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About this City Journal

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism would like to welcome you to Isla Bonita, the archipelago first made famous by a collaboration with an important 80s pop star, which continues to enchant Sims from all over the world. From famous beaches and sunny weather, fresh produce, to banking and hotel services, Isla Bonita has you covered!

This tourism guide will give you all the information you need to know for your next visit to Isla Bonita and the nearby islands, neatly divided in thematic chapters. Please join us in learning all about the archipelago, its history, cities and tourist attractions. And don't forget to show this guide for a great discount* at selected museums and attractions!

*Terms and conditions apply. Purchase must be made within 48 hours of arriving to the island.

Entries in this City Journal

Girafarig
Reading time: 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending. Today we start a new series, dedicated to a thorough analysis of each of the subway lines in Isla Bonita. As it's a long series and some subway lines are still being built, this will be a non-periodic special issue, but expect more in the future. We'll start with a pioneering line: the oldest proper subway line, the longest line and, some would say, the most panoramic: Line 1. Line 1 Length: 24.20 kilometres (15 miles) Number of stations: 46 across 5 cities...
Girafarig
Continuing our longest running series, and in preparation for a new, upcoming series, we bring you today an overview of the easternmost city in Isla Bonita, Cabo Feliz Composite image of easternmost Bahía Medusa, Cabo Feliz and the eastern shoals General information City name: Cabo Feliz Date of foundation: sometime in the 1900s Population: ≈67,000 people Size: 16 sq km. Land area: about 35% of city limits and increasing Average income: §45k/person/year Geography and weather Cabo Feliz (English for "Happy...
Girafarig
Quick update — not much has happened in Isla Bonita, but the second runway at Enrique Valenti airport is now functional and the airport is finally open for business! The airport sits mostly on Ciudad del Arado, though its runways extend into Nueva Esperanza municipality, and it features twin 4,000-metre runways, all the best to cope with the challenging surrounding geography and common fog conditions in the area. Now, the touchdown area must be somewhere down here… The tram connection to Ciudad del Arado,...
Girafarig
Isla Bonita Travel Guide, 2nd Edition, 200th anniversary special! This time around, instead of showcasing a new city, I thought it would be fun to compare Anclaje's progress as it turns 200 years old. For those who don't remember, Anclaje (/aŋ'klaxe/) is the cultural and economical (but not geographical or political) center of Isla Bonita, and the anchor city (pun intended) of the South Bay metro area. The city of Anclaje offers a vibrant cultural environment, a rich history, and stunning views to be...
Girafarig
The Ministry of Transportation of Isla Bonita (MTIB) is pleased to announce the opening of the brand-new Autopista de la Bruma (Mist Highway) connection between Interior and Bahía Herradura! The newly-designated Highway 6 is expected to relieve substantial congestion on Highway 4, to its north, and halve travelling times between its two linked cities. Panorama of Highway 6 (centre) looking north. Also visible is Highway 4's approach to Interior (upper centre), Bahía Herradura's southern approach highway...
Girafarig
Back after an extended holidays pause, let's continue with our deep dive of the cities on Isla Bonita. Today, we cover a city on the Western Coast of the island, Bahía Herradura (Spanish for "Horseshoe Bay"). Pixelated photo courtesy of the Isla Bonita Space Department, still buying Soviet equipment from the 70s General information City name: Bahía Herradura Date of foundation: somewhere in the 1900s Population: ≈170,000 people Size: 16 sq km. Land area: about 60% of the city limits, depending on the...
Girafarig
Isla Enojada —the larger, more volcanic, much drier companion to Isla Bonita, is finally open to settle. There is a working high-speed rail connection from the mainland (is that what Isla Bonita is now?) to for now, the single town in Isla Enojada, Primera Junta. There's also a ferry link across the strait, and the highway connection is on the works. Primera Junta, nestled in the mountains Isla Enojada features a similar Mediterranean climate as its companion island, but with far greater extremes. The...
Girafarig
Back to our regular schedule (or lack thereof), and today it's turn to showcase the wealthiest neighbourhood in the Anclaje metropolitan area, sitting across the bay: Providencia. General information City name: Providencia Date of foundation: somewhere in the 1900s Population: ≈80,000 people Size: 16 sq km. Land area: about a quarter Average income: §90k/person/year (!) Geographical location and weather Providencia, occupying the eastern half of its namesake island, is remote even by Bonitean standards —...
Girafarig
I was planning on updating this CJ with some towns that haven't been covered yet, but I got sidetracked with life, work and small nitpicks already covered. Here's the most important updates so far: Land Line 8 of the metro system is already here! Line 8 is the first one to not cross either Anclaje or Interior, instead traversing the western side of Isla Bonita, from the new Docklands at Bahía Herradura (yet to be featured!) to Cerro Station, just past the Masjid mosque. Given the difficult terrain the line...
Girafarig
Some updates from the last entry in our journal: Land Ah, what a change a few months do! No longer wilderness Nueva Esperanza (Spanish for "New Hope". No relation to the successful space opera franchise) was founded, its terrain was allotted, and it has quickly become a transit hub, with part of the new airport (though no economy-boosting terminal, to the dismay of the few new residents) as well as the Triple Bridge to the north: tracks for regular, high-speed train and highway crossing across the Nueva...
Girafarig

Land, Sea and Air

By Girafarig,

To commemorate Isla Bonita's 3 million inhabitants, and attentive to the challenges that the island faces and can be expected to face, the Republic of Isla Bonita has passed landmark legislation committing the government to a massive infrastructure investment. The Land, Sea and Air Bill can be subdivided into the following: Land Following the advice of the Isla Enojada Geological Commission and the apparent dormancy of Enojada Hill, the State of Catastrophe on Isla Enojada bill has been repealed and the...
Girafarig
Enjoying Pueblo Simón Having developed as a seaside resort town, most of Pueblo Simón attractions involve its natural environment, sandwiched between two bodies of water and at the foothills of a small mountain. A panoramic view of the town North Beach The chain of barrier islands that protects the northern shore of Pueblo Simón was among the first places that saw development. Its warm weather, gentle sea breeze and closeness to the metropolis has kept it as one of the most in-demand neighbourhoods of the...
Girafarig
Interior, the capital of Isla Bonita and most populated city, is served by the rather modest-looking Grand Railroad Station. A recent remodelling (it was turned around) revealed its inadequacy as a main station -- it's overly crowded and lacks combinations with other means of transportation, like the subway lines that crisscross Interior. Four platforms for 750,000 people. Simply not enough After a quick and definitely not corrupt bidding process, a German company came on top and suggested a very original...
Girafarig
We continue our regular scheduled programme with the next entry in the South Bay metropolitan area. Simon Says? Pueblo Simón! General information City name: Pueblo Simón Date of foundation: XIXth century Population: ≈250,000 people Size: 16 sq km. Land area: about half Average income: §45k/person/year. History Early years Unlike other towns in the Greater Anclaje region, Pueblo Simón actually developed as an independent entity from the main Isla Bonita port. It was founded on the slopes of Providencia...
Girafarig
Welcome to a new format: Quick Updates, for new features in towns already featured in this guide. Anclaje was the very first city featured in this journal and, as such, it has experienced the most transformation. From changing flora to growing over the nearby hills, the city has expanded in size and scope. From the very start, Anclaje featured Highway 3, a link from its downtown core to its upvalley neighbour to the north. H3 cut through some of the most important neighbourhoods and was, to put it mildly,...
Girafarig

Finisterra, part 2

By Girafarig,

Sightseeing in Finisterra Being somewhat removed from the centres of population in Isla Bonita, Finisterra is not teeming with tourist attractions like its neighbours. Nevertheless, it offers a few sightseeing activities -- and some of the most breathtaking natural views in the entire island. De Gracia Parroquia (church) and Avenue De Gracia Avenue extends for about a kilometer on the foothills of the Finisterra Massif In the midst of the Flatlands skyscrapers stands the Nuestra Señora de Gracia church, a...
Girafarig
After a long hiatus brought about by political turmoil and lack of time, I finally bring you the newest entry in the Online Isla Bonita Tourism Catalog: Finisterra! Finisterra some 50 years ago Finisterra today, plus parts of Cuerno de Águila (north, right) and Pueblo Simón (east, down) Finisterra is the southernmost suburb in the South Bay area, home to 200,000 people, at the very southwest corner of Isla Bonita, south of Cuerno de Águila. General information City name: Finisterra Date of foundation: XX...
Girafarig
Boy, it's been such a long time since I updated this CJ! These months have kept me very busy, but anyway. Let's do some sightseeing in Cuerno de Águila: Downtown The first built part of Cuerno de Águila is a small strip between the namesake hill and the sea, and it features the central Estación de la Auditoría (with a clock tower that can be seen in the image above, in between the towers) and the Mercado de la Cebada across the avenue. A few blocks away, the small, but dense CBD lies around Main Square,...
Girafarig

Cuerno de Águila, part 1

By Girafarig,

The westward expansion of the metropolitan area towards the western end of South Bay soon ran into geographical constraints, most notably the mountainous Shrimp Peninsula and the imposing Cuerno de Águila peak overlooking the bay. This large hill gave its name to the westernmost suburbs of Bahía Medusa, built between the mountains and the sea and in a thin strip of land between two different bodies of water. This is Cuerno de Águila. General information City name: Cuerno de Águila Date of foundation: XIX...
Girafarig
It's been quite a while (sorry about that! It'll keep happening!), but here's part 2 of this lovely suburb/city on its own right. What to do in Bahía Medusa? As the main gateway to Isla Bonita, most people step foot on Bahía Medusa for at least some while. However, most visitors only do so to hop from the airport to the monorail station and skip the many tourist attractions that Bahía Medusa has to show! Here's a non-exhaustive list of these things: Airport Free Trade Zone Law #420, which enabled the...
Girafarig
From small, sleepy town to bursting bedroom community, to a town in its own right, Bahía Medusa hosts Looking for Sponsors International airport and, for this reason, is for many, the very first thing they see in Isla Bonita. A composite image of Bahía Medusa from space General information City name: Bahía Medusa Date of foundation: 1920 Population: 308,892 Size: 16 sq km. Land area: 70ish?% Average income: 60k/person/year. History Early years To the east of Presidio Hill, in Anclaje, lays a wide,...
Girafarig
Sorry for the lack of update last week – I had to deal with work, life and my very own birthday! Hopefully we can go back to the weekly updates now. What to do in Interior? Many people think of Interior as a boring, bureaucratic capital with not much to do. Far from it! Before you hop on to the next train headed to the beach, here are some must-see postals from the heart of Isla Bonita, Interior. Civic centre/Old CIty Anclaje Downtown in all of its splendour While Interior was built on stages, it was...
Girafarig
This section is about the capital, largest city by population and only landlocked municipality on Isla Bonita, Interior. Interior hosts the Isla Bonita parliament, many governmental offices and anchors the Central Valley metropolitan zone, the agricultural hearthland of Isla Bonita. General information City name: Interior Date of foundation: 1824 Population: 604,375 Size: 16 sq km. Land area: 100% Average income: 28k/person/year. History While Anclaje was built in a location that benefitted from an...
Girafarig
What to do in Anclaje? Many tourists that visit Isla Bonita feel attracted to the beaches and the gorgeous landscape, but there's actually so much more to do around town! Here are just a few of the most interesting attractions, neighbourhoods and must-visit places in Anclaje. History Downtown Downtown Anclaje Downtown Anclaje, near the coast, is the main financial district of Isla Bonita, and holds a great mixture of old and new, traditional and modern. The limits of Downtown have expanded over time; while...
Girafarig

Transportation

By Girafarig,

Welcome again to Isla Bonita! Many tourists find themselves drawn to this beautiful island every year, enchanted by its marvelous beaches, stunning mountains and architectural marvels. However, before we dive deep into those attractions, there's a few questions that all visitors to Isla Bonita should know the answer for: how do I get there? How do I move around? Won't I get lost? An incomplete look at the massive Isla Bonita transportation network Arriving to Isla Bonita Currency Isla Bonita uses the...
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