[bcrdukes]

Since you have kids, Taipei 101 is not too bad. It makes it easier if you have young kids because there is something for everyone. My wife and I enjoyed the Din Tai Fung there over the original location a lot more.

Alternatively, you could spend an entire day at the Taipei zoo, which is also great for adults and kids alike.

I echo what the others said about location. As long as you are near an subway station, you are okay, but try to do your best and select the one where one of the lines will get you to where you want to go.

Back in 2019, my wife and I stayed not too far away from the central station. It wasn't too bad, and yes, some homeless folk, but they are nothing like the ones in the Downtown East Side (Main/Hastings) so it's ok. The only scary part was a group of well-dressed men jumped out of a minivan and beat the crap out of a guy's scooter with baseball bats at a red light, like something you would expect out of an Asian gangster movie. That was legit scary. But once the light turned green, they were all considerate enough to hop back into the car and go their merry ways.