Postcard From the Future: Universal Studios

My brother and I curiously exploring one of Universals many decorations.

My eyes slowly opened with a light knock on my door. As I glanced out the window, I noticed the sun had yet to rise. And the door opened.

“Get dressed, we’re leaving in 30 minutes,” my mom said as she flipped on my bedroom lights.

I hopped out of bed in my Hello Kitty onesie and began to change. After getting dressed I grabbed my backpack, stuffed bunny and ran down the stairs. My parents rustled through their bags, double-checked their packing list, and started to bring our luggage to our gray 2001 minivan. I grabbed Eggo waffles out of the toaster and glanced at the microwave clock. It read 4:30 a.m.

Driving from Oakridge, Oregon to Los Angeles, California adds up to a 12-and-a-half hour road trip. Luckily for me I had grown out of my carsick phase. Well, for the most part. Any nauseous moments I would face on this trip were worth it. I was on my way to my favorite place in the world -- Universal Studios Hollywood.

I’ve only been there a few times, but every time it left an amazing impression on me. As a kid with an overactive imagination, this place was everything I needed to keep me entertained. Every time my parents brought home a movie that opened with the iconic Universal Studios orchestra I would get excited by just being reminded of my favorite place. 

King Kong on City Walk.

After a couple hours listening to my parents bickering over the traffic, we finally found ourselves on Universal’s City Walk. Large crowds made their way to and from Universal Studios just up ahead. The City Walk slowly immersed us in the world of cinema. We saw a blue-tinted King Kong hung off of a City Walk sign, Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant, and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s Sweets and Treats. King Kong was my favorite.

While we walked through the busy bricked road, we heard bands playing all around. There was an official stage, but that didn’t stop common folk from sharing their talents elsewhere. A lonely man playing acoustic guitar with a hat lying in front of him and a woman cosplaying as Marilynn Monroe looking to make a few bucks for photo cameos.

My brother, dad and I outside of Universal.

I impatiently tugged at my mom's arm in an effort to get through the City Walk faster, with little success. Finally, we made it to the gates. After we had our picture taken in front of the iconic Universal Studios logo, we got inside.

Meeting Dora.

 Being inside was an absolute thrill. All of my favorite characters -- Scooby Doo, Spongebob Squarepants, Dora The Explorer -- came up and greeted  me. With the biggest smile on my face I asked them all of my dying  questions about their shows. Maybe I just wanted to pretend they were real or maybe I was really convinced. My brother was almost as excited as me when he met Spider-Man, his favorite superhero.

I loved visiting Universal Studios for a lot of reasons, but my number-one reason was the rides. My mom calls me an “adrenaline junkie,” so it only made sense that I wanted to go on every ride as many times as possible.

My brother Sam and I on a rollercoaster.

My favorites are the Jurassic Park themed ride that is an immersive tour of the dinosaurs in captivity until a few minutes into the ride the dinosaurs break out of their cages and interfere with the ride. Another great one is Revenge of the Mummy, an indoor ride that is in a pitch-black room and that features glow-up mummies and skeletons that popped up to scare riders. And the Bus Tour, a seemingly ordinary bus tour that shows the behind-the-scenes of all things Universal and features a realistic interactive scene with King Kong throwing the bus around. This stuff blew my mind. I couldn’t get enough of it.

After wearing ourselves out from walking in the beaming sun all day, we decided to stop for some food. I insisted on staying fully immersed in the cinematic universe, so Taco Bell was not an option. Instead we waltzed into Simpson’s town and treated ourselves to their giant pink donut. It was exactly how one would expect it to be, too sweet and too big. We voted to break the immersion with the good ol’ reliable corn dogs.

My brother, dad and I relaxing after a long day.

 We returned to our hotel to sleep off the day. Still on   cloud nine, I ended the trip with a dip in the hot tub. I   would later find out this decision caused a staph   infection to cover my entire body.

 Whoops.

 I slept the entire way home and slept some more once   we arrived. As I lay in my bed with sleepy eyes, I   looked around my room and saw a Dora stuffed doll,   Scooby Doo board game, Spongebob rain boots, and   dinosaur figurines. I smiled knowing that I had brought   home new life to put into them.

Universal was the place that allowed my imagination to come to life.

At a Glance

Universal Studios: Hollywood

Where: 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA

When: Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sat.-Sun. 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Covid Policy: Masks required for California residents. Masks and vaccination required for out of state visitors. 

Price of Admission: $99 - $129 for 1-Day Pass

What to see/do: Roller coasters, Character sightings, Special effects show, Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Simpsons Land, WaterWorld and more.