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

[woodb3kmaster]

marsh: Thanks! I'm glad you like it!
djvandrake: Thank you! I tried to give the complex a realistic amount of parking, so I'm glad you like it. That football stadium is TG's University of Phoenix Stadium, but good luck finding it. I tried to after you posted, but I couldn't find it on any exchange. It used to be on the STEX (which is probably where I downloaded it), but it was removed from there in the backlash against certain Team Grater members, including the one who made this stadium.
Jordan (canyonjumper): Thanks, Jordan! Don't worry if you're ever pressed for time when writing a comment - I'm fine with the occasional short comment.
Alex (KoV Liberty): Thank you, Alex! I don't really see anything wrong with having the recycling center there - they're often located near major roads in RL. This one might not please the neighbors, but that's just the price of reducing city waste, I suppose...
Raphael (RickD): Thanks, Raphael! I appreciate your compliments!
Battlecat: I'm glad you like how it turned out! Thank you very much!
Daryl (daryl7478): Thanks, Daryl! It certainly is a possibility, but Kendall is very close to Nyhaven, which itself has already hosted the Simlympics (back in June 2007, if you didn't know). If I bid again, it'll most likely be with another region in the same country.
cubby420: Thank you!




Today's update will be a little different from normal, as there won't be any narration. Instead, I've decided to show you all seven houses in the suburbs of Nyhaven that our newlyweds, Paul and Jane, are looking at buying. You might have noticed the new poll at the top of the page, which means that you all get to decide where they will live, given the seven choices below. I've done my best to give you enough information about each house and its environs so that you can make an informed decision. The poll will stay open for the next ten days; when I post Update 45 a few days after that, the winning house will be revealed. So then, let's see which houses we're deciding between, shall we?


This first house is located in the suburb of Mulholland Heights, not far from the major sporting venues at Sporthaven and Uptown. It's a two-bed/1-1/2 bath, two-story house that's available for ₡50,000 (₡ is the symbol for the Lower Columbian coulomb, the currency used in Nyhaven; that price is equivalent to about US$95,000). This particular house is also close to a high school, the Cathlamet train station and a hospital. However, the drawback to being so close to the rails is hearing some noise from the trains every so often.


This is a fairly recently-built house in the southern part of the city of Cathlamet, a short way to the southwest from our first house. It has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, all for ₡84,000 (or $160,000). Downtown Cathlamet and the city's harbor are nearby, as are an elementary school and a clinic, but the house sits along a busy road, so traffic is an issue.


This house is located in the Rossmore Hills area of Nyhaven, only a short drive from Ridgeland Park. Other nearby amenities include both an elementary school and a high school, a bus stop and a subway station along Saint Mark's Line of the Nyhaven MetroRail, and the R-48 freeway, which reaches into the inner city of Nyhaven. There is also a railroad nearby, though, so noise from passing trains is once again an issue. This is a 2-bed/1.5 bath house with a price tag of ₡56,000 (or $106,000).


Here's a house to the north of downtown Nyhaven, in part of the Melrose district. At a price of ₡60,000/$114,000, this 2-bed/2-bath house is reasonably affordable to our couple of city employees. This house isn't far from the nearest Hill Line station (which would give them an easy commute to City Hall), as well as a hospital, a high school and a large shopping mall (you decide whether that last one is a good thing or not). However, there is moderate crime in this neighborhood, and traffic heading for the mall is an issue.


Northwest of downtown, in the city of Skamokawa, stands this lovely house. It's close to downtown Skamokawa and that city's harbor, as well as an elementary school and a hospital, but there's a railroad right behind it, so you can expect there to be a lot of noise from passing trains. This house has 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms, and (due to its proximity to downtown Skamokawa) is one of the more expensive houses we're looking at, at ₡115,000/$218,500.


This house, here in Century Flats, has perhaps the most nearby amenities out of all these houses. First of all, it's only a few blocks from the Puget Island Athletics Park, which is currently (i.e. in 1975) being developed as Nyhaven's Simlympic Park in preparation for the arrival of the Simlympics to the city in 1980; it would be very convenient for Paul to live close to this important location. In addition, this is the only house of these seven that is only a short distance from a church. In addition, there is very low traffic in this neighborhood, so it's a quiet place, and there's a hospital and both an elementary and high school close by. With all these amenities nearby, this house is available for the bargain price of ₡72,000/$137,000. The only downside is the lack of mass transit in the area; the nearest subway station is the ParkWest station on the Island Line, on the northwestern edge of the park. Finally, this house has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.


What the previous house had in local amenities, this Barrington house has right on-site, so to speak. This is the largest of the seven houses, with 4 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. It's also the only one of these houses that has a two-car garage and an in-ground pool in the backyard. Unfortunately, all these extra on-site amenities aren't without cost; this is the most expensive of our houses, costing ₡150,000 (or $285,000). Also, like some of the other houses we've looked at, this house is near a railroad (noise issues again) and is in an area with moderate traffic. On the plus side, though, there are a clinic and both an elementary and a high school nearby as well.

So there you have it; seven homes, each with its own pros and cons. Which one do you think our newlyweds should buy?

[CabraBuitre]

I voted #1.  I think it would be the quietest in terms of road traffic... and I grew up down the street from a railroad line... you don't even hear them after a while!

[daryl7478]

I voted for #7. Nice location. Rather cheap if in real. My six bedroom house was around $200K to $300K. But that's California.

[emgmod]

I voted 1. However, if Paul is willing to trespass across a couple of lots, 3 might be better.

[KoV Liberty]

I voted 7. Even though it is the most expensive, it seems the best suited for raising a family.

Alex

[canyonjumper]

I voted 6. Seems the best place tor raise a family to me.

            -Jordan

[woodb3kmaster]

Thanks for all your votes, everyone! As of this posting, and counting all votes cast at all three sites where I have active Nyhaven threads (here, ST and AIN), House #7 is currently the undisputed leader, with 13 votes. The next closest house, #6, has seven votes, while Houses #1 and #3 each have three votes. Houses #2, #4 and #5 don't have any votes. Remember, though, that the poll is still ongoing and won't end until this Sunday, so please vote if you haven't already!

Today we return to Kendall for a close-up of a very important building:


This is Lower Columbia's House of Parliament. I've showed in one or two mosaics from a higher zoom level before, but this is the first time I've shown it this close.

[Ryan B.]

I voted #6.  Looks like it's a great house & right by anything anyone could want . . . . in short, a place I'd like to live. 

[alexr19]

I guess the voting is over, but I like house #6. 

Where can I find that for DL?

[woodb3kmaster]

Ryan B.: Thanks for voting! House #6 certainly has a lot going for it, doesn't it? Read on to see if it won or not.
alexr19: You may have come too late to vote, but I appreciate the reply all the same. If you're asking about the Parliament building, that's actually a custom re-lot of the Osturland Great Hall v2, available on the LEX (separate registration required).


With voting finished, it's time to reveal which house won. The winning house is... House #7! Thank you all for voting!



For a few years after moving into our new house in Barrington, life was pretty quiet for Jane and me. We both kept ourselves busy with our jobs at City Hall - and with the Simlympics coming up, there was plenty to work on. I made regular visits to the Puget Island Athletics Park to check up on the new venues and such that were being built there to transform the park into Nyhaven's Simlympic park. Jane, meanwhile, worked hard at promoting the upcoming Games, both within and beyond Lower Columbia.


As all this work was reaching its culmination, something unexpected came up as well. One rainy Saturday near the end of 1979, when we were at home, Jane surprised me with the news that we would soon be welcoming a new family member! I was elated!


For the next few months, the two/three of us made regular visits to the local clinic to check up on our future firstborn son. Each new sonogram picture filled us with excitement and wonder! Meanwhile, Jane grew larger and larger as the baby grew inside her.


Eventually, all those city preparations ended, and in August of 1980, the Simlympics came to town. Our city salaries made it possible for us to attend many of the events. We were at one of the gymnastics events when Jane let out a pained "ow," leaned over to me and said, "Honey, it's time."


Immediately, I jumped up and helped Jane out of the arena and back to our car. Ten long hours later, I was invited into the maternity ward to meet my newborn son, whom we named Alex. It was such a special moment, I could never forget it.


About a year and a half later, I once again found myself in a hospital waiting room, this time at the hospital nearest to our house, in West Nyhaven. This time around, in January of 1982, we welcomed another son, Daniel, into the family.


Jane had found it difficult to balance work and caring for Alex since he was born. So, on my recommendation, she decided to go on furlough for a while to focus her attention on the two boys. The Nyhaven Tourism Board was practically running itself on autopilot as it was, just piggybacking on all the publicity the city got because of the Simlympics, so it wasn't like she had much work to do, anyway.


We had saved up plenty of money before having kids, but all the same, we knew we couldn't get by for too long on our savings. So, I took on extra duties at City Hall to earn a bit more. It kept us going well enough...


In the summer of 1983, however, my father had a stroke. It was the middle of the night, so I let Jane sleep while I drove over to the hospital in Rossmore Lake. By the time I got there, his condition had improved, but there were signs that he probably suffered some damage while he was unconscious.


Thankfully, Mom was still in fairly good shape, so she decided to look after Dad while he was getting better. I was still concerned, though, so I checked in on them from time to time.


We waited a while before having a third child, but one came along eventually. In February of 1984, our only daughter Melanie was born. Now that we had three kids, Jane and I agreed that our house was full enough, and taking care of two boys and a girl would be plenty of work.


The kids sure kept us busy, but there was more to come. The summer of 1985 was a hot one in Nyhaven, and my mother just couldn't handle the heat in that old house. One day, when I came over to check up on Dad, I found her collapsed on the floor. The paramedics did their best when they arrived, but it was too late. The heatstroke had overcome her.


Without Mom to care for Dad, and being unwilling to put my old man in a retirement home, Jane and I decided to bring him into our house. He had recovered enough that he didn't need much assistance anymore, so he spent much of his time looking after the kids. Jane was finally free to return to work, which she had wanted to do for a while. And so, our lives became quieter (about as quiet as possible with so many people in one house), and we settled into a routine.

[GreekMan]

wow looks like there is lots to do with raising kids and working a hectic job! great update and it looks like a fun house to live in! catchy update name! my only concern is how many more updates can you do with Paul? not that i want it to end...well no that i see it a city as big as nyhaven would need lots of planning developments(which would account for more updates!)

[daryl7478]

Nice job there Zack! I kinda liked how you named one of your kids Alex. Well, that's my brother's name. Also, congrats on the Simlympics. Any picture of the events?

[alexr19]

alexr19: You may have come too late to vote, but I appreciate the reply all the same. If you're asking about the Parliament building, that's actually a custom re-lot of the Osturland Great Hall v2, available on the LEX (separate registration required).

Great update! That house they chose is ok, too, I guess. Seems like they made a nice life for themselves.

As for the BAT request, I should have been clearer. I meant house #6 in Century Flats, and also what's the name of the building with the helipad just below the roundabout (it's also in the "heatwave" pic)?

[woodb3kmaster]

Chris (GreekMan): Thanks again, Chris! I'm sure Paul and Jane have their hands (and house!) full now. At least there's a vacation coming up soon for the family... As for more updates with Paul, I want to string this storyline out as far as I can to give myself plenty of time to finish the King Zachary Tower BAT I need for the next construction-based update, but I don't have many more updates planned as of now. (I do, however, have enough construction update ideas to do at least 17 more of that kind of update.)
Daryl (daryl7478): Thanks, Daryl! Funny how that worked out with the names of the children. Nyhaven actually hosted the Simlympics way back in June 2007; the whole thing, from start to finish, is archived at SimSports.
alexr19: Thank you! That particular house is part of homefryes's American Four Square Homes pack on the LEX. As for the hospital, that came from a Japanese SC4 fansite run by NOB; it's on this page, under "LANDMARK", the seventh down in the left column (the zip file is called "Hiroshima_CH.zip").

Remember that church downtown where Paul and Jane got married? Well, I decided that the BAT I was using for it was too small and hard to see, so I made a couple of changes to that part of Nyhaven:


Not only is the church now much larger, the buildings next to it also no longer block it from view. I'm so happy with this arrangement, I'll show it at night, too:


Hope you like it!

[i_love_lamp]

Well that seems like the perfect church to do my southern baptist evangelical sermon! Horray!

[daryl7478]

Thanks for the link to the SimSports site. So the Simlympics happened while it was in Simtropolis. Was this move before or after the Simlympics?

[RickD]

Just looked a page back for comparison. This is really a good improvement.

[Battlecat]

I keep missing a lot of good updates thanks to this busy summer.  Fantastic stuff as always here! 

[danielcote]

This city just keeps on getting better!

[Myself.or.?]

It's been ages and I still love your MD.
The changes you made to the area of the church work very well.