Today we had some dear friends down from the Bay Area, so I did some work from home in the morning, and then burned a few vacation hours to go to Universal Studios with everyone. The park wasn’t at all crowded, and it was quite fun. We did the obligatory studio tour (the tour guide, as usual, was quite good). We did the Waterworld show, which I always enjoy because the actors have such fun with it. We did Jurassic Park (my first time on it), and it was actually quite fun (more like Pirates but with a bigger drop at the end). Lastly, we did the Backdraft attraction, which was quite good but should be avoided if you are sensitive to kerosene. Quite fun, and things like this make the annual pass worthwhile (plus Versailles at Citywalk for lunch)
I’ll note that work is proceedings on the Simpsons ride (opens May 17); the Nickelodeon wet zone is now Curious George themed, and the I-Love-Lucy walk-through in the lower park appears to be gone (apparently it is being replaced with a Universal Museum, opening in April).
I still miss the days of the old stunt show with the western actors, but I guess kids these days don’t understand from westerns. I still have fond memories of the old days of the studio tour, and the plaza with the giant pencils, the McHales Navy set, Ma and Pa Kettle Farm, and walking through the bungalows. I could swear that Frank was bigger then.
