8butterflyboy8 wrote in charloft 😊thoughtful

Friday Preparing For Your Trip

It's summertime, and that means holiday travel for some, and "stay-cations" for others. Make a list of instructions and helpful information for would-be tourists to your town, city, or kingdom. Some suggestions to include are:

5 things to be sure to pack

  1. Extra changes of clothes: As many outfits as you need for the trip, then perhaps two extras. You never know when something might happen that could stain, rip, or otherwise ruin your garments.
  2. A pair of goggles: Or, if you like, you can buy a pair after arriving. This is mostly to help blend in with the locals if you choose -- though they can be very useful eye protection in certain cases.
  3. Thick gloves: In case you have to handle something dangerous, or touch something you'd prefer not to touch with bare hands. Unlikely to happen, but best to be prepared.
  4. An umbrella: For protection against rain, both the normal and abnormal kinds.
  5. A camera: Trust me, you are going to want to take pictures. At the very least, take some extra money so you can buy the services of a photographer for a bit. Or, if you're like me, you can take some paper and a favored drawing utensil to make sketches.



4 tourist traps or attractions

  1. Wonderland Park: You have to visit. What Lewis has done with the flora and fauna must be seen to be believed. It's the most beautiful place in the world, I swear.
  2. Mad Hatter Haberdashery: Perhaps not an attraction, as such, but there's always plenty of beautiful hats to look at, and you can have one of your own made as a sort of souvenir
  3. Dr. E. L. Brown's 24-Hour Scientific Services: Yes, I have to encourage you to come and visit the place I work. It's an amazing shop, and if you ever need a spare part of any kind. . .
  4. The Roofless: This one's from my friends -- apparently it's the best restaurant in the city. The food is created in Mr. Lockwood's food-synthesizing machine and dropped from the air. (They assure me it's completely safe.)


3 places to stay (or to avoid)

  1. The Cogwheel Hotel: I'm not sure if this is on my "stay" or "avoid" list. On one hand, I hear it's the best hotel in the city. On the other, my parents and the Everglots are staying there. . .
  2. The Ball & Socket Pub: This is mostly a bar intended for Reanimated customers, but I'm told they have a couple of rooms on the upper level that they'll let out for the night to travelers. Naturally, I can particularly recommend it to visiting Reanimated.
  3. 62 West Wallaby Street: This is the home of Wallace Park and his dog Gromit. They often run small businesses out of their home (their latest venture is washing windows), but Wallace also welcomes the occasional temporary lodger. As long as you don't mind being woken up by their inventions, it could be a nice place to stay.


2 of the most famous or infamous local residents

  1. Alice Liddell: The famous monster killer and protector of Secundus. If anything tries to go on a rampage through any part of the city, it runs the risk of facing her. And she is very, very good at taking down monsters. Her "day job" is working at Mad Hatter Haberdashery, if you'd like to meet her in person. I don't know if she gives out autographs.
  2. Dr. Finklestein: He's pretty famous, at least locally, as a master Reanimator and Fabricator. Emily tells me he has the highest success rate for Reanimation of anyone, and he's capable of coaxing Reanimation from skeletal forms. Apparently, as long as there's some sort of brain to work with. . . He also lives in a castle on the edges of town, which is notable. I don't know if I'd go visit to see him, but his "children" are often friendly enough. (Though watch out for Jack -- he likes to scare newcomers.)


and 1 handy tip to help a traveller keep their money, their health, and their sanity

  1. Keep an open mind. You're going to see a lot of strange things and unusual people. However, the thing to remember is, no matter their origins, the citizens of this city are people just like everyone else. You'll get along a lot better if you treat everyone just like you'd want to be treated, and don't assume anyone is "lesser" because they're Fabricated, Reanimated, or an Automaton.

8butterflyboy8

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