It's Hot!

We were up early and out the door to Universal Studios for early arrival. We got into the park a little after 8:00 a.m. and headed straight to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. There wasn't much of a line, so we rode the ride, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey twice. This is an awesome ride. We also rode the Flight of the Hippogriff, a mini-rollercoaster. We spent a good amount of time walking through the world and exploring shops. By 10:30, the temperature was really heating up, so we bid adieu to Hogsmeade and headed to the world of Minions and the Despicable Me ride.

The wait said it was 25 minutes, but we waited about an hour to finally get on the ride. It was cute, but not worth the 60-minute wait especially since most of the time was spent outside as the mercury continued to rise. Next stop was Springfield, USA and the Simpson ride. This ride had a 50-minute wait, but we were happy to be inside with some air conditioning. In fact, our wait was only about 20 minutes, so Universal Studios has some difficulty determining their times. The boys really enjoyed the Simpson ride and the world of Springfield since they are big fans of the Simpsons T.V. show.

We decided to walk to the Lower Lot and after four sets of escalators down the side of the mountain, we arrived at the Jurassic Park, the only water ride in the park. The wait was 70 minutes, but the thought of getting doused with water was so inviting that we joined the thousands of others in line. 90 minutes later, we were on the boat enjoying delightful sprays of water. The final waterfall drop resulted in being sprayed in the face with a horizontal deluge. It was wonderful though a bit forceful.

By then, it was 2:00 p.m. and 112 degrees outside. We decided we had seen enough of Universal Studios and walked over to the City Walk to the movie theater. We got there just in time for the 2:30 showing of Antman and the Wasp. The theater had recliner seats, and I admit that I fell asleep during part of the movie. It was so cool and comfortable, I couldn't resist. After the movie, we drove to Santa Monica to eat at a restaurant Zach had heard about called Saved by the Max. The decor is from the old T.V. show Saved by the Bell. When we arrived, we found out it was going to cost us $51.00 per person, so a change in plans occurred and we ate at Baja Fresh instead.

It was about an hour drive to Newbury Park where Marc and Jackie live and that was our final destination. We arrived around 8:00 p.m. and visited for a few hours with the family. I was too tired to write last night which is why this post is a day late. Marc (with Jackie's assistance)
made us delicious lemon ricotta zucchini pancakes for breakfast that were divine. Today is the Reagan Library and hanging out with our family. Life is good.

To read, David's perspective go here: www.favoritesonsspiels.blogspot.com