Weak topology of a simplicial realization

Give the geometric realization of an abstract simplicial complex the quotient topology obtained by gluing the disjoint union of its standard simplexes along their labelled faces. A subset $U$ is open exactly when $U\cap |\sigma |$ is open in every closed geometric simplex $|\sigma |$. This is the weak realization topology. It is the topology of its CW complex structure; the word weak here refers to the simplexwise test, rather than to the weak topology of a topological vector space. A map out of the realization is continuous exactly when its restriction to every simplex is continuous.

Identify the initial endpoints of countably many closed intervals to a vertex $v$, using the quotient topology. This is the geometric realization of the complex whose only edges are $\{v,u_n\}$. A neighbourhood of $v$ may contain a separately chosen initial interval $[0,{\epsilon }_n)$ on each arm, with no positive lower bound on the ${\epsilon }_n$.

The space is not first countable. Given any proposed countable neighbourhood basis $(U_n)$ at $v$, choose a point $x_n$ at coordinate $t_n>0$ on arm $n$ with $x_n\in U_n$. This is possible by the interval topology on that arm. The set whose intersection with arm $n$ is $[0,t_n/2)$ is an open neighbourhood $V$ of $v$, by the simplexwise definition. But $x_n\in U_n\setminus V$ for every $n$, so no $U_n$ lies inside $V$. Consequently this weak star cannot embed in the plane, or in any metric space.

The terminal vertices form an infinite closed discrete subset: on each closed arm they meet only its terminal endpoint. Hence the star is not compact, by closed discrete subsets of compact spaces are finite.