One of the things that I have been waiting for on this trip to the US is to see Universal Studios in the San Fernando Valley area. It is one of the icons in Hollywood more popularly known as "The Entertainment Capital of LA" showcasing their rides and attractions in Universal Studios theme park to go behind the scenes of a real working movie studio film in the world-famous studio tour. And best of all, It has merchandise shops where I can buy souvenirs to bring home to the Philippines.
Just after lunch, we were deciding whether to go to Miami Beach or at Los Angeles County Museum of Art or to go to Glendale but we can't pick which is best for me to see. So I had my chance to suggest we go to Universal Studios since I still haven't seen it. Everyone agreed so in a dash, we drove 15 miles southeast and after more than 20 minutes, we reached Costco at Sta. Clarita to buy tickets for our Universal Studios tour. It dawned on us a little too late that since we only have the remaining half of the day, it would be a waste of time to tour for just a few hours inside the studios and pay for the entire $124 ticket. We can still go to the adjacent bustling entertainment district of Universal Park family anyway, which is at least free, no need to pay for admission, and will still quench my hunger for scenic places I've never been to. While we were debating whether to push through the plan or not, the posters of AMC Theaters caught our attention flashing movies that are now showing. The teen movie The Fault In Our Stars where both Divergent actors Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort are playing the lead roles is quite inviting but knowing myself not being a fan of love stories, I'm afraid I might just get bored. And that defeats the purpose of spending the rest of the afternoon more productive and enjoyable. I remembered suddenly that Transformers Age of Extinction is also being shown, which is more of my type of movie but it's not my niece's cup of tea. So we decided to split at the cinemas, them going to where they can hear Ed Sheeran at the end credit's theme song and me going to the first Transformers movie that doesn't feature Shia LaBeouf.
We drove another 24 miles for 30 minutes and we finally reached Universal CityWalk at past 2 pm. At the entrance gate is the breathtaking Universal Studios Hollywood sign which makes photoshoot compulsory for tourists and guests. In just a few more steps, the excitement is not over yet as the Universal Studio Globe Fountain stands at the park’s main entrance being the most iconic visual of Universal Studios.
Moving into the entrance, there are a lot of big shops to go to like Billabong, Fossil, Zen Zone, and ANGL to the right, and to my left is the huge Universal Studio Store, followed by Francesca's, Sublime Gifts & Finds, Hot Topic, Guess and Nectar Bath Treats. The one that really caught my attention is the Dodgers Clubhouse that got me extremely excited which lined up along quick food and restaurants like The Crepe Cafe, Vivo Italian Kitchen, Sparky's Mini Donuts and Chocolates, Jamba Juice, and Johnny Rockets. It's mandatory getting myself to check out the Dodgers merchandise and bring one home. I got myself a baseball cap which I've always wanted. I was really tempted to buy some more like mugs, refrigerator magnets, shirts, and other stuff but I have to save my money for other expenses in the next few days.
At the center of it is the dancing water fountain display which was designed by the same creators of Las Vegas Bellagio fountains. To the right is the escalator going to CityLoft at the upper level where a huge Tony Roma's is seen beside it. Bubba Shrimp Co. and Wasabi at CityWalk are just right next to it while behind me sits Abercrombie and Fitch along with IT'SUGAR. And from where I stand in front of Starbucks Coffee just beside AMC Theatre (update: in 2017 it was renamed to Universal Cinema), nothing will escape the flaunting facade of Hard Rock Cafe Hollywood which I remember seeing from Chris Brown's music video Loyal as he performs in 5 Towers, the interactive outdoor concert venue in CityWalk with a massive video monitor above it
We went straight to the ticket queues of Universal Cinema to watch the movies we want to see. Just in time for the start of Transformers Age of Extinction at 4:30pm but their movie will start at a later time. We bought ourselves popcorn and soda and went separate ways and I looked for my cinema number among the 18 screens and a huge IMAX auditorium. The place is huge and for first-timers like me, I had to look around to get myself familiarized with the place. What's a little strange is that there is only one ticket drop for all the cinemas and there seems to be no one manning the entry booths of each movie house. This means you can jump from one movie to another paying only one price of a ticket. I don't see anyone doing it anyway, but it seems very possible.
Luckily enough, the movie house is not jam-packed and I don't have seatmates on both sides. It's very cozy and relaxing, and I feel like I own the theater. The entire 165 minutes is very rewarding and when I went out of the movie house, I didn't even notice that it's already past 7pm. I went straight to the lounge where we all agreed to meet after the movies but they're not there yet. It's amazing to see that the concession stand serves almost a hundred different kinds of drinks and it's really overwhelming. I sat on one of the comfortable chairs along the full-service bar where there are LED starbursts on the ceiling that makes it relaxing for people to wait after a tiring stare at the widescreen for 2 hours. I waited for almost another half an hour but I didn't get bored. In fact, I really had fun watching a sea of people come and go, from all walks of life and cultural diversity to a tourist place like this.
At 8pm, we have finally gathered at the lounge. We planned to carry on with going around the CityWalk but we were all too tired to walk and we were all hungry. I still see shops beyond 5 Towers like Things From Another World, Skechers, Lids and Shoe Palace and restaurants such as Voodoo Doughnut, Wetzel's Pretzels, Samba Brazilian Steakhouse, Buca di Beppo and Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville. We headed back to the direction of the entrance gate and stopped by IT'SUGAR. It was like going into Charlie's Chocolate Factory where all Diabetes-inducing sweets can be found. Just beside it is Abercrombie & Fitch where my niece shopped for summer outfits using discount coupons that are found in the magazines.
It is such a tiring day but very fulfilling. It is recommended to start the tour at 9am if the intention is to tour around Universal Studios but if you'd like to just walk around for photoshoots, CityWalk is a perfect place for that purpose. Shopping, as they say, is not recommended, especially for tourists like me, because the prices are way too expensive compared to other shops outside Hollywood. My sister, who is a local here, says there's really nothing special but for foreigners and alike, this is already a mind-blowing place.