Nyhaven: Views From Within (Nuclear City - 5/8)

[woodb3kmaster]

GreekMan: Thanks, my friend! You're just in time, because it's time for another update!


Today's update isn't so much an update as a break from our story. We'll be taking a trip around town to look at some of Nyhaven's suburbs. This aerial view will guide you through where each of the following shots were taken:



The first new suburb on our tour lies just north of the huge mall known as Sunset City, near the base of Sunset Mountain. When the mall broke ground, homebuilders went wild buying land nearby to take advantage of all the demand it would create. Nyhaven MetroRail just barely secured right-of-way for an extension of the Hill Line to serve this development.



Next up, we turn our attention to a cozy, hilly little neighborhood between Harvard and Bethel Parks, along the city park belt. You can see part of Bethel Park below, along with the beginning of the Parks Line's ground-level tracks. The park's indoor sports center, designed by leading architect D. Ed Woods, is a hit with local residents.



Not far to the southeast is a fairly new community in the hills near Rossmore Lake. Citizens appreciate the central location of these schools, though perhaps not as much when every parent is trying to drop off or pick up their children there!



Beyond the park belt, yet not too far from Ridgeland Park, is another mall, named Ridgeland Center. This subdivision is conveniently between the park, the mall, and the growing Townsend industrial park. Just as convenient are the local train and subway stations, providing access to the rest of Nyhaven.



Another neighborhood situated just outside the park belt is pictured below. It's just south of Dawson Park, introduced in an earlier update, and at the end of a Green Line branch. Many locals enjoy going to the parks on their free weekends.



Finally, we come to the growing community of Mulholland Heights, southeast of downtown. Due to the slope of the terrain here, many residents can see all the way to the Columbia River. Retail franchises have already set up new locations here, at the intersection of Avenue L and Kingsway.



Well, that will do it for the next couple of weeks. Since Christmas is next Thursday, I won't be able to post an update then, so you'll get to read update 12 on New Year's Day instead. Just remember, keep your eyes on Nyhaven!

[bat]

That's a great new update there! Nice 7 images!
It's a wonderful city!

And congrats on 4 pages... Looking forward to more...

[woodb3kmaster]

bat: Thank you for your kind words, my friend! I'm glad to have your readership.




With the success that the completed Route 250 was enjoying, I was happy to get a few months' rest in my work schedule. Of course, I knew it couldn't last; there were still plenty more things to build in Nyhaven. As the fall of 1971 drew to a close, my design team and I worked very closely with the Tourism Board to finalize the plans for the city's big secret project - a mammoth observation tower, standing 1800 feet tall. It would be built at the southern end of Hunters Island, near a quiet residential neighborhood:



The recent influx in tourism to the city made the tower project feasible; after all, what good is an 1100-foot-high observation deck if no one visits it?

We all figured the tower would be a hit with the public when the mayor announced the plans the next spring, but what should we see in the Sentinel?



It turns out that people weren't all that enthusiastic about living under a mile-long shadow. Some folks in South Point even threatened legal action to keep the tower out of their backyards! Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed. All that summer, I led a series of hearings about the project.



Every other Tuesday evening, I took the Kings Line all the way down to this office building, which had graciously loaned the city one of its conference rooms so I could work to mitigate the locals' worries. I also managed to convince community leadership that the tower would actually do more good than harm - after all, it would bring more tourists to South Point's shops and restaurants, and the city promised infrastructure improvements to handle the traffic influx.



In the end, we won over the people, and Mayor Lundgren turned over the first shovel-ful of dirt in October. Our first priority was now getting the site leveled - a feat that was over with by January. Retaining walls followed soon after.



As the foundations were being laid, the foreman gave me a call:
"Mr. Franconi, I'm concerned about the airspace around the site. See, we have all these damn hang-gliders from Cathlamet Marina flying overhead, and I don't want any lawsuits if one of them gets hurt while this thing goes up."
"Alright," I said. "I'll work on getting the airspace restricted during the build. That should keep things clear for you."

Sure, the hang-gliders weren't too happy about the restriction, but it was for their safety. Now work could really get going.



The tower was still only a few stories tall when the whole city burst into celebration. Nyhaven had won the hosting rights to the 1980 Simlympics! Now everyone was excited. The announcement energized the construction crew; look how far along the tower was only 10 months later:



What, that doesn't look like much to you? Well, I was happy to have the tripod base filled with concrete; now we were driving ever upwards! Later in 1974, crews assembled the huge main levels. By February of next year, they were putting up the upper observation deck and hoisting the telecom antennas into place.



In September 1975, I was happy to be at the grand opening ceremony for the new South Point Observation Tower, as it was christened. Seeing all that hard work finally pay off always brings a tear to my eye... City accountants weren't crying, though. On opening day alone, almost 100,000 people visited the tower!

[Schulmanator]

I always enjoy your work and am happy to have seen your latest update. 

Keep up the great job 

[threestooges]

Nice work. I know it has been a while since I last commented, but it has certainly been interesting development to follow. I like the detail you put into something as simple (in the game at least) as building a tower. The steps taken showing the construction and the details about its opening attendance just help add that extra level of interest and realism to things. Well done.

[kj3400]

I really like that tower. It seems to be in the right spot.
Looking forward to your brand new updates!

[Nexis4Jersey]

nice location for the tower on the top there

[GreekMan]

Great stuff Zack!!!!!

hope you have a very new update thursday!!!!!
looking forward to it

[woodb3kmaster]

Schulmanator: I'm glad you enjoy my work, my friend! Let's hope I'm still as good as I was two years ago!

Matt (threestooges): Thank you for your kind words! It's my goal to put forth a realistic progression of events whenever I post an update.

kj3400: Thanks! I'm glad you think I've chosen the right spot for the tower. Hope you enjoy today's all-new update!

Corey (Nexis): Now I know I put the tower in a good place! Thanks for your compliment!

GreekMan: I certainly hope I don't disappoint you, since you're my most loyal reader! Enjoy the update!




While construction on Route 250 was in full swing, I was working on the plans for the two newest subway lines in the city with my department. We started with the longer of the two, the Gold Line:



Stretching from the South Point neighborhood, through downtown, up to the northeastern suburbs, this line was intended to relieve the overcrowded City Hall station at the heart of the Nyhaven MetroRail network by, well, not passing through that station. It would also fill the gap between the Grey Line's two branches in the northeast, connecting Lincoln Hills to downtown and points beyond.



At the same time, we hammered out the details on the shorter Puget Line, meant to be a new link between the Puget Island suburbs and midtown. Our initial plans were modest, butthere was still no denying that this subway would be important to more than a few Nyhaveners.



Once all the mandatory environmental red tape was cleared, we could finally begin construction. On a cold November afternoon in 1973, just months after Nyhaven was selected to host the next Simlympics, Mayor Lundgren and I, along with a few other dignitaries from City Hall, held a small groundbreaking ceremony for the Gold Line in the South Point subway station. Things were looking up.



Later in the month, with some demolition already accomplished at the northern end of the Puget Line construction site, we turned over a few symbolic shovels of dirt to formally inaugurate that project.



Soon after, I got out my suitcase and headed overseas to check out the new tunnel-boring machines that would put the projects into full swing. First up was the TBM that was destined to dig up the Gold Line. I have to say, it was truly a thing of beauty.



Meanwhile, the Puget Line's construction workers were working overtime to dig a big enough hole they could lower their soon-to-arrive TBM into. It took a few more weeks than I thought it would, but they were finally ready in the summer of 1974.



By September of 1976, the Gold Line tunnelling had progressed as far as the north side of downtown.



Meanwhile, back in midtown and uptown, the Puget Line's stations were being outfitted, and its tunnel had progressed to the point where it was right under the tunnel of the Kings Line, which it would parallel for part of its length.



As the project rolled on, I looked forward to opening day with ever more anticipation. I hoped that the already-popular Central Line wouldn't be too much of an impediment to building ridership on the Gold Line near ColumbiAir Arena or elsewhere in midtown.



At last, in July 1978, with the Simlympics only two years away, the city held a simple ribbon-cutting ceremony at the one station shared by both new lines. As the first trains filled with passengers, I felt an overwhelimg sense of relief. Another pair of big projects was finally over! Now I could shift my attention to a different behemoth...

[Tarkus]

Zack, I finally got caught up with your MD again here--this is great stuff.  I really enjoy the seeing the "An Engineer's View" updates, as I'm always fascinated seeing how folks put their transport systems together.  The subway setup you have there looks rather nice, and I'm curious to see what this "behemoth" you are referring to ends up being.

Excellent work as always!

-Alex (Tarkus)

[GreekMan]

awesome update wood!

looking forward to more!

[bat]

Great map of that subway line there! And wonderful work on the newest update there! Great work on your pictures!

[woodb3kmaster]

Alex (Tarkus): Thanks for posting, my friend! I agree with you about transport systems - I love seeing other peoples' work (especially yours!) just as much as I like building my own. Your curiosity is about to be satisfied - the behemoth is the subject of today's update!

GreekMan: Thank you very much!

bat: I'm glad you like the maps and other pictures! I do my best to make them look top-quality.




After winning the hosting rights for the Simlympics, I knew it was time to get serious about expanding Nyhaven International Airport. It would need a new international terminal and runway to handle all the visitors that would arrive in just a matter of years. Good thing the airport had the perfect spot for a big terminal:



Some existing taxiways formed a square with the airport's central road loop. It was a huge site: a full kilometer on each side!

Before long, our chosen architectural firm presented us with a rendition of what the new terminal, which would be Terminal 3, would look like:



It was a beautiful design! I approved it without hesitation. After a few short months of preparation, awarding contracts and getting environmental clearance, it was time to build.



After turning over yet another few golden shovels at the groundbreaking ceremony in April of 2374, the construction crews got straight to work. By next summer, they had laid the foundations for the main hall of Terminal 3. However, once that was over, work suddenly stopped. What disaster could have brought work to a halt? I wondered.



Oh, that kind of disaster. With that quarry flooded, no new concrete could arrive at the construction site. It took over four months to drain the quarry, but it finally got dried up. At last, work could resume.



After work started again in December of 2375, it still felt like it was moving slowly, but real progress was being made. In fall of 2376, the terminal was taking on shape.



A year later, one subcontractor got started on paving the new airfield around the terminal. Although Terminal 3's "arms" were still under construction, there were few conflicts between the two teams of workers.



Early in that year, 2377, work began on the new runway, the airport's fourth overall. It was being paved on the east side of the airfield, near one channel of the mighty Columbia River.



It was a foggy summer, but work continued apace on Runway 4. It was around then that its southern blast pad was being paved.



It wasn't long before the new runway was open to air traffic. Speaking of which, some airlines were already running practice flights to T3 around the time the runway was completed.



The terminal finally opened its doors in March of 2380 - just in time for the first foreign athletes to arrive for training at the nearby Simlympic park. In just four months, visitors would be streaming through this grand new building on their way to see the best athletes in the SimWorld...

[Battlecat]

That's quite the airport!  Very cool!

[threestooges]

That is an impressive airport. I've been trying to put one together myself with some limited success. What's the trick you find works best to put one of those things together, and which plugins do you use? The result, even if slowed by the cement issues, is quite well done.

[Blue Lightning]

I really like this MD's viewpoint, and the airport looks amazing. I liked the construction pics. Your transit networks look good to. Keep up the good work!

Vince

[GreekMan]

great upate!!! looking ofrward to yet another one!

[woodb3kmaster]

Battlecat: Thanks! I love building realistic airports, and I think Nyhaven's is one of my favorites.

Matt (threestooges): I appreciate your compliment! When it comes to building airports, I use the ACB modular terminal packs and the RMIP-2 series of lots (which, if they're not both available on the LEX, are at the STEX), along with Voltaire's many custom plane props. I find that it's essential to know how big all the lots are, so I can leave enough room for the gates and runways. It also helps to know how big RL runways are and how far apart the FAA requires them to be - both greater distances than you might think. Because of how expensive the RMIP lots are to plop and maintain, I highly recommend using money cheats - I personally use the "moolah" cheat from the Extra Cheats DLL. I hope all this helps - good luck, and I hope to see the results in Greenacre someday!

Blue Lightning: I'm glad you like my style, my friend! I try to be original when it comes to presentation.

GreekMan: Thank you very much! I'm sure you'll like today's update.




At last, the big day had come! Tonight, I would be attending the opening ceremonies of the Simlympics, held right here in Nyhaven. I remembered how hard I had worked getting the city ready for the Games and knew it would all be worth it.



While I was striving to prepare the city's transit networks for the huge influx of visitors that had already started arriving in town, other city employees built a host of new stadiums and arenas to host the many events of the Simlympics. After six years of construction at Puget Island Athletics Park and elsewhere in the city, everything was finally ready.



I decided to ride down the Central Line to the big park so I wouldn't have to worry about parking, which i knew would be tight. When I arrived, there were already thousands of people outside the new Jean Le Conte Simlympic Stadium, the centerpiece of the Games, waiting to get in. I knew I was in for a long wait...



As the sun set, I finally made it to my seat - a pretty good one, thanks to my connections in city government. Looking out across the stadium, I was struck by just how many people were there that evening.



I knew that just outside the stadium, the Simlympic cauldron's plaza was being emptied and prepared for the final leg of the Simlympic relay. The torch had arrived in Lower Columbia just hours ago and was making its way from Astoria to the park.

Finally, as the last sunlight disappeared, the opening ceremony began. What a ceremony it was!





The fireworks displays were unbelievable! Not only that, but they also perfectly complemented the theatrics that were unfolding doen on the field.

Eventually, the parade of athletes began. At the end, when Team Lower Columbia entered the stadium, a tremendous roar went up across the stadium. This was a huge point of national pride.



Finally, His Majesty King Zachary, together with ISC president Slacker, declared the Simlympics to officially be open. Once the last few athletes had had their turn with the Simlympic torch, the cauldron was lit - and a new fireworks extravaganza began!





The next day, the events began. Across the park, at Johannes Melkovitch Stadium, were the 800-meter races.



I cheered right along with everyone else there as the Lower Columbian runner Yosef Pritzker took the gold medal. It was incredible - the host nation won the first gold medal of the Games!

The day after that, I went back to Le Conte Stadium for the shot put competition:



I was thrilled yet again - another Lower Columbian athlete won another gold medal - and the Games were just starting!

Several days later, in the middle of the events, I found myself at ColumbiAir Arena in Midtown, watching the karate matches:



Although none of my countrymen won any medals this time around, it was still a great event.

At the end of the Games, everyone was thrilled to hear that Lower Columbia had won the Simlympiad by taking home the most gold medals! I think that national pride was at an all-time high that day. Finally, with the Simlympics over, I knew it was time to get back to work on improving Nyhaven's transit...

[bat]

Great pictures of the opening of the Simlympics! Also wonderful update of the very nice looking airport!!

[Sciurus]

All is great! Your airport as much as your sport center