Amusement Parks- Universal Studios, Hollywood

The same way I love National Parks I have a craze for Amusement Parks! Especially the ones with those craziest rides! It was my third trip the Universal Studios and I wasn't bored of those noisy rides. I watch movies and I was really interested in knowing the tricks and the setups used to make those action filled movies.

Universal Studios- Hollywood, I don't have to write much about it. I booked my tickets through Grey Line which included transportation from the hotel (pickup and drop off) as well as admission to the theme park for $100 because I didn't want to drive. The prices are subject to change from time to time. I tried this method twice and it worked very convenient for me. No driving and parking hassles. If there is a traffic jam near the city I could sleep in the bus peacefully! Check with your hotel front desk if they have this facility.

Universal Studios- Hollywood is a very popular tourist attraction around the city of Los Angeles and so is very crowded all the time. For popular rides expect long lines from mid-day to evening. Best thing to do is visit the park on a weekday, reach early in the morning and finish with the very popular rides earlier in the day. Then stroll around, browse the souvenir shops to enjoy the park.

Well, I am going to list my favorite rides! The Studio Tour is fantastic! The King Kong 360 3-D is something one should experience. The shark from The Jaws made a dramatic entry. The set up for the action movie Fast and Furious looks so easy :) Though I am not great fan of these but, are good to see- that plane crash from War of the Worlds, Bates Motel from Psycho, the street where Desperate Housewives is shot.

The plunge, 84-feet straight down while a raptor is trying to catch you from the top, is the highlight of Jurassic Park ride. Loved it very much! Revenge of the Mummy in the dark was cool too! Especially when the roller coaster was moving backwards :) Transformers 3-D and similar simulators were not so very exciting and a bit too noisy for me. After visiting the most popular rides I went roaming around.

The popular characters roam around the park and that day I saw Shrek, Dora- The Explorer who is my favorite and The Mummy which was looking as ugly as ever! There was this Crew from Apollo 13. One of the few movies I watch anytime of the day or night. I don't know how many times I have watched it! Me and my niece took pictures with few characters we liked. The views of the city from the studios is great. It is a nice way to relax after few intense rides.

Whole day you will be on your feet, walking, standing in the lines for the rides and lunch, and browsing through souvenir shops. It is wise to wear good fitting footwear, and have a bottle of drinking water. Be aware that for many intense rides there is a height restriction for children. The child must be at least 40"(102cm) tall.

There was a family ahead of us in the line. Two boys and parents. The younger boy was 39" tall and the crew at the entrance for the ride refused to allow him. So, the boy went crazy and didn't let others in the family to go for the ride either!

There are Front-of-the-line, VIP passes available for extra cost to avoid the lines. I am an ordinary citizen of the world and I love watching people so I didn't go for any privilege passes.

I did enjoy the park very much. If you are around Los Angeles, why wait? Head to exciting Universal Studios- Hollywood for a day trip!

Other places of interest around Los Angeles on my road trip: Disneyland and California Adventure Parks, Sea World in San Diego, Joshua Tree National Park, Getty Museums, Huntington Gardens, Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, Wildflowers at Gorman, Orange County Great Park, Santa Catalina Island and Korean Bell of Friendship.

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This post is linked to Our World Tuesday.

If you want pictures please ask me :)
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Scrapbook- A Travel Blog by Kusum Sanu is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.