Universal Studios Hollywood

A staple on every LA tourist's list-- Universal Studios Hollywood. It's home to many attractions inspired by well-loved television shows and films. But you don't have to be a movie geek or TV aficionado to enjoy this place. Just have a fun-loving, adventure-seeking persona, and you're good to go!

Upon entering Universal City (it's an actual area in CA, yes), you will be passing the many shops and restaurants of CityWalk. (Mind the signature gorilla sporting a santa hat and holding a mistletoe for the holidays). After a few meters, you'll be greeted by the famous arch and globe bearing the name of Universal Studios.

The first place we head to upon entering the theme park? The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, of course. Unlike the one in USJ, you don't need a timed ticket to enter-- you can come in and out at your own pleasure. And of course, you will actually understand the dialogues! I remember when we rode Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, the visual effects broke down for a moment but the audio was running! So we didn't hesitate to line up again and go for another run. The queue takes you around Hogwarts Castle where you'll find lots of interesting stuff. But if you're not too eager about the 3-D motion ride, you can also explore the castle from the back-end.

Upon leaving Hogsmeade, we make our way through another fictional world: The Simpsons' Springfield. Here, you can buy the iconic pink donut ("The Big Pink") from Lard Lad's. At Krustyland, you can enjoy carnival-style games as well as The Simpsons Ride-- which we never actually tried, oops.

There are only four Universal Parks all over the world (so far, that is)-- Universal Studios Singapore, Universal Studios Japan, Universal Orlando (last time I was there was in 2012, hence the lack of blog post), and the original one in California. Of course, they have a lot of concepts in common; but what sets this apart from the rest is, well-- actual studios. Because USH is based in the home of the stars, they have real film sets that you can peep through the signature Studio Tour. This guided tour puts you in a tram that drives you around film sets of various famous shows and movies. Along the way, some trivia or behind-the-scenes stories are also shared.

This tour has been around for a loooong time, but it sure has changed from when we last saw it a couple of years back. Yes, there are still some parts that we remember seeing before (like JAWS), but Universal makes sure to switch things up and outdo themselves. To prove this, integrated in the tour are two 3-D attractions: (1) Fast and the Furious: Supercharged, and; (2) King-Kong 360 3-D, which they claim as the world's largest 3-D ride. I never would've thought that they could turn a "tunnel" into a whole 3-D experience. Definitely a must-see!

Entering King Kong 360 3-D

Actual filming on-going!

Inside Fast and the Furious: Supercharged

After the Studio Tour, we take perhaps one of the longest escalators to the Lower Lot. I think I have more childhood memories of this portion of the park among the rest. Like I remember crying over Jurassic Park: The Ride (which is still there up to this year, thankfully) because it was already closed by the time we got there. I must have been 10 years old back then. Looking back, I'm not sure why I was bawling when it was actually a fateful excuse to skip such a terrifying ride! Just kidding. But believe me when I say the drop in that ride feels nearly 90º. The fright is completely washed away once you're drenched by the drop though!

Another attraction I vaguely remember from when I was young would be E.T. Adventure, but unfortunately it has already been replaced by Revenge of the Mummy. Both rides are indoor, but they are completely different too. The E.T. ride was just basically you "biking" and floating like you're in the movie, while the latter is a high-speed coaster with many drops, is set in the dark, and even lurches backwards at the near end of the ride. Just thinking about it makes me squirm. If you can't tell yet, I'm not too big on scary rides-- but I may be willing to try everything at least once?

The Lower Lot must truly be after my heart, because it's home to one of my favorite franchises (that is, until they ruined it with more movies)-- Transformers! Transformers: The Ride is another mobile 3-D ride,  where you get to feel what it's like to ride an Autobot. What I was more eager about was the merchandise store, since I'm a collector-- specifically, a Bumblebee collector. (I'm just waiting for the day I get to have my own yellow Camaro with racing stripes. But a yellow VW Beetle wouldn't be so bad either. Hey, one can dream haha!) Just outside the attraction, they also have scheduled appearances of Megatron, Bumblebee, and Optimus Prime. I'm not sure how they make it work, but the characters are very much spontaneous but in character!

Selfie with my bb

Stand-off between Megatron and a young Optimus Prime haha!

Once we've seen everything in the Lower Lot, it was time to make our way back to the Upper Lot.  For the season, the whole park was decorated with all things Christmas. But the main theme was Grinchmas™, in honor of the famous green character created by Dr. Seuss. 

Interestingly, USH has its own Baker Street. Anglophiles will surely enjoy walking down this portion of the Upper Lot. I, a Sherlock fan (shoutout to the amazing Benedict Cumberbatch!!!), sure did! The Christmas decor also added a nice touch to the London-influenced landscape.

The festive mood of the area makes The Walking Dead attraction harder to miss, as it looks bleaker than the rest. Whether or not you're a fan of the AMC series, you'll definitely enjoy this walk-(more like, run!)through attraction that puts you in the shoes of the survivors in the show.

At the end of Baker Street is Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem, yet another 3-D ride. It's cute, perhaps too cute for my taste, but that's exactly how the film is. I'm not a fan of the films and cringe at the sight of minions (fight me), but hey, the ride was amusing, I admit.

Wearing H&M sweater, Topshop jeans and boots

And guess what? There is a Starbucks store inside Universal Studios Hollywood. It's a big one too, and looks regal with its Old Hollywood Glam-inspired interior bathed in black and gold. You might want to snag yourself an exclusive You Are Here mug with the USH print when you get the chance. And because I like to check out menus around the world too, I got the Snickerdoodle Hot Cocoa from their 2016 holiday offerings. It was really sweet, but that was expected since that's how snickerdoodle cookies are supposed to be in the first place.

(Photos are from December 2016)

At night, the Universal CityWalk™ turns into a neon-lit district. The park closes pretty early (they don't have a fireworks show or anything at night), so if you want to stay in the area until dark, this is the place to be.