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About this City Journal

I love Michigan. It's my home state and it is a wonderful place to be. I've started reimagining the state, and the surrounding Great Lakes region, through SC4. Let's all see how it goes!

Entries in this City Journal

slickbg56
Hello Everyone! It's been far, far too long. I hope life is treating each of you very well! I'm happy to present this entry, but it feels a little bittersweet. Today we will take one last drive through the Little Traverse Bay harbor country. This city has been nearly three years in the making! I never anticipated that it would take this long, but real life always seems to pop up. That being said, I feel like this is the most complete city I have ever made. I'm pretty happy with the direction that the build...
slickbg56
Hello! How are you today?The expected American response to that question is 'good', then we expect you to pay for it and get out.NOT HERE AT GREAT LAKES, GREAT TIMES!We are totally retooling that rust belt, all day and all night. So stay and be proud to state your business. Sit down, breathe the air, and stick your toes in the sand and water.Where was I? Well, it's summer, so that means I like to do things that are not necessarily Simtrop related. I do stuff like work outrageous amounts of overtime, enjoy...
slickbg56
Hello everyone! WOW! Huge support for that last entry! Thanks very much for the kind words. I really appreciate it. I've probably said it before, but the journal format allows for a great combination of history, architecture, and planning. Three things that I really enjoy. Today we are going to visit Bay View, Michigan, but first here are the replies: Tonraq: Thanks man! gviper: Glad you liked it. SimCoug: Thanks! I agree, that volleyball court didn't really fit. I love playing beach volleyball so I tried...
slickbg56
Hello everyone! I hope you are well. As far as spring days go, today was a good one. In local sports news, I went for a bike ride and then I ate a donut. There must always be balance in the universe. Today we are going to visit a picturesque northern Michigan town: Petoskey. (Pronounced Pet-os-key, ok now say it really fast out loud, nope that's too fast, one more time, but slower, yup you've got it, moving on.) Petoskey is one of many Michigan resort towns that gets busy in the summer, then becomes a...
slickbg56
Hello Simtrop! It has been far too long! Thank you very much for the awesome support from the last entry. It was great to see how people enjoyed it. Well, have you heard? FINALLY, the calendar says March. What a long cold slog in the tundra this winter has been. Here’s a recap: In November it snowed, in December it didn’t, then came January, and would you believe it, it snowed some more. Then, just when you thought it couldn’t get any colder and snowier, February showed up. The coldest, most frigid month...
slickbg56
Hello Everyone! The holiday season has returned again, right on schedule. Fortunately, the weather in my little corner of Michigan hasn't been frightful this year. I'm thankful for that! I had enough snow last winter to choke a reindeer. I could have used all the snow in my yard to build an 18 foot (or 5.4864 meters for the rest of Earth) snowman. I kid you not. Whoa. I'm getting off track here. How about those replies: __A: And I love making construction stuff! That's some Sim City teamwork right there....
slickbg56
Whoa! Thanks for all the support everyone! I really appreciate it! Ln X: Thanks! Your recent suburb entry is looking great too. Sexysark:P : Thank you! This is a very interesting historical time to model. TekindusT: Thanks man! I wanted a place to showcase it. Chicago seemed as good as any. Your recent CJ entry is awesome! Schulmanator: Thanks! It is really great that we are at the point with this game that we can all bring out the details that we want. Tonraq: The time I've spent exploring the city has...
slickbg56
Hello, welcome! Thanks for the views and comments! VMIUjcadet09: Oh there is plenty more to come! Few and far between at times, but it'll show up sooner or later. Ln X: One of my all time favorites! Good catch! TekindusT: Ha! I'm not the most stylin' dude, but the city is. pinkindustry: Good to hear! Mine too. Chicago, Detroit, San Francisco, and New York are my favorites. No particular order there. Pwel28: Thanks man! Those tiles are fun to mix and match. jmsepe: Thanks! The El is fun to ride too. Tonraq:...
slickbg56
Hello everyone! Time for a short update. First, Great To hear from everyone! jmsepe: Thanks! Glad you liked it! Schriefer: Thanks man! Much appreciated. SimRico: Always good to hear from a fellow Michigander. I'd like to remake Tiger's Stadium someday, or at least create the current lot. sarthakknight: Thanks! The road network is really difficult to layout. The industrial areas will come together someday. There will be lots of big manufacturing plants. GoKingsGo: You should visit someday. It's not all bad....
slickbg56
First off, some replies. LN X: Thanks! Your use of MMP is also exceptional. Schriefer: Thanks! Wallibuk: Glad you enjoyed it! Infamousjbe: Thanks man! Caracortada: Much appreciated! feeroz123: Thanks man! It was a lot of fun doing the lot editing for that photo. That was the most lot editing I'd ever done. NMUSpidey: Always great to hear from another from another Michigander! Thanks! PaulMC: Thanks! It is a fun sport. Spursrule14: Thanks very much. I'm glad your team won! Benedict: Indeed, nothing beats a...
slickbg56
There are epic stories of success, adventure, and tragedy that originate from the Great Lakes region. Some you have heard, some you have not. A few of these stories have survived for generations and become legends. The best of these tall tales can be found here in LEGENDS OF THE GREAT LAKES, an occasional series within our retooling tour. This installment will feature Father Jacques Marquette, French missionary and explorer. Jacques Marquette's life began in Laon, France on June 10 of 1637. He became a...
slickbg56
Hello everyone! There is still a lot to see in Holland. Today's update features the Windmill Island Gardens, Window on the Waterfront, and the Macatawa River. The first stop is 1 Lincoln Ave., home address of some special landmarks in the city. There are many shops here at Windmill Garden Park. You can buy tulips, fudge, wooden shoes, cookies, all the finer things in life. There are also a few nice restaurants, and the Prins Willem van Oranje Grand Hotel. That's the hotel on the lower left side of the...
slickbg56
Hello everyone! Did you know West Michigan has several great places to visit? Well Holland, Michigan is one of them. It is a community that has been recognized as one of the happiest and most beautiful places in America. It is also a place that is rich with Michigan history. There is a lot to see in this town! Today you should grab a good pair of shoes, we're going for a walk along 8th street. It's the downtown area of the Tulip City. This is the east entrance to the downtown area. We're currently looking...
slickbg56
There are epic stories of success, adventure, and tragedy that originate from the Great Lakes region. Some you have heard, some you have not. A few of these stories have survived for generations and become legends. The best of these tall tales can be found here in LEGENDS OF THE GREAT LAKES, an occasional series within our retooling tour. This installment will feature Roaring Dan Seavey, The Freshwater Pirate of the Great Lakes. You've never heard of Roaring Dan Seavey? Well, read on and get educated......
slickbg56
The leaves are changing, the wolves are howling, and there's a strong wind out of the northwest. That means it is time to leave Isle Royale. There are a few destinations to choose from at the ferry dock. I decided to sail south to Copper Harbor, on the northern tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula. The crossing was a little rough as an early fall storm made its presence felt. I saw this 'salty', a freighter that comes up the St. Lawrence into the Great Lakes, riding the waves during the crossing. It was likely...
slickbg56
So there I was, headed out of Detroit. The game plan was to get on 94, shoot back west to the junction with 31, and head north. MAN IS THAT FREEWAY SYSTEM CONFUSING! I drove a few miles of concrete, named for a half dozen people, and before you know it I'm northbound on 75 and BOOM! There's the Mackinac Bridge! Hard to believe one can get THAT off track in this age of maps, vehicle navigation systems, and public places with humans to help point the correct way, but I did. So there's that. I figured as long...
slickbg56
Time to wrap up this three stage tour of the largest city in the Great Lakes State. Today's focus will be on Detroit's East Side and Midtown. Admittedly, the city is more than just a fixer-upper. It has deep, serious problems that have been stewing together for over 60 years. The trouble has gone on much longer than the past few years of mainstream media coverage. Can these issues be resolved? People propose answers, and progress is being made in several areas, but the truth is, only time, and positive...
slickbg56
Hello everyone. I had a chance to get some photos of what is going on around the city. I thought you might enjoy taking a look. It's been a busy week at engine 27 and ladder 8 on the west side of the city. There was a fire in an abandoned building early one morning. E27 arrived on scene and stretched a line. Additional companies also assisted on scene. Ladder 8 can also be seen in the photo. The structure, a taxpayer, was a total loss. The fire was discovered well after it had started. You can see another...
slickbg56
Here are some shots from around Detroit. This city is not bankrupt, it's doing alright. The first one is from earlier this summer. Here we see the start of the Detroit to Mackinac Sailboat race. It is not the same as the Port Huron to Mackinac Race. The Detroit to Mackinac race follows what is historically thought to be an old French fur trading route. The sail boats are headed out from the east end of Belle Isle Harbor. Detroit's Marina District is along the north shoreline. Belle Isle can be seen in the...
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