Happy New Year! Celebrating Mieville's Beauty!

Hi Everyone - Let's ring in the New Year by celebrating the beauty of historic Mieville!

Hope you all are well! Sadly, I'm currently snowed in by a real life blizzard! 🌨 ⛄ 🌨 So pretty to look at but horrible to shovel out, lol. Since I'm stuck inside, I decided to wander around historic Mieville taking photos. I'm learning more about SL photography just for fun and want to share some results with you. Here we go! 

At Doyle, I have always loved the boats and the Steampunk lighthouse. But because they are at the very edge of the Doyle sim and there are tall buildings immediately behind where I'm standing, it is devilishly hard for me to get a good angle of the Saint Lidia boat and the lighthouse, and impossible to get much of the huge lighthouse in frame. Well, no matter — I like how both of these snaps turned out. Nice and very crisp! (Click on the photos to enlarge them. Look - I'm giving myself a slow clap, lol!) 

Doyle is one of the most historic sims in the Mieville microcontinent. It was created in 2008 and still has a number of impressive old original builds in place! I'm not sure how long the boat and lighthouse have been in place, but my best guess is circa 2011-12. 

Also at Doyle, I love the gorgeous Awl & Sundry Coffee & Teahouse. The Awl & Sundry has been in place at Doyle since around 2009. The glass-domed orangerie building itself and much of the promenade components were built by followmeimthepiedpiper and styled at Doyle by former Mievillian Mike Olbracht, one of Mieville's first builders who also did the St. Lidia boat and lighthouse. 

At Lakes, you'll find the historic Memorial Gardens. This area is a place of remembrance for friends and family who have passed. I visited many times before I noticed the huge teardrop sculpture in the sky. My photo captures just part of the sculpture! I'm using a bokeh effect here to focus the eyes more on the teardrops and less on other aspects in frame.

You can see I'm learning to play with lighting more in SL photography.  Loving the sundown behind the teardrop sculpture and how the light illuminates the center arches in the second Memorial Gardens photo. 

Also at Lakes is one of my favorite spots in all of Mieville. If this structure has an official name I don't know what it is — but I call it the Roman pavilion garden. (Okay, I'm cheating — this is an old photo I took last year of this beautiful site.) I didn't take a new photo but would be remiss not to include this lovely garden in this post celebrating Mieville's beauty. This garden pavilion and its walkways have been in place since circa 2008! Like the Awl & Sundry, the components of the pavilion were created by followmeimthepiedpiper and styled by Mike Olbracht.

At Twain, last year I beautified the Twain side of the Twain-Kipling sim border that is directly below the Bibliothèque's sky platform. The area was left barren after someone moved out so I added the trees, bushes, and this rocky shoreline. I like to sit here and watch the waves splash against the rocky shore. It's very peaceful!

Along the Steampunk San Francisco warehouses in the same area I recently added some Victorian-style streetlights and a wrought iron fence along the docks walkways to make them safer for strolling. It's amazing how really small changes like these can make a world of difference.

No stroll through historic Twain would be complete without a visit to the humongous and amazing Lexx Bondar Steampunk dirigibles (did you know you can go inside them??) and the old San Francisco docks warehouse buildings. But did you ever notice how beautiful the warehouse brickwork is? I didn't until I added those Victorian streetlights. Wow! Those colors really pop now! And of course there are lots of fun and unique shops, galleries & boutiques inside the warehouses - so please do go inside to browse and shop! Plus you'll find the huge and famous Lindy Modern & Retro Shoes nearby with a great selection of styles!

   

Okay, that's it for this round! Hope you enjoyed the quickie tour of a few historic Mieville sites and the photos. Thanks for sharing the Mieville love with me! Wishing you all a happy New Year — best to you all!

Your friendly Mieville Librarian & Shutterbug,

~Farzaneh

P.S. If you want to see more historic Mieville photos, please be sure to visit the Bibliothèque and pick up a free copy of my book, The History of Mieville. Enjoy!

Credits: Photos by Farzy

Scenic Seaside Christmas!

Hi all - Time to take a break from huge shopping malls chasing after presents and enjoy some of the many pretty winter holiday sites! 

This post looks at some of the fun places and decor of MHH Seaside Christmas! Many are perfect for photo ops too!

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Before we get started, a special reminder: The Tiny Carolers will offer two performances at our Seaside Christmas Event! 

• Fri Dec 8, 3:00 pm SLT, here in Mieville Shelley
• Sat Dec 16, 4:00 pm SLT, here in Mieville Dickens

We are so pleased to continue this long-standing Mieville tradition and host the Tiny Carolers once again. Please plan to attend!

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NOW, on to our scenic sites! 

Of course we have lots of fun and picturesque shops throughout Dickens and Shelley offering wonderful wares and gifts, and we encourage you to visit them all as you explore the sites! 

Here are some of the additional sites you'll discover at Seaside Dickens, nestled among the shops:

The Mieville: Past, Present & Future booth! 

If you are new to Mieville or unfamiliar with who we are and what we do, stop by this booth to enjoy our slide shows and pick up a free Mieville keepsake present!

Lots of large and lovely homes are clustered behind the Village Shops on Dickens. 

I've already seen many of you taking photos there, inside and outside —love it!! They are perfect backgrounds and settings for your photos and holiday cards! 

Here are just a few examples:

 
 

Please do explore all the houses on Dickens, inside and out! The pretty interiors in the photos above have been styled by Bella, Una, and Cara Cali - let's extend thanks to all of them!

NEXT, there are some sweet hangouts at Seaside —here are just two of them:

What is more suitable at a Seaside village than a working Fish and Chips Shop? 

Stop by to hang out and eat fish and chips to your heart's content! You can sit at the little table or grab some carry-out to eat as you wander through the rest of Seaside. Enjoy the holiday decor here, a lovely photo of historic Mieville Doyle docks, and photos of celebrity fish and chips lovers. Tea and cider are available here, and some stout has been set out as well. Hope you like it!

For those of you with a sweet tooth, be sure to visit this cozy and comfy little Pie Shop Bakery and Coffee House a few doors down from the Fish and Chips shop! 

Help yourself to the collection of sweets and confections here, ranging from pies, cookies, macarons, cinnamon rolls and more.

Hot coffee and cocoa are available to help wash it all down! Take something to go if you like, or just hang out here. It's that cozy!

Besides sweets and treats there's a wonderful interactive backgammon set ready for you and a friend to play, or you could even play yourself. 

Look, here I am just waiting for a backgammon partner!

NEXT, on Seaside Shelley, there are SO many vast scenic areas to explore! Nine merchants have their large shops here and have decorated the surrounding areas as well. This area is SO huge that you simply have to go there and explore all the shops! 

Here's a quick run through Shelley with landing points to get you started:

Left: Angel Fae Boutique by Sorrell Scorpio is featuring a super sale on lovely gowns and more, this location only! Sorrell is also sharing the site with Roger Thunders whose own WonderWorks shop is right next door!

Right: Arcadia Asylum by Briony Juran features a lot of holiday items and a vast range of amazing creations. And if you didn't already know, all of the items at Arcadia Asylum are totally free.

Left: Botanica by Cara Cali features tons of festive and fund outdoor holiday decor items, plants, and much more!

Right: Impertinences by nana Saenz features a huge candy dreamscape and dance party!

Left: Khargo Christmas by Keanu Kharg has tons of holiday items outdoors and inside. You probably can't see but my pup and I are sitting inside a huge ornament inside the store, lol!

Right: Kim's Kreations by kimberleyalice1961 showcases many pretty decor items everywhere! Love that little A-frame winter hut!

Left: My PiXeL PuPpEt by Aesirah has created a sparkling mystical landscape with wildlife and a cluster of little shop huts!

Right: Simply Shelby by Shelby Olivier includes this pretty gingerbread city! Of special note, they also have some Hannukkah items available.

LAST: Back on Dickens there are lots of outdoor scenes with snowmen, carolers, a crèche scene and more, again nice for photos and backdrops. We'll end this post with an outdoor crèche scene, the reason for the Christmas season!

Hope you all enjoy the season and have fun exploring Seaside Christmas on Mieville Dickens & Shelley!

Your Friendly Mieville Librarian & Busy Holiday Elf,

-Farzaneh

Credits: Photos by Farzy

Welcome to A Seaside Christmas!

At long last: Mieville Historical Hunts (MHH) proudly presents our annual December holiday event: A Seaside Christmas, Dec. 1-31, 2023! 

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See also: Scenic Sites & things to do at Seaside Christmas Event!

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Visit our quaint seaside market in Mieville Dickens and the Christmas retreat in Mieville Shelley for our Seaside Christmas! Enjoy a seaside holiday while you shop, explore the village houses, lighthouse, the church, take a boat ride, go skating, and more! And because this is Mieville, you know there will be plenty of dances, some special performances, and social gatherings. Open to all — join us for the fun! There is so much to do and see here! In this post, we'll help you get started with your shopping and explorations!

So, for starters, want to go shopping?  The main Seaside Christmas Event landing takes you to the Mieville Dickens pier and its magnificent pier palace. 

You'll find Event info and landmarks available there, along with a portal to help you teleport from place to place. 

(There are also Seaside Christmas portals on other Mieville sims and at Mieville's Welcome Center on Mieville Doyle.) 

Once you've arrived, just follow the red carpet and the pier (East) to enter the Event site's Dickens dock area and the village beyond. 

Shops from most of the many participating merchants are located here on Dickens. 

The market shops include charming boats, stalls, carts, booths, and small village shops! There are even a few shops underwater. Be sure to explore & visit them all!

And if you're lucky (or just persistent), you may catch sight of my pet swimming turtles! 🐢🐢🐢

They like to hang out by the boats, the ice fishing & skating area, and of course underwater. Be nice to them — they are shy! But I digress...

In addition, several HUGE shops are located on Mieville Shelley, right next door to Dickens! You can easily walk over there following a pretty path bordered by winter flowers, of use the portals, the links on the info notecard you can get at the Pier landing, or use the link right here. 😀

Wander around Shelley and you'll find the following shops: 

❅ Aesirah's My PiXeL PuPpEt

❅ Briony Juran's Arcadia Asylum

❅ Cara Cali's Botanica

❅ Keanu Kharg's Khargo Christmas

❅ kimberleyalice1961's Kim's Kreations

❅ nana Saenz's Impertinences

❅ Shelby Olivier's Simply Shelby

❅ Sorrell Fang's Angel Fae Boutique

Besides visiting these shops at Shelley, you can explore the winter wonderlands these talented merchants have created across the entire sim - it's huge and there are many photo ops! 

There are carousels and amusement park rides to enjoy, and you can even ride along with Santa on a flying sleigh!

Speaking of photo ops, I would be remiss not to mention there are so many lovely sites in Dickens! There are many large houses totally decorated for the holidays — please do feel free to enter and explore! There's also a church, an outdoor crèche, a lighthouse, village patio, and more. 

We'll explore more of all of this in future posts. For now, we invite you to get started with your visits to A Seaside Christmas! 

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LAST: Heads up that we will have two special performances by The Tiny Carolers! 

Friday Dec. 8 at 3:00 pm SLT
Location: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mieville%20Shelley/167/114/23

Saturday Dec. 16 at 4:00 pm SLT
Location: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mieville%20Dickens/201/79/31

Stay up to date with these and other special events & entertainments by checking our Calendar here — there's a LOT going on! 

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Hope you all enjoy the event and have a peaceful holiday season! 

Your Friendly Mieville Librarian & Busy Holiday Elf,

-Farzaneh 

Credits: Photos by Farzy