Bay City - "The City by the Bay"

Originally designed by the "moles" of the Linden Department of Public Works (LDPW), Bay City opened its doors to residents in the spring of 2008. A themed city with double-prim land, it has been described as embodying "the American urban experience, between 1940 and 1965, perhaps best typified by Chicago circa 1950 and marked by a distinct deco influence." There were originally 22 sims in the Bay City on the main grid, and 20 on the teen grid. With the integration of the teen grid in 2012, the two parts of Bay City were united, and four additional sims were added. A map of the city, created by Marianne McCann for SL9B, is shown below. 

I've had a hard time starting a blog post about Bay City, but I'm not sure if that is because there is so much in the City, or because it is a place that I consider home. Maybe it's a bit of both, so this will likely just be an "intro post". I first heard of Bay City at an SLB exhibit. Shortly after that, I was invited to an event there, and I found that the Bay City community certainly does like their events! Every Thursday, there is a Rumble where we race everything from cars (see photo below, left) to boats to airplanes...with the occasional broomstick or ufo race thrown in for variety. The first Tuesday of every month is Espresso Yourself night at The Pen, a beatnik hangout. On the fairgrounds, Mole Day is held each February 2nd, an anniversary event is held every May, and a tree lighting and auction each December. The Bay City Alliance meets every Tuesday at the Community Center to plan these events, discuss city happenings, and make decisions regarding the community. 

Also at the community center, visitors can find maps, a guide to the city, learn a bit of history, and new Bay City residents can pick up free textures and Art Deco-themed prefabs in order to fit in with the theme of the area. To learn more about the history of the City, the newly-opened Bay City History Pavilion is a great place to start. I own several places in the City, and would certainly welcome all visitors: a firehouse in Dennis, a police station in Edgartown (see if you can find the secret way to escape from one of the jail cells!), Club Sandwich in Sandwich, and the Bay City Brewery (photo below) in Argos. I also edit the Bay City Post from the ETv building in Dennis. When I'm not editing copy or hanging out at the Brewery, I like to fish for mermoles (picture above, right) at Hairy Hippo Funland, an amusement park which will likely be the topic of my next blog post on Bay City. 

Bay City isn't all closely-packed buildings; there are also some lovely park areas such as the Davis Gulf lighthouse, pictured below. At the far right of that picture you can see the start of a canal entering the city. Bay City has an extensive system of canals with water trolleys traveling through each of them. (Transportation in the city is likely to be a post of its own, too.) 

While the events are fun, the transportation systems are impressive, the builds are great, and having twice the prim allotment upon which to build isn't too shabby either...the best part of Bay City is the community. Come by and wander around (visit the Community Center for a map and some landmarks to start with, or use the ones in this blog post!) or join us for one of our many fun events. It's a friendly place, the fabulous City by the Bay. Get to know us and find out for yourself why so many people think that Bay City is the best city on the Grid!