Mardi Gras at Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez

by Gemma Cleanslate

The parade is running and Jazz is playing but only until February 16! It’s Mardi Gras! People line the Bourbon Street in  New Orleans to watch the parade as it rolls by, dancing and cheering .

 FrannyDJ has opened the party so make sure you get there. This is an annual event here in Second Life and is one of the best celebrations of rl where one can join in with no worries.  Hop on a float and wave and dance for the fans. The entire parade lasts 1 1/2 hours from beginning to end and has 103 floats .  Look up too so you don’t miss the big balloons passing overhead, some of which you can ride on.

Stop at the French Jazz Club or the Burlesque Club on Bourbon Street and check out the Mardi Gras Museum near by . If you join the group Fame you will get notices of parties on the Riverboat Parties Restaurant held often. The Voodoo Shop  and  the Magic shop too is filled with freebies so do not miss those. Masks and beads and feathers await you.

Take a walk through the park to get over to the Carnival where games and rides are all working. If you have time take a walk along the back streets where there are lovely homes like those you would see on a walk around New Orleans. The culture there is so charming and vibrant .Remember to grab a piece of King Cake when you get there at the entrance. It is good to plan several trips to enjoy everything that is offered there. I did. Bring friends!

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Colossus/55/176/1163

Gemma Cleanslate

Mardi Gras at Jade Isle

By Gemma Cleanslate

There are so many daily parties going on in sl now to celebrate Mardi Gras. To find them just check the list of events put out by the Lindens. For a look at Mardi Gras as celebrated in New Orleans a visit to Mardi Gras New Orleans at Jade Isle. The region is the installation of Frannydj Dean. She put extraordinary work into it this year and added some new interactives.

The entrance is in a shop that offers some food and drinks to enjoy! Grab the free beads ! It is fun to land there and walk out onto to street where the spectacular parade is passing by. It is the best parade of floats I have seen in all my years in sl. Don’t just stand there and look join in! I like to walk down the street and then jump on a float and become part of the party.

I tried out a bunch of them this year, dancing along with the music.

There are admiring people standing along the route. After you do your dancing on the floats take time to visit the shops and restaurants along the street. I had a piece of king cake in one and a wild drink in another.  There are teleports that will take you to four wonderful party venues where you can dance the night away.

My favorite is the Paddle wheel Steam Boat where you dance on the upper deck. The Jazz Club at the other end of the sim is the other 

 

On the other side of the park I found a huge carnival with all the rides you enjoy. Then take a walk into the park and along the water front to see the sights.  Standing on the waterfront I felt like I was really  in New Orleans. Wandering back be sure to look at the houses and other buildings along the way to prolong the feeling. There is not much time left before it all comes to and end for another year.

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler ! http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Ecstacy%20Paradise/54/173/1163

Gemma Cleanslate

Mieville Haunted Nawlins

By Gemma Cleanslate

For my second Halloween experience I went over to  Mieville Haunted Nawlins. I put on the hud I picked up at the entrance and raised my umbrella since it was pouring rain when I got there, lots of thunder too.  It is like a Haunted Mardi Gras so there is a slow parade of floats appearing that you can hop on any time as you see one. 

The main street is lined with sweet little shops where you can purchase Halloween décor or outfits and other items as you pass. An outdoor market is offering goodies mostly for Halloween. Laughing Jack, a great pumpkin said to me, “The ghost got lost in the fog… and he was mist…. “ .He looked like a great addition to a busy sim.   Some of your favorite designers have shops in this town area. I love the style of the shops and other buildings, some reminiscent of New Orleans so the build is a haunted Mardi Gras in “Nawlins.”

As you walk along you will notice little doors with either a red light or a green light. Click the green light doors and get either a trick or treat. As you collect treats they can be exchanged for prizes back at the entrance building. Visit again to check for more treats after some time has passed.

Down the hill from the main shops at the village is a wonderful carnival with fun rides and another market. I found a free shop with Aley’s goulish creations and picked up a few skeletons for home. The grave yard next door features wonderful ghosts, witches, grave stones and more if you are looking for sim decorations. There is a massive haunted house in the bayou, so I took a walk through, up and down the stairs facing frightening views along the way and survived until I fell through the floor of the upstairs porch. There is a little door in there too so don’t miss it. Lots of stairs and doors to explore will lure you onward and up but be careful! 

After my visit to the carnival I went back up to the town to check the little doors again for more green lights. I stopped off at the cute outdoor restaurant next to the market and picked up a begnet and tea then began my tour of doors again. I am trying to get enough for a really nice prize so will be going back again. The whole sim is filled with little surprises and fun for the Halloween season and will be open through the 31st. Enjoy!  

 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mieville%20Shelley/224/62/1019

Gemma Cleanslate

New Toulouse

By Fritter Enzyme

Lafitte's Old Primsmith Bar is just one of my favorite places at New Toulouse.  Described as:  “Home of Mama Cree's Freebies, All Full Perm - The oldest structure in New Toulouse!  Refurbished a few times, but it was here first! Stop by and drown your sim-blues in prim-booze.” It is the type of place I was hoping to find in New Toulouse.  The environment is with the trimmings and music of the era in the flavor of Second Life.  Tarot cards on the bar really work, with instructions for you to learn from.  You are reminded not to drop your cigarette butts on the floor as they may burn the hands and knees of the other customers as they leave. 

I ran into Henri Godenot, the Mayor of the city and owner of the sim there.  He welcomes all to come to Toulouse to explore the city and bayou as well.  It is nice to have an official welcome extended to all. 
New Toulouse is based on New Orleans, circa 1900-1925.  The buildings show it, and music everywhere is jazz, blues and zydeco.

In the old time cemetery you can find tombs, all above ground, as it truly is there.  One is for you to leave your current worries.  It is called the Catharsis Laval. Open the tomb, and touch the floor and type in your worry.  Close the door and leave it behind you.  The grave yard by itself is a beautiful and unique experience.  Lots can be rented, if available to set up a mausoleum as creative as you are.   Included is a tomb dedicated to Miss Ing Inventory:  The Lab giveth, the Lab taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lab. 

Street cars (one named Desire) run through the streets to give you a ride or tour of the city.  Art galleries offer proper vintage posters and art for your home in New Toulouse, which, of course does offer rentals for homes and businesses.  The homes can be a simple apartment or a Victorian house.  Architecture is one of the best features of the city.  Hanging plants, balconies, and pony mounts are everywhere.  Silent movies of the era are at the Bijou Impromptu.  It is near the Beth Shalom Synagogue. 

Another favorite of mine is a second hand store called Look What the Cat Dragged in. They gave grab bags in the back room, and all products are delivered by a cat with a bag in its mouth.  Speaking of cats, they are all over the city, many at Miss KK's cathouse.  This is a home for abandoned cats, not what you might think as a ‘cat house.’  It is by Skye Qi Vintage Apparel Emporium. Which is a fine place to find your outfits for this sim.  Sadly lacking in much for males, but this seems so true for most of Second Life.

But now, a trip to the bayou.  Land of swamps and alligators.  Bridges and boats will bring you around in this land.  Many residential areas are here, but then you will find places to shop and rest, or drink… same thing.  Watch for the gators here.  Things are very rustic and rural. Broken windows and river rats are the norm.  Private areas are here, and armadillos too.  Club houses exist as well as great swamp nature to see. 

Voodoo, and spirituality are everywhere in both sims.  You can make appointments to get your fortune read at many places.  Even participate in reading them yourself.  Houses range from boats to shacks to nice dwellings, but all have that touch of age, and of the damage of the bayou.  You may find modern music here on some private lands, but all seems open and worth seeing.  The homes all seem very accessible here.  One last word.  There is a newspaper here, the Tattler.  It has gossip, events, and a lot of silliness worth seeing. 

New Toulouse:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/New%20Toulouse/209/202/23

A video of their Mardi Gras event:  http://www.newtoulouse.org/samedi-gras-15-movie/

The Tattler: http://www.newtoulouse.org/

Fritter Enzyme