WEST END

[tooheys]

West End continues the look great Paul.

Pity about the zots but I'm sure you will come up with a plan to solve that problem.

The barges look great, nice pic of the one going under the drawbridge.

28.10 and 28.11, lovely little park and the flag looks great.

Cheers

Dave

[squidi]

hi paul,
i saw i missed your birthday so now with a small delay i wish you all the best

the city looks absolutly graat with the canal layout 
there was one little thing i dont like and i made a picture to show it to you (easier to explain with my bad english )

i think you should use more diagonal seawalls where the yellow stripes are

i am sure you will fit the unemployment problem and show us a wonderfull city

[warconstruct]

hello my friend Paul, you have do one here works splendid 

- I like much the sights brought closer they are very beautiful .
- I see that you solved the problem of unemployment it is very well because it can really become disturb .
- The district of the station is very successful with a very good use of the GLR 
- Your port is splendid and I like much how you used the batches of PEG !

...In short very beautiful works which represents Amsterdame well 

So long for a new update!

[paroch]

REPLIES:

Pat:  Thanks for dropping by Pat, and yes, I thought I should show this place warts and all!  As for the parks you asked about..... Well, they're by a team called BLaM!  Not sure if you've heard of them    Here's the
In all seriousness, there is a whole load of BLaM plazas over on STEX, I have many of them.
Not sure why the night shot is not showing - hopefully just a temporary glitch, but I've got a good excuse to post more now!

Sebes:  Wow, great comments there thanks  .  The ferry problem is odd, I've quite a few dotted around the city but they are not being used apart from one at the edge of the city.  I'll just have to play around with them!
And thanks for the words re the Montelbaartoren - I'll stick with two then!  And glad you liked the Oudebrugsteed and night shot.

Jmouse:  I think I've worked out the reason for the no-job-zots.  It's covered below.  I've brought the pollution under control by wheeling out the bulldozer.  And the Inner Oosterdok should look very nice once completed.
And yes, I admit Dave's ferry terminals and embankments were on my mind when I built the terminal there !
And more night shots to come!

Thunder crack83:  Hi Dustin.  I'm working my way through the problems and learning a whole load of stuff along the way.

Tooheys:  Dave, comment number 400, thank you .  See below for a little award!  That drawbridge seems popular.

Squidi:  Paul, thanks for that - good suggestion.  I've started preparing for it and will show you the results once done.

Warconstruct:  Another Paul!  Thanks for your words.  I am happy that you like the different parts of the city.



UPDATE 29:  24th March 2008

THE DOUBLE ZERO CLUB:
Over at Three Rivers Region, David celebrates each person who posts a "hundred" post.  I think it's a great idea, and whilst I will not be able to do it as well as David does, I thought I'd at least do something.
I looked back through the pages and found that we have three members so far:

Post 100 - tkirch, 3 November
Todd hasn't been around for a while.  Now, I know he is a tax accountant and it's his busy time, so West End hereby appoints tkirch as official Tax Meister General:
29.01  In honour of tkirch:




Post 200 - sebes, 28 November
I found out early on that sebes is a Grolsch man.  Personally, I prefer Amstel, but in honour of his 200th post, Grolsch is officially adopted as the National Beer of West End.  But Sebes, please make sure that the next consignement arrives in one piece this time:
29.02  In honour of sebes:




Post 300 - sebes, 27 January
And up sebes popped again for the 300th post.  Sebes works for KLM, that great Dutch institution, and so whilst West End already has a national carrier (WestJet), KLM is appointed as official partner to WestJet, with code-shares and all other airline related stuff.  And Sebes gets free upgrades whenever he travels on WestJet/KLM services but please make sure not to land the plane on the beaches in West End!
29.03  In honour of sebes:




Post 400, tooheys, 23 March
And the newest member of the double zero club, Dave posted number 400 just yesterday.  Dave has given much encouragement and support to West End's civil engineers, particularly in respect of making sure the land is nice and flat .  So, in honour of toohey's love of flat surfaces, the Flat Earth Society have opened their first office in West End and aim to promote all things flat!
29.04  In honour of tooheys:




And two quick teasers for the next update.........

The pollution is being brought under control, the river is looking better already.  And following squidi's suggestion I started to prepare for smoothing the riverbanks with diagonal embankments.  The river was very un-even in depth, so I made it deeper and for the first time ever in West End, a whale was spotted!

29.05  Whale Spotting in Kingly

The only other time I've seen a pic of a whale in SC4 was in Dave's Balnavia.


The Nieuwmarkt is one of my favourite spots in both Amsterdam and Kingly.  The next full update will feature a tour of the tourist sites and this will be one of them.


29.06  Nieuwmarkt at Night - Amsterdam


29.07  New Market at Night - Kingly:




As for the unemployment.....It's commute times.  Every single house with a no-job-zot has a commute time of "Long".  So now, I have a decision to make.  To create the look I want, I need streets (with the side street mod) and also the network of canals and linking streets.  But this means traffic is bad and journey times long which leads to the no-job problems.  So, I've installed a subway system to try and improve journey times.  Not very realistic, but hopefully it will be invisible to the viewer.

Also, whilst it could be considered cheating, I have created ploppable Landmark lots, of many of Vanderaap and Haarlemgold's Bats.  This way, I can plop them into the troublesome areas and still achieve the look I want.  I'm not really a fan of plopping, but sometimes, needs must.

You'll see some of the results in the next update, so,

'til next time.........

[Jmouse]

Congratulations to tkirch, sebes and tooheys! Those tributes are really, really clever!

Glad to hear the pollution problem is gone (or going away), and you won't have to use the "tastyzots" cheat after all! I'm glad you're going to try out the diagonal walls along the river, too. I know preparation is a royal pain, but it will be worth the time and trouble.

And both night shots look great. The New Market shot is the first up close we've had of the lighted canal walls. What is Nieuwmarkt, by the way - (no, I'm not going to venture a guess and embarrass myself again!)?

Anxious to see your plops in game - I think you will achieve a very pleasing variety based on what I've seen so far.

Until next time...
Joan

[Pat]

hmmm Paul what is the BLaM team you speak of???     LoL see being the boss and such a newer one at that, I dont know alot lol.... Thank you for pointing out to me     Paul I loved the update and it was very good tributes to Todd an Sebes btw who got the 100 marker??? Anywho loved the whale spotting and I do hope to see more soon....

[bat]

Great new update there! Also nice tributes to the members of the double zero club!

Looking forward to the next update...

[sebes]

I miss the red lights in the NieuwMarkt area night shot...did the major succeed in banning the prostutes from the city center?
 

The two pictures were already part of my favourites: especially the plan landing in SintMaarten is great. I had it as my desktop a couple of years ago. I have to disappoint you that Grolsch is not my cup of tea: if I drink one class of it I get a headache. I was convinced it was your favourte so that is why mentioned a few times. I prefer Brand (link) beer myself.

Cheers mate 

[thundercrack83]

Congratulations on 400 comments, Paul! And I love the tributes to all those who hit the "00!"

Kingly is coming along nicely, and I like the whale-spotting picture! I'll be looking forward to following along here has you go for 400 more comments!

Dustin

[tooheys]

ROTFLMAO

Sorry my friend, a bit late noticing the update and the award, seem to be a bit busy lately  Thanks muchly, and I'll accept being called two dimensional by you as a compliment 

Nice teasers, and good to see an Orca or two have made an appearance. That church, I'm sure I've seen that somewhere before 

Cheers

Dave

[paroch]

REPLIES:

Jmouse:  Hi Joan, I'm pleased you liked the tributes.  One every hundred posts means I get plenty of time to dream up some ideas for future awards!  And believe me, the no-job zots are still an issue.  I've never developed a city before where there is such a large expanse of Residential buildings.  Still, the Ploppables are doing the trick.  Just means the population is declining.
And I think Nieuwmarkt is Dutch for New Market.  I'm sure sebes will let us know if this is wrong.

Pat:  cheers Pat. Todd got the "100" post and hopefully will re-surface soon.  And glad you liked the whale.  He's proving to be a popular attraction.

Bat:  As a regular poster, I guess you've got a good chance of the next "00"!  Fingers crossed.

Sebes:  I couldn't find a suitable bat for the red light district.  SimGoober has some adult buildings, but the architecture just wouldn't fit!  Not sure that anyone would be willing to build a custom bat of the girls in the window!
For those who have not visited Amsterdam, the area near the Nieuwmarkt is the red light district, where girls of all shapes, sizes, colours and looks sit in the window and display their wares!  Let's just say it's part of Amsterdam's own unique charm.
And sorry about the Grolsch, I feel embarrassed now!  Hopefully you'll accept it as a tribute anyway.

Thundercrak83:  Hey Dustin, thanks.  Glad you liked the tributes.  Another 400 comments?  I wonder if I can keep West End fresh enough to get that far.

Tooheys:  I thought you'd like the award!  And yes you may well recognise the church.  Maybe some re-worked versions will appear in another city.



UPDATE 30:  30th March 2008

Today we're going on a tour of some of the major tourist sights in Kingly.  Last time I gave you a teaser of the Nieuwmarkt at night.  I think we'll start today's tour from that spot.

30.01  Kingly New Market:

This is a lively spot in the eastern side of the city centre.  During the day a busy market takes place around the church, so there's always people milling around.  There are some bars around the edge of the square, and it's a great place to sit and "people watch".


30.02  Amstedam Nieuwmarkt:

This is a busy spot in the city of Amsterdam.  And it's also in the red-light district!  It was difficult to find the right building to try and capture the feeling of the real Nieuwmarkt, but I hope you are pleased with the result.


30.03  Overview of the New Market:

You can see a small park opposite the New Market, plus a ped mall that leads to a tram station.  The ped-mall is home to shops, restaurants and bars.  A pleasant place to sit in the summer.


Let's now head over to the area near to Dam Square.

30.04  Rembrandt Theatre and National Library:

On the left is the National Library of West End.  Kingly had to campaign long and hard to have it located here instead of in the capital.  Next to it is the Rembrandt Theatre.  You know, I cannot picture where the theatre really is in Amsterdam, so I had to select a spot that seemed appropriate.  And I think it looks at home, on the boulevard and next to the National Library.
I just wish the small pedestrianised are could look a bit busier!


30.05  Kingly Stadthuis:

Here is the City Hall.  The bat is Haarlem Stadthuis.  I think it's a real cracker.  The city hall is right on Dam Square, so has one of the most prominent positions in the whole city.


30.06  Dam Square Close-up:

As you can see, this is a popular meeting place.  You'll notice the tram in the bottom of the picture.  It's a very busy Tram Station on Dam Square.


30.07  Canal Church of Sint Beatrix:

A few of you commented about the little church on the canal, well here is a close-up.


30.08  Kingly Flower Market:

Kingly is (or at least will be) surrounded by much farmland.  And many of the farms are dedicated to growing flowers.  And many of them end up here - the flower market.


30.09  Amsterdam Floating Flower Market:

This place is very popular with tourists.  After all, everyone wants Tulips From Amsterdam.


Well, that's all for today's tour.  Next time we'll take in the rest of the sights, including some churches, the VondelPark and some of the squares.  As a taster, here is the most lively square in both Amsterdam and Kingly, the Leidseplein.  I want to do some custom LE work to make the square a bit more "lively".


30.10  Leidseplein at night:



I hope you've enjoyed this quick tour.  I'm off on my own tour now for two weeks, so next update will be some time after 15th April.  Hope to see you again then.

'til next time..................

[Jmouse]

Love the market lots in game, Paul. Hope they'll be up for distribution on the LEX soon. The library and theatre look good, too. You always get so lucky in capturing those trams in your photos! BTW, you mentioned pedestrian traffic - one of the MODs allows you to encourage walking although I'm not sure which one. Anyway, I used it in WJ and ended up with almost no street traffic in my photos, but loads of pedestrians!

The City Hall is almost worth starting a whole new region for just to use it! I like the way it's landscaped, too - did you run it through the LE? (And is that one of those red double-decker Brit busses in the pic? ) Dam Square is always a pleasure to see, and I like the buildings behind it, too. Many have already said it, but you have chosen your BATs exceptionally well.

The little Canal Church of St. Beatrix is charming - I love churches and will probably BAT a few eventually. Of course, the flower market looks great, and 30.10  Leidseplein at night is beautiful. Did I happen to mention that I like night shots?

Enjoy your holiday, and we'll see you in a couple of weeks.

Until then...
Joan

[sebes]

OMG - this is wonderfull. I recognize some buildings now even 

I don't know where to start:
First your reply: no worry about the beer. Next time when you're in RL Amsterdam I will buy you some. Although, knowing that you're a beer fan and a Amsterdam adept I think you will know more of it than myself  . The Red Light house... you'd think there should be somebody able to re-do some Dutch buildings and make some windows with red glows...  I build a Amsterdam like city myself this week and SG adults shops grew like crazy - indeed they don't match with the architecture.

Nieuwmarkt indeed means New Market(place). The building that shows on it is not a church though, it's the Waag (weighhouse) where they weighed witches in the past. So the Nieuwmarkt is not a place to bring your wife, for various reasons   
The church you took and placed there does however fit very well - so good choice.

The Rembrandt Theater is called http://www.cinematour.com/tour.php?db=fo&id=1331]Tuchinsky Theater (link) in RL. It's very beautifull Art Deco movie-theater, especially the interior is a must-see. Next time when in Amsterdam you'll have to put in on your list. It's in the Reguliersbree straat, near Rembrandtplein (probably why VDA gave it that name).

The National Library and Cityhall pictures are great. The tram gives a good feeling to your Kingly. Paul. I agree that he ped-mall tile should be filled with pedestrians. Well, maybe some time somebody will figure out how to do that....
The Leidseplein -by-Night is absolutely teasing me... cannot wait to see what you made of it. Enjoy your tour, and see you back in two week! (I'll have surprise for you then  )

[TheTeaCat]

Paul

I have only just had the chance to catch up on a number of updates and
very impressive work you have done too

just a tip use the cheatcode "tastyzots" and those nojob zots will disappear from your pic.

I'm glad I put the kettle on and made a cuppa while I caught up, in fact I think I'll have another - care to join me

regards
Derry

[Pat]

Paul what a grand of update here!!!  I have to soo echo what Joan said as she has summed it up all soo well...

[bat]

That new update is wonderful there, paroch! The church area is looking great! The others, too!

[Simpson]

Very good 

[mattb325]

Well, paroch..happy (very belated) birthday!!!!

I love the twist that West End has taken with the canals and all of the W2W.

You really have a fantastic eye for detail and with Haarlemergold and VDAs fine BATs (his stuff was my very first download) you've a really unique city. Dam square needs only one detail....BIRDS (there is a prop in the lot editor called 'Effect_pigeons', or 'Effect_seagulls' or some such thing), you could add this to a plaza tile and plop around and voila - the pesky pigeons of Dam Sq....

Great job here and it's brilliant to see the level of planning and details you are showing with each update!

[amapper]

Your use of canals as shown in UPDATE 28 is awesome indeed. That had to have taken a huge amount of time. Very interesting to view. It will be fun to watch it develop.

[callbat]

Excellent city there, paroch!