Girafarig

I'm delightfully confused by this series. And now I want praline, to boot.

I've never been quite fond of the Bahía Medusa Station area. I conceived the double roundabout entrance back when this was all cornfields and small streets, and even then it seemed like an awkward transition. Now that this is the middle of a 300,000-sized city (or suburb, whatever), it's wholly inadequate. It's time to upgrade it to a proper elevated highway with offramps. Drawing the elevated highway is the most expensive part, but the easiest. The highway was already elevated some 200 meters away, so I just needed to delete the height transition, redraw an off/on ramp (not shown here) and extend. Wanting to get an off-ramp in here, I need to redraw the eastern avenue (top). But that's relatively easy, as is extending the pedestrian street (middle) under the highway, The really difficult thing is going to be the ramps heading west. Right after the avenue, there's a road extending to the roundabout (which, with it gone, can now lead to the avenue curve), a second road that tunnels under the highway (redundant, since the avenue now handles the crossing) and an Elevated Rail section. God, I love the super-elevated rail pieces. All that's left now is filling in the space. There's strong commercial demand around the area. Residential areas are a bit harder to fill in (this city has always had some issues with commute times, which I suspect is actually unemployment), but it'll be eventually filled in, too.

For those of us that live in the Southern Hemisphere, can we do the Christmas theme with palm beaches and Santa Claus sweating his… parts off? /s Song mildly related, it's in Spanish but I think you can all get the gist of it:

The protuding texture would be the Maxis default. I'm working on replacing those with the custom beaches, but it takes some time and I've kind of not focused on Casino Island. It's on the to-do list.

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, including the charming Nuestra Señora de Gracia church with its red roofs. The CdA Stock Exchange, a Karl Marx bust and the Main Library Downtown is served by Monorail line A, Subway line 4 (at Karl Marx and Auditoría stations), heavy rail and the T5 Tram line. There's also two ferry landings at Auditoría and one close by, serving the CBD. Anclaje Hill/West Anclaje Anclaje Oeste, named after the neighbouring town, grew as an extension of said city into the hilly area immediately to its west. Despite its name, this neighbourhood is actually located to the northeast of Cuerno de Águila. It's a residential, posh place, extending from the seaside beaches of Anclaje Oeste and around the small Downtown Bay to St. Paul's Church atop Anclaje Hill (also not located in Anclaje) and the foothills of Fair Hill. St. Paul's church towering over Belfry Square to the north (left) Some people also include Colina Hill, to the east of Anclaje Hill, in this broad neighbourhood, as well as the Boticas shopping district right behind it. Colina Hill features the national rugby stadium, as well as Cortez's Palace, and its white-roofed low-density architecture is popular with urban trekking tours. Historians have yet to determine who this Cortez guy was, or if the statue in front of his namesake museum is supposed to be a representation of him Anclaje Oeste is prominently served by rail at Cerro Anclaje station, as well as several Line 1 subway stations and, further from the coast, the T4 Tram line. Line 1 monorail serves Anclaje Oeste's beach before crossing over Downtown Bay. "Boticas" (featured here around the T4 tram line) is a Spanish word meaning a small store, in particular a pharmacy Valley/Hillside The area around Valley Avenue has also been called "Valley", since it's a small depression between Colina Hill and the Cuerno de Águila range. Despite some issues with flooding (this is an endorrheic basin, surrounded on all sides by hills), this is the most densely populated area in Cuerno de Águila. Meanwhile, the hills immediately to the east have been simply called "Hillside". Aguileños, the local multi-sport club, has two stadiums in this location, both for Baseball and Football, with the baseball ground in particular being famed for its panoramic views, its funicular entrance (actually part of the public transport network) and its stone terracing. Thanks to this terracing, and on a good day, it's been said that home runs can fly well over 200 meters, even hitting nearby Dorsal Avenue. Valley Avenue's median is used by T5 tram line, while Subway Line 1 crosses the avenue at the namesake station. The corner of Dorsal Avenue and Home Run Street holds the world record for "most moving cars hit by a home run", with 1 (disputed) Uptown The natural development of Cuerno de Águila was spearheaded by the development of Valle Súbito, a new residential project enclaved in the hills. Despite the developing company's fall from grace, surrounded by accusations of malversation of funds and light treason, this particular neighbourhood has been a success. Most notably, it harbours the Cuerno de Aguila Conservatory and Opera House. While it's a mostly residential neighbourhood, there are some tourists sights. Besides the aforementioned conservatory, the Cuerno de Águila zoo is also located nearby. Some say quaint, others antiquated, but most people say "why is there so much manure?" Valle Súbito is served by the namesake station in Line 1. Further along Dorsal Avenue, climbing up Cuerno de Aguila hill, the High Valley is located. Formerly and still the location of CdA Studios, nowadays it's been developed as a residential neighbourhood. A tale of two funiculars The small Islamic quarter is centered around this area, with Palestine Square being flanked by the Cuerno de Aguila mosque (in red and yellow) and the small Torre de la Plaza, right next to the Torre Funicular heading east into La Barra neighbourhood. [Comment removed due to political content] Right next to Cda Studios is located the main TV channel for the city, which is why some have called this area of town "Media Quarter". The Mediterranean feel around this area is undeniable Las Granjas The main commercial area in the city is Las Granjas, due south. See Part 1 for its history. Las Granjas island, located just offshore, is the main tourist attraction in the area, with the Island Hotel being the most glamorous in the entire city and a hotspot of high-wealth patrons and high-priced escorts. On the mainland, the main tourist attraction (and definitely not a trap) lies right next to Las Granjas Tram station, itself adjacent to the likewise-named rail station. Las Granjas island, because money can't buy class And while many people swear by nearby Las Granjas beach and its boardwalk, extending all the way into neighbouring Pueblo Simón, those in the know prefer Balneario Beach and its floating restaurant. Balneario Hospital has a dedicated wing for gastrointestinal complaints for no reason at all, I swear Far Side On the other side of the hills, Cuerno de Águila also has a coast. This is a more sparsely populated side, but it also features tourist attractions. While Airport Island is drab and uninteresting, Casino Island features not only its namesake building, but also the State Fair. It's the easiest way of getting unburdened by all your money, whether it's by gambling or in dubious skill games. Casino Island was briefly renamed in a publicity stunt with the Bond franchise, so it was known as "Moonraker" for a few months While nearby Peninsula is a residential neighbourhood, its beach and pier is a hidden gem. Waters on the ocean side of Cuerno de Aguila are a bit more turbulent, so caution is required if you are a swimmer, but being further from the main tourist areas has benefits. Mingling with the locals is a must, and the locals are very friendly with all tourists, especially those with Schengen Area passports and a history of untreated heart disease FAQ What is the best way to get a picture of all of Cuerno de Águila? Cuerno de Águila summit, overlooking most of the city, is a short hike away from Palestine Square. Other than that, probably the best way to come into the city –if you're looking for good pictures– is by ferry. Don't worry about not getting pictures of the far side. No one likes that part of town. What is the best restaurant in Cuerno de Águila? Most people would advise the seaside restaurants, and they can certainly work in a pinch, but the highest-rated restaurant in town is actually Phil's Frosty Delights on Dorsal Avenue, right across from the Mosque. What is your position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? I… uh… No, seriously, because there's no Israel Square, right? Well, no, but see… uh… And you don't even have a synagogue! Yes, well, but we've been looking for… uuh… This is unacceptable! We have a Karl Marx statue? He was Jewish, right? Karl Marx, famous atheist, is not "right" in this scenario

Well, I finally did it. I finally built my first Hybrid Railway station (far right): It is a bit pointless, since the rail on the right moves through a very steep mountain range that can only be crossed by a two tunnels, and to the left, there's another city where the rail lines run underground, using the all-but-deprecated URail protocol, and terminate at a lovely but not high-rail-enabled terminus. But I have been trying to build railways to the high speed standard, even if there's only regular passenger traffic going through, because I don't want to be caught by surprise if the hybrid rail becomes more feasible to use on a hilly island. Also, completely not related: I have the New Routemaster running the bus routes, but I just noticed it's made for LHD and my city is obviously RHD. Would anyone here (ideally the person who made this) be able to flip the automata? Nevermind, found it!

I'd give an arm and a leg to live there

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 century Population: 520,390 Size: 16 sq km. Land area: 70ish?% Average income: 30k/person/year. History Early years There are at least two converging stories that lead to the foundation of Cuerno de Águila as it is known today. The first one, the town proper, begun as a humble fishermen's village on the western end of South Bay. Here, land realestate is at a premium, but the sea is at its calmest and the coastline offers plenty of coves and small bays. Cuerno de Águila first saw construction on a small sand spit, nowadays the main shopping district, and in the namesake hill immediately to its west (up, in this picture). The Cuerno de Águila waterfront and (behind some luxury residential apartments) the main train station, nowadays an important transportation hub With its temperatures moderated by the sea, but on the rain shadow of the imposing Cuerno de Águila hill, CdA soon became a retreat for wealthy Anclaje patrons, who would ride on the Coast Tram (nowadays replaced by the monorail) to reach the village. It was these patrons that enabled Cuerno de Águila to grow both to the north and south, on a small strip of land, first by buying beach houses, and then, by establishing the second CBD of the South Bay area, right next to the sea. Many of Bahía Medusa's banks are now located in this sector, next to the ironically named Karl Marx square, linked by monorail to Anclaje's downtown. Keeping it light and breezy. Mostly light and dry At the same time, the natural expansion of Anclaje surpassed its administrative borders and the city spilt into its western neighbours; first timidly, along the coast and following the tram, and then explosively during the 20th century, following Highway 2 and Line 1 of the subway. Many new middle-class owners weren't so deterred by the hills around the area, with many of them actually seeing them as a boon, offering panoramic seaviews; meanwhile, less fortunate workers were attracted to the many farms dotting the area and the steady demand for labour. St. Paul's basilica, atop Anclaje hill (oddly enough, not located in Anclaje) soon became a landmark of the neighbourhood, which advanced relentlessly, eventually consuming all farmland. Why be in Anclaje when you can be in Anclaje Oeste? (North is up) Extension and growth As downtown CdA slowly coalesced with Anclaje to become a single, continuous metropolitan area, the snobbish wealthy class grew tired of the growing popularity of their former resort and sought new grounds for expansion. Cuerno de Águila's western coast was, by then, mostly unoccupied. It offered even worse building conditions than the eastern side of the peninsula: an even thinner, swampy strip of land along the coast, very little flat ground, and wetter conditions. It was also oriented in the direction of Isla Enojada, which could potentially mean catastrophic gas emissions from that volcanic island. Nevertheless, two events made this part of town more attractive for realestate investors: the Isla Enojada volcano begun to lay dormant, and the Isla Bonita government extended Highway 2 through a tunnel. Soon, this area became the plaything of developing interests, who carved canals and reclaimed islands, built a casino, an airport, and one of the densest residential neighbourhoods in the world: Peninsula, served by –yet again– a Line 1 extension, Highway 2 and rail. Despite its density and remoteness, or maybe because of it, Peninsula soon became one of the most in-demand developments in the entire island. Peninsula, actually continuing beyond Cuerno de Águila's city limits At the same time, commercial interests set their sights on the southern coast of South Bay. There lay a number of farms, but also a very busy route for commuters from other cities, beyond CdA, and the main downtown areas of the city, Anclaje and beyond. Soon Las Granjas was developed as a commercial district, with hotels and beaches, as well as an extension of downtown CdA, with more luxury apartments. Las Granjas, island included The city nowadays continues to grow in the direction of the hills. The urban area has linked both coasts, and while there remains some farmland, it's projected to soon disappear. Geography and climate Located at the westernmost extremity of South Bay and straddling a mountain range, Cuerno de Águila presents several microclimates. Broadly speaking, the western part of the city, overlooking the Main Channel separating Isla Bonita from the rest of the archipelago, sees a more humid, colder climate, while most of the city, located on its eastern shore, is drier. In between both coasts, upland areas are the wettest parts of the city, while the Boticas neighbourhood, on the other side of Anclaje hill, regularly features temperature inversions that can make it feel really cold, especially in winter. Nevertheless, the entirety of the city, like all of Isla Bonita, sits at the intersection of a Mediterranean and a Humid Subtropical climate with strong maritime influences. The Valle neighbourhood, enclaved between the hills, is the driest part of the city Transportation Cuerno de Águila has been built by transportation like no other city in Isla Bonita, and it features an extensive network with a few particular quirks. Rail The city is served by the Anclaje Northeast line. The main line coming from Anclaje more or less follows the coast from a distance, drawing an "U" shape around South Bay. There are two branches: one that splits from the main line and heads in the direction of Cuerno de Águila airport, and a second one that tunnels near Las Granjas and heads to the Peninsula neighbourhood on the western side. The main stations are Cerro Anclaje (serving all branches), the aforementioned Estación de la Auditoría (a.k.a. downtown station, offering connections to the tram, monorail, and ferry), Las Granjas station, and the terminals at Aeropuerto and Peninsula, the latter featuring exquisite art-deco architecture. Blink and you'll miss it, "it" being services to Anclaje, Providencia and Finisterra Road transportation CdA is traversed by Highway 2, which heads west from Anclaje, tunnels under the mountains and then turns sharply to the south over the western coast. This is an unusual route, avoiding what was then the main town due to pressure from the local inhabitants. The city does, however, have plenty of avenues linking its main neighbourhoods. The most important among these is probably the Paseo del Nuevo Extremo, which snakes its way along the city, from the coast at Anclaje Oeste, along Colina Hill, down a boulevard through downtown, and then turning east at Las Granjas. Other avenues include Avenida del Valle, through its namesake neighbourhood; Avenida Súbita, straddling the central hills, and the newly built Avenida La Barra, on the western coast. Note that all of these avenues traverse from north to south. The Nuevo Extremo Boulevard was actually a pioneer in the standard Isla Bonita boulevard construction. It was the first avenue in the island to feature side parks, separated traffic and a central tram line Subway, tram, cable car/funiculars and monorail The history of Cuerno de Águila simply couldn't have been written without trams. The Coast Tram was what enabled it to become a streetcar suburb, and even though its tracks to Anclaje have long since been replaced by Monorail Line A, which loops around South Bay before heading south into Finisterra, there are still some tram lines currently working in the city, most notably Line T5, the Coast Tram's successor, coming in from the north, traverses alongside Nuevo Extremo Avenue (see above) before continuing alongside the coast, southeast to Pueblo Simón. Tram Line T4, on the other hand, comes from Anclaje on the other side of the hills and links a number of neighbourhoods before finishing at Monumento station. Line 1 of the subway crosses the city from southwest to northeast in a wide arc, so much so that Cuerno de Águila has the longest amount of track belonging to this subway line within city limits. Nevertheless, since the extension to Finisterra, it no longer holds any of its terminals. Line 1, instead, comes from this town and travels alongside the entire western coast (a remarkable engineering feat, only possible through a series of deep tunnels), turning east at La Barra and crossing the mountains near Valle Súbito before coming down the other side, and passing nearby St. Paul's Basilica on its way to Anclaje. Cuerno de Águila is also served by Line 4, which travels along the coast, mostly shadowing the monorail line but a bit further to the northwest, directly beneath downtown, before ending at Auditoría station. Finally, Cuerno de Águila features a number of cable cars or funiculars ascending the steep hills. This idea, brought from a commission that visited Valparaíso, Chile, has enabled plenty of people to more easily access upland neighbourhoods. Estadio funicular has a direct connection to Tram Line T4, but the cable car with the best panoramic view has got to be Cine, near downtown and linking it to the new neighbourhoods near the top of Cuerno de Águila hill. The "Hollywood" sign near Cine funicular has been widely derided as "tacky", "unoriginal" and "yet another legal liability", but the city has remained steadfast in keeping it

That would be @Reddonquixote's own St Pauls cathedral creation. Unfortunately, the file was only posted at the now-gone LEX at SC4 Devotion (here: https://www.sc4devotion.com/?lotGET=3222). Maybe the file'll appear at some compilation package, like they've been doing with other BATters' creations at SC4 Evermore, but that'll take a while. If you want a similar building that is actually located atop a hill in real life, I would try the Sacre Cœur church at Montmartre, available here below. It would've been my second choice if I hadn't managed to fit St. Pauls up there –it's actually a pretty tricky, overlapping BAT, which is why the roads curve like that.

St. Paul's cathedral basilica, atop Anclaje hill, overlooking South Bay. Helicopters have some trouble with such a large building, apparently. Ah, to live by the seaside, going to church and then walking down to the beach.

It's remodeling time! Avenida de la Bahía (I think? The name got deleted after placing the bus stops) is going to be upgraded to a four-lane boulevard so more people have some greenery in the city. Time to demolish things. Bye-bye, courthouse! Now, we can't have all those at-level crossings sullying our boulevard! And this is the final result, after a lot of demolishing and tunneling. And with some trees and the new lots being built by private interests (?)

Jakarta would be a really cool city/region to replicate. I thought there was a map by TCC, but no dice. Still, if you ask him nicely, you might get such a map. I have a modest, 2.5 mill. region and it runs with no issues on my M1 MacBook Pro. I don't think larger regions, with more population, would represent much of a challenge, since for most calculations, SimCity only uses the city it loaded and its neighbours, which at most it's going to be 6 large cities (it could be a lesser amount of medium and small cities, of course, but why would you do that to yourself?) And then there's City Journals like Dimland. I think a region there is hitting the 25 mill. mark soon, which is about the size of Jakarta. Maybe you should go check that out.

It's a bit pointless, since this track zigzags uphill and has some fairly sharp turns, but I'm trying the new(ish? They're new to me, anyway) slope transitions for the hybrid railway. If anything, it's –at the very least– aesthetically pleasing and modern to have those nice catenaries. And get a hang of this, maybe I'll try to build a proper high-speed line for my city.

I've been working a bit on Cuerno de Águila, which is going to be featured next in my own CJ (once I get around to it – it might take a while) but it's actually fairly incomplete in some areas, especially on its western coast, away from the main bay. But I'm at a point where the sprawl is finally connecting the main urban area and the densely built, if narrow and western coast. There's actually a pretty important commercial area here, but it's all but isolated. The beach makes no sense, so that's the first thing to go. We can use this water canal for ferries, and we can send a tramline along the coast to connect the buildings to the Subway line 1, which thankfully runs nearby but is actually on the other side of the water –and I don't feel like rerouting it. Gotta love the grass trams, huh? At the end of the avenue (just a road that I widened, now that I don't have to use all the waterfront space for beaches in the middle of nowhere) there's this weird crossing with another avenue –an actually really important link, since it's the main highway dropoff point and it also leads, via a tunnel, to downtown–. I need to build something that makes sense for the trams and the ferry that stops here. Gotta love roundabouts. The area immediately to the south is a large, empty plot which I have yet to figure out how to fill. But that's something for another day. For now, here's the new La Barra neighbourhood, better connected to the city and prettier (check out that tall building! That is 100% growable).

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 island to construct Looking For Sponsors (LFS) Airport, also made provisions for the construction of a free trade zone outside of the main terminal. This tourism–oriented area, with duty-free stores and services, also includes a resort hotel, some of Bahía Medusa's finest beaches, and the local chapter of the State Fair. While some people have described it as "gaudy", "Miamesque", and "a concrete nightmare", thousands of tourists visit the Free Trade Zone every day, usually to hop on the monorail or rent one of the many cars available in the parking lots, while locals can also visit the Zone for cheap booze or to meet tourists at the beach. The Free Zone can be reached by monorail (Ferry and Terminal 1 stations), Subway (Ferry station, Lines 4 and 5) and by… well, ferry line. Old Town The Old Town waterfront and pier Immediately to the west of the Airport, across the Bay Bridges, the Old Town is the oldest part of Bahía Medusa. The waterfront is a new commercial development in an otherwise residential area, taking advantage of the location of the Old Town in between Anclaje and the aforementioned airport, while to the north, the Main Square anchors the main commercial area of the city. The Old Town is very well connected, and has the Medusa transport hub, where the monorail and T1 Tram lines converge, as well as ferry stops. There's also a number of bus lines running alongside Valenti Boulevard (from east to west) or Bay Avenue (north to south). The Medusa Cathedral, the City Hall and local Courthouse are all located around Main Square The Cruise Ship Port, Casino and Peninsula If you choose to visit Isla Bonita by cruise, this may very well be your first sight of the city The Bahía Medusa Cruise Port, the first of its kind in Isla Bonita, was built on a dredged canal on the namesake Jellyfish Bay and it sees several ships per year anchor at its pier. The Bahía Medusa casino is nearby, as well as a series of stores. This area is also located along the southern waterfront, in between the Airport and the Old Town. On the South Bay side, the peninsula holds several canals and walking paths above water, as well as the old Fuerta de Pego fort. This residential neighbourhood nevertheless sees some tourism and it can be a good alternative to the beaches and shopping. This port is served by the monorail (Laguna station) and Puentes station on Line 4 of the subway. The Laguna and Peninsula neighbourhoods show that water canals are no impediment to a walkable place Jellyfish Beach Jellyfish Beach, so beautiful that even pixels can't cope with it The main beach in Bahía Medusa, located on its namesake bay, is Jellyfish beach. The jellyfish numbers have been greatly reduced, so nowadays it's the preferred beach by Medusians –close to the Main Station and to Downtown, with calm, warm waters and the lovely European-style architecture of the city just around the corner. Savvy tourists should visit the Farmers' Market on Founders' Square, where the local delicacy of Melon and Wine can easily be purchased to enjoy while sitting next to the beach. This neighbourhood is very well connected to the entire Isla Bonita network. Line T1 crosses it, with stops at Península, Playa and Bahía Medusa Main Station, which is also served by the Anclaje Docklands rail line and subway lines 1 and 4. The eclectic low-rise buildings around Founders' Square Arts District The University of Bahía Medusa, right across the boulevard from the Alejandro Theatre The University of Bahía Medusa (BMU), while not as prestigious as those of the main port or the capital, is nevertheless very well known for its Liberal Arts programme and the quality of its Performative Arts School. In addition to its main campus, located near Downtown, it controls the Alejandro Theatre right across Boulevard Al Este. This is Isla Bonita's main theatre, and it also hosts ballet and opera performances. The Arts District is served by Universidad stop on the T3 tram line. Bulevar Al Este Line 1 Subway station is also nearby, and its elevated tracks offer magnificent views of the theatre. Bulevar Al Este station also has a small park in front of it, while the Bahía Medusa stock exchange is across the boulevard Hillside District Head towards the hills for the most fun part of the city Immediately north of the Arts District lies the Hillside district, home to the BMU Film Studio, the Opera House, the Zoo and the main TV station of the city. Located at the intersection of Bay and Hill Avenues, near the end of Haussmann diagonal, this district sits at the junction point of the city, and it offers both entertainment and nature, with hiking possibilities to enjoy a great view of the city and bay at night. It can be reached by many bus lines, in addition to Plaza Madre station on subway lines 1 and 5. El Escorial, Barrio Colegio and nearby structures El Escorial palace, surrounded by museums The former Royal Hunting grounds are anchored by the Escorial palace, built in imitation of its Spanish counterpart by the Bonitos dynasty. The palace was demolished during the early stages of the Light Blue revolution, before being rebuilt and used as the main centerpoint of the Colegios neughbourhood, and is nowadays a museum. The entire neighbourhood is representative of Bahía Medusa, with its European architecture, broad avenues and many museums. Next to the palace, the Modern Art museum holds the island's main Modern Art exhibitions, while the Zeughaus, across Escorial Avenue, holds history exhibitions. Nearby there's the Bahía Medusa Main Library and its Mormon temple. Zeughaus, Library and Temple Immediately to the south of the formerly Royal Palace, the old Hunting Grounds have been turned into the Escorial Park, Bahía Medusa's main green lung. The park hosts in its grounds Peter's Church, as well as the Bahía Medusa stadium. The Estadio Parque, as it's also known, hosts the current Baseball league champions, the Medusians. We're not saying the place is a tourist trap, but there's also, literally, a tourist trap. The best way to reach El Escorial is through Tram Line 3. Catedral station sits at the intersection of Escorial Avenue and Bouvelard Este. Convention Centre Convention Centre and Bridge The Convention Centre is where many of Isla Bonita's events happen. It's greatly aided by its location, just a short walk away from Terminal 2 of LFS Airport, and serviced by Convención stop on the T1 tram and the Airport Transport Hub, which is Terminal 2 monorail, Subway Line 5 and Tram Line 1 station and the High St. Station across the avenue. The Hub needs to be reached by crossing Convención Bridge, famous for its gilded sculptures that were probably… not? Our lawyer says they were not inspired by Paris's bridges, please do not sue us again. FAQ What are the best places to admire Bahía Medusa's architecture? While Bahía Medusa's middle-density, low-rise buildings can be found all throughout the city, the best representative is probably the Haussmann South neighbourhood. It's also a short walk away from many of the aforementioned attractions, as well as the nearby coast (there's no beach here, though). This is probably the best place to find croissants, as well What is the fastest way to visit one of the actual, important cities? Get out.

I haven't been playing SimCity 4 for a while now –which is also the reason for the lack of updates in my CJ, apologies for that!– but I decided to reopen it and work a bit on Bahía Medusa, the city currently being showcased in my region. The transit in BM is a bit of a mess: there's a lot of subway lines, but the last mile connections seem deficient, with bus stops haphazardly placed in small streets while the avenues are underutilised. I decided to relocate some bus stops to these avenues, away from the streets, in order to better balance things out. But there's one big issue: the main transit hubs are also not well located. Case in point: this lovely Spitalfields station, built right in the middle of the main boulevard of the city. The hub is really well located… if you travel by car. But getting there by foot seems impossible, and it only really serves the bus lines running alongside the boulevard –which already has a tram line in or under it, so what's the point? There's a large diagonal avenue to the south where bus lines should get rerouted (see above), so it would be in our best interests to build steady connections to this avenue, plus increasing pedestrian connectivity. Demolitions begin. I love underground rail so, so much – it's a shame to see it's been all but deprecated. Now it's time to make a pedestrian connection to the south avenue… except there's no pedmall under monorail? I was so sure there was at least a puzzle piece! Oh, well. Let's just get a reasonable bus connection going and call it a day. Except, wait! The station is always to the left of the street. Sims are lovely darlings who use it anyway, but this won't do. Time to flip the streets around it! And here's the end result. It's a bit spaghetti-ish, arguably, but I got rid of one at-level crossing, made simpler connections to the southern avenue and enabled routes to go around the station without it being too complicated or funneling all traffic in both directions through a single, two-lane road. This should encourage more people to use buses. Now it's time to unpause simulation and see how things turned out! Up yours, SC4.

Those smooth highway curves over the canal give me life

Here's how you solve this issue in macos Ventura (older versions may have some slight differences but the gist is the same): Try opening the file. You'll get the same error, that's fine, just click ok. Go to System Settings (on the Apple menu, at the top left corner of your screen) and then head to Security Settings (you can use the search bar in the System Settings app if the menu is a bit too much) Under "Security", you'll find a menu that says "Allow applications downloaded from". You have as options "App Store" and "App Store and identified developers", none of which will be of any help now, but that's ok, because… Right underneath that menu you're going to find something to the tune of "we didn't open NetworkAddonMod because it's not from an identified developer" and a big button right underneath it that says "Open anyway". Click that button. Install the NAM. There's a chance you'll have to install it in some other folder and then move it to the appropriate place for SC4 to be able to use it, but we'll cross that bridge once we get there. Best of luck!

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, low-lying valley. Anclaje succesfully managed to lay claim to the eastern part of this valley, near the city, but areas on the east were deemed much less valuable on account of a large sea inlet, punctuated by mudflats, that diminished the land's agricultural value. This bay, little more than a puddle by depth, gained the name of Bahía Medusa ("Jellyfish Bay", in Spanish) on account of the jellyfish that were once very common there. Despite the low-laying, easily floodable geography, or perhaps because of that, Bahía Medusa earned a reputation as a beach town. It was far enough from the busy Anclaje port to remain quiet and sleepy, yet close enough for day trips –especially with the development of the old Coast Tram–; the abundant sea water moderated temperatures in the sweltering summer and the gently sloping beaches, once the jellyfish nuisance was dealt with, made for relaxing beaches with few of the dangers of some other beaches, more exposed to the open sea. The main town developed right beyond the border from Anclaje, tucked between it and the sea, and the central station was –with great foresight now, but somewhat uncomfortably then– built at the then edge of town. There was also the old Royal Summer Palace, further away, as a retreat for the then King and his family. The old town, built on the continuation of Valenti Boulevard from Anclaje, with residential zones to the south (right) and a small commercial downtown to the north Bahía Medusa gets put in the map The fate of Bahía Medusa changed with the development of air travel. The then new regime at Isla Bonita, which had first hurt the town by expropriating and demolishing the old Royal Palace, approved the construction of an airport on a large, low-lying island in Bahía Medusa – land that was no good for agriculture and remained unpopulated, yet was near enough to the main population centre that it would serve as a convenient destination for international travellers. The King Bonito airport, as it was known was then, started building in the 70s, right as the Oil Crisis hit worldwide. Nevertheless, the government pressed on, and the amount of funds poured into this project, plus the lack of jobs elsewhere, quickly pushed people into Bahía Medusa. The benefits didn't last long –once the single-runway, single-terminal airport was finished, the amount of money entering Bahía Medusa quickly dwindled– but the transportation infrastructure had a welcome side effect: now the city was closer than ever to Anclaje. Further compounding this, the main port had finally finished expanding its urban area to its city limits. Bahía Medusa with Looking for Sponsors airport finished. The old Summer Palace and hunting fields had been expropriated and demolished by then Explosive growth and Haussmanisation Anclaje had already expanded to the west, in the direction of Cuerno de Águila and Bahía Herradura, but there wasn't much space in this direction due to the mountain ranges and the sea. North, to Interior, it was also difficult to expand due to the ruggedness of the terrain. The only way to go was east. The former fields of Bahía Medusa quickly fell victim to rapid urbanization. Eventually, the entire city area would be built up, save from some pockets at the far east. It was by this time that it was decided to reestablish the old Royal Hunting Grounds as a park, as well as rebuilding some of the buildings for public use, but even with these measures, as well as the extension of both Subway Line 1 and Tram Line 3, Bahía Medusa quickly became cramped and overpopulated. For a while, it was the most populous city in all of Isla Bonita, with over 500,000 residents – but despite the development of its own downtown, plus the Free Zone of LFS Airport, most people commuted to Anclaje or beyond. In addition, the tall buildings represented a hazard to the ever increasing flights arriving to and departing the island. The popularisation of wide-body aircraft and the necessity of a second runway, with included demolitions to make up space for takeoffs, led to a council meeting and one of the most controversial decisions in Isla Bonita urbanist history. By a small majority, it was decided that the new building height restrictions wouldn't just apply on the neighbourhoods on the flight part (the Old Town, for the most part) but everywhere in the city, and they would be retroactive. It was also decided to redraw several streets, departing from the old 130x130 grid that still is dominant in Anclaje and the other cities, in favour of a rectangular approach, and the City Council laid down strict rules regarding the new buildings to be built, which were to resemble the famous Parisian architecture of the nineteenth century. The decision would prove costly, not only in terms of compensation and expropriations, but also in a diminished tax base that forced the City Council to raise taxes. However, it would ultimately be very successful – the transportation system saw marked reductions in crush time and an improvement in quality and speed, and the city –which was already fairly wealthy and posh– maintained its economic position. The aesthetic changes have also contributed to giving Bahía Medusa an European flair, with mid-rise buildings flanking wide, green boulevards. There remains issues regarding the very expensive rate, and the commuting time is still fairly high for a suburb a mere 5 kilometers from its main downtown at Anclaje, but Bahía Medusa remains one of the most attractive cities for tourists and residents alike. Looking for Sponsors airport is still looking for sponsors to be named! Geography and climate Bahía Medusa is located around its namesake bay, a shallow inlet of sea which greatly moderates temperatures around it. It has some hills to the north and northwest, but for the most part, it's an exceptionally flat town, with gentle, shallow coasts. There's been plenty of reclamation around it, especially around the south of the city, where the Laguna and Peninsula neighbourhoods are built practically over water. Peninsula, famous for its palms and walkways over water Transportation As a suburb of Anclaje, Bahía Medusa's transportation network is geared towards this port town to its west. Nevertheless, it has grown enough in importance that some recent transportation projects have been built in consideration of intra-city travel. Rail Served by the Anclaje Docklands line, Bahía Medusa is crisscrossed by two lines. The most important, from west to east, is a double-track railway calling at the Estación de Bahía Medusa, a.k.a. BM Central, and Diagonal station on its way to Cabo Feliz on the far west of the island. There's also a north-south line that starts at Airport Terminal 2 and heads north into Costa Este and destinations beyond. There's a number of reasons why Bahía Medusa is not a big rail destination. One is the location of its central station, nowadays anchoring a decently sized commercial district, but outside of the city proper by the time it was founded. The second reason has also to do with geography: in wanting to avoid the old Royal Hunting grounds, the east-west line was actually built on a causeway, slightly offshore. The causeway still stands, but obviously, there are no stations along its length and no trains call at it. It's often been suggested that this stretch could be turned into a high-speed-rail testing stretch, but Isla Bonita's size and geography preclude it from seriously considering HSR. The Bahía Medusa causeway, running alongside the Coast Tram line –which crosses on a regular bridge Tram and subway There are two main tram lines in Bahía Medusa. The old Coast Tram (pictured above), designated as Tram Line 1, once crossed the entire island but nowadays starts at Shenzhen station in Anclaje. It has survived in its Bahía Medusa stretch and comes from the west, through the Old Town, turns north to avoid the bay, meets with the trains at BM Central, and then continues due east before dipping under the Airport Terminal 2 station complex. It used to then continue via a tunnel to Airport Terminal 1 Station, but the tunnel is now used by Subway Line 5. Bahía Medusa also sees service from Tram Line 3, which runs through the entire length of Boulevard Due East, from Anclaje to Cabo Feliz. This 4-kilometer line is, perhaps, the most important transportation line in the city –and certainly one of the most attractive for tourists, since it cuts right through the city, is surrounded by greenery, yet passes right next to many tourist attractions. As for subway, Line 1 was extended to the city in its early stages, as an Elevated Rail network that calls at BM Central, turns north to meet Tram Line 3, then turns east and continues to Cabo Feliz over Bay Avenue. Line 4 finishes its arc trajectory in Bahía Medusa, coming from the northwest and turning due south to reach BM Central before turning west and finishing at Airport Terminal 1. What is now known as Line 5 started as a Bahía Medusa-exclusive shuttle service from south to north, linking several stations near Highway 5. It was integrated into the Anclaje & Interior Subway, rerouted to turn northwest under Haussmann Avenue, then west under Bay Avenue (right where it meets Line 1). The line then continues on to Anclaje and Interior. Monorail The monorail developed as a convenient way to reach LFS Airport, but it quickly became a runaway success along its entire length. Both monorail lines start at Bahía Medusa, one heading north and the other, west. Monorail Line A, the most used, crosses the entrance of the bay and then runs through the Old City, parallel to the Coast Tram, into Anclaje. Line B, on the other hand, goes north before turning to Interior. The twin bridges over the bay, around the time LFS Airport was inaugurated. The highway bridge was recently replaced Road transportation Bahía Medusa has a comprehensive road transportation network, with two boulevards that continue from Anclaje, as well as Highway 2 and 6. Highway 2 crosses the city from west to east on a straight line near the coast. Near the airport, Highway 6 branches off of it and heads north, parallel to Monorail Line B. Boulevard Valenti, to the south, continues from Anclaje and heads to the airport via the Bay Entrance bridge (pictured above), while Boulevard Due East continues… well, east, and carries Tram Line 3 through the entirety of its length. It's also worth mentioning Bay Avenue, which starts at the old town on a north-south direction, passes near BM Central and crosses under Highway 2 before turning east at the foothill of Medusa Hill (in the far northwest) and continuing in this direction, parallel to Boulevard Due East and Highway 2. It's the longest avenue in the entire city and it's soon going to be extended in Cabo Feliz. Phew! That's about it for now. Next time, we'll talk about the many attractions of Bahía Medusa. See you then!

SimCity 2013 killed the franchise. And good riddance, really – would you really want EA to continue mishandling it? SimCity 2013 mató a la marca. Y qué bueno, honestamente – ¿de verdad querrías que EA siga metiendo la pata como suele hacerlo?

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 always divided in four quadrants by Highway 4 and the old Highway 3 route, now Vía/Avenida Mayor. The city first started developing on the southeast quadrant, which was conveniently close to the coast but didn't have the rugged terrain of the southwest – the old City Centre, in consequence, traditionally extends from the Legislative Palace to where Portal station is located, on both sides of Rectora Avenue (the diagonal you can see above). Most of the city's administrative buildings are located here or nearby: The Legislative Palace, which anchors the city, can be seen up top. The Vía Mayor is the monumental avenue that leads from the palace to the Triumph Arc in the south. The Interior Cathedral (not to be confused with the Our Lady on the Hill church, which many people confuse for the main city cathedral but is in fact not) is the neogothic church right next to the Legislative Palace. The City Hall is located next to the Legislative Palace, on Rectora Avenue. The Main Square market, which despite its name, is not currently located in the Main Square, as Interior no longer has one due to the space needed by the latest iteration of the Legislative Palace. It is now located across Rectora Avenue, but there are plans to move it to the Vía Mayor. The Interior Courthouse, an appeals court whose building is right next to the Cathedral. The Census Repository Vault remains located behind the Legislative Palace. Finally, the Convention Centre is located on the other side of the Old City. Nearby buildings include the Central Railway Station, the Stock Exchange and the Bureau of Bureaucracy, all just across from the Vía Mayor. The Old City is very well connected to the rest of the city, being served by lines 2, 5 and 6 of the Subway and Tram Line A. University village and Lake Park The green oasis of Lake Park and University Following Rectora Avenue to the southwest, one can reach the old Royal Hunting Grounds. The old monarchy granted the western portions of these terrains to the then Royal University of Isla Bonita, which has now devolved into the University of Interior, the largest and most prestigious higher education in all of Isla Bonita. The eastern part of these terrains became an old royal palace, that was then demolished after the Light Blue Revolution and turned into Lake Park. Lake Park actually belongs to the University of Interior, as does the Center for Infectious Diseases (next to University Avenue, below) and the Brenntian Palace of Art, an arts museum. The UoI is served by the aptly named Universidad station on Line 5, while Lake Park is bounded by Line 2. Parque de los Lagos station, an exquisite Victorian-styled elevated station, offers beautiful panoramic views of the park, but you can see a different angle of the park from the northernmost edge of Industrias, the station immediately to the south. Karlskirche and Satellite Town Karlskirche and the end of city limits Interior is known as the City of Churches for a reason. Many of the wealthy landowners decided to put their considerable resources into building churches, oftentimes in counterintuitive places. Karlskirche with its cupola actually predates Satellite Town, the northeastern neighbourhood where it's located, by a few decades, and as Line 2 of the subway was extended into this area and residential lots were put up for sale, the church became the main focal point of the local Catholic church, especially the German immigrants, despite the fact that it's actually located right at the edge of the urbanised area and it's still possible to see the root of Interior's wealth next to it. Karlskirche is served by the station of the same name on Line 2, while the rest of Satellite Town is served by Terminal station, where Lines 2 and 7 intersect –but oddly enough, where neither of these lines actually terminates, after the latest Line 7 extension south. The House of Soviets in Interior The Government Block, as it's been affectionately called, is where much of the Isla Bonita bureaucracy is housed The immediate aftermath of the Light Blue revolution was a turbulent time for Interior and all of Isla Bonita. Many in the city feared that the seat of power would be moved to Anclaje or some other city –which ended up partially happening, as it were–, while countries around the world closely followed the political developments after the fall of the Bonitos dynasty. The Soviet Union, attempting to bank on the communist sympathies of many among Isla Bonita's impoverished proletariat, offered plans for a brutalist-style building modelled after the House of Soviets, which would allow Isla Bonita to house some governmental institutions in the wake of the old Royal Palace burning down. The change in scenery and architectural style would also be a welcome break from the neoclassical preferences of the old, unpopular ruling dynasty, and would be a strong sign of new times to come. However, a last-minute offer by the United States, with plans to an art-deco style building resembling the Empire State in addition to financial aid, made the new government's decision a lot harder. Now they'd have to pick one offer or the other, and in doing so, align themselves with one superpower or the other. The fledging government somehow managed to get both plans and built both buildings side by side in the new governmental quartier, a few blocks from the Legislative Palace. Some decried this as an unnecessary expense, when combined with new governmental buildings in Anclaje, but it was seen as a necessary development in order to remain neutral in the context of the cold war. The Interior Building –as the tower was then called– is now Interior's tallest building, while the House of Soviets houses many ministries and offices. The location wasn't chosen at random, either, but right next to yet another church, in a rapidly developing area, also next to the Interior Zoo, at the intersection of Mayor and De la Unidad Avenues. The Government Block is served by Colina Danesa train and Zoológico monorail station, both of which are also stops on the subway Line 6. Our Lady on the HIll The imposing Our Lady on the Hill church, overlooking Interior The Crown Jewel in all of Interior's magnificent churches, Our Lady on the Hill was built atop Church Hill, which bisects the southwest quadrant of the city and overlooks downtown. The church was built after yet another downtown renovation caused the government to demolish the old Interior cathedral. This was a widely unpopular move by the ruling Bonitos dynasty who, after many protests and as a compromise, committed to building Our Lady on the Hill as well as the new, smaller Interior Cathedral. The church may have failed to save the crumbling old monarchy, but it's still one of Interior's most scenic views, with its four entrances, four towers and several colourful cupolas. It can be reached by two funiculars on each side of the hill, with plans for a third one, and it's projected for Line 7 to be extended to its foothills on the southern side. FAQ Where are the best neighbourhoods to stay? Interior is an extremely safe city, with less than 30 crimes per year and a 100% conviction rate. It's also very well connected by subway. That being said, there aren't many hotels, with most located in the Old City. Where are some good places for shopping? The Piedmont neighbourhood, right next to Piemonte Avenue, is a great shopping spot, in addition to being near many of Interior's tourist attractions. I just entered the Anclaje mosque. Can I enter any Catholic churches in Interior? Yes, as long as you don't go around obnoxiously comparing them to Anclaje's religious buildings. Churches don't charge a fee to enter, but you may be compelled to tithe. I would like to go hiking. What's the best route to take? As a city surrounded by undeveloped hills, Interior is very popular with hikers and there are many trails. Just stay clear of the southwest corner, where the Power & Garbage District is located. Interior has worked hard to improve sanitary conditions in the area, but it's still not a recommended place to visit. This is what happens when you don't recycle See you next week, when we'll go back to the coast to cover some of the suburbs and places that look anything but! Bye!