from texas to taipei: week 30

Just when I thought I had posted all of the fun happenings from my husband's recent visit, I found more photos on our camera! I am so forgetful already! (Imagine what I will be like at 65...)

During my husband's time here in Taiwan, we actually went "out on the town" a few times. First, with a girlfriend of mine. We had pizza & beer for dinner, followed by drinks at a nearby jazz lounge called "Brown Sugar." I didn't get very many good photos from the occasion (it was dark)... but the place was awesome! The band and the singer had a great energy, good music, and the club was packed with people enjoying the show! Cozy lighting, what looked like tasty appetizers, and decent drinks from a large open bar approachable on all sides. I'd like to go back again for sure... Maybe for a birthday, anniversary, or something :) It felt like a little slice of New York City tucked away in Taipei. The singer was a big lady with a great voice. She looked American, was announced as originally being from France, and caught us all off guard when she started speaking Chinese at one point in between songs! Very multi-cultural.

W Hotel Taipei, front entrance/drive

Chain column supporting the far end of the canopy...
It is quite stunning in person.

Aside from the night out at Brown Sugar, the hubby and I enjoyed a really sweet date night at the brand new W Hotel. The hotel is about a block or so from my apartment, and I have been wanting to check it out ever since the recent opening! I knew the design would be fun, and it is so fresh and new that all is unspoiled yet... so we decided to stop in at the 'WooBar' one evening for a drink, just the two of us.

WooBar patio, overlooking the pool & the city beyond

The bar was on one of the middle floors [I can't remember - floor 9? maybe 10?] and as we stepped into the lounge area, we noticed the poolside patio just beyond. Luckily, we had arrived early, maybe 6 o'clock, and the place was more or less deserted - so we had our pick of where to sit. We chose two large basket swing chairs on the patio, nearby the pool.

[You can see glimpses of the interior, beyond]
Our swing seats, poolside.....Isn't he cute? :)

It was such a perfect unplanned date, we are going to have to repeat it again sometime! The weather was lovely. The environment, serene and classy. And although I have sometimes heard patrons complain that W Hotels' contemporary design style can be quite 'cold', it actually felt very warm and inviting at this time of evening - with all of the decorative lighting to soften the edges.

a Singapore Sling & a Margarita - Yum!

I suppose there's not much else to say except that it was truly a pleasant evening - sharing a drink with one another as we leisurely swayed in our swing chairs looking out at the pool. Ah.