Jake and I went to Universal Studios with our friend Pattie this weekend and had a blast. It was a last minute day trip that ended up being worth every cent. We took TONS of photos and walked our asses off. It was nice to just get out and be entertained. I gave it a review over at 43 Places, and decided to cross post it here.

I just got back from Universal Studios and had a blast. They are constantly changing and upgrading the tours so it's always something new. I took my boyfriend, who has never been to Universal Studios, and my friend. We arrived at opening time (9am) on a Saturday and there were hardly any lines. We headed straight for the guided tour (a MUST SEE) and walked right on. The rest of the day we spent going through the different attractions and enjoying the day.

If you are into movies you will appreciate this more. It is geared towards showing people what happens behind the scenes and giving them an enjoyable time.

Attire: Prepared to get wet. Most places have at least a mist. By the second ride my makeup was off and my hair was wet. Keep this in mind when carrying bags, cameras, etc... Comfortable shoes are a must. It's a very large place.

I enjoyed every attraction I went to, so I'll give a break down of my opinion of each (I did not go on all of them so this is an incomplete list of what is available):

The guided Tour: Go there first to beat the lines. It's a great ride where you get to see set designs, surprises and thrills. My favorite part on this ride was King Kong as far as scream value. My friends' left ear can attest to this.

Jurassic Park ride: Be prepared to get soaked. SOAKED. I swear you would have thought someone stood over me with a bucket of water by the time I got off. It's perfect for the hot summer days.

Backdraft: Perfect for after Jurassic Park ride to dry off. A pyrotechnic show with some surprises. I never saw the movie but it was still highly enjoyable.

Special Effects stages: We had a blast in here. Sit down and watch how the magic happens. Everything from Blue Screen to CGI is covered, as well as sound effect. The tour guides were hilarious and we had a lively group.

House of Horrors: Oh G-d! I screamed my way through this place. It was definitely one of my favorite parts. I walked in expecting some sort of museum about horror films and ended up walking through a VERY dark haunted house tour. I have a scream factor of ten so I spent half the tour scaring those around me.

Back to the Future ride: Fun but a tad long in the beginning. The signs give warnings about claustrophobic people but I didn't think it was bad. It's a simulator that takes you on a trip through time, flying around.

Terminator 2 - 3D: There was an obnoxious guy on the mic outside which was funny for about 2.3 seconds... but thankfully he was not part of the ride. Long intro, so be prepared to stand. I was almost ready to leave when we finally went into the seating section. If you like 3D movies and special effects together you will enjoy this one. The funniest part was the 'commercial' showing how Shaq's free throw improved with Cyberdyne technology.

Revenge of the Mummy ride: A roller coaster with fun special effects. I thought the warning signs were a tad over done. They made it sound like a terrifying ride that only the healthy should ride (back/neck problems, seizures, heart trouble, motion sickness, recent surgery, prosthetic limbs, etc...) It was a little too short but still worthy of checking out. I wouldn't bother standing in a long line for it though.

We ate lunch at Doc Brown's Chicken, which had decent prices and really good chicken. There are tons of places to eat or grab drinks.

Overall: City Walk is an interesting place to go in itself. You can hang out, eat and go to the movies. I would recommend this to anyone wanting to enjoy a fun day who enjoys the magic of movies and fun rides. The park is kept clean and the staff are very friendly. You can always find someone to help you with directions and the rides are enjoyable for all age groups. I'm not sure why some did not like the place, but we had a blast.

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