During the hot summer we often go to the department store to enjoy the air-conditioning, to window-shop, and to see people. Taipei has a lot of new department stores throughout the city, and each one is a little different from the others. Some department stores are very large and some smaller. Some are quite far from our house and two are very close. There are a bowling alley, a children’s playground, a supermarket, and movie theatres in some large department stores. In a department store you can buy a box of candy, a book, a dress, a washing machine, an electric toy train, a big armchair, a diamond ring, a set of fine china, and hundreds of other items. Department stores make shopping easy. There are elevators and escalators to carry customers from floor to floor. There are rest rooms and restaurants to help you spend long hours shop-ping in the department store.