Schulmania: National Capital Region

[Dantes]

Very beautiful garden and residences.  Very impressive.  The idea with the pedestrian bridges is good.  You can do that but better! 

[Schulmanator]

Benedict   Hehehe! You bet!

Dantes      Thanks! Always nice to have you drop by

[Schulmanator]

East Tenne: 50 First Dates

The second arrondissement of the national capital, adjacent to the Royal Quarter, is the Feline Quarter. The Feline Quarter is the home of the magnificent Bureau of Feline Affairs palace, which serves as the administrative headquarters for BFA activities in Schulmania and its colonies. The district centers around this landmark and its extensive gardens, but contains far more than just a palace. The bustling and densely developed district will be explored in multiple updates, as we stroll the palace grounds, amble along the Riverwalk, marvel at the plethora of cultural and economic amenities, and enjoy the ambience that only a feline capital can provide.

So, you found someone you like. And, you finally worked up the nerve to ask them out. And they said YES! Now, to find the perfect first date for you. And the Feline Quarter is here to help. It's hard to think of a place better suited for meeting, mingling and sparking romance than the luxurious-yet-personable second arrondissement. While there's way over 50 fun things to do in the Feline Quarter, we'll pick a few of the best spots for a first date. So, next time you pass a note which reads: "Do you like me? Check yes or no" you will be ready to go when the answer is yes!


How about meeting your new amour at the coffeehouse at the ground level of corner bookstore? I hear they have a great caramel mouse latte. And they have live music Thursday through Saturday nights.


You could meet your special someone at the Cheesy Mouse. Mmmmm, cheesy!


If the weather's nice, how about a stroll outside? There's trees to climb in the parks and pigeons to pounce upon. That's a fun time anytime!


Take that special someone over to the luxury Tabby Boutique. You don't even need to buy anything (after all, that would be a bit awkward for a first date) just browse the exotic luxury goods from all over. One of my favorite places is the Collars With Bells Department on the third floor. It's amazing just how many melodious sounds the little bells can make. And it's nice to see the ones with jewels and filigree/


A popular meeting spot is the manicured grounds of the BFA Palace. Get to know your friend as you stroll the manicured grounds. Perhaps a picnic lunch would be nice? If you don't want to carry a basket, you can have a local eatery deliver a gourmet lunch right to your perfect shade tree.


Of course when they have the Changing of the Guard in the Courtyard, it is a great moment for any occasion. Makes for a great way to break the ice with a new friend...


How about meeting at the Feline Heritage Center? This vast museum of feline arts and crafts is free to enter, so it is a cheap date. Be sure to spring for a souvenir in the gift shop so you don't come off cheap though.


It is one of the hottest destinations in town. You will surely make a good impression!


Admire feline arts from throughout the ages


This month there is a special exhibit of masterworks by Vermeow

One could never go wrong with stroll through the Jardin des Felines. Perhaps followed by a trip along the Riverwalk.
















If you want a quieter, more artsy first date, why not come tour St. Sylvester's? The gilded dome features an interior space elaborately frescoed by Meow-colangelo a pipe organ made famous by the consummate composer Meow-han Sebastian Bach.




The plaza in front of the Veterinary Science Institute has both a great view of the waterfront and the gardens but also a variety of street vendors and performers.

Ever wanted to watch a cat breakdance? You can here! Mimes? Got 'em! White cats standing still like statues? Yep, you guessed it. Barbershop quartets? Of course! Caricature artists? Plenty. Novelty cat bobbleheads for purchase? Certainly! It's also a place for flash mobs. I don't know where the students of the VSI got the idea to start flash mobs. But they do like to have them now and then. Not too often, since it's like herding cats to get them all out there and doing something...


There's a wide variety of places and things to do here in the Feline Quarter


Did I mention the river cruises? You can get a quick sightseeing tour or the romantic candlelit dinner one.


No cruise today? How about taking your new friend bowling? There's a new alley at ground level in the Feline Activity Zone Building. There's a gym on the second floor if you want o get really active. The space was a bounce house, but they went out of business because the claws kept puncturing the attractions...


Our last suggestion of the day is to catch a show. The "Claws of Magic" is a big hit right now at the Regal Clawhurst Theater.


Come on over to the Feline Quarter and have a great time!

[Swordmaster]

Vermeow   That's about how the Dutch pronounce it.

Nice shots as well.


Cheers
Willy

[Dantes]

Amazing !  Epic cat park 
The paris w2w is perfect  Onliy I miss boats in the sea   

[eldaldo]

Wow, I missed alot of updates.  This always happens to the OSITM journals.  I always forget to check OSITM.  I really liked the one prior to this one as well as this update.  as always your humor makes me smile.  I like your palace and the riverwalk the best.  I agree with Dantes that boats would add something to the sea.

[benedict]

The overview with the park is one of my favorite views in all of Schulmania.

[Schulmanator]

Coming up next, we begin an exploration of a district in which I have taken over 600 in game pictures!

The first installment is on the way!

BEHOLD!!

[Schulmanator]

East Tenne: Holy Quarter

The third arrondissement of the national capital, the Holy Quarter, occupies the northern end of an island just east of the Royal Quarter. This area has the highest concentration of churches in the nation, including the National Cathedral and St. Felix, St. Heathcliff, St. Garfield, and the Shrine of the Savory Salmon. The capital's city hall is located in the Holy Quarter, facing the city's largest park. The district is bisected by the largest urban park in the nation. There's a lot to explore in the Holy Quarter – arts, culture, music, food – so let's get started.


We start with the iconic Church of St. Felix. The church sits astride a plaza overlooking the water near the Monastic Order of St. Francis.


St. Felix is named for one of the early feline saints




St. Felix has both spectacular stained glass windows and an impressive carillon. The bellringer, Clawsimodo, is widely regarded as the best in the business.

The plaza by St. Felix is part of the more extensive Seaside Park. This park lines the district's coastline and offers great vistas of the city on one side and of the Tenne Sea on the other. There are many gathering places along the way. In a warm sunny day, the place is packed with happy citizens.


One of my favorite Seaside Park spots is the Furry Fountain


The SchulMariner statue overlooks the water. It looks like one couple is taking in the same vista as the statue.


Weird how those trees make a trapezoidal shadow, isn't it?


Always nice to hang out by the statue of the Supreme Wirdle...

If you are in the mood for some shopping, there are many places in the district ready to relieve you of your money. Next door to the science museum is Sardine Square, one of Oak Ridge's premier shopping destinations.











On its several floors, you may find over 150 retailers providing an array of goods and services sure to make you purr.

If you want something more highbrow that shopping, why not head over to the Feline Music Hall of Fame? You know, cats are famous for their singing. They often enjoy opera. Actually, Klingon opera seems to have a good bit in common with feline opera.


We can get our tickets at the door. We can hang out on the plaza until the next tour. I am sure there will be some amateur musicians sharing their skills with the assembled crowds while we wait.


I hear there's a special exhibit of famous clawmonicas this month. That's cool. And perhaps we can see the pipe organ made famous by Meowhan Sebastian Bach.


The crowd's inside now. And they're excited by:



And, of course:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TpIYPUp9Bc

If you want a quieter form of culture, why not try out the nearby Prince Excalibur Museum of Art? This lovely facility was donated to the city by the regional ruler, Prince Excalibur, King of Tenne. He donated some gems from his collection as the museum's core collection. But, they have many other exciting artworks available for your enjoyment.


Admission is free, too!


The museum sits in Excalibur Square, which provides a nice oasis of green space in the southeastern corner of the Holy Quarter

There's much, much more for us to explore in the third district. Schulmania's capital has new and exciting things to reveal at every turn. Let's get ready to explore more of this special island.

[vortext]

Great couple of updates! 

Holy Quarter sure lives up to its name! Also, the youtube link made me watch way too many cute cat videos and hug my cat afterwards, which wasn't particulary welcomed, hehe. Anyway, back to the topic at hand. The Woodlands are also very nicely done, it's really fancy and has given me some inspiration for the affluent area in my own city. Keep it up! 

[Swordmaster]

I'm exactly like vortext, I spent half an hour watching cat videos   Please don't do that again Bruce.

Great update. More life on the streets, too, which adds a lot.


Cheers
Willy

[benedict]

Great new part of the Capital. The art museum looks very posh.

[Schulmanator]

Swordmaster     LOL. Great to know that the Dutch enjoy feline art!

Dantes      Thanks. We do have boats but I don't show many because I need older looking boats and we have so few of them.

Eldaldo   Thanks for coming by. Actually, it is a river, so we can't have too many boats in it. I have only one old looking boat to use. I'd like some clipper ships and such to do more with the water.

benedict   Thanks! And we have more views of the capital which I hope will silimarly inspire as we continue our exploration of the area.

vortext      Thanks! I am glad you liked the last few updates. And I know what you mean about the cat videos. They have addictive qualities...

Swordmaster   Thanks! The street life is a tradeoff with hiding cars. Cats do not like cars. Cars tae them to the dreaded v-e-t!

benedict   Thanks! We do like to celebrate our rich feline culture.

[Schulmanator]

East Tenne: City Hall

The third arrondissement of the national capital, the Holy Quarter, occupies the northern end of an island just east of the Royal Quarter. This area has the highest concentration of churches in the nation, including the National Cathedral and St. Felix, St. Heathcliff, St. Garfield, and the Shrine of the Savory Salmon. The capital's city hall is located in the Holy Quarter, facing the city's largest park. The district is bisected by the largest urban park in the nation. There's a lot to explore in the Holy Quarter – arts, culture, music, food – so let's get started.

You know they say "you can't fight city hall," but who would want to do so? Not here in the capital of Schulmania. The massive, palatial Oak Ridge City Hall dwarfs the buildings around it and overlooks the city's signature park – Myers Park – named for cat food magnate Oscar Myers, who donated the 150,000 gold schulmonetas to build the massive park.

Time to visit City Hall. I hear today the City Council is discussing a new ordinance regulating the placement of public scratching posts. This should prove interesting...


The tower of City Hall is crowned by an oversized bronze statue of the Supreme Wirdle, rampant et gardant


The tower dominates the skyline in the area and is one the tallest features in the whole National Capital Region


Onlookers admire the equestrian statue of Chancellor Mooky in front of the building on the plaza


There's also plenty of landscaping to add a touch of nature to the plazas on each side of the building

Let's take a look at the building itself. Designed by the renowned Carlos D. Bussy, the landmark structure is built upon a base of Wirdilian (black) granite, which is an unusual feature for public buildings in Schulmania. But, there is no such thing as too many tributes to our beloved and purry leader. Speaking of which, there's a winding staircase which leads from the tower through the base of the statue to a small observation deck. You can look out of her eyes upon the city. Now how's that?!


















Across The Promenade-West (the avenue in front of the building) sits Myers Park. A clever feature which has become very popular is Golden Pond. There are multiple 'parks within a park' in the massive central park. Golden Pond features paddleboats; great for a lazy sunny afternoon.


Myers Park at The Promenade-West


Golden Pond sits in front of City Hall


Pay one purr to the attendant at the kiosk by the fountain and you get an hour on the pond


Let's both get one and we'll race! Wheeeeeeee!

[Dantes]

The large square is full of flowers I love it. I think many cats hide there to scare tourists and then to run in the park! 
Again very impressive W2W pictures. 

[Schulmanator]

Dantes      Thank you for commenting. I am glad you liked it. And more is to come soon.

[Schulmanator]

East Tenne: Instagram Vacation

The third arrondissement of the national capital, the Holy Quarter, occupies the northern end of an island just east of the Royal Quarter. This area has the highest concentration of churches in the nation, including the National Cathedral and St. Felix, St. Heathcliff, St. Garfield, and the Shrine of the Savory Salmon. The capital's city hall is located in the Holy Quarter, facing the city's largest park. The district is bisected by the largest urban park in the nation. There's a lot to explore in the Holy Quarter – arts, culture, music, food – so let's get started.

Today, we are going to look at one our tourist's photographs of the city. Recently, Miss Evelyn Tigerlily, a charming tabby cat living in Schulmanidad, Wirdleonia, took a vacation to the capital. She has a lovely home overlooking Parque Ernesto in Schulmanidad, but her spirit of adventure was calling her. She wanted to go to the capital to see its great marvels and perhaps get an audience with the Supreme Wirdle. So, this is sort of a working vacation.

When she got back, she posted these photos of her trip. And it was nice of her to invite us to her home to see them. And it was even nicer that she baked us cookies. Lots of cookies. She also has catnip tea. I think I'll make mine a double. So, let's see her previous memories!


She visited City Hall and met with the mayor. The Supreme Wirdle was unavailable to grant her an audience. But the mayor was fascinated with her proposal to install a fiber-non-optic cable system to transmit messages across town. Here's her plan:




Perhaps telecommunications is in our future?


She visited Cathedral Woods, a lovely park encompassing the northern tip of the island


She enjoyed her trip to St.Felix Church. Her hotel was right behind it. She stayed at the renowned Fur Seasons Hotel.


She toured the Monastic Order of St. Francis. The liturgical chanting was sublime.


To the south, she visited St. Garfield's Church. She was not at all surprised to see that the nearby restaurants all served lasagna...


She stopped by the Ecclesiastic Library to check out a book or two. To save money, she will mail them back when she is finished.


A stop at the busy open air Oak Ridge Mall netted her some cool souvenirs. Snow globes, anyone?


She stopped by Myers Park to catch a game between the Tabbytown Pouncers and the Calico Scratchers. It was a tie after 3 overtimes.


No trip to the park is complete without a paddleboat ride on Golden Pond!


And a stop at the Feline Music Hall of Fame... there's a special exhibit dedicated to Patsy Claw, a classic cat crooner


She enjoyed Seaside Park. She walked across the Bridge of Purrs and savored the view. She also dropped bread into the water for the fish and birds. Too bad they were out of pouncing range...


She had a grand time! She can't wait to come back to Oak Ridge!

[benedict]

I love that barbell-shaped pond. Very relaxing.

[vortext]

Hm yes, I wouldn't mind going on a holiday there too! 

And a tin can network eh . . , seems to hold great promises for the future!!   

[Schulmanator]

Coming up next...



More from the Feline Quarter!