California Part 3: Universal Studios

On our third day in California, we had to visit Universal Studios! I was surprised by how massive their studio lot and amusement park was. The park/studio was on two "levels," as it is mostly on a large hill. In the above picture, you can also see their neighbors, Disney and Warner Bros Studios.

We started things off by taking a studio tour that takes you through their lot (hosted by the great Jimmy Fallon!). This tour is a must if you go to their amusement park. You get to see external sets from some of the most famous movies like Back to the Future, Psycho, Jurassic Park, and many others.

This is the city hall from the Back to the Future movies (minus the clock on the top) where the lightening had to strike.

This, of course, is the Bates Motel from Psycho. They even had the creepy house on the hill behind the motel. It was really creepy...

This is an example of a facade. In fact, in many movies when you see people walking down a street, or in an outside setting, it may simply be a facade. This scene from Bruce Almighty was filmed in front of a facade that was also on the Universal Studios lot (the inside scene was shot on another sound stage). 

Remember that movie War of the Worlds? This is a actual plane crash set that they used in the movie. It was pretty cool to see!

Sound stage where The Voice is filmed. 

If I may gush for a moment, the Transformers 3D ride was AMAZING. Yes, we waited in line for almost 2.5 hours, but it was worth it! I forgot that I was on a ride for a minute... Also, I've got to give Universal Studios credit- they know how to keep you entertained while you're waiting in line. They had an entire scenario built into the ride itself to make you believe that the ride you were waiting for was some kind of mission. The waiting area was also decorated like the set of Transformers. 

Also, the guys who dressed up as the Transformers were crazy good. I kind of felt bad for them though... It was SO hot and they had to entertain a crowd of people who wanted to get their picture taken with them. A.k.a my worst nightmare.

We finished off the day with a few more rides and some shows. Guys, the dog up there played Marley in Marley and Me!! He was awesome.

Have a lovely Labor Day weekend!