Location: Virtual Bourbon Street

It should come as no surprise that after visiting the real New Orleans, I just had to stop by the fake one. I put on my stylin’ new Steampunk hat that Cynthia Barley made me, grabbed my virtual car, and set out.

A few sims in Second Life ® try to re-create parts of the city, but it was sad to say that virtual Bourbon Street seemed as deserted, on a Tuesday morning anyway, as the real one would be at that time.

I’d expected at least some European and Asian gawkers to be stumbling along, their avatars virtually hammered on fake Hurricanes. I’d also hoped to find some of the real-life establishments copied in the virtual world.  I did eventually find the spirit of New Orleans….but not here.

Instead, the eerie emptiness got oppressive. I drove my car up and down vacant streets, getting a few good snapshots along the way.  I felt like Will Smith’s character, Robert Neville, in I am Legend. When I went into a nicely designed mall, however, most of the stalls were up for rent, and the only working one sold vehicles and other items unrelated to life in the Big Easy.  Business there does not seem to be booming…I’d hoped to find Mardi-Gras beads, masks, a Voodoo shop. Perhaps I need to check the side streets.

The Absinthe Cafe was at least themed to life in the Cresent City, but it was so clean and well lit!  The Old Absinthe House, on the real Bourbon Street, is a bit gritty, crowded with decor (and patrons), and dimly lit.  I know which one I prefer…

But I will keep exploring this and other virtual versions of New Orleans to see what I find. At least there will be no virtual hang-overs to nurse the morning after.

Readers can help me by visiting Bourbon Street on their own and sending me reports.  Here’s the teleport link.

Just after I finished the draft of this blog entry, I read Linden Lab’s announcement of a “Day of Remembrance” for people involved in SL™ who have left it or, in some cases, passed away in real life. Linden Lab® has a sim for charity events that is modeled on New Orleans, and for the Day of Remembrance it features music, other entertainment, and jazz funerals!

So I’m off to a region called Big Easy!  Now that’s more like it, and little green dots are all over that map, so..it won’t be empty! Bring on the avatars, and let the good times roll!

Be sure to check the “In a Strange Land” Archive for old posts

No comments have been posted.

Post Your Comments:

Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.