California Diary: Universal Studios

Last Sunday I had also gone to Universal Studios. It happens to be about 8 miles from where I am and so about 8 of us took 2 cabs to get there by 10.30 in the morning. Since schools are off at this time and the fact that it was a weekend, the place was packed. Its a nice place and it was 9 PM when we left.

We started the day by going for the 'Studio Tour'. We were taken on a 4-carriage motorized car around the premises. What was interesting was that they played movie scenes and showed us where exactly it was shot. I will never forget the Bates hotel (and the house on the hill) from the movie 'Psycho' and the Jaws scene.

We also passed by a 'Costa Rican' setting from another movie. With perfect precision they initiated a flash-flood on a country road which disappeared in an instant. Then there were those cars that they used for movies like 'Mummy', 'Back to the Future' etc. They even showed cars on robotic arms that made them move, explaining the stunts in movies like "Fast & the Furious-Tokyo Drift'.

Next we tried out all the various shows & rides grabbing lunch in between. The Terminator-3D show and the Shrek-4D show were awesome. I will never forget the water actually splashing on my face when Shrek & Fiona fall down a waterfall and something brushing against my legs when spiders came on screen.

Of the rides, the Mummy ride, Jurassic park and back to the future (3-D ride) were exhilirating. But the average waiting time for these rides is an hour in a 1-km parallel laned queue. The wait was killing on the legs. In between I caught a special-effects show where they explained the nuances of the craft spiced with good rehearsed humor to boot. That was exciting where they showed in an instant how voice effects are done, how you can be reduced to size and be chased by giant tarantula's on screen etc.

The 'Waterworld' show based on the movie of the same name was exciting with ski-scooter stunts, pyrotechnics, gun-fire and explosions. That kinda wrapped up the day and I was really pooped by the time I reached home. It was nice, but I don't think I would do it again. Maybe Disney, next time and that would be with my kids. :-)