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Bright lights, big city



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Thu May 22, 2014 12:54 am
Stori says...



I've never lived in a big city, so I'll take all the advice I can get.

What are skyscrapers like on the inside? That will do for a start.

Another important query, since my story has to do with gangsters: what are they really like? If possible, I'd like for them to read it and recognize themselves. Anything is helpful- slang terms, the rules of the street, and so on.

That said, I know a lot will depend on where they are and the individual gangs- and gangsters. Just answer to the best of your knowledge, please.
Last edited by Stori on Sun Jun 01, 2014 5:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Thu May 22, 2014 1:08 am
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Morrigan says...



I have lived near to Chicago for a good portion of my life. The insides of skyscapers are usually quite nice, often bordering on fancy.

This is the lobby of the Sears Tower (aka the Willis Tower).

Also, it would help to know what part of the inside of a skyscraper looks like. Lobbies are nice and pretty fancy, but other floors belong to different companies. There can be restaurants, offices, anything in a skyscraper, really.
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Thu May 29, 2014 6:30 am
Iggy says...



I've never been inside one, so I don't think I can help you there. Google > Iggy in this case. But if you're asking because it has to do with a novel, I suggest you talk about the height and the view. Looking at pictures, those are the two things I see. Talk about the ceiling-to-floor windows and the view it gives of the city and also talk about the height.

What's better is you can have a character afraid of heights and this has him/her puking their guts out. :D

Also, people are hooked to suspension lines or something akin when washing the windows. Have your char look out the window and a cleaner comes into his/her view, scaring them. I always like doing that. Just throwing that out there. >_>
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Thu May 29, 2014 6:39 am
Blackwood says...



When you stand under a skyscraper you feel so small, but when you stand at the top of one, you feel so powerful.
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Sun Jun 01, 2014 5:11 pm
Stori says...



@Iggy- thanks a ton. It is indeed for a work of fiction- which I posted on fire_of_dawn's account. Note to self- be consistent.

@Blackwood- thanks are due to you as well.
  





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Tue Jun 03, 2014 3:37 am
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Rosendorn says...



Skyscrapers make the streets really windy, or completely windless. They basically act like corridors that sends air along, if the wind's blowing in the right direction. If not, then they provide massive amounts of protection from blowing wind.

Other weather alternations include altering the temperature. Warmer because there's no cold breeze to blow it away as effectively, or cooler because there is shade. You can be on the tenth floor of a building and think it's overcast because of all the shade.

Also, the top floors tend to sway in the wind if the building's tall enough; many skyscrapers have a weight to counter it, but there'll still be some sway.

The elevators are really, really fast, and might not go all the way to the top (one building I was in had an elevator for the first to 18th floor, then 19th to 32nd). I personally get motion sick when I ride the elevators in tall buildings, because they go fast enough you can feel pressed into the floor. Stopping can make you feel lighter or, in my case, light headed.

--

When it comes to gangsters, there has been a certain amount of research that says they share the same qualities as CEOs and other white collar workers. So successful gang members will have ambition, cunning, ruthlessness, good ability to analyze risk, knowledge of finances, and charisma. They have to encourage others to follow them, after all.

Average age is in the late teens/early twenties. Older means you know how to survive, or you got out of it enough you aren't at risk.

There are different types of rituals depending on the ethnicity of people involved. Chinese gangs operate differently from Russian gangs and differently from the Mafia (Italian/Sicilian).

Read true crime in relation to gangster stories. That will help you get a feel for what they tend to do on a regular basis.
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Tue Jun 03, 2014 8:37 pm
tinny says...



I work on the 14th floor of a sky-scraper, I think we're about 35 storeys tall? It's a super boring office, the walls are beige, the cubicles are gray, and if you're not lucky enough to sit by a window the only light you get all day is the from the strip-lights in the ceiling. The lobby is a little nicer, because it's a shared space -- it's not only used by the employees but also by the public, as we have an underground path system here in Toronto. I work in a pretty hum-drum floor though, I imagine that the more executive offices, which tend to be higher in the building, are a lot nicer.

In my building at least, we don't have much of a temperature affect due to the sunshine as shades are always pulled down throughout the day as the sun moves, as otherwise it causes a mean glare on your computer screen, and the whole building is regulated by air-con. It means that stepping outside at the end of the day can sometimes be a bit of a shock -- it's about 18 celcius at my desk right now, it'll be 29 celcius when I head out to go home.

I'm sitting by a window today though, and the view is pretty nice.

And just to add onto Rosey's point here:

Skyscrapers make the streets really windy, or completely windless. They basically act like corridors that sends air along, if the wind's blowing in the right direction. If not, then they provide massive amounts of protection from blowing wind.


I've only found this holds true in cities with a grid system. In cities that are a lot older, say somewhere like London or Berlin, wind tunnels aren't as prevalent (or as strong!) because there's such an irregular road layout.
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