Urban Cityscapes...

Last night, after the cat decided that I would not be allowed to sleep, I decided to spend some time really peering into and at some of my favorite cityscapes within SL. Most of my time is spent in sub-urban and bucolic areas, but I really adore going places in SL that feel like cities and not like places that have buildings close together.

The first was Nakama, a city with four neighborhoods. For the two of you reading this who don't know, Nakama was the brainchild of Neil and Nephilaine Protagonist. Each neighborhood has a different style, each based on a different aspect of Japanese media culture. I'll leave it to you to explore and love the place. What I was most curious about was how one turns plywood boxes, cylinders and spheres into a city that feels like a city. I don't have the answer yet, but I will. Some of the things I like are the ambient city noises, the little spaces. There was a park, a square area surrounded by a cement wall, the concrete painted to look like grass. A couple of playground toys... It was perfect. It felt like some of the plant-free parks I've seen and played in. There are billboards that play looping "ads" via the streaming video feature of SL. Lots and lots of little details. Cripes, there are power lines!

I also visited Midnight City. I'm a bit unclear on who built which parts, but I believe it was mostly built by Mistress Midnight and/or Aimee Weber. If I were a journalist and not just a touristy blogger, I'd probably have looked that up. Funnily enough, I found a playground here, too, and spent time riding the merry-go-round. Midnight City is an older sim and has gone through several iterations. Yet it's still got that city feel, even when flying among the skyscrapers. My favorite bit? The graffiti. There's a shady-ish part of town with some lovely graffiti. These are the touches that help with immersion... but it's not the whole deal. So... next stop is Nova Albion.