Louise and I were up early and out the door at 9.30am, a miracle but true, despite being up late on the internet. We caught a taxi from the hotel up through the Hollywood hills and down into the San Fernando Valley, or the "Valley" as it is known to the locals, then to Universal City, which contains Universal Studios. It really is a city, having it's own police and fire department. Our nice Armenian driver, told us he used to own a Home Depot (I think its sort of like Bunnings), before the bank foreclosed on him, after a significant decline in retail spending in the US economy, hence why he is now driving a cab. The economy is big news here; there is constant media chatter about mortgage foreclosures and high petrol prices. As a result most of the stores are having massive sales, which is great for us. I bought a pair of Oakley sunglasses for $75 (in Australia $160), a pair of shorts for $25 (our price $80), a pair of jeans for $25 (our price $80), a memory stick for $15 (our price $30), a collared shirt for $30 and a new camera lens for $270 (our price $700).
Arriving at Universal Studios, we avoided the ticket line, by using the Automated ticket machine outside the front gates, to puchase our Front of the Line Pass. Although its about double the normal entry price, it allows us not wait in any lines for rides, and means we are seated in the shows first. In fact, we felt like stars, as we bypassed the long lines at rides and shows, our Front of the Line passes, swinging in the breeze.
The Studio tour was great, we saw Wisteria Lane, the set of Desperate Housewives, who were filming today. Jaws jumped out of the water, and Norman Bates attacked us with a knife at the Bates Motel. There is even a set for a smoking 747 crash (pictured below)). It's amazing how many of these sets are reused again and again in movies, and we never notice.
The shows here are fantastc, however the highlight was the Waterworld show (pictured), featuring water skis, powerboats, stunts, pyrotechnics, and a seaplane. Basically, its the Sea World show on Steroids! Even the actors are excellent, most of them working on major US television shows.
One of the best rides was the Jurassic Park ride. Starts of as a tranquil boat ride in the river, and quickly turns nasty as we are attacked by Dinosaurs, then dropped down a cliff into a pool, and end up totally soaked. (Pictured above).
We had a fantastic, but exhausting day, and to think its only day 4! Tomorrow where off to the beach, to see Santa Monica and Venice.
