Skip to main content

Random Photo Entry 18: Universal Studios, Hollywood

Okay, so given that this post has a specific focus, it's not random.

I know I'm more than a month late in posting this, but for his 30th, I took "The Ukrainian" to Universal Studios in Hollywood. He grew up in Hollywood, and he had never gone.


Above: He said it was okay to post pics of him (I asked about this one particularly), though I still don't do it too often...

We went on the tram right away, since the King Kong 3-D attraction just got added to the tram ride, and we were worried about the lines that would ensue...


Above: View from the tram. Drizzly -- but this was early July!


Above: Facades... I have a funny story about the first time I learned that word in my freshman honor's English class in high school. Having never seen it before, I had to read it aloud to the class and said something like, "FAH KADE." Oops! Anyway, these FUH-SAHDs/fake buildings are new, because the old ones were damaged a few years ago...


Above: Cool, huh?


Above: Mmmm, carcass.


Above: Recognize this Desperate Housewives setting? Even as a non-viewer of that TV show, I still knew what it was...


Above: Whoo-ville!

Above: My favorite pic of all: The Bates Motel from Hitchcock's Psycho.


Above: I had not been to this theme park in about a decade, so this was a welcome new ride to try. Most of the roller coaster rides made me nauseated. Seems to be getting worse as I age. *sigh* Guess my coaster days are nearing their end...

Not pictured: Basket of fries(!) which was my lunch

Not documented: This was also the day I "gave notice" to my old job...

Above: Finally, Despicable Me (referring to myself)!

We finished the park by early afternoon, so we just made our way to his parents' home for dinner. All in all, I think he enjoyed this adventure, much like last year's trip to the gardens. However, he has requested something more low-key for next year, and I guess I will have to creatively comply.

P.S. Everyone has been asking me how the King Kong 3-D attraction was... it was about a minute of the tram rocking around with a little water splashing and cold foggy air blowing through so that you thought that King Kong was going to eat you and a T-Rex batting you away with its tail. All in all, it was meh... but I'm not a fan of 3-D anything for the most part. Funny that it got so much hype, because for the most part, it wasn't worth it.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

StyleScience Airfoil Sunglasses

Much too long after the death of my last pair of sunglasses, I managed to get my hands on another pair. This one comes from CVS/pharmacy. I figured that since a more expensive pair blew out on me, why not a drugstore one? So after going to speciality stores, I came upon this one that looks and feels good... StyleScience's Airfoil. I didn't notice until later that this is meant for men, but my large head circumference called for it, I think. Anyway, I like that the sides have some ventilation (via a large triangular hole). I hope not to break this one...

Giveaway Winner! -- Sony W Series MP3 Player (Update)

Updated Post: 3/20/11 As promised, here are the Sony W Series giveaway winners: -- both have been contacted and prizes sent -- Please e-mail me at (Gmail) Nobel4Lit2 with your addresses, and I'll ship out the units soon! Thanks to everyone who entered.  Stay tuned for another giveaway soon (maybe later this week)! (Note: I ended up putting everyone's retweets starting after the comments when it came to numbering the entries.) Original Post: 3/10/11 Sunday, March 20 2011, the day I will run LA Marathon for the 4th time (and embark on my 8th 26.2 journey overall), will also be very special because it will mark the 5th year since I did my FIRST training run with the intention of running a marathon.  (Check out that life-changing post HERE ). Yep, on March 20, 2006, I went to the track and ran my first 3.25 miles with the dreams of marathon glory (or even half-marathon glory). I think it was one of the best decisions I've ever made.  I was a sprint/track

Sharkies Prize Pack (giveaway)

It's giveaway time! On a long run recently, I took a couple packs of Sharkies Organic Sports Chews  with me to keep me going on a hot day.  I got through those 15 miles  eating these, versus normal gels.  I've been opting to eat chews over gels in my running nowadays because I just find them more palatable and easier on my stomach for some reason.  Plus, they do pack a few more calories, which is a good thing in this case. I normally associate cute little chews with candy, but these actually contain natural electrolytes.  Plus, they were light to carry and very tasty, too!  Each pack is about 140 calories.  The only downside I found to the sport chews is that they stuck to my teeth a tiny bit more than my normal choices, and the packaging gave me a fight at times.  This could easily be solved by conslidating them into a baggie pre-run, or eating them BEFORE running would be much easier than during. Want to win the prize pack below?  It comes with these Sport Chews, a neat