A high ridge on which I landed upon ran through the centre of Chartreuse. At the high level the ridge is about 50 metres above sea-level. That isn’t high compared to places on many sims but it appears very high compared to the rest of the low lying lands about it. Three impressively tall buildings and a mountain can be seen from the high end of the ridge. They all seemed rather grey and factory looking in appearance. The mist in the air created by distance probably did not help that any. The tower closest to me at least had hanging trellises of green leaves and white flowers on its five stories. I decided to go in that direction first.
Moulin Rouge
The five story tower I saw from the ridge turned out to be a six story building. A hardwood floor covers the floor of the whole first level of the Moulin Rouge. It appears to be a lounge and entertainment area. Several velvet chairs decorate the floor at intervals. A main stage dominates one end of the room with smaller stages on the left and right. Along the walls, velvet curtains hang from decorative arches. Paintings decorated the back walls of the forward stage. Looking above, the levels of the ceiling were decorated with glowing stars. From the ground floor I could see all the way to the top six stories up. The edges of each level were lined with gold. The effect of distance and height really makes a nice effect. As suggested by the name, this is a very adult themed area. It is however a very well thought out design in architecture and worth seeing at least once.
Reverie
Animation seems to be a special of this store. Each animation is represented by an image on the wall. In one corner about a lounge area are images depicting various lounges and love seats for sale. An unconnected stage of black shiny material has been built on the outside south wall of the store. This is also a very mature themed area.
Chartreuse River – North Side
I crossed the ridge again at the south side of Chartreuse and came to another one of the tall towers. This is the White Star Apartment. The apartment has no ground floor at all. This mysterious building appears to have no visible entrances at all. I followed up along the river’s edge heading east along its shore. Near the apartments I came upon a small pavilion with a roof top made from sails. On the river’s edge in front of the pavilion sat a carefully raked zen garden. Continuing along the water’s edge I notice a large billboard displaying evening wear and fashion from Pixel Dolls. The image on the billboard changes every few minutes. At the east end of the river was a very active volcano, the White Star Mountain, looming up behind the volcano is Mount Grimm. A castle of grey stone hovers above the peak of the mountain.
White Star Casino/Pixel Dolls –
The White Star Casino seems to be the dominant structure in Chartreuse. The large highly decorated building is the very image of extravagance. A large rotating fountain fills the front courtyard. Bright searchlights sweep back and forth over the front of the large complex. The gilded frills, bright lights, and intricate decorations seem fitting for any casino even in First Life. Two large “polished” black spheres decorate either side of the entry stairs. Each had been mapped with a reflection of the casino itself. The interior was a large red carpeted gilded room divided into three parts. The central and left area contained slot machines. There were not hundreds of them all pushed up next to each other as I have seen in some casinos. These were spaced regularly and placed about these two areas leaving most of the casino open. To the right was a dining area with round tables each with a globe light in the centre. In the centre of each table sits a white globe light. Along the walls of the dining area were various photos of classical pinups. On one end of the dining area stood a book shelf carrying several classic titles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Luis Carroll, Edgar Allan Poe, and other authors. Some of the books could be read completely while others have only the first chapter available. Their seemed to be no way but flying to reach the second floor. This area appeared to be rather plain compared to the rest of the casino, though nicely lit with ambient light. Some framed art deco lined these walls about the room. A passageway headed off from this room to the east. I decided to go up to the next floor before exploring this passageway. The third floor seemed to be under construction and very black. I saw some dice and a roulette wheel. Another passage headed off this room in the same direction as the hall from the room below.
The fourth floor turned out to be Pixel Dolls. It was a shop that had a wide selection of evening wear and intimate wear as well as casual designs for men and women. In the southwest corner, a small selection of animations and jewellery. On all sides of the shop are archways leading to an outer balcony above the casino.
I went back down to the third floor and took the east going passageway. It was an exit to an open air walkway that lead to an alcove on the roof of the next building over. There did not seem to be much here, a few mats for relaxing on and some more slot machines. I went back down to the second floor and took the passageway from there. This lead to another nicely decorated but otherwise empty large room.
A building to the left of the white star casino seems rather small building but very detailed in image maps about the outside. However inside it is very dark and bare. I am guessing that it is still under construction.
Chartreuse River – South Side
A small wooden bridge crossed the river behind the casino. This lead to a simpler wooden path that runs along the river side. I think I prefer the simplicity of this path to the extravagance of the casino. It was a very nice place to look at but I don’t think I would be comfortable staying long. The path itself is lined regularly with trees on either side. A domed building is under construction on the right side of the path. It appears to be another addition to the casino.
Seburo Heavy Industries
Seburo seems to be a weapons manufacturer. At the time I came there, all it’s shelves were empty and their were only a few items available. There was also a teleport leading to a shooting range located high above the store and the fly limit. It looked like someone had an accident up here and flew one of those red snow rocket vehicles into the building where it had gotten stuck. The firing range itself is a long room with several targets toward the back. Once again their appears to be no way back down but to fly.
Notes:
Hedge Garden – Just to the west on property owned by the Moulin Rouge is a small hedge garden decorated with trees and stone walkways. The hedge garden centres around a three level white marble fountain. It also has a nice view of the sea. The garden looks like a good place to meet and talk or just to sit and read a book.
Strange Sphere – In the northwest corner of Chartreuse is a curious white sphere. An image of an old man appears in the sphere. The image always faces you no matter what angle you look at it. It is probably an image attached to a particle effect. Curious riddle.