Today we went to Universal Studios Hollywood (USH), I have always loved the view from the top!. Passing through the front gate makes you feel like a movie star. You walk along the red carpet and you enter a twilight zone. You are suddenly transported to the streets of Chicago and what comes through - Jake and Elwood singing 'I'm a Soul Man". Meanwhile every other visitor is stopped dead in their tracks to start jamming with the cast members. Thankfully my City Mini is able to maneuver quickly and smoothly through the crowds.
My daughter is happy as a clam - being able to sit up and watch all the people and colors... So we come upon Shrek's Village and Donkey is trying to sell pancakes and waffles. Alexis is intrigued so we stop for a while to listen and watch. Still trying to make our way to the famous studio tour tram ride, we see Homer Simpson and family, Fred Flintstone and what I seem to think is a sad excuse for Zorro. Sorry Antonio - you deserve better!
If you have never been to USH, be prepared to handle elevators and escalators. There is an upper level and a lower level. You are allowed to put your strollers on the escalators but you must remove your children to do so. The elevators can be a wait. Fortunately we decided to do the tour first. I took Alexis out and handed her to my husband and I folded the stroller quickly, took the escalator and we were on our way down. Too many unfolded strollers in the way when you get to the bottom of the escalator. We got around the "LOST" tourist, unfolded our stroller and parked it in "Stroller Parking". The wait was about 30 minutes, not to bad..
Got on the second tram cab and sat back and relaxed. This was only my 30th time on the tram but each ride is hardly ever repeated. With movie shoot schedules, break down and set up of facades it really is a working studio lot. Norman Bates, Desperate Housewives, Jurassic Park, Return of the Mummy, many others and of course the new thriller of them all King Kong. We snapped those 3D glasses on quick and held Alexis close.
You are transported to forest island of Kong's home, the snarl, the feel of him breathing so close.. Then we realize that you are not welcomed and so it begins a fight, the tram begins to be tossed back and forth, Kong jumps over the roof, his growling of his discontent of us invading his home! You are sprayed with water as if it was him spitting on you. You feel the wind of a branch being thrown at the tram - needless to say - it is time for us to keep moving.
So we continue with the tour and off to a Los Angeles subway station - Earthquake - shake, rattle and roll! Fast and Furious in Tokyo - you will never see German Cars, shaking their bon bons to Cuban music in Japan. Hmmm..
Alas the tour has come to an end, we are in search of our stroller. Found it in a sea of ugly strollers, tourist strollers and USH's. :) We decided to put Alexis in the stroller and ride in the elevator... Bad Idea!! 20 minutes later we are on the top level just to go to the lower lot where the Mummy and Jurassic Park the rides are.
Time to change Alexis again and this time I changed her right in her stroller. With the full recline and the expanded canopy - it was a cinch... Ok maybe not a cinch when you have a child who won't stay still, but I still tried to out do my quickest change in the west record! No real nursing stations which can be really hard when you are still breastfeeding. And who wants to do that in a public bathroom.
Our City Mini was a work horse and the hard plastic strollers that USH offers are just pitiful! Hard to move around. The walk to the parking lot is a nice stroll through City Walk - 3 Football Field Lengths and you still have to get to your parking level. With a tired child in hand, you may be the one with the meltdown!
