Universal Studios

driving there in famous LA traffic

I've been wanting to go to Universal Studios since I heard about it as a teenager and now I've made it.  I'd heard from friends that it was a place of extreme rides and the coolest park around.  Now having visited, I'm not so sure about that.  It was the hottest day of our trip, 102 degrees.  The children were tired and bickering with each other, except Jacob who wasn't feeling good.  (We've all been sick for pretty much the whole trip.  I don't know if it's a virus or our bodies reacting to the smog.)  The music was loud and the crowds were tight.  It was not the highlight of the trip!  It reminded me a lot of California Adventure with its few attractions and lots of ways to spend money.  There is definitely a "grittier" feel at Universal, with employees sarcastic and abrupt. 

We participated in all the attractions.  Waterworld was a spectacle of special effects.  In that small pool behind us, they raced around on jet skis, ran a few boats around, fell into the water repeatedly and had explosions and gun fire.  They actually landed a small plane right in front of us!   We also saw Shrek 4-D, went on the tour, did the Mummy roller coaster, the Jurasic Park boat ride, and the Simpsons virtual coaster.  The Simpsons virtual coaster (you sit in a roller coaster car that tilts around in front of a big screen) was the best attraction there.  It actually felt like we were going on a roller coaster.  The children enjoyed playing in the water area of the park. 

waiting for Waterworld to begin

Miriam has an eye for spotting characters and we stopped at a few that didn't have too long of lines.

We'd bought a "two days for the price of one" pass but decided that we're just amusement parked out and are planning to go to Refugo Beach state park to spend our last day in California before making the marathon drive home.

As we lay in bed last night talking, Miriam was very frustrated with being small.  She'd had to miss a few of the rides, due to height restrictions, that she just KNEW she would enjoy .  She wanted to know why everyone else, even Elizabeth and Anastaya, are bigger than she is.  We tried to explain that they are older and she will be bigger too when she is their age.  She just couldn't understand.  I know inside she feels as big as any of us and it quite frustrated to be stuck in a little body.

It's amazing how tired everyone in the family is considering they're getting 11-12 hours of sleep a night.  I made sure both hotels we stayed in had swimming pools but the kids have been so exhausted in the evenings that all they want to do is lay on the bed and stare at the tv.