Second CVL Travelogue Visits the Past

In a previous blog, I wrote about the fun and entertainment sims that the CVL Travelogue featured on their first tour. On July 17, the CVL Travelolgue group conducted a second tour of historical sims. The places visited included the First World War Poetry Digital Archive, Virtual Harlem, and Virtual Montmarte. The First Wold War Poetry Digital Archive tour was led by Csteph Submariner and the Virtual Harlem and Virtual Montmarte tours were led by Bryan Mnemonic.

The CVL Travelogue Group and guests at the
WWI Poetry Digital Archives

Touring the Trenches

The first stop on the historical tour was the World War I Poetry Digital Archive where the group and guests, led by Csteph Submariner (Christopher Stephens in RL) of the University of Oxford, visited the camp and trenches. Since time was limited and there is a vast amount of very detailed historical information to see and learn about, it was suggested that participants visit again on their own. A free HUD is available to teleport between sites. Videos and notecards highlight the immersive historical experience. At the campsite, there are realistic illustrations of wartime living conditions on the front down to scary, animated rats. The group and visitors agreed that this is an important and very well-created build. We later learned that funding for this project was discontinued in 2009 and that Submarinar is in need of keeping it going. He wrote an email to the head of the CVL Travelogue group asking her help in sending an email in support of the WWI Poetry Arachive to

stuart....@oucs.ox.ac.uk -- Director: computing Services
katharine.lind...@oucs.ox.ac.uk -- Project manager: WWI Poetry Digital
Archive

CVL Travelogue tour group at the Cotton Club

The Virtual Harlem tour led by Bryan Mnemonic (Bryan Carter in RL), Associate Professor of English at the University of Central Missouri, began at the Dark Tower mansion, the office of Dr. Menemonic. After a brief introduction, Menemonic gave a tour of several sites in 1920's Virtual Harlem, the famous Cotton Club jazz club and two locations that featured student art exhibits. Afterwards, he led everyone across the bridge to France where we visited Virtual Montmarte, a very authentic-looking French village with some nice shops and sites.

Virtual Montmarte

A slightly larger number of people joined us for the history tour, and we hope that more will come to the next one which may possibly focus on roleplay sims. There are so many places to visit in SL, and the CVL Travelogue is a great way to learn of them and become introduced to the different location themes. The group is always in need of volunteers and has its own Google as well as SL group to communicate its meetings and events.

Originally posted in "Rainbow Notes" blog

History Meets Art on Museum Island

Originally published in RezLibris Magazine See Summer 2011 issue for Slideshow

Text by DULCIE MILLS Photos by DULCIE MILLS and CLARK ABISMO     There are so many creative sims in Second Life, but imagine one that is a museum filled with statues, buildings, and other artifacts illustrating historical places and times, all arranged artistically with gardens and other plants, walkways, and paths. Visit ancient Egypt, Rome, Babylon, and Greece by boat or walking tour or just fly through the sim. This is Museum Island, the creation of Carlolello Zapatero, an Italian builder who works with computer graphics in RL. Zapatero joined Second Life three years ago but didn't begin work on Museum Island until last year after some people saw his builds at a sandbox and pushed him to create something inworld. "I built Museum Island to give people the chance who can't travel the world to have an idea of these beautiful ancient sites," he said. Zapatero says the most popular attractions on Museum Island include Petra, Nefertari's Tomb, Babylonia, and the Library of Ephesus, but he believes all the monuments are interesting, especially the tall ancient sundial in Rome which he says "is built seven metres under the modern city in RL." His favorite build is the House of the Tragic Poet in Pompeii. "I painted all the walls in watercolor after I scanned them for SL," he said. "Many archeological teachers visit this house. All paints are original. I restored this home. In RL it was destroyed." Other sites to see on Museum Island include Ara Pacis (Alter to Peace); Tholos of Apollo, Delphi (Greece); Arch of Septimius Severus; Arch of Constantine; Ishtar Gate (Babylon); Canopo, Villa Ariana (Tivoli); the Acropolis; Hanging Gardens; Colossus of Rhodes; and even a pet memorial called Memory Gardens. After all the sightseeing through ancient times, you can take a nap on a hammock in the relaxing area. Regarding what readers of RezLibris should know about Museum Island, Zapetero replied, "I hope your readers like my land. I built an ideal city with archeological monuments representative of the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean sea." Many signs in both Italian and English describe the various builds on the sim with historical background. Zapetero's next build is the site of Abu-Simbel in Egypt, which is currently under construction.   While no formal events take place on Museum Island, there is a SL group, and art exhibits are displayed there. Zapetero wanted to thank several people who helped him with the Museum Island project: Pille Bikcin, Miky Canning, Alex Sigal, Azyxel, Rigi, Frontrunner, Vonkalbert, Roja, Manuelita, and other friends. For a place to learn about ancient history and art, Museum Island is the place to visit. Slurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sunny%20Breezes/211/151/22

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Finding Your Special Place

My real birthday is May 9 which falls on Mother's Day this year. In second Life, the day my avatar, Dulcie, was "born" or what residents refer to as a Rez Day is March 6. I like to celebrate both days, as many people do. I don't always do anything big, although I've had a few Rez day parties. For my real birthday, I also like to do something in SL. It's always nice to have an excuse for a party or celebration, and there are so many places to dance, explore, or just have a good time with friends.

When trying to plan a place to go, I wanted to try some place different than the old standby, the Jazz Cat on Info Island International, although I always enjoy going there, as do many of my fellow SL librarian colleagues and friends. I asked for some recommendations but, of course, just like asking for a book recommendation, everyone's taste is different. I also checked SL blogs and the Destination Guide. I didn't really know exactly what I was looking for, but I thought I'd know it when I saw it. The problem was that there were too many choices, and I really wanted to visit each one to see what they were like.

I saw a play advertised, Alice in WonderSland, and thought that might be fun to try, but it wasn't performed on the day that worked best for me. I also considered a SL cruise that one of my friends had tried aboard the SS Galaxy or even a more daring voyage on the HRS Titanic. But when I visited Foxxie's Ballroom and Jazz Club in Shadowfox, I felt that I'd found the place where I wanted to celebrate. In addition to a really breathtaking ballroom of gold, silver, and black, the grounds of the Shadowfox sim feature lovely gardens scattered with dance balls, a gazebo, and a pretty lake with swans. You can take a hot air balloon or horsedrawn carriage tour of the area, have a free photo taken, row a rowboat on the lake, and, of course, shop. As far as dancing, the Ballroom has a strict formal dress code, but it is a classy place and worth the effort. Besides most ladies love to take out their gowns from inventory every once in awhile or buy a new one for the occasion, and men can always find a tuxedo tucked away in their inventories.

So next year, I may celebrate my Rez Day or birthday by seeing a play or taking a Second Life cruise or maybe I'll find another nice place or even just stay home, but, this year, I will enjoy a special night at Foxxies. I am looking forward to it.

Originally posted in Rainbow Notes

Santorini and Mykonos Beach

I've never been to the Greek Isles, but I can imagine that the Santorini and Mykonos Beach of Greece sim does them justice. I first heard of this sim when one of my favorite stores, Paris Metro, opened a new branch there. I assumed the place was just full of commercial shops, but I was wrong. Upon landing at the teleport point, one is assuaged by the colorful flowers and vibrant art surrounding the Greek village as well as the beautiful blue of the SL Aegean Sea. There are numerous places to sit, dance, eat and drink, including those on the beach. There's also a windmill, statues and other Greek art, pottery, and numerous waterfalls, and pools.

Windmill

Of course, there are shops, including Paris Metro, but these are tasteful and fit in with the architecture. There are other buildings there, too, including a church and a dungeon in addition to the windmill which can be toured (and one can even sit outside it and sip wine at a table for two).

One of two outdoor dance areas

The flowers are gorgeous and cheerful, from those in pots, on vines, and growing on the land. The courtyard is bright and welcoming with tables and chairs and assorted dance balls. Statues, paintings, mosaics, and murals abound, and there are two temple-like outdoor dance floors, one in the courtyard and one on the beach.

Dulcie by one of the many potted plants on the islands

For a taste of the Greek Isles to warm your SL soul, I would recommend taking a short trip to the Santorini and Mykonos Beach of Greece.

Slurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lagoona/112/194/26

Chicago Roaring Twenties

The Roaring 20's has always seemed like a fun period of history to me -- the flappers, Speakeasies, bootlegging era that was portrayed in the famous novel, "The Great Gatsby." This period comes alive in Second Life in the Chicago Roaring 20's sim.

One of the hottest crazes of this time was jazz dancing, and The Flume is the jazz club on the sim. It is an attractive place that hosts a variety of entertainment (you can join the subscribe-o group for information without having to take up a group slot).

One of the 20's clothing shops on the streets of Chicago

Upon exiting The Flume, you can stroll the sidewalks of downtown Chicago passing many clothing shops offering period attire (and quite a few freebies). While the Chiciago Roaring 20's features roleplay only in part of the sim, period dress is expected throughout. The Welcome Center has Guys and Dolls dressing lockers that will give you a folder of freebies for your visit. The Welcome Center also contains the sim rules, an event calenar, and a map of the city.

One of many teleport phone booths on the sim

There's a variety of transportation available throughout the sim. Red phone booths scattered around offer teleports to various locations. There is also a taxi tour that seats four and is conducted by a driver who can tell you the ins and outs of the city including info on where all the Speakeasies are located.

Headquarters of the Chicagoan newspaper

City Park

Some popular spots, beside The Flume jazz club, include a pool hall, Theater, the headquarters of the Chicagoan newspaper, and city park. There are also a few burlesque parlors and Speakeasies around. The boxing center allows you to enter the ring and throw your own punches with a provided HUD. The whole place is quite authentic down to manholes and garbage cans with flies buzzing around them and has some audio clips playing as you wander the streets. So, come along and grab your flapper outfits or Bugsy Malone suits and have some fun in 1920's Chicago, just be careful not to cross the river into the seedier part of town where the gangsters hang.

Slurl to Chicago 1920's: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Rich%20Island/196/178/21
Originally posted in the blog, "Eye on the Grind"

Bellydance Goddess Oasis

In the mood for something different? A little exotic? A lot of fun? Ever thought about trying bellydancing at a middle-eastern sim? The thought never occurred to me until I saw some bellydancing outfits on sale. Where would I use them? I checked some places and came across the Bellydance Goddess Oasis and Mall.

Landing Point at the Bellydance Goddess sim

At the landing point, there are magic carpet teleports to several sites around the sim -- each of them offering a unique visiting experience. There are two sets of locations. The Bellydance Goddess locations do not require middle-eastern dress, although it is strongly recommended. These locations include the Plaza, Market and Mall, the Kasbah Cafe, the Moroccan Riad, and the Moroccan Riad Interior Garden, the Dunes and Caves, the Goddess Realm Ballroom of Dreams, and the Sultan Beach Wildlife. The roleplay locations, Kingdom of Serpents, includes a game which can be played by following instructions from a notecard you can get from one of two chests at the landing point.

Goddess Realm Ballroom

At the Goddess Realm Ballroom, you can click on a bellydance ball, or, if you're there with a sultan, a couples ball and gyrate around a temple-like dance area in the clouds.

Sultan's Beach

Teleport to the Sultan's beach, and relax with friends or a special someone on the Sultan's lounge while watching the water and listening to a drumbeat (you can bellydance, too, with animations provided by touching some conveniently placed jar vases).

Near the Kasbah Cafe, you can board a flying carpet tour of the whole sim. The tour is narrated and can seat 3 people.

Originally posted in the blog, "Eye on the Grind"

First Travelogue Tour

I recently joined the CVL (Community Virtual Library) Travelogue group, a new group that will offer tours of a variety of Second Life places on a quarterly basis. Our first tour's theme was "Places to Play." We visited 3 locations: Chelsea's Diner and Bowling Alley; http://slurl.com/secondlife/Vitae/127/162/1503, and the Celestial Game Tower.

Chelsea's diner and bowling alley
1st stop on Travelogue Tour

At Chelsea's Diner and Bowling Alley, our guide, Aiyden Crystal, showed us around the diner and bowling alley that also featured a nice game room. The bowling alley has three lanes that can accomodate groups of 4 per team. He also showed us a bit of the Butterfly Kisses sim which is PG-rated. We saw the ice cream shop, and he pointed out some of the clothing and other stores that are on the sim, as well as a mini golf course. Everyone agreed this is a great place to go with friends.

Bumper Cars next to the Movies @ Vitae
2nd stop on Travelogue Tour

The next stop on the Travelogue tour was the Movies and bumper cars @ Vitae where I showed the group the theater that features a concession stand with popcorn and other goodies and shows full-length films. By clicking on the box in front of the screen and adjusting your media settings, you have your choice of shows. All directions are on a notecard, and you can even sync the movies for your friends to watch the same shows with you. Next to the theater is the bumper cars which temporarily rez at your command and disappear when you vacate them. Groups can have a lot of fun playing on these, and our group enjoyed a hands-on demonstration.

Celestial Game Tower
Final stop on Travelogue Tour

The last location visite was the Celestial Game Tower where owner, Sorina Garrigus, showed us an amazing collection of all types of SL games that can be purchased or played on-site. She said there are over 300 games on display!

The next set of tours will be of historical places, and I am looking forward to attending, if not leading the group this time. There are so many places to see in SL, so a group like the CVL Travelogue is one that can help introduce residents to those they have never visited before and may definitely want to explore further on their own.

Originally posted in "Rainbow Notes" blog