Coltrane Shopping District - CityVille Series - NO CC

It's been a while since I did one of these, but my last Google Images search for inspiration turned up this. I really like the aesthetic of the Business District, and I like the idea of a shopping mall type lot like this. There may not be a good way to make a traditional suburban shopping mall (you'd need way more space than even the biggest lot allows), but there's nothing stopping a more urban, more vertical take on that kind of commercial center! This lot is designed to look perfectly suited on a street corner in the heart of a downtown area, creating a sort of Times-Square feel to the city center.



There is a wide array of different businesses in this building, covering virtually any commercial need your Sims might find. The one thing that's not present is a restaurant, but there are vending machines scattered about the shopping center, so you should have no trouble finding enough junk food to keep your Sims moving during their shopping adventures.
Since there's no helpful "You-Are-Here" style map like there often is near the entrance to real-world shopping malls, let's take a tour of what all is on offer here, shall we? The center concourse of the building is located at the back of the small fountain courtyard in the center of the lot, and it's here that you'll find the bank of three high-speed elevators that service all accessible floors of this building. On the right, your Sims will find a small, but well-stocked grocery store, letting them pick up some vittles without having to take a long trip out to a supermarket in the suburbs. On the left, a movie theatre is open, available to show the latest pictures (and keeping the kids or significant other occupied while your Sims take their time shopping elsewhere!).
Taking a quick elevator trip up to the second floor, your Sims will find a gymnasium to the right, complete with on-site locker rooms for storing sweaty gym clothes and showering, while on the right, several small seating areas are situated around the edges of the two-story theatre. On the far left, a small secondhand bookstore occupies the back corner, complete with magazine racks so your Sims can stay up to date on the latest gossip from Studio Town.



Moving on up to the third floor now, a small pop-art gallery occupies the lefthand wing of the building, while the right is dominated by an outdoor patio area, looking down on the bustling city streets and shops across the way. Also on the right is an H&M franchise, providing your Sims easy access to a quick wardrobe upgrade if they've gotten tired of their current threads.
The fourth floor has a video game arcade on the lefthand side, for your child and teen Sims who are bored waiting around for Mom or Dad to finish shopping, and want to spend their time blasting aliens or playing pinball. The right wing of the building on this floor has a patio seating area and small coffee shop, in case such a heady shopping experience has gotten them a little groggy. From the patio area, Sims can also look around at the greenery sprouting from the planters that circle the windows of the gallery downstairs.
Finally, on the highest playable level, the left wing of this shopping center is taken up by a skyline bar area, finished in black marble and green neon. From this pinnacle of commercialism, Sims can enjoy views of the surrounding skyscrapers (if you don't have skyscrapers, I can help you out there, hint hint ) and the shoppers rushing back and forth on the sidewalks below.



The exterior of this building is just as dedicated to convincing Sims to part with their hard-earned Simoleans as the inside, with movie posters up in lights above the theatre entrance, banner advertisements circling just above street level, billboards on the upper levels of the building, and a revolving (not really, but use your imaginations, won't you?) digital screen blazing advertisements out at the entire commercial district. The Coltrane Shopping District doesn't get any slower come nighttime either, with blinding lights shining from every floor, and neon making sure that the building really stands out even after the sun goes down.



As always, we'll end with the technical details of this lot. It's pretty good-sized, so while it's not overwhelmingly large compared to a true skyscraper, it may cause a slower computer to lag a little bit. If your entrepreneurial-minded Sims look at this building with an eye towards purchasing it, it does carry a pricetag of more than $400,000 Simoleans, so be sure to save up before you embark on your dreams of running a shopping center of your own!
The lot is also designed with the idea that it will be placed on a street corner, with the sidewalk wrapping around the left side of the building. If you choose not to place it on a corner like that, you'll probably want to delete the trees and streetlights from that edge of the lot, just to keep it from looking misplaced.
As usual clone of this lot has been playtested, and no obvious problems were apparent- if you encounter any during your gameplay, however, let me know so I can try to address them. Also as usual (for me) this lot is 100% CC-free, so provided you have the requisite EPs and SPs, you should have no trouble playing it (and sorry, but I don't remember everything from every SP- you MIGHT be able to get away with not using Family Fun and Happy Holidays, but I'm not sure!).

Happy shopping!

Lot Size: 3x2
Lot Price (furnished): $428,457

Additional Credits:
Credit to Zynga for the original design of the exterior of this building.