Welcome to New York (No,i`m not a Recreation...sort of)

[Hotwheeler 409]

Hey Guys,finally i thought about starting my very own Major`s Diary.It all started with the need to recreate Manhattan,but currently it seems that i got distracted and i always work on different spots.I`m still after recreating Manhattan,but i also will build where the bridges will meet the other boroughs.Currently i`m in the "dragging roads,placing Public Transport and building Utilities for Water and Power"-Phase.But very often i get distracted and start pulling up several blocks and start to inhabit them with life.
Oh,and i made a fancy Header:

I started with a large and detailed Region Map made by Izidor44.This map has a few benefits.The overall terrain is pretty soft,now large slopes and the Waterfront areas are very low so i don`t need to terraform that much to build harbors,ferries and piers.Speaking of piers,this map already contains all the piers as narrow stretches of elevated terrain,all i have to do is either leave it that way and just straighten it a bit or completely remove them and place some piers from different waterfront sets.Also the Map is very close to scale.I counted the horizontal streets between two notable spots of the waterfront and dragged horizontal roads between the same spots in Simcity.The result was that i only missed one or two city tiles,and i guess this is something we can get over it,right?
Of course there are limitations due to the nature of the game,but i think we all know that.
So,enough with the chit chat,how about a look at my first pictures?

Brooklyn-Gowanus

Well,Gowanus sounds like something that you can either find at the bottom of a very old trashcan or a flu you get in the rain forests.But it`s nothing of these things.Gowanus is a small borough which is growing around the Canal of the same name.The infamous Gowanus Canal has suffered from 150 years of sulfur industry and industry in general,so you might expect something like three eyed fishes in there.Okay i`m just kidding,but the Gowanus Canal is pretty dirty,and especially on hot summer days,a distinct stench is hovering through the streets.
But there isn`t only industry growing next to the canal,there are also residentials,commercials,schools and even a public pool


I thought it would be funny to place two garbage chutes right in at the start of the canal....let`s pretend the garbage will be taken away by barges...
Did you notice the plants i tried to place into the water?
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This is the Spot where Gowanus meets Boreum-Hill.Mixed Residential and Industry meets sprawling shops and vivid commercials...

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I hope you like my entry.Any comments or ideas?

[BLANKBLANK 4,414]

Wow this is amazing! I love the grime, grit and grunge!

 

Any ideas? Set these pictures to the soundtrack of Bladerunner.

[packersfan 666]

I like the abandoned lot lots <----that isn't a mistake.

Just make sure you turn off the UDI missions under the Sims tab.  It will make your pictures look a little nicer.  

[Benedict 3,119]

Fantastic introduction to your CJ.

 

Edit 17 Oct: Well done, your CJ is number one on Ben's Top Ten this week.

[LexusInfernus 908]

Wow, awesome! I love your w2w sets in the last set of pictures. Just lovely. Keep up the good work  

[NMUSpidey 3,956]

Heh, that garbage-chute-into-the-river thing was really clever!  Great first update, I really hope to see more from you!

[New City Mayor Defacto 50]

its awesome!!!!

[1131989 223]

Looks pretty close to the real deal! Are you using this map ()? Because I'd love to see your region shot as you rebuild NYC on a different map.

[jmsepe 2,038]

Fantastic work on the canals. This is really a very good update especially for a first one! Well done. 

[Mymyjp 1,052]

Amazing!!!! The compact look of the city, the industrial sector and picture 19 is so realistic!

[Belfastsocrates 1,752]

Great start! Love the gritty industrial areas. 

 

Looking forward to seeing more.

[Hotwheeler 409]

Well,thanks everyone for leaving some comments.I`m happy to see that so many people like my work.

Ln X: I have a soft spot for urban grime and grunge.About the music,well for inspiration and getting in the mood i often listen either to Jazz ,Reggae or some nice classic 80s /90s HipHop (when it still was HipHop and not that HipHop Housemusic Abomination from today).

And i often also try to imagine all those stereotypical NYC Noises and the surroundings,like the jammed streets (i`ve always wondered,if everyone`s saying that in NY no one uses a car,how comes that the streets are still jammed?),the car horns and here and there a siren from an Ambulance,a Policecar or something else....

 

Packersfan: The funny thing is that i noticed the UDI Icons after i was half trough with my picture taking.

 

Benedict: Wow,that was fast,and i haven`t even noticed it.That`s very cool to be on a list with all those amazing CJ`s.

 

LexusInfernus: Thanks.Well i love W2W Develompments and have learned a few strategies to achieve the W2W look i want.

 

NNMuspider: The garbage chute was once there for fun,but i liked it so much that it stayed.It`s also a little knock on how people used to deal with garbage.Just to sweep something under the rug.Out of sight,out of mind....

 

How about some new pictures?Okay they aren`t completely new,i just forgot to put them here.

As a little "sorry",i also have some teaserpics for the coming update....

 

 

Red Hook / Gowanus Bay

Todays update leads us more to the South and we will visit Red Hook, the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal and the NYPD Evidence Vehicle Facility :

This is where the Marine Terminal starts.As you can see there are many new cars that are waiting to be carried to the next showrooms.

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Ohh,back up guys,we are not allowed to walk past this fenced entrance.This is the place where the NYPD keeps their evidence cars and also cars that were stolen.

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A little Overview of Red Hook, some water fronts and Parks.There are surprisingly many parks and green spaces around here...
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Near the Projects you can find Parks,Public Pools,small Shops,Schools and also Work.

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Speaking of the Projects.Here they are,the large cubicles in the front are now landmarked.The smaller towers are from the 70s and were build with a few parks and green spaces around.The Projects may not be the Four Seasons,but you have running water (mostly), friendly neighbors (mostly), and a space of your own (mostly)

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More Parks and Sportfields

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Of course there aren`t only large towering Projects in this Area.You can also find the famous Rowhouses...

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Even more Greenspaces

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Even at night this Area is full of life...

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The local Powerplant (of course i made that totally up,as far as i know,there isn`t a Powerplant near the Eerie Basin)

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Of course there is still much work to do and this City Tile is far away from beeing finished.

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And a little closeup

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TEASERTIME

 

Now where could this be?..

 

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[NMUSpidey 3,956]

I love the rowhouses, I think thouse are just great to look at, especially up close.  Another fantastic update!

[cmdp123789 710]

I like it.. I saw it also at sc4 devotion.. but didnt know it was you.. anyways.. great updates, and also great areas to show! Now, you might wanna use train tracks to level the terrain.. I saw in the teaser section that the road is a little bumpy.. 

 

Other than that, very good start.. cant wait for a region shot of the thing =)

 

Quick quesiton.. is it accurate? I mean in terms of street laying... is it accurate? or are you just following the map, but not as a recreation.. ?

[Snugies 91]

That's awesome I love the garbage in the water thing. Is that true for NYC? Love the huge industrial buildings looks awesome.

[Hotwheeler 409]

Spidey: Uff,ask me,i love Rowhouses,and yes they are great to look at.All those different colors and styles.There will never be enough Rowhouses for SC 4.

 

Chriss: Yeah i know,might be a bit confusing whith different names on SC4D and Simtropolis.But the "damage" is done and now i have to keep both names.The funny thing is that i made both accounts once just for downloading and hoarding CC,who knew that someday i would actually use them.

About the bumpy roads.You`re right.They went bumpy when i started demolishing and redoing the whole Waterfront at this area.First i used the different PEG industrial Harbour Pieces but i started to dislike this look so i demolished everything and made it more green and started gentrificating the waterfront.

About the accuracy:yes,the existing street layout is accurat and close to the original and also in most cases the zoning and existing development..The wide Avenue/Highway that goes around the waterfront of the real life Manhattan is also more or less present in my SC 4 Version.I worked with smooth curves,smooth diagonals and FAR Avenues.

But from time to time i had to cheat and put functionality over design like in this particular spot:

 

 

The real life counterpart of that area has a smooth angled Avenue of where the angled part is 3 Blocks long.But because i wanted the sidestreets to intersect with the Avenue (for traffic control reasons) i made an aprupt 45 diagonal part.Now i just have to find building that fit better in there.The side is occupied by a warehouse and the entire right block is occupied by a UPS Building with rounded facade and an attached multi story car park.

 

Snugies: Thanks,glad you like it.As for the garbage thing,of course it`s not true (anymore).There are urban legends that the Mafia once dumped corpses into the Gowanus Canal and also the surrounding Industry dumped all kinds of stuff in there but nowadays it`s just a smelly lifeless polluted canal (one of the dirtiest bodies of water in the US)

[naftixe 131]

Really nice build! I would love to see a regional view, both satellite view and a transport view. Thanks for posting this CJ

[Benedict 3,119]

Really impressive stuff. I doubt anyone would have noticed your correction for the sake of traffic - if that's the level of detail you're going for, kudos, as it is beyond anything I could ever try and make.

[Hotwheeler 409]

Thanks everyone,

i finally have everything together to post a new entry,so come together and have a look:

 

 

Hell`s Kitchen/Lincoln Square

Hells Kitchen:
Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton and Midtown West, is a neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City located between 34th Street in the south, 59th Street in the north, Eighth Avenue in the east, and the Hudson River to the west.[1] The area provides transport, medical, and warehouse infrastructure support to the Midtown Manhattan business district.
This neighborhood isn`t completely immune against gentrification but still has a large portion of low rise commercial and factory buildings and also tons of car dealers,repair shops,car parts and smaller shops.
The waterfront area was once home of many industrial piers and cruise ship terminals.Today many piers are converted into parking lots and parks (i always wondered,if no one in Manhattan is using a car like they say,why do they need so many parking facilities and car dealers?).





First,let`s have a look at the waterfront.A very famous place is the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.It is placed on an old aircraft carrier.
But if you`re not a big fan of aircrafts,how about taking a walk along the numerous parks and piers?

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Not even Hells Kitchen is save from huge developments.Between W43rd Street and W41st Street some huge towers are in development
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The modern cruise ship terminal awaits for tourists...
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48 The De Witt Clinton Park is a calm and green oasis in todays times

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Lincoln Square:Lincoln Square is the name of both a square and the surrounding neighborhood within the Upper West Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan. Lincoln Square is centered on the intersection of Broadway and Columbus Avenue, between West 65th and West 66th streets. The neighborhood is bounded by Columbus Avenue and Amsterdam Avenue to the east and west, and West 66th and 63rd Street to the north and south.It is bounded by Hell's Kitchen, Riverside South, Central Park, and the Upper West Side proper.

49 Where Hells Kitchen ends,starts Lincoln Square


50 Riverside South is a large apartment complex at the waterfront.The towers overlook the Hudson River and has a nice green recreation area.


51 The well known Lincoln Center is surrounded by modern day development,mostly large office towers or condos.


52 The Lincoln Center meets the Broadway which draws an angled line across a few blocks.That small patch of green is the Dante Park


53 This residential area between W 66th Street to W 70th Street and West End Avenue / Amsterdam Avenue is surrounded by modern buildings,too


54 The Hudson River Greenway incorporates many old piers as parks,like this one


55 There is always room for more new buildings,like here between W 57th Street to W 61st Street



56 Things are growing fast along the Broadway


Like most cities,Manhattan is even mre beautiful at night...

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[BLANKBLANK 4,414]

What beautiful urban design.

[cmdp123789 710]

Looks awesome! I really like what you did! Also, I like how everything mixes up.. very good combination! My only question, if Im allowed, is where did you get those under rail lots? I thought Ive seen something similar to that, but Im not sure it is the same thing.. 

 

Anyways, looks really good, and Im really happy to see someone trying to tackle this big monster!

[Hotwheeler 409]

Thanks guys, i really apprechiate your comments.

About those "Underrail Lots" i am a little confused...are you talking about those sunken visible rail pieces?

They are are from the STEX i guess and are called Sunken GLR or something like that.They are only decorative and can be connected to the subway network.

I used them to mimic the look of this particular area in Hell's Kitchen where the Undergound Railtracks are visible between three or 4 blocks.

If i am right some of these are now covered to allow construction of buildings.

[tonyr 926]

Intriguing!

[mrsmartman 200]

The low rises mix well and look real.