during the Japanese colonial era, this was one of Taiwan's first department stores with an electric powered elevator. The whole structure, including the elevator, have been very carefully restored to their original design & look in a...

This French style tavern opened after these walkways were transformed into Snail Alley. It focuses on European ingredients like sourdough, cheeses, wine, and of course snails. It was tempting to stop here for a bite, but I had just eaten. I honestly did not expect to find a snail-focused...

All sorts of snails

I am not going to post all of the snails of Snail Alley, but here's a some of them

Yeah, it seems they picked a random Canadian city that sounded good for their branding purposes and went with it. Thanks for the added context!