Universal Studios Hollywood, Winter Edition

This past weekend, I managed to catch the tail end of the winter festivities at Universal Studios Hollywood with my husband as we celebrated our anniversary.  Grinchmas was already over, but the decorations were still up in the Wizarding World.  I could tell that if we had made it there in late December, it would have been magnificent.  I had the strange pleasure of working at Universal years ago one summer between teaching jobs.  For all of their faults, I can honestly say that Universal goes all out to make its experiences immersive.  It's fascinating how Disney is starting to have to keep up with Universal in terms of their immersive experiences when Universal had previously been chasing Disneyland for years in terms of overall quality.  Universal is slowly becoming a competitive powerhouse in the top tier theme park industry.

We didn't see much that I haven't seen literally every time I go to Universal, but it was still fun.  The tram tour today is still as magical if nor moreso that it was when I first visited in 1990.  And the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is simply breathtaking for the serious fans.  I had lunch at the Three Broomsticks for the first time.  Without a doubt, it's the place to go for lunch or dinner.  The food was delicious and decently priced (for amusement park food, which is always expensive). 

Anyway, not much to report this time, but I wanted to share some photos.

Kidspace...A Learning Adventure

Today I took my 7-year-old to Kidspace, a children's museum in Pasadena, California.  The museum has many hands-on exhibits to explore science, technology, and arts.  The website says it's geared toward children age 1-10, which I think is pretty accurate.  There were quite a few things for the younger set to do including separate areas where little ones could explore without big kids getting in the way.  This museum is also unique in that the majority of exhibits are outside, a departure from most local children's museums that confine children to noisy indoor areas for the most part.  It's a good idea to bring a change of clothes because depending on the season, you kids can get pretty muddy, dirty, and wet.  This is especially true if you spend time in the mud and clay area or the sand and erosion area.  Also, if you go in summer, bring plenty of water.

At $14 per person, it feels a little expensive, but honestly, it's well worth it if you have kids that love to explore.  We only spent 3 hours there, but my son would have stayed all day if he could.  They do offer memberships, too, but only for up to a family of 4, which unfortunately means it wouldn't work for my family.  But, if we lived closer than a hour away, I might consider it anyway. There's an onsite restaurant, too.  They have reasonable prices for a museum restaurant.  Options include kid-friendly favorites like cheeseburgers, grilled cheese, and hot dogs, as well as healthier options like sandwiches.  There are many choices of beverages as well.

Winter Holidays at Disneyland

It's been a while.  Since my last post, we've taken 2 more trips to Disneyland, one overnight right before Thanksgiving and one day-trip in mid-December.  Our passes expired and it will be nearly 2 more years before we get another.  In 2018, I've got a few major trips to Santa Cruz/Monterey, Legoland California, and a trip to New York City to see Harry Potter on Broadway without the kids.  In the meantime, here's my final report for the year:

In November, we took a 2-day trip to Disneyland to see the holiday decorations.  We stayed at the Homewood Suites across the street from the convention center.  It is literally right next door to the Toy Story lot and it's easy to walk to the lot then take a bus.  Disneyland is within walking distance, but it's a long walk and hard enough on adults, let alone children, after a full day of walking. 

Homewood Suites was a good value.  It was much cheaper than closer hotels with similar suite offerings.  I appreciated the bunk beds with trundle, king sized bed, and kitchen/living room in the family suite.  There was plenty of room for 5 of us and we could have easily fit 1 or 2 more people with us.  Breakfast was free as an added bonus, something you don't see much in the hotels closer to Disneyland.  My only complaint about the hotel was the beds.  They were squeaky and much firmer than I would have preferred.  The pillows on the beds likewise were too soft and provided very little support.  Otherwise, it's a great location.  There's a Denny's one block away, which was perfect for ordering food to go and taking it back to the hotel.

Our November and December trips were very similar, so I'll group all the pictures together.  My favorite holiday highlights were It's a Small World, the parade, and the Mickey garland, which is finally back up on Main Street.  (Word to the wise--if you want to visit for the holidays, consider coming before Christmas.  The days directly after Christmas hit capacity often).