More Winter Places: Astoria And Adagio Winterland

 

 By Gemma Cleanslate

Winter is just beginning ! There are so many snowy, icy places to visit and hang out in winter mode. I visited a few starting in my list at two A places. I give them both an A mark for their beauty and friendliness for visitors.

“Welcome to Astoria; Be sure to use the shared environment to experience the best version of this beautiful sim. Have fun exploring, find the hidden tunnels and enjoy your stay! “On arrival you will be right next to the cocoa stand , a good place to plan your day. I got a horse from the nearby corral and took a ride to see the offerings first.

A great pond with skating for couples and singles is not too far away. It is a lovely pond with music to enjoy and accompany the skating.

Take a look at the sign that is a teleport to various places on the region. Skiing is reached by riding the ski lift. At the top you have a choice of sledding, snowboarding, or skiing if you have your own skis.

Below there is a coffee shop for after snow fun. I noticed there is a couples walk and dance together . Enjoy that with your honey. There are lots of little nooks for relaxing and chatting with friends.

A little island off the shore has Polar bears and penguins for residents. It is a wonder the penguins survive. Have a great visit. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Ironia/58/69/23

My next A is Adagio Winterland.

“Travel to this serene and quiet winter village high in the mountains; a place of peace and relaxation. Ride a horse in the snow, ice skate, wander about, You'll find lots of winter romance and activities. Winterland spans two regions. **Family Friendly “

Adagio has other sites to visit during the year with great themes. See the board at the entrance.

If you join the group at Adagio you get updates and rezz rights for the region. There are activities and shows and weekly Kareoke. Rentals are available.

The hot air balloon ride offers a great view of the region and tells the story of the regions. It accommodates two riders. This is a great place for a short winter vacation . Great place for a snowball fight too!!



A lovely church looks like a wedding venue.


The skating pond is very extensive and extends into the second region. There are numerous opportunities for photographers. The large pond extends into both regions also. At the skating balls area there is also a horse rezzer so a ride all around both regions is possible. Some fun interactive rides are around the pond.

Don’t miss the dining opportunity at the dining car in the train that is parked nearby. Here is the entrance. Both these A sites have numerous photo sites.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Adagio%20Gardens/167/99/1202

Gemma Cleanslate

 

Crystal Ski Resort and Zimminyville

By Gemma Cleanslate

Now that things have settled down after the rush of the holidays and Christmas markets and sims have closed for another year I still have my skates and skies and winter outfits out . I went looking for regions that are still with falling snow and frozen ponds and lakes to use. There are some really nice ones to explore and experience the beauty of winter.

A visit to the Crystal ski resort in the Alps has opportunities for great skiing. I  loved the ski lift that allows an overview of the snow covered sim . At the top there are free skis  and ski balls if you need them. I brought my own but tried the downhill run on the ski ball to take my time and not fall off the mountain. If you prefer, rezz a comfy sled for the run. It is a  nice soft cushioned sled to hang onto. The owner, Rick (Reece Maloney), assured me that it is always winter in the Alps here so skiing is available all the time.

Everywhere there are little corners to relax and share a hot chocolate  or something stronger. By the lovely waterfall there are dance balls for friends or lovers. The lodge is welcoming with a fire to warm you after your skiing. Or drop into the Loft Cinema and enjoy a video of your choice from the lengthy list on the screen.

I am  not too competent on a ski mobile but did pretty well on  the one I rezzed there . Try it. All in all this region offers lots of fun activities and one can rent a lodge and stay for a few days if you like. There is a shop with some really fancy ski outfits for both male and female. I met the designer,  Almut Brunswick, wandering around in one of her suits! I always take my horse for a ride in the snow too. Have fun.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Alps/194/31/22

My next trip took me into Zimminyville.  This is another lovely winter sim with roads to roam and an extensive lake for ice skating. The first thing I did there was to hop into the hot air balloon that does a narrated tour of the region from  above and points out the various hot spots not to miss when back on the ground.

There are rentals here also but loads of public places to visit and enjoy. The owner, Curfax Zimminy, told me it would stay in winter garb until about April. I took my horse for a ride on the snowy roads to view the buildings .

Stop in at the barn by the side of the road . It looks like someone is getting ready to host a great picnic.

 I stopped into the drive in  movie theater which is showing "City of Angels" and picked up some popcorn at the refreshment stand. Perhaps when the movie is over they go to the barn for eats. There are many opportunities for photos all around this region. The railroad area is amazing. The hike up to the Ranger Station is a long one but the well worth it. A lovely view overlooking the sim awaits you at the top.

I think I will definitely revisit in spring when the sim comes into bloom.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Zimminy/68/112/21

Gemma Cleanslate

House of Avro and Santa Town

By Gemma Cleanslate

I have started visiting the early Christmas decor and sales sims that are already open and ready for business!

One of the largest busiest Christmas decor regions in Second Life, I think, is the House of Arvo. It is always fun to visit and wish I had  a sim or part of one to decorate. Unfortunately I live on a mainland island that is pretty tropical and only have so many prims to play with. If not, I would be buying so many of the delightful outdoor decorations that I see here . There is a gorgeous little ice pond available that I would have loved to buy. It would make a wonderful scene where I could skate.
Or Santa’s lovely sleigh drawn by two  reindeer, or the little snowman ice fishing. There are so many items here I have not seen anywhere.... yet.

 I am so glad I left my purse at home! Make a stop here even if you are not buying decor. The offerings will make you glad you at least could go window shopping! Inside the House of Avro shed There is a wonderful collection of stockings to hang on the fireplace, along with trees and wreathes and so much more. Little sheds all around hold anything you might need to decorate or wear,men or women.

Be sure to visit Santa and pick up a gift before you leave. He has his own cozy little indoor throne. There is a sign outside to invite you in.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Christmas%20Decorations/76/102/23

Next!! Santa Town is also just filled with so many delightful indoor and outdoor items to decorate your sim or home.

After you make the rounds of the quaint shops stop over at the Skate Shack and pick up your free skates and take a skate around the frozen pond. There are Christmas songs playing for your enjoy ment. Grab a ride on the tour sleigh that takes you for a  ride  around the sim so you can enjoy it all.Don’t miss the ski lift or the sledding either. Great fun! I found some gifts in some of the shops. There will DJs playing for your entertainment Saturday December 1 . You can get a photo with Santa that day too.

Stop in at the Gingerbread cafe after skating, or check out the Old Bell Pub where you can play games . I had some great turkey kabobs while there withღвєllєღ (Mcshoah Resident)  . If you join the group there are some gifts under the tree for you  and you can visit  until Little Christmas, Epiphany , Jan . 6.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Georgetown%20Colorado/114/147/30

Gemma Cleanslate

Chamonix City

By Gemma Cleanslate

If you want your absolute fill of winter sports, don’t miss the Chamonix City sims. “Fantastic winter sports community inside Second Life! Sims located to the west of Braggiani. Come visit GOHA ice hockey, and try out hockey, snowboarding, cross country skiing, sledding, ice skating, and more. Everything is free! Chamonix-Mont-Blanc  was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics (the first Winter Olympics). It has been described as "the death-sport capital of the world". GOHA in slGlobal on line hockey association  offices in neutral zone.. can join and get all equipment free.”

This is another superb area where you can experience all the snow fun you want. It is here all year long. There are several landing places in the  regions for different venues. I like the small park after you cross the huge bridge from the mainland sims. Here you find a teleport to some of the sports arenas as well as a lift to the town in Neutral zone town. The Neutral Zone has some interesting offices..GOHA... one for the cheerleaders group.. one for the women’s wrestling group and more.

 I enjoy using the lifts to get around to the fun places for your own winter sports. Besides the great down hill ski slope there is a wonderful ski jump where you can practice or compete for your distance. I did well to get to the bottom on my feet first time! I really need practice but I did manage 35 m before crashing to the ground, tried again and got to 43m . Bobsledding is one sport I have not seen around except for in Chamonix city. That was a hoot! Practice or compete for time on the board. I need practice here too! There is a lift to reach the tops of the hills to participate in all these activities.

Take a friend or two and go over to check out all the wonderful areas . The arenas are all set for games and you are invited to join the group to find out more. Walk around the Neutral Zone town and stop in.

One thing I did before I left was to hop on the pod that took me over the bridge to the mainland sims and took me up the Amundsen road and up into Hanson on the Hanson road. It was a great tour by interesting places. This landmark will put you by the teleporter in the park.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Neutral%20Zone/219/189/62 .

Gemma Cleanslate

Journeys Across the SL14B: Resident Exhibits at Electrify

There's much to see at the Second Life Fourteenth Birthday. Earlier, I mentioned the welcome area of Dragon Mountain and the stages. But "The Birthday" is more than that. There's also the resident-built exhibits. The Newser has it's own, built by Silvia Ametza in SL14B Electrify. But there's many many more.

In the middle of the sim was it's art exhibit, the Pinwheel, by Mac Kanashimi, "Sixteen pinwheels of 125 equally shaped triangles tile the 64 x 64 x 0.5 meter parcel, displaying a continuously changing color pattern of 4 pictures."

Just north of the Newser exhibit was the one from the Second Life Coast Guard.

 There was a merry-go-round with Coast Guard craft in miniture, instead of horses.

"Find your own rank" had people going up behind pictures of various uniforms, with a hole where the face would be, people inviting to stick their heard out. But sometimes the results were amusing, "you look good in a skirt."

You never knew who you might meet walking around, maybe a Linden, a unicorn, or both.

Nearby was the "Weltenville Alien Sideshow of Earth Oddities" by NorTonJohn Hellman.

This alien spacecraft was showing off items as aliens might see them, such as farm animals,
"Abducted 1950-2017. Traits: used mainly as food or transportation, smelly." Or various captive humans, such as a biker, "Abducted 2015 near Roswell NM. Traits: aggressive, travel in packs on loud craft."

 Also nearby was the Second Life Surfing Association's exhibit.

There were fun things to do there, such as rides and a dunk tank.

There was the "Rocket-Go-Round" by the National Space Society.

Further away, there was an exhibit that was a game that was running on automatic between AI, made by Alisha Ultsch, "This is a game called Romanov Go, loosely based on the Chinese game Go.  Eighteen potential debutantes to the court line up in full Russian Court gowns with long trains each supported by six maids.  Each girl in turn may make a move which can be either a walk 2 metres forward or a turn to face left or right.  However turning completely around 180 degrees is not permitted because of your heavy train holding you back.  The order in which the girls move is chosen at random at the start of the game and remains the same throughout.

"The idea of the game is to surround the other girls so that they cannot move on their turn.  If this happens they lose a pair of maids who kneel down where they are and block that square from then on.  Once a girl has no maids left she herself will next have to kneel down to add to the blockages forming all over the playing area."

There was the "Newspaoer Factory" by Jazsintha Resident.

Jazsintha was encouraging residents to make publications of their own communities. When I ran into her, she requested, and got, an SL Newser newspaper stand.

The tallest structure in the sim was the "Radio Waves" tower.

 One fun exhibit was Luna Bay Community's.

 There was a video arcade with games, though to play them you needed the latest version of Flash.

But the main attraction was their roller coaster ride.

RacerX Gullwing's exhibit for the Giant Snail Races.

This one by the Fun Amusement Group gives people a number of landmarks of fun-themed locations, the group is open to all to join, and had announcements for a number of places.

Water World had an above ground pier walkway.

And there was water one could go into, free diving suit provided.

There were many other exhibits at the sim, and of course there are the ones from the other sims. So stay tuned for more about the Second Life Fourteenth Birthday celebration.

Bixyl Shuftan

Areo Pines and Icewater Village

By Gemma Cleanslate

My next favorite area to visit for the season of winter is Aero Pines.  I have been coming to these sims for longer than I remember at one season or another. Winter is wonderful. The skating pond is lovely and nearby there is a shop and at the entrance you will find lovely skating outfits for both male and female for free. I think  that outfit was my first winter skating outfit from at least five years ago and I still like it! In fact I think this is the first place where I learned to skate in Second Life. The Nutcracker is there too! Jump on a dance ball and join the performance! 

 

This year there is a darling Santa ‘s workshop to visit. Sit on his lap and ask for your heart’s desire. There will be activities going on until the end of January. There is so much to see in these sims, Besides the skating pond, don’t miss the carnival area that has fun rides, or take a balloon ride over the region. Horse back riding is always great fun on the snowy surfaces up and down the hills and valleys or you can rezz a horse and sleigh to ride the snow covered roads. Enjoy!   

 

Editor's Note: The carnival area's pretty fun, with it's roller coasters and bungie jumping. Just remember on the latter to pin down any hat you might be wearing.  Booooooiiiiiinnnnngggggg .......

 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Equus/44/206/22

 

 

Another treat is Icewater Village. I love the quaint little town with its shops with fun items. Fishing is going on all the time here with weekly 7seas fishing contests so you always find fishers hanging out. Friendly dogs come sniffing and asking for petting. Right now there is a delightful sleigh ride that takes you high in the air so you can view the whole region. Skating here is fun on a large pond. It is decorated for the Christmas season at this time so don’t miss it! 

 

Icewater is always outfitted for winter with builders working on it all the time and there are added attractions now. While I was there I sat down for hot chocolate with Spinnetje Jewell  , one of the builders. The other builder,  Tolsen Decycla was busy building, or sleeping.
You can catch the sleigh here at the rezzer .. click the snowman!   

 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Icewater/89/184/22

 

Gemma Cleanslate