Hazardous: An Infinite Dream Re-Created

By Gemma Cleanslate

When I arrived at Hazardous, the landing area it should have been a clue to a different experience. As I dropped to the ground by I read some interesting warning signs: “no biting,” “beware of noobs,” "no talking bellies,” and more you will see when you go there. One of my favorites was “children avis left unattended will be sold to the circus." One was a street sign with the the names: here, there, somewhere, lost, nowhere, confused.

I felt this was an eerily beautiful  place where something must have  happened. There are small buildings, barns, old cars and trucks,  all abandoned. Solitary buildings dot the fields of grass and shrubs. Crows flew everywhere... flocks circling ... single sitting calling ... where ever you go they are there. I love crows because they are so so smart, so I did not mind seeing them at all. 

The best thing to do at Hazardous is just start walking. As you move along you will encounter people. some alone just sitting, some couples enjoying the nooks where you can dance or just relaxing and enjoying the region. I walked along the perimeter to see a fallen lighthouse, boats drifting empty. I took the stairs down to the water where I found framed paintings of Hazardous strewn along the water near the shore, some of the same that  I saw in the viewer near the entrance. I climbed back up to continue my walk and came across a pond with a dock. 

Bewick Grayman, another explorer, asked  me if I had looked down the well. Curious, I approached the well, the cover of which was askew and clicked and down I went like a rabbit in a hole. Below there was a room with more pictures of Hazardous on the wall. I learned I should click on many things as I roamed. As I crossed the bridge over a deep ravine, I spotted a white building at the end. So I made my way down to check it out. On the walkway to it, I found more relaxing hangouts. 

As I explored, the thought kept entering my mind, did something happen that left this desolate empty place? It is like a huge museum of the past, or a memorial to something. I see why people are roaming around or just sitting quietly, perhaps pondering what was behind it all. I finally sent a note to the creator Mandingo quan (Dingo), asking why.  He answered, “It's based on a childhood memory... A place I visited with my family.... on a day trip or vacation... somewhere in my homeland of Australia... and its my first vivid memory of a location... I just wanted to recreate it...I just wish I could remember where so I could visit it again.” 

So actually it is a memorial, to a memory.  And his advice taken from his profile, “"Dream infinitely..... remain fearless.....seek Hazardous adventures." He attributes much of the "polish “ of the design of the region to Wendy Zeno, who worked with him. 

Don’t miss it! http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Misali/165/163/195

Gemma Cleanslate

The First Sims: Stanford

By DrFran Babcock


Stanford is the fourth sim to come on line in Second Life™. I have to confess that I don’t think I have ever visited there until this article. Two big parcels are for sale on the sim, rendering it half the size of most sims, and there are a few ban lines on some of the properties.

Ban Lines

I will use this opportunity to opine about ban lines a bit. I…hate…them. Hey, ban line people, the moment that I see them, I use my camera to look into the place that is blocked out. Just because folks think they are important enough to believe they can have privacy in Second Life™ doesn’t mean they should make things ugly. Ban lines interfere with transportation and movement in general here, and I oppose them simply for that reason. Please don’t use ban lines. Especially, do not use the kind of banlines/security I encountered on Stanford. This security device sent me home a few times before I had time to fly away, which I found quite rude.
Anyone who wants access to you can figure a way to get it, and you disturb the serenity of nomadic people like me when you use them.

Rant over: We now return you to our regularly scheduled history.

History of Stanford

Before Jessie, Stanford was one of the weapons sims, or the Outlands as they were called. This all got changed when Stanford, along with Federal, Hawthorne, Shipley, and part of Clyde were changed to residential sims. This happened in 2003, a long time ago, in Second Life’s™ timeline, way before most of us remember. Since this time Stanford has been home to Annie Butlers residence, and to the Stanford mountain. Most of the rest of the island has changed often.

Stanford Mountain exists thanks to  the benefit of being able to terraform the early sims to great heights. The peak of the mountain overlooks the whole sim, and provides a relaxing break from the stresses of everyday Second Life™. There is a nice old-school bench there to sit and ponder your next build project, relationship, or whatever. The really striking feature of the mountain is the stream and waterfall that meanders down the mountain, and was build by Jake Cellardoor, whose profile said that he is ten years old! Jake is responsible form much of the parklands and the waterfall on Clementina. One of the lessons I am learning is that there are a handful of old-timers who are devoted to preserving, creating, and maintaining the beauty of the mainland.

Annie Butler’s residence is clearly based on Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water. It is perched to the south of Stanford Mountain at the base of the falls, and was built by old-timer Juro Kothari, who is also my neighbor on Varney. Sadly, he is never around.

I recommend highly that you go and visit this house. Remember that it was built before the era of sculpts, flexiprims, and mesh. Yet, it is a beautiful representation of the Arts and Crafts movement in architecture and furnishings. The look is timeless, luxurious and earthy all at the same time. Outside there is a deck with many lounges, and an ultra-modern infinity pool. If you don’t know what that means, you will have to go look. The house is open for wandering, and it actually would make a nice date outing. Don’t miss the works of art, the hot tub, or the very necessary kitchen.

I had thought to contact Annie and ask her about her time on Stanford, and her lovely home, but it seems that her profile makes it plain that she is now committed to medieval role-playing, and has left her previous second life behind. One of the reasons I love Second Life™ is that you can be whatever you want to be, and change your course at any time. I respected her desire to not be contacted.

The last public building on the island is a lighthouse—one of the icons of Second Life™. It is on group land owned by the aforementioned Annie Butler and two other people. It is a simple build, well-executed by a younger resident: Sandy Clymer, of Pillow Talk fame. You can teleport to the tower to have some more views.

For Sale

The three plots for sale on Stanford are large and pricey. One is 10,240 meters squared and costs 62,000 Lindens; the next is 8,416 meters squared and costs 51,000 Lindens, and a tiny plot of 160 square meters is a pittance at 15,995 Lindens.

None of these plots have water access, and all are very expensive, but reflect the historical value of the land, and the almost limitless terraforming. The one plot that was on the water that was not for sale, but for rent was attractive.

So What?

As I conclude the fourth visit to the first sims I am struck again by how little history has been preserved. I was pleased to find that much of the topography of Stanford remains unchanged, but there is little of the old sim that is identified or recognized. I know there are history museums in Second Life™, and many places that have information about the past, but I wouldn’t want to go visit the Alamo in Michigan, and I don’t want to see have no place to go to see the roots of this world that I love.

Visit Stanford: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Stanford/128/128/2

DrFran Babcock

Calas Galadhon Park Sims

By Gemma Cleanslate

  
Some of you will recall my visit to Calas regions during the winter. Most of the eleven sims were covered with snow, and I had delightful time skating and skiing and visiting the Christmas Pavilion. I thought I should go back now that it is spring and see what is going on. 

Flowering trees and plants now adorn the regions. The fields are filled with grasses and the animals are out roaming the pastures. It is a wonderful place to go horseback riding, so I did. I visited several sim that way, looking at the rocky hills and cliffs and spectacular vistas. In  Eryn Vom you can look out over the marshes and cross over the bridges to the tiny islands. Whereever you go, you pass quaint areas for relaxing alone or with friends. Dance balls dot some of the areas for your pleasure. In Mirrormere I found a canoe and paddles and took a ride down the rivers, perhaps some of those on which I skated in the winter. 

In the Bay of Belegar, visit the pirate ship and climb down below for a scuba diving. I met Chatty Kathy down there, using the gear and exploring and having a wonderful time. “This is entirely too much fun ... darned thing even has bubbles ... it's always an amazing place, but oh em gee, at Christmas and Halloween, there's no place like it on the grid." I left her to go see the Pirate ship which she recommended highly. 

I visited the Cafe Armenelos high up on a hill, where I found some loungers admiring the view. From there I could see what looked like an entire Hotel high on a hill. I went up and it was a lovely set of buildings reminding one of a quaint village perched  at the peak of the mountain. 

There are no rentals or living places on any of the sims. There are no commercial enterprises. All buildings are open for visiting, but not for staying. I spied the one of the owners, Tenk sitting on a bench on a hillside pondering. I did not want to bother him, so I took a quote from the welcome notecard, “Come immerse yourself in the early American coastal countryside of the early 20th Century. We strive to bring the beauty & peace of our natural areas into Second Life for all to enjoy as a refuge. There are now 11 sims to the Park.  Each sim has a unique feel, yet are tied together with verdant fields & farms, high mountain meadows and winding streams through its woodlands & valleys which eventually lead to the natural beauty of the coast. There is also the island of Armenelos where the 'Santorini' build by Bora Rossini, can now be found.” 

There is so much to see. I will leave it to you to discover all there is to find in the regions. When you arrive at the entrance, you will be able to pick up a notecard with the rules and the landmarks of places you may want to visit. There is also a teleport board to all the regions. This is definitely a landmark you will want to save. The regions call for revisiting often, alone or with friends. You can follow the activites by joining the group , or by visiting the calendar at the website. You also see a copy of the calendar at the entrance.  

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Calas%20Galadhon/137/233/22

Gemma Cleanslate 

Black Hills Forest

By Grey Lupindo

       The Black Hills Forest, located at Le Dome (36, 111, 21), is a beautiful and fun place that celebrates many of the best sights found in America.  Set in a beautiful park-like setting, it features statutes, photographs, and memorials from places found all across America, from the Atlantic coast to the Black Hills of South Dakota.  There’s even a zoo with animals from around the world.

      The first amazing thing I learned about Black Hills Forest is that its creator is French.   Benoit Lednev lives in Paris in real-life.  Because of time and language issues, we were only able to talk for a few minutes.  I wasn’t able to learn what motivated him to create such a beautiful tribute to America.   But It's a great site, and Benoit said that he plans to expand the zoo even more.               

        It is fitting that one of the most visible landmarks on the sim is a replica of the Statute of Liberty, which was a gift from France to the United States in 1886.  The real-life statute, which is located in the New York Harbor, was designed by Frédéric Bartholdi.  In SL the Statute is located at Le Dome (34, 26, 21).   Benoit Lednev has displayed a number of photographs of the real statute in a building next to the replica.    Nearby you can pick up a free souvenir t-shirt, too.   As soon as I put it on, I felt like a tourist on vacation.

       The sea’s edge is the main landing spot for the Black Hills Forest when you teleport to Le Dome (36, 111, 21).  There is a replica of the Gloucester Fishermen’s Memorial at the landing point.    The RL memorial was built in 1925 at the Stacy Esplanade in Gloucester, Massachusetts.   The SL replica includes memorial plaques that contain information and the famous inscriptions found at the real-life statute.    

      From this point you can go northwest to the zoo or walk straight ahead to the gazebo.  Inside the gazebo are pictures of the site’s attractions.  Click on the one that interests you to be teleported there. 

        The zoo is a great place to relax and have fun.   There are animals from all over the world, including  a Red Panda from China, polar bears and penguins from the ice caps, parrots and monkey from the jungle, giraffes, lions and tigers from Africa, and my favorites, a wolf pack from the wilderness.  There’s a small aquarium, too.  Unlike their RL counterparts, the SL animals don’t have to be kept behind bars.   The toucans and parrots fly, and the monkeys scurry around and get into things.  You’ll even find one or two species that are extinct in RL but living here in SL.

           On one of my visits, a woman and a little girl were visiting the zoo.  Ray Ray (rayleigh.toxx) had brought 11-year-old Teresa Amulet (keira.amulet) to see the animals. They seemed to be having a great time.   

      At one end of the zoo is a beautiful cafe where I was able to have some breakfast.   The setting is quiet, and the tables are set with beautiful dishes and a rose.  Orange trees grow here, too, so their juice is the freshest in SL. 

      After breakfast I left the zoo area and continued to explore.  I came across a replica of Mr. and Mrs. Frog Fishing.  The real-life statute was created by David Phillips in 2003 and is located at Boston Common Frog Pond.  Another interesting piece of art is the replica of the statute, “Menotomy Indian Hunter,” by Cyrus E. Dallin.   The original was created in 1911 and is located in a park near Arlington, Massachusetts.   Since the majority of us will never be able to visit these real-life statutes, the replicas are the next best way to experience them.  

       There are a few reminders of the worst times in America, too.  There is a memorial to the Salem Witch Trials, including a long row of headstones of men and women who were killed there.   The date was circa 1692.  In another area, photographs of Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., and other civil rights workers are located in the building at the Black Hills display, locate near Le Dome (213, 165, 60).     

   

        As in real-life, the SL Black Hills has Mount Rushmore.  To get to this spot, you don’t have to travel for days to North Dakota either.   It’s located at Le Dome 213, 165, 60.  If you don't want to teleport, there's a chair lift you can ride to the Mount Rushmore site.   Catch the lift at Le Dome 246, 121, 21.    

  

         Inside the building at Mount Rushmore are photographs of many great Americans, from Alexander Graham Bell to Amelia Earhart.  Inventors, scientists, writers, and astronauts are featured, as well as a section that includes Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, and other civil rights leaders.

        On the plaza there are benches where you can relax as you gaze at the four famous presidents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.  There are picnic tables nearby, too, but watch out for the mountain goats.

 

         Many other treats are waiting to be explored in this beautiful park.  A tea house sits near a small pond that you can float in.   Trails meander through trees and over streams.  The sim has places for couples, too.  Among them are a campfire near the lighthouse and a nearby beach cottage.  The best couple’s spot, however, is the eerily beautiful Dark Romance section, located at Le Dome (229,49,21).  Best to visit it with someone you love.

           Like his fellow Frenchmen so long ago, Benoit Lednev has given a beautiful gift to SL residents to enjoy.   

Grey Lupindo

The First Sims: Zoe

By DrFran Babcock

Zoe is the third sim to come on line in Second Life™. After my trip to Ritch last week, I was a bit disheartened, and hoped that I could find more history and better use of the historical space. I was not disappointed.

A Little History

I started this story by looking on the internet, and again found little about the sim of Zoe. I have to guess that the creators of Second Life™, along with the earliest residents, had no idea that the world they had created would have the kind of staying power it has. Therefore, they didn’t think to respect the past, nor preserve it. The only way to find out might be to find and interview some of the early residents, which I will do, if I can find them.

Current Zoe Usage

Zoe is a very pleasant place, despite its lack of written history and residents. Again, I found a very empty sim each time I visited. Natoma, to the north, has many residents on it all the time, because of its status as a sandbox and it is the home of the Ivory Tower of Primitives, but few folks seem to venture into Zoe. This is a shame, because the sim really is a lovely place.

The main owners of land on Zoe are Myck Tackleberry of the Ridgeview Group, and SuluMor Romulus, almost as old as Second Life™ itself, of Zoe Garden Associates. Luckily, both groups seem to be invested in creating and maintaining a park-like atmosphere on the sim.

Myk’s land is a museum, strewn with works of art by Second Life’s™ creators. The Bryn Oh statue is immediately recognizable. Myk, himself is a lovely, understated builder. I have been fond of his slate gray and brick “clubhouse” for many years. The building is deceptively simple, impeccably assembled, and makes a great platform for the gathering of sofas and chairs. Go there and find the coffee table books in the central room. They are two picture books, one of which contains photos (by Yana Kawasaki) of beautiful places in Second Life™. I browsed through the volume and was both delighted and saddened. So many of the places in the book are just memories. The other book depicts a sim that you can still go see: Verdigris and the Vintage Village. Vintage Village is the home of The Golden Oriole, built by Oriolus Oliva—a delightfully mad antique store. The creator/owner must have some connection with the folks on Zoe, because aside from the coffee table book, several of the builds on the sim are by Oriolus. The huge Breughel Castle sits on the edge of the gray mountains that fill the middle third of the sim. It lords over the sim majestically.

What makes the original sims so special is their terraform ability. Zoe is one of the sim blessed with plus and minus forty meter terraforming. What that means is that these sims have tremendous landscaping ranges. Huge mountains and deep gorges are possible, and are often present on these early parcels.

There is much to like on Zoe, and a bit of humor, unintentional I think, on the sim. There is a small parcel to the southwest of Sulumor’s land, and it’s called The 50Linden Store. However, as soon as you land, there’s a big sign advertising a furry  avatar and some digipants each for 125L. Huh? The other odd parcel is a 512 parcel owned by Ravenglass Rentals—a company owned by long-time resident Prokovy Neva. It is leased by Luka Peck, and has some iridescent sculptures in it. I have never seen anyone on the parcel, and I am in the neighborhood often.

Stewardship

All in all, the lands of Zoe are in good hands. Avi Arrow, Myck Tackleberry, SuluMor Romulus, and the Ivory Tower Group, headed by Lumier Noir. These are the names one sees when exploring this park-like sim. The owners seem determined to keep things looking pleasant and attractive, and they have succeeded in their goal. Traveling around Zoe is a delightful experience. Go up on the mountains and find the hidden meditation spot, with the luscious rock fountain. Find the bridge over the gorge and stare in wonder. It’s all there to explore.

One More Thing

Zoe is next to the sim of Clementina, home of Governor Linden’s mansion (one of the oldest objects in Second Life™), and there is a build that overlaps Clementina and Zoe on the southeast corner. The build is a fascinating recreation of a Thai water market, colorful and realistic, down to the boats with different objects for sale. On the Zoe side, there are rice paddies, and stalls with vegetables and other items. Electricity poles dot the build, adding more authenticity to the area. The build is by Areal Loonie, but the land is owned by SuluMor, who has had it since the beginning of SL time, I imagine.

It’s interesting that Clementina, which is not one of the first sims, seems to have more history on it than the surrounding original sims. This seems to be just another mystery of the early days that may never be solved by me. What I need is some oldbies to tell me some stories. If there are any takers, I would love to hear from you.

Visit Zoe: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Zoe/245/241/26

DrFran Babcock 

Rust and the Goonies

By Bixyl Shuftan

One of the LEA sims was given a new look and a new name, Rust. A surreal-looking land of abandoned machinery, it was described in the destination guides,  "Rust is a world with a strange mix of machines, chained trees, rusty mushrooms, birds, balloons, butterflies, spiders, elephants, and gear flowers. Watch as the corrode, flake, and sway in the gentle breeze." Credit for the build goes to Cica Ghost.


Dropping by for myself, the place was quite an experience. The sim had a look of abandonment and decay, as if the people who made the place were no more or having to move due to some unknown disaster. There were various buildings and structures around. While rusted, there was no shortage of movement as gears still turned around, conveyor belts still moved parts, and other examples of mechanical motion. There were also metal animals there, or rather statues of. There were rusted metallic elephants one could stand and pose on, in addition to metallic birds. There were also rust color trees with metal bands and chains on them, and grass swaying in the wind, also the color of rust.

I was still close to the entrance area when I heard some youthful-sounding chatter nearby. Looking around, I noticed a number of child avatars rezzing. "This place is full of tots," one lady commented. I wasn't sure what was going on until I noticed a couple names: Everest Piek and Loki Eliot. The Goonies had dropped in.

For those who don't know, "The Goonies" was a movie in the 1980s about a group of kids who go on an adventure in search of a pirate treasure to save their parents' homes. While the SL Goonies home in the Escapades sim is just fine, they still have a great love for exploration and adventures on the Grid. Gemma Cleanslate wrote about them a couple years ago (article here), and they're still going at it, led by Loki.

Everest saw me and greeted me, "Hey Bixyl, what's new? … We're just on a Goonies adventure. …. gotta run, c'ya around." He smiled and left. The kids then began looking over the place, "Helephants!" "I think we found Loli's old trumpet." "Really?" "It's inside." "Great to have you on the adventure, bro, even if you are still asleep, hee-hee." 

It wasn't long before they were on their way again, their leader Eliot saying, "Goonies second location, meet you all there, Tamarillo Island." And they all began heading there, "GOONIES NEVER SAY DIE!" And just as quickly as they appeared, the kids were gone. And Rust reverted to it's usual quiet.

If you have the time, even if its just five or ten minutes, Rust is a must-see location, located at LEA 13 (212, 49, 22). Draxtor Despress recently visited and made a film of the location (below).



As for the Goonies, their sim Escapades is welcome to visitors. They do take occasional new members, any child avatar interested should talk to one of the group about initiation. Loki has been recording their adventures on blogs. While his more recent site seems to have crashed, his older one at (http://lokiboy.blogspot.com/ ) is still up. He's also know as a builder in Second Life.

Bixyl Shuftan

The First Sims: Ritch

By DrFran Babcock

Ritch is the second sim to come online in Second Life™. I couldn’t wait to go and explore, because I figured I would run into a lot of history and layers of builds and famous avatars who had left behind a little prim piece of their inventory. I couldn’t have been further from the reality of Ritch.

Before I start one of these explorations, I look to see what has been written about the place, so I can come from a different angle, and not duplicate content. I was surprised that there was so little written about Ritch. Further proof of its almost anonymous past came when I looked for pictures of the sim on Snapzilla, a website that has documented pictures of Second Life™ since 2005 (http://www.sluniverse.com/pics/Search.aspx?Sim=ritch). There were 27 pictures in total that had been taken on Ritch! That’s very little compared to other sims, but not surprising with the lack of history information about the sim. Even the Second Life Wikia, where I often go for historical information was woefully inaccurate in most of its accounting for the space on Ritch. This seemed a mystery, so I decided to do a little investigative reporting.

The sim of Ritch seems to be composed of two large parcels: Exotic Park by Sapphire Moon Entertainment, and Casa Del Sol Fleamarket. The Exotic Park is a mystical place composed of mostly violet trees, benches and crystals, which are probably familiar to anyone who has ever looked at the Second Life™ map. There are no stores and no clubs—just peaceful paths that meander through the purple surroundings.

Inspecting things in Second Life™ is no difficult feat. A few right clicks, and the owner and creator of any object becomes apparent. Ameshin Yossarian is the creator and owner of this sapphire park. The name seemed so familiar to me, and in fact belongs to the creator of the great clothing of Curious Kitties, a store that I continue to frequent. Speaking of curious, it seemed odd to me that so much land was left to just be a park. As I explored, I started to encounter prims with teleports to a place called Sapphire Moon. Just out of curiosity I clicked, and was given a landmark that I took, and ended up on a sim named Sapphire Moon. It seems that Sapphire Moon is a casino. The only history I had been able to find about Ritch was that it had housed a casino in its early days.

Gambling in Second Life™? I’m Shocked!

I know that I have seen the gambling machines creeping back into Second Life™ over the last few years, since it was banned, but I had no idea that casinos could be around with such impunity. I noted that the machines are played with “stars” not money, but the stars had to be purchased with Lindens, and the stars could be traded in for goods in a redemption center. It reminded me of Skee Ball. Is this gambling? To me it seems to be so, because you pay Lindens and you get a payback or not. That is a game of chance.

Back on Ritch

For the most part, the sim is just comprised of the two parcels. Aside from the Sapphire Moon Exotic Park there is a Casa del Sol Fleamarket. This parcel is just as curious as the other one.

I made several trips to Ritch while writing this article. In all the trips there was never another resident on the sim every time I was there. Which brings me to the flea market. The market is empty; there is not a single shop in the entire space, which is about half a sim. Besides the market, there is a home, a bizarre satellite building, a park and some open space. There is so much open space, that it made me wonder. Dix Donovan, who is almost as old as Second Life™, and according to his profile actually builds for Sapphire Moon, owns the parcel. So, Ritch is all one big, happy and empty family. I wonder how long it’s been since either of these owners visited Ritch? There is one large store on the Casa del Sol Fleamarket plot, Curios, and it sells a small assortment of old-fashioned, prim built bracelets, mostly low in price. Not sure anyone would buy anything as outdated as these objects seem to be. I inspected them and they dated from 2004. Now I know why the place is called Curios.

So, in conclusion, Ritch is not a place to come and explore and find souvenirs of the early days of Second Life™. However, I will continue to visit the First Sims, because I know they are not all like this. They couldn’t be—right?

DrFran Babcock

Queen of the Sagitarian Sea Revisited

 

By Gemma Cleanslate

I noticed when DrFran wrote about the first place she visited in SL, I had memories of mine. Revisiting is not always the same. Somehow the place survives but, the heart is gone. One of my first favorites was Svarga Svarga. I go look once in a while just for memories. The story however, did send me to reminiscing about old places where I still go and love. 

One I have written about for years that still holds the same fun for me is the three sim ship, the Galaxy. I wrote about it back in my early days at the SL Newspaper. I covered the 3rd anniversary in 2010 and also covered it when the ship was moved to a new sea location . That was exciting to watch!

I thought I would take a walk through the ship to show you the varied activities you will find if you visit. It is also a good place to take a vacation since there are so many things to do on board when you want to get away from your regular life here. I have two friends who have made the Galaxy home for periods of time, renting one of cabins or suites available. There are eight decks to explore so plan ahead or move in. “The SS Galaxy is 3 sims 650 meters long and 32,000+ prims.  Only two mega prims were used in her construction, and they are the smoke stacks.  It is the longest single build in SL.” it says in the website. 

 

You can take a rafting ride along the side of the ship that will tell you all the sites on the ship you might  like to visit. I had never taken that before so it was fun. I also found a new rock climbing wall that looked like something new to try. I learned how to play miniature golf on the sports deck years ago and still go back to try and improve, and clubs and balls are provided for rental. Of course the Galaxy hosts fishing contests with some nice prizes. Jump on the skydiving pod and shoot up into to the air, but make sure you wear a terrashoot!   

 

I looked in on the various restaurants and stopped at the gorgeous wedding chapel. It looks like a wonderful place to have a wedding, and they have a great catering service for the reception in one of their fine restaurants. Djs provide music for dancing every day, or you can dance at any time you want to the music of the radio. The shopping area has some really elegant clothing for you. I made my way up to the bridge, but everyone was at lunch so I sat down at the controls and studied the route and looked out over the calm Sagitarian Sea. There are maps all over so you will have an idea where you are. There is also a map hud available for you to wear that helps navigate the massive ship.  

 

One thing I love is the "Ports of Call" teleport board where you can choose to visit the various sims the ship passes.  For some activities you must be a traveler  which seems logical for the paying customers to enjoy more for the price, but you can find so much to do if  just visiting. Know there is a great spa for exercise but I could only peek in since I was just a visitor. Check out the wonderful swimming pool.You can use that anytime Jump in or lounge on the deck. This gives you an overview of the Galaxy. There is so much to explore.  

 

To find out more about the history and events visit the website where you can check out the pricing and rooms available, daily events, and answers to  so many questions . http://www.ssgalaxy.net/. Have a wonderful time ! Say hi if you see me along the jogging path,  my sl exercise lol!  Here is the boarding gangway:
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Galaxy%20AFT/66/53/21

 

Gemma Cleanslate