Mayor Zoidberg

Hello Simtropolis, Here is my first attempt at a city journal, which I've dubbed Del Sol County. I have posted pictures of my region below, along with my ideas for what types of areas I'm aiming to have in each section. I am open to suggestion on where to begin, as I'm fairly new to SC4. Let me know what you think. Consturction is just beginning, and I'll keep this updated. Thanks for anybody who gives feedback on this. I'll be posting construction photos soon. Mayor Zoidberg

For my next set of updates, I'm treating people to a "driving tour" of my highway system I have thus far. To start today, I am driving along Interstate 50 (Western Airport Freeway section.) I have highlighted it in green. Interstate 50, known locally as the Airport Freeway west of downtown is the primary east-west freeway traversing Tavaris and all of Del Sol County. Starting at Tavaris International Airport (TSX) Interstate 50 heads east into downtown, where it meets with I-9, the primary north-south freeway. The following shots start from the airport and head east. At milepost 0, we see I-50 breaking off from International Way (State Hwy. 81) and beginning its eastbound trek. Very soon after its start, we come to Exit 1, state highway 125, Moreland Blvd. This is hotel row for those with business at the airport, and turning south will take you to the Embassy Suites, Courtyard, Crowne Plaza, and Hampton Inn. Turning north takes you to the Omni and a few restaurants and shopping. Further east, we arrive at Exit 8, Riverside Way (State Hwy. 54) To wrap things up for today, here is Exit 14, State Hwy. 23, the Southlund Freeway. Going south takes travelers to Southlund, the area I documented at the beginning of this city journal. In the foreground along 23 is the St. Anthony Medical Center.

This has been one of my favorite projects so far. I wanted to create a large urban park, similar to the ones seen around Portland, where I live. The following pictures are shots of Riverbend Park, a place in the northeast section of downtown Tavaris for people to come and relax. The south end of the park is also the main center of Del Sol County Parks and Recreation Centers, and is home to softball fields, soccer, a skate park, etc. First off is a small trail going by a pond within the park boundary. Next is the pedestrian bridge over Interstate 9. This connects the rec center fields with the more "nature-y" part of Riverbend Park. Some of the softball fields at the park. My wife and I are currently on a softball league with my company, so I wanted to re-create something similar in Tavaris. And now, a zoomed out view of the rec fields, showing the soccer and skate park areas. And finally, the park hugs the river bank, where residents come to swim. There are also basketball courts. I feel the good citizens of greater Tavaris and Del Sol County have put up with all the construction that goes into building a new city, and therefore am happy to provide Riverbend Park! More updates to come. - Mayor Zoidberg

Just wondering if the Enron building is still around down there. I remember when they switched the name from Enron Field to Minute Maid Park.

Great updates. I'm really looking forward to more freeway pictures. From my time in Houston on business, I was amazed by all the stack interchanges. Houston sure has a lot of wide highways and big interchanges. I was impressed coming from southern California! :-) Keep it up!

Just a few small updates. I have a picture of the northern half of downtown at dusk. And the south side of downtown... And finally I have a close up of State Highway 54 (Riverside Way), which I've completed the landscaping along, and is now home to high end condos. I'll be keeping the updates coming. Thanks for everybody who has left feedback on here thus far.

Looks great! I'm not sure if you're using them, but you can have single ramps that connect directly from the highway to the frontage road. It's part of the NAM. I also wanted to reply to your comment on being unable to imagine driving on a highway without "feeder" roads. I find it amusing, as I grew up in southern California and was used to short ramps that jutted off the Interstate directly to the surface street. Often, drivers have to slow down very quickly. I was on the opposite side of the coin when I was in Texas on business, finding it odd how the frontage roads are used everywhere. I also enjoyed how one of our corporate offices actually has an address that is a freeway (Southwest Freeway, I believe). Guess it just shows how much transit networks vary by city. Keep up the great work. I look forward to more updates.

Looks great. Talk about difficult terrain to build on. I browsed through the pages and didn't see it, but, do you have any shots of the famous Lombard St.? That must've been a chore!

I have to agree with manubeas. Houston is FLAT. I'm talking the original Sim City flat.

Wow! This is a really impressive looking region so far. I have been to Houston on business, and what you described on your first post really matched what I thought of Houston....flat, for one, and sprawling. I was amazed at how far spread out the area was. I drove from the airport, thinking that the area I was headed to was downtown based on all the tall buildings, only to find out my hotel was in Uptown aka the Galleria area. That being said, does Houston have any type of zoning laws? It seems you go from skyscrapers to quiet neighborhoods in under a mile radius. Also, I would love to see some close ups of your freeway system. I've never been to a place that uses frontage roads as extensively, and was wondering if you are using a similar system on your city. Keep up the great work. I look forward to more updates! - Mayor Zoidberg

A few more updates! I am currently working on the northern half of downtown Tavaris. First of all, I have an aerial view of Interstate 9 and its routing through this area. It cuts through the mostly industrial northern half of downtown, and proceeds to run alongside the North Tavaris River. Running right between the northern and southern halves of downtown is Interstate 50, which one can take westbound to the beaches. Next is State Highway 54, Riverside Way. It's a trench running along the extreme northern edge of downtown, essentialy seperating it from the river. The Tavaris Memorial Waterfront Park will be coming soon! Lastly is Interstate 9 at Milepost 108, Constitution Street (1-way eastbound) and Washington St. (1-way westbound into downtown). This is my first attempt to really get clever at making an interchange.

This is looking great so far! I especially like the detail you put into the hills of West Linn and Stafford. I think I saw my house when I viewed your West Linn area! :-)

Thanks for the great feedback. How does one go about getting rid of the water pollution? I'm trying to move industry back a few tiles from the riverfront, unfortunately, the seaport I have creates plenty.

This continues to look better each time I view it. How did you do that toll plaza? Is that a custom puzzle piece? Would you mind telling me where I could find it? I really like this city, and look forward to more updates!

Awesome city journal. I really liked your airport!

It's been a great time in the city of Tavaris, and surrounding Del Sol County. First of all, the mayor has recently cut the ribbon on the new Tavaris Convention Center, located on the south edge of downtown adjacent to I-350. And secondly, I have begun to develop the other side of the river, due south of the downtown area. Currently, it contains a small muni. airport, the largest mall in Del Sol County to date, and a slew of large real estate and commercial developments. In the picture below is Interstate 9 at milepost 92, Fairview Way.

Aloha Simtropolis friends! Back from a great Hawaiian vacation. That being said, I have a few small updates on the Del Sol County region. First of all, I have a zoomed out shot of the eastern side of the downtown area, where you can see the routing of Interstate 50. Just east of downtown, the county becomes a bit more hilly. Next is a closer shot of the Damcyan Hill area, and the I-50 "D-Curve" as the freeway wraps around the hill on its approach to downtown. And finally, inspired by my own city of Portland, I have placed the Del Sol County Zoo on top of Damcyan Hill (similar to the Oregon Zoo being along the canyon US 26 winds through on its way into downtown Portland).

Wow! This is a great city journal! The city, highways, landscaping, terrain, everything looks great on this. I really liked your express/collector lanes. Del Sol County may need some of those! Keep up the great work.

This is looking great. Excellent work on the hairpin turns, and the interchanges you've put along I-30. I look forward to additional updates.

I apologize in advance if its been asked on here before, but what about HOV lanes, similar to the "closed off" types one sees in southern California? I think that would really add a "real" ness to the freeway systems. Also, what about curved ramps from a street or avenue as an onramp to a freeway, again, similar to what you see in southern California. It seems like it'd be a good way to fit an interchange where you have limited space otherwise. Just my two cents worth. Thanks! - Mayor Zoidberg

This will be my last update for a little over a week. My wife and I are going to Hawai'i for a much needed vacation. That being said, here are some recent photos to tide any following I have (all 1 or 2 of you) over until then. Enjoy! First off, is Sunset Park, home of the Solars, the Tavaris area's AL franchise. Passing by the stadium is state highway 81. Next, we're moving into my new downtown area, Tavaris, the largest city of the region. First off, I have a picture of I-350, which skirts the sotuh side of downtown and is depressed into a trench for most of its alignment in this area. (I am still working on getting some walls that would fit this freeway segment better!) Last, I have a shot of the east side of downtown, which is mostly industrial, though if you look west, you can see some of the skyscrapers. Also in this picture is the meetings of Interstates 50, 350, and 9, which I previously posted. I had to revise the design a bit because of terrain. I am trying to figure out a way to avoid having block upon block of look alike buildings, so if there are any suggestions.... Well, that's about it for a while. I, Mayor Zoidberg, appreciate all your feedback on this, and "Aloha" until next time.

I would say my favorite part of city buliding is creating highways. I really enjoy creating interchanges and a well planned freeway system. Therefore, I am posting construction photos of the downtown interchange. This marks the convergence of 3 freeways, Interstate 50, Interstate 9, and Interstate 350. I-50 is the main east-west artery through my region, as I-9 is the primary north-south. I-350 spurs off of 50 on the east side of where my downtown area will be, and continues west to the beaches (you can see I-350 in previous posts. Currently, I'm planning on how to move traffic on eastbound 350 to I-9 South.

I am not sure if the requests have come up on this before, but I figured I'd ask. Would it be possible to see: 1) "California style" interchanges. Basically, short ramps that one has to accelerate on quickly, meant to be placed in areas without a lot of highway R.O.W. 2) HOV lanes, preferrably the closed off kind.

The highways continue to look great. How did you get curves for your freeways? Are those puzzle pieces that are part of the NAM? I tried looking, but can't find the curves.

Very impressive region! That terraforming job is incredible! How long did that take you? I look forward to more updates.