Ready to Greet You

There are so many wonderful places to visit on Info Island International, and I love talking about them so much, it's hard to believe I haven't told you about the place where most of the people are. It's right here ... the greeting and reference area. If you TP onto the island, you automatically land in the middle of the compass mosaic in this picture.



If you imagine the island like the face of a clock, the greeting area is where 12:00 is ... right in the center of the north edge of the island. I'm facing north here, so you can see the main Alliance Library across the property line in the next sim.


Here's a map to show you what I mean. The big building in the center of the sim is the Alliance Library System headquarters. The Exhibition Concourse, flanked by two pools, is that wide path that extends from the ALS building to the top of the map, where the greeting area is. All the other great places I have been describing in my blog posts are around the perimeter of the island.


OK, now I've turned around to face south, so you can see the concourse and the big ALS building. That map at the edge of the greeting area shows all the world's time zones -- an important thing to have in a place where we get visitors from all over the world. I never know what time it is, do you?





There's almost always someone here to greet you, usually standing here, next to the reference desk. Remember, this is a sim run by librarians, and we believe in having live help available to answer questions and give directions. Two of my friends, Sonja and Hollyjean, were there when I took this picture.


In addition to the monitors at the desk, which connect you to many Web resources, the greeting area has information displays to announce upcoming programs and events. We also have notecard dispensers that offer guiudes to each of the islands on the Alliance Information Archipelago -- that's the full string of islands connected to this one, all managed by ALS.



Here's my own favorite part of the greeting area. It's a lounge area, a platform 30 m above the main deck -- just out of conversation range. You get a great view from up here!


There's the ALS building in the background, and the cherry trees and the pools lining the concourse. The floor of the platform is transparent, which is why you can see what's under the bench where I'm sitting.


Sitting? .... well, relaxing. I know flexi skirts do funny things when you sit down, but I don't care. I come here to chill out, chat with a friend, or just sort out my thoughts and stare at the sky. You need places to do that, even in Second Life.



Oh! I almost forgot to tell you about this new dress! When I finished making the black cocktail dress, "Sophisticated Night Out," before Christmas, I checked through my wardrobe and realized that I didn't have a nice, basic "Little Black Dress." So this is it.


It really is simple: ... off the shoulder, and soft-looking. There's a cute bow on the left hip and a black onyx pin on the left shoulder. Otherwise, it's designed to be understated and quietly elegant, like me ... and you. ;-)