October 14, 2012



I love all things movies. Even after I grew up and ‘joined’ the industry, I still love going behind the scenes of movies and TV shows and heading to backlots. I love movie rides too, which is why when I knew I was heading to Los Angeles, Cal. I just had to visit Universal Studios Hollywood. And when I found out that the park was just 15 minutes from our friends, where we were staying, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity.



We headed to the park in the early afternoon, around 2 p.m. After a short walk from the parking garage and through CityWalk, I was purchasing my tickets. The woman at the window suggested we pay the extra $30 for ‘one-time front-of-the-line access’ passes. I thought, why the hell not?

Now, I had been to the park about 12 years ago with my parents and I remembered it had two levels, with a buttload of escalators to move you from lot to lot, so after we went in, I immediately headed to the lower lot to get those rides out of the way and to make sure we got on the new Transformers 3-D ride, which was what I really wanted to see anyway. Off we went down the escalators, while I explained to K. about what I love about the park, as he had never been and was hesitant to even join me. However, after walking past Optimus Prime and Bumble Bee characters and then right onto the Transformers ride, I knew he was hooked. The ride was amazing. The premise is the car you’re in is an autobot and you have to save the all-spark from Megatron. Of course, madness ensues as you battle the bad guys through the streets of L.A.



After the wild ride, we hit up The Mummy, which is a roller coaster in the dark as you try to escape the Mummy, with a surprise twist at the end. Then, it was time for the water ride, Jurassic Park. The premise of that ride is you are actually in Jurassic Park when something goes horribly wrong and your boat is knocked into a restricted area, which has been taken over by the dinosaurs. Soon, you are trying to escape a T-Rex and getting soaked in the process. There’s really no way to not get wet on this ride, so make sure your cameras and phones are covered.



The fourth attraction on the lower level was the NBC Universal Experience, which is a walk through of props and sets from movies and TV shows, which we decided to skip. We did hit up Transformers a second time and stopped for a picture with Optimus Prime before heading back to the upper level.



First stop up there was the Simpsons ride. I really thought this would be lame, but it turned out to be an awesome virtual roller coaster! I loved the over-the-top Krusty World props outside and the Kwik-E-Mart.



After the Simpsons, we headed down to the Studio Tour, which I was super-excited for because Jimmy Fallon ‘co-hosts’ it. I was like a kid in a candy store as I rapidly snapped shots of all of the studios, backlots and trailers of the stars! Some of the ‘stops’ on the tour included King King 360, 3-D (which was rebuilt by Peter Jackson when the original King Kong section burned down in 2008), Jaws, Earthquake, the Mummy and my favorite the War of the Worlds plane crash scene! It was the actual plane disaster scene used in the movie!  Supposedly Parenthood was filming there at the time, and the tour was ‘delayed’ for a few minutes, but I didn’t see any stars.



After the hour-long tour, we headed over to the Terminator 2 3-D experience, which hasn’t changed in 15 years, and then to the Shrek 4-D experience, which was a cute little film where you watch as Shrek and Donkey had to save Princess Fiona. Get there early to see a little show with the Three Pigs and Pinocchio.

At that point, it was a little before 7 p.m. and the park was closing, which means we got to see everything! The front-of-the-line access pass did the trick and ensured we got on everything. After getting into the park though, I realized it wasn’t that crowded and we might not have needed the pass, however, knowing the studio tour was an hour, I liked knowing we could by-pass the lines. Plus it felt pretty cool to ‘jump’ the line. I was a little disappointed to see the park a little empty, but we did go on a random Monday in October, which I’m sure is not peak time for the park. It was cool to see the park set up for the Halloween Horror Nights, which I was on the fence about attending, and in the end decided against it because I am too frightened by scary things (though I love The Walking Dead). I’m sure it’s pretty awesome though, as if you’re going to a scary/haunted house, Universal is probably the best place to do it.



After the park, we did a little souvenir shopping and then hit up CityWalk, where we had dinner and drinks at Karl Strauss Brewing Co. (really good selection of beer!). I kind of wished we hadn’t gone on a Monday, as CityWalk was kind of dead. If I were to go back, I’d definitely hit up CityWalk for food and drinks again.



I highly recommend hitting up Universal Studios Hollywood if you are in the area. It’s definitely worth the price. And as always, look for deals beforehand, such as the discounted front-of-the-line access pass after 2 p.m. Also, for those natives of California, if you go before the end of 2012, for the price of a one-day ticket, you can get an annual 2013 pass! That is a steal! And make sure to bring your camera!



Universal Studios

100 Universal City Plaza

Universal City, CA 91608
 

Universal Halloween Horror Nights