[Study-Space Series] You Can Study and Work in Places Like These?

Introduction

Has this study-space series quietly become weekly? How mysterious XD. Somewhere along the way, it became a habit. Or maybe the real mystery is why I study and work in so many strange places Orz. The previous two posts covered libraries and a six-star study center, places where I settle in for a long stretch. If I have only two or three hours between appointments, I might barely warm up the chair before leaving, and the library may be too far away to justify the trip.

Habits are frightening. Or rather, why have I studied and worked in so many strange places? Orz.

The previous two posts were about libraries and a six-star study center—places for settling in over a longer stretch. But when there are only two or three hours between appointments, a library can be too far away and you barely warm up a chair before leaving.

So here are the places I actually go when I have a short gap between appointments. Why do I still work instead of shopping? Because I cannot finish my work. Q口Q. I have spent quite a lot of my life in these places, though passers-by might wonder what I am doing; a little shamelessness helps.

These public places have almost no privacy, but most people passing through are too busy to look. Keep all your belongings with you at all times: unlike at a library, leaving valuables on a seat while you use the restroom would be risky. All right, let’s begin : D.

Convenience Stores

Study-seat comfort: ★★

Cleanliness: ★★★★

Transport convenience: ★★★★★

Privacy: ★

When there is nothing special nearby, a convenience-store seating area is my first choice. Taipei has stores everywhere—7-Eleven, FamilyMart, OK, Hi-Life; many have seats and some have restrooms. The restroom is not always clean, but the air-conditioning can be wonderfully cold in summer. I pick a store close to my next appointment.

If you plan to use a seat, buy something first. I often chose Mai Xiang black tea or egg-and-honey soy milk, and bought a snack when dinner would be a costly izakaya, involve drinking, or offer little that my picky self could eat. At 7-Eleven I liked the soft-boiled-egg and bamboo-shoot rice ball, especially warmed until it tasted like seasoned rice, and small snacks beside the sandwiches; FamilyMart’s Oden worked too. That little bit of fullness gave me room to maneuver at dinner XD.

At an ordinary 7-Eleven, do not expect an outlet or quiet. Never leave valuables on the seat; customers are always coming and going. I have not personally lost anything while working there, but I still take care. For a brief reading or work session it can be a good place with food, drink, and cool air. I once stayed an entire afternoon between a morning and an evening appointment.

If device power matters, bring a power bank or choose a task that does not drain your devices. Seats are generally clean, but at meal peaks please do not occupy one too long while others need to eat, unless you want diners staring straight through you XDDD.

MRT Stations

Study-seat comfort: ★★

Cleanliness: ★★★★★

Transport convenience: ★★★★★

Privacy: ★

Can an MRT station be a place to work or study? It can. YO! I have spent time at Gangqian, Zhongxiao Xinsheng, Gongguan, and Zhongxiao Fuxing, but Gangqian is my favorite.

Before Gangqian Station opened, trips downtown relied on buses such as the 287, 247, or 222; traffic around Dazhi made the journey long enough for a proper nap. Now the station is my first choice downtown, and somewhere I have eaten, worked, or chatted with friends. The long stairs are outside the paid station area, so I sometimes bought food and sat there when convenience stores or restaurants were full, leaning against a wall or the side of an escalator. At first I ate lunch there to escape the cram school between Sunday classes, and later used it for short work sessions before an appointment.

There is no table, so the stairs suit device work or reading more than handwritten notes. I found the station well cleaned and comfortable enough to sit on the floor, but it is still public space; if you sit in the main concourse, station staff may ask you to move. Other MRT stations have their own places to perch too XD.

If I needed power or a little table, I went inside to find a standing charging station. The search for air-conditioning was often the real reason: those long stairs are outside and hot. I usually brought a power bank and left the station for people who needed to charge, but my gaming laptop ran out quickly enough that I once stood there working for three hours XD.

Department Stores

Study-seat comfort: ★★★★

Cleanliness: ★★★★★

Transport convenience: ★★★★★

Privacy: ★

Miramar in Neihu was my usual department-store choice: only two MRT stops away and very cold in summer. I also waited at Uni-President Hankyu, A11, and Far Eastern buildings around Xinyi. Because I know Miramar best, these are the particular spots I would recommend there. Apply the same reasoning to other stores, if you like (that is not how legal analogy works).

I like wandering there because of the Apple reseller, Eslite, MUJI, clothes, and other things to browse. I rarely buy much; after browsing, I often simply study or work.

Miramar has food on most floors, but its fifth-floor restaurant area has several places to eat plus tables and sofas that rarely filled up, even on weekends. It felt clean from the seating all the way to the restrooms. Transparent partitions separated the long tables during the pandemic; friends and I sometimes met there to talk about work. The only drawback is that those chairs are not made for sitting a long time.

During the pandemic, transparent partitions separated places at the tables. The sofa area was clean too, but I avoided it after once seeing someone put bare feet on the table and curl up on the sofa. That is a purely psychological “there must be a smell” reaction, but it is enough for me.

The fifth floor also has plenty of little benches, and if you do not need a table, you can choose whichever suits your bottom. You could even sit on the floor XDDDDD. By my own physical assessment, the benches were more comfortable than the restaurant tables.

For food and a short work break, I usually preferred the basement food court. It had many kinds of seats, but it was crowded: leave to get food or use the restroom and your seat could disappear.

I chose a seat near the food I planned to buy so that it would not disappear before I got back. Sometimes a bowl of tofu pudding from Xiao Nan Men or a large soft drink from Burger King bought me an afternoon. On Sundays I could stay until closing to prepare the next week’s lessons with paper, pen, and phone: no outlet needed. If I returned from the restroom to find my seat taken, I simply chose another. This works especially well for tasks that require little equipment.

The seating outside the cinema halls was another good choice when I wanted quiet. I first tried it after arriving almost an hour and a half early for a movie, and sometimes came back even without watching one.

The tables and chairs were comfortable, the carpeted area felt clean, and popcorn did not seem to cover the floor because the bags were sealed until people entered the theatre.

When work became tiring, there were paid massage chairs near the cinema; I had not tried them yet, and quietly preferred the free ones downstairs at Daiso. Department stores offer casual benches, food-court seats, and cinema corridors. Every store looks different, so find a seat you like XD.

Once I waited outside Miramar and used my laptop in a children’s coin-operated ride. After hearing a child ask why “that older sister” was taking the car they wanted, I quietly moved to a patch of floor. I should have put in ten dollars so I could claim the ride properly. (No.) Department stores are good because work breaks can turn into browsing or food-court relief. Then you gain weight.

Syntrend’s Food Court

Study-seat comfort: ★★★

Cleanliness: ★★★★★

Transport convenience: ★★★

Privacy: ★

Syntrend’s food court is technically inside a department store, but it felt different enough to deserve a separate mention.

To me, Guanghua Market is for people who know exactly what game or device they want; I would go directly to a particular shop and could often find a better price. I normally ate in the inexpensive lanes outside Guanghua. Syntrend, on the other hand, was for browsing games, tech, appliances, and merchandise in a clean, cool building with a food court. After Saturday drawing class in Gongguan ended around four, I often went there to browse and eat before going home, sparing myself a takeaway box and rubbish.

Usually I had no time to play any game I found, so I went home empty-handed Orz. Still, the browsing was fun.

The B1 food court could be packed on weekends. Still, there was one possible work spot.

Next to the escalator on B1 is a tiny seat for one person. It is too small for two meals, so even on busy weekends few people want it—perhaps everyone visiting Syntrend has company except me QQ. Cleaners and diners never seemed to mind my working there, even if I had not bought anything (quietly). I once prepared lessons for about four hours and returned whenever work brought me to Shandao Temple or Zhongxiao Xinsheng. If I packed up briefly and left, that seat was often still free when I came back.

When the work was done, games, merchandise, models, and figures were immediately upstairs.

The tall stool was unfriendly to shorter people: without a footrest, my dangling legs made my bottom ache RRRR. The escalator beside the table also caused a small vibration and some noise, though the crowd in the food court mostly covered it.

Taipei Main Station Underground Mall

Study-seat comfort: ★

Cleanliness: ★★★

Transport convenience: ★★★★★

Privacy: ★

Let’s begin with a photo: do you recognize this place?

I actually spent more time in Zone Z of Taipei Main Station’s underground mall in high school. My club rehearsed by a large glass wall so we could check our movements. I later heard that students now preferred Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall or Shuanglian Station’s underground mall instead.

Years later, when meetings and book shopping brought me to Taipei Main Station, I would sit against the glass wall during a gap if I did not want to spend money. Once I did that for three hours and stood up with terrible back pain.

The floor felt clean enough to sit on, and at the time there were few people because many shops appeared to have closed. It could be quiet, with unbeatable transport convenience. It was not as comfortable as a paid commercial space, but it was free and air-conditioned.

Conclusion

For someone juggling different kinds of work, appointments, and meetings, a convenient place for a short study or work stop matters. A meeting can end around three while dinner with friends is after seven: that leaves four hours, too awkward to go to a library or home and too long to wander without getting anything done.

These places helped me use that time and still reach my next appointment. They have little privacy and may be noisy, so they do not suit confidential calls or work demanding deep concentration. For an ordinary work call, email, LINE message, or little task, though, they help me stay ahead of deadlines while juggling my main and side quests. Most are also free XDDDD.

If you are wondering why not just choose a café with food, drinks, and air-conditioning, that belongs to another study-space post. I hope these notes help your work or study move forward a little more smoothly. See you next time!

Want to read the other study-space posts? See more study-space posts