The Starr Grey Centre (Administration Offices)

A little bit about my administrative building and some insight on the playing style of several interactions. Note, there will be more detailed posts about certain aspects, this is mostly an introduction. So if you have questions/comments, please post and I can address them in the detailed posts as well.

The Centre features several amenities for residents and visitors of Apple Valley. This complex is owned by the current Hood Council President and many other residents assist in making the building run. The lot has three attached buildings with several offices.
The ground level contains: the Apple Valley Welcome Center and Gift Shop where you will find Apple Valley souveniors (teddy bears with Apple Valley t-shirts) , the latest edition of the Apple Valley News (newspaper from SimStash), and a small area to plan your next vacation in or out the hood (my version of a tiny travel office, more on that in another post).

Next to the welcome center, residents can find a small bank (with an unoriginal title of Apple Valley Bank) where they can purchase investments, deposit/withdraw from savings accounts, and make arrangements for thier mortgage or student loans with the Financial Advisor. (more on banking in another post)

To the other side of the Welcome Center is the two level Apple Valley Ballroom. The ballroom is the site of many formal events in Apple Valley and can be rented for weddings, formals and even elaborate parties-all for a fee of course. Sims can hold your wedding ceremony downstairs and upstairs enjoy cake and champagne for a lively party. To hold a party, I simply have the hosts visit the lot, teleport in the guests, fill the buffet and poof! instant party. The only downside is that when the hood council president is visiting the lot for her play session, residents have a tendency to crack open the champagne :P

Above the Apple Valley Welcome Center and Gift Shop is The Hood Council Meeting Hall, where residents can come and participate in the hood council meetings. When it's time for a hood council meeting, I have the members teleport to the lot and have a seat. Whatever they discuss (ie what the thought bubbles tell me) is what the meeting was about. Like in the photo below, former hood council president Ayanna Kent is informing Educational Director, Johan Dawson (top left) that there isn't money in the budget for more school renovations.

Sometimes they give me some great ideas. Like the meeting above caused Johan to create a fundraiser with students selling baked goods to raise money for the school. Once the meeting is over, everyone is deselected and free to do what they will.

The Apple Valley News office is next to the meeting hall. It's more like a corner than an office. If you're lucky you can see the hood reporter hard at work. The office doubles as a small historical library where archives and residental information is stored. Residents can register any marriages, births or deaths at this office.

Above the the Hood Council Meeting Hall is the Hood Council President's Office, where residents can chat with the president about any concerns and also find the president hard at work managing the hood.

Former President, Ayanna Kent, (top) Current President Fiona Kent (bottom)

This is where the hood president does most of thier work. They collect taxes and fees (more in a later post), dispense salaries, respond to emails and chat with spokes sims from other SUN hoods.

Back of the admin buildings as the good witch arrives :P

EDIT: So what's the government like in your hood?

Maturity

Patar 2000

I've been thinking about my future. My academic future. What will I major in? What about future job options? I love robotics and building things with my hands. My current job with the Toy Shoppe gives me some experience, but...what about university? What about Faith?

Financial Director: Jonagold Shoppes

Rebecca Wilsonoff

I'm pleased to annouced the grand opening of the Jonagold Shoppes I and Jonagold Shoppes II. I am posting exclusive photos of Jonagold Shoppes II, located behind Daniels Row near the main ferry road.

Residents can expect to find lots of shops targeting various hobbies and interests. There is the Bohemian Books, where many sims find themselves discussing the latest books or films. Culinary Cooks Rock, a cooking school and showcase for the best cooks to compete in cooking competitions. An indoor sports arena, dance hall, stand-up comedy club, gym and my personal favorite, a two level artists studio specializing in classes in pottery, sewing, painting and toy construction.

Jonagold Shoppes I features stores for the basic shopping needs of our residents.

Neighborhood View and Consilidated Blogs

You know how sometimes you capture a really great view of your hood? The game loaded the hood facing the opposite way in which I normally view the hood (usually the bridge is facing towards me). I'm glad it did, I LOVE this view!



So let's do a little tour. You can see the Grey farm (red barn and blue farm house). This is Jonagold Circle. All of the houses used to be off of this circle. To the right of the farm is The Farmer's Market. Across the street from the Farmer's Market is Apple's Landing (home of the Dawson, Warwick and Humphrey families). To the left of Apple's Landing is the Apple Valley Memorial Church and Cemetary, to the left of it is the Alisa Crawston Park with small amphitheater.

To the left of the park (across the street) is the new Children's Park. In front of the Alisa Crawston Park is the Jonagold Shoppes I (home of The Peacock, Posh clothing, and Red Movies). Now the tour is going to get crowded. Across from the Jonagold Shoppes I is the Jonagold Shoppes II (it looks like a bunch of buildings) and the Daniels Row Apartments (home to the Sweeny and Shazad families).

Across the street are two small boxy buildings, The Toy Shoppe and The Herendez Gallery. On the other side is the Veronika Kent Medical Centre (grey building), which sits next to CupaJava, which is next to the Apple Valley Academy (two orange buildings).

In front of the school are the Starr Grey Administration Buildings (trio of buildings) which sits in front of Dawson Central Park. Across from the park is Greymount Pointe (home of the Kent, Wilsonoff, and Herendez families).

To give a sense of the scale of my hood, the Dawson Central Park is 3x3. This is one of the largest (non beach lots) lots that I work with. It's amazing how small you can build.
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When are the consilidated blogs coming?

Most readers have noticed the Apple Valley Blogs link to the side. Yes, I am moving all the family blogs to one consilidated blog. When? This April will mark the first postings of the families and the beginning of 2001.

EDIT: What's your hood like? Large, small, medium? Urban, rural, suburban?

Leaving Legacy

Lovar 2000

This month started out fairly busy. I did a few renovations of CupaJava and I am very pleased with our new location, bewteen the Veronika Kent Medical Centre and the Apple Valley Academy. So student and patients walk by all the time and stop by for a cup of coffee or delicious cake from my baker Jolie Dawson. Eventually I will have S'Ahmisa start helping with the business since she has expressed interest in maintaining it. She has her eye on Pierce University and studying economics. I think it's never to early to map out your life, but my wife constantly reminds her that she's 12 and in the 6th grade and that she has plenty of time to think about her future.

However, we must both admit that she's growing up. Verde Herendez came over and took her to Apple Valley Metro to the new sports park. I wouldn't call it a date per se, but I suppose it was. I never seen that boy so dressed up before. He slicked back his hair and he even seemed nervous. I guess that is one good thing about losing that bidding war for the house at Greymount Pointe is that the preteens are not exactly neighbors now.

While I worry about the activities of my oldest, my youngest has her head stuck in the books. Not her school books mind you, unless it's science, but her favorite magazine "Nature Geeks". Si'Enya has started keeping a box of her collectables. Insects mounted to the cardboard, labeled specimens of leaves, detailed notes of bird encounters. Her love for all things nature has even effected school life. She's been having negative encounters with a group of students over ant hills during recess.

In other news, I sold our vacation home and am currently bidding on another larger cabin. I plan on taking the family back to the mountains soon so we can relax.

PreTeen Life

Lovar 2000

It's the month of love and what a month it's been. I went on my first offical date!-sort of.

Verde asked me to go to the new sports park with him. I was so excited, it is in Apple Valley Metro which meant we would take the ferry and go all by ourselves. My father of course had Verde stop by before we left and he gave him the whole "my little princess" talk. I could tell Verde was nervous, he slicked back his hair and dressed in a sweater vest and everything in an effort to appear preppy and older.

After a game of basketball we relaxed in the grass and stared at the clouds as they changed shapes. Mostly we say basketballs and the occasional football, but I did see a hockey stick. It's funny, with Verde and I, everything is sports, sports and more sports. If we're not debating the Llamas vs the Bunnies, then we're comparing stats on our fantasy leagues or scouring the internet for international sports stars.

After the long ferry home, it was dark and Verde walked me to my door, naturally. Mom and dad were still up and pretending not to peek out the curtains. Verde kissed me good night. A real kiss! It seems so strange, but natural. We were always the best of friends, eversince we were kids and now...actually, I don't know if we're going steady or not. Mom says that I'm too young to go steady, only in the 6th grade, and that there will be other boys that catch my eye. I don't know, none of them know me as well as Verde does.

Ok, so when I'm not babbling about my first date, I'm studying for exams. They're much more difficult now that I'm in junior high and sometimes I stay up late at night studying. I want to excel, not just in sports and soccer, but also academics. I can't run a successful business empire with my looks or my name alone. I have to know exactly how economics works.

Looking for Work

Lovar 2000 With the arrival of spring and the month of Lovar here, it seems like love is in the air for all sims. Including our oldest, S'Ahmisa. She has changed quite a bit. Instead of our tomboy little girl, she's wearing a dress, tights and pearls. However, she still enjoys tossing the football around, but now she also enjoys make-up. Our little preteen is growing up.

I've been doing some growing of my own, especially around the middle. Ugh, I need to work out more. Especially since I no longer have a job :( I don't even know where to begin looking! Doing hair has always been my dream and I was good at it. *sigh* Perhaps I could get a job with SC Games.