November Road Trip Part 1: Universal Studios Hollywood

 
It's that time again!
After six months adjusting to our new home in Utah it was time for an epic road trip.  I actually started planning this trip long before our move so that we would have something to look forward to on the hard days of saying goodbyes and trying to make new friends. We were all geared up and ready for an adventure!

 
We drove the 11 hours to LA in the first day and saw some beautiful scenery along the way.

 
Joshua Trees!

 
I was super excited to visit California for the first time, and this rest area just after the border had some fun photo ops.

 
By the time we got back home we clocked just about 2,000 miles on this trip.

 
Our first hotel was a Best Western in Hollywood. It wasn't the nicest room ever, but had free breakfast and beds for the six of us.


 
And an outdoor pool which the kids got into the very first night we were there. It was so much warmer in southern California that it felt like Summer again to us.

 
The next morning we visited Universal Studios Hollywood.

 
For our Potterhead especially, this was a dream destination.

 
We were at this park on a Sunday and a Monday and the crowds weren't too bad.  We made a goal to be at the park before opening and ride as many rides as possible before the lines got long.  I also downloaded the app for my phone that helped us monitor line wait times.

 
When we were ready for a break we rode the Backstage Tour and saw Jaws, King Kong, the Fast and the Furious...

 
...and the Bates Motel, among other things.

 
The kiddos kept pretty good attitudes despite the walking and the heat.  It got up to 90 degrees one of the days we were at Universal. Everyone packed along a reusable water bottle, and I had some snacks along too.

 
We ate a late lunch with Butterbeers, after the rush, at the Three Broomsticks.  It was so good!  In addition to this, the "Great Feast" came with a huge salad.  It claims to feed 4, but was enough for the 6 of us.  We thought it was such a great option (for theme park food) that we ate lunch here both days.

 
Even though it was still early November, many of the Christmas lights and decorations were up and that made the place seem extra festive.

 
On day two at Universal we did more of the same!

 
This day was extra fun because we got to meet up with Rob's sister and her boyfriend and spend the day with them in the park.


 Even riding the escalator can be fun.

 
One ride we didn't get to on day one was the new Jurassic World ride, so we went there first on day two and rode it twice right away.

 
We spent more time in Hogsmeade and rode the Harry Potter rides again as well.


 
We weren't really interested in waiting in lines for character interactions, but Alex the Lion came right up to our Bear and Sissy and made them giggle with his hugs and antics.

 

 
I was surprised that our kids loved the Simpsons ride and Springfield area so much, as they aren't very familiar with the show.  In fact they kept referring to Bart as Burt! But a giant pink donut to share may have been part of the appeal.


 
Thanks Universal! We rode every ride in the park at least once, and a few of them four times! It was a busy couple of days, but fun, and helped us gear up for even longer amusement park days to come!

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