This is the 12th of a series of posts dealing with
my fourth trip to South California. I’ve made minor corrections to these
reports. Also, I’ve added additional thoughts with the hindsight of a ¾ year
later or to add further clarification.
These are indicated by “NOW”. After I booked the trip I unexpectedly had
to move and during that had an Eastern Canada trip that didn’t go that great,
so I was already pretty tired before the trip began.
NOTE: For capsule descriptions of rides I’d already
been on this trip, see this posts:
This is it, the last full day in California before
I head back tomorrow. The days of random exploring are over though I may get
just a tiny bit in today. Disneyland is also over, except for crossing through
the resort tomorrow to get my bus. So what is for today? You might already know
from what I've told you individually; otherwise an earlier report does give a
hint.
When I get back, time to pack and to make sure that
those receipts with info on stuff I'm bringing back, vs restaurant and pop
purchases and the like are kept separately. And time to clear the drawer I have
padlocked and get everything in my suitcase. And my backpack needs to be taped.
I doubt that scotch tape will hold that torn strap for very long, but it only
needs to hold until I get back to my place.
[NOW: The above was written from Orange Mango
Hostel in Santa Ana in the morning. The rest was written in the evening.]
I took a 56 OCTA bus to Orange Metrolink Station,
got a return ticket, and went to LA Union Station where I took a Red Line LA
Metro train to Universal City/Studio City Station. I was considering visiting
Hollywood Blvd. but decided to keep it low key. I took a Universal Studios
shuttle to the Universal’s CityWalk, where I wandered around and had breakfast
at Subway. At the entry booth to the
theme park was a particularly happy guy. The finger reader was giving me
problems but since I had ID he let me in to the initial section.
[NOW: I took an Orange County Line Metrolink train
from Orange Metrolink Station in Orange to LA Union Station. Universal
City/Studio City Station is in Studio City, part of Los Angeles. When I crossed
the street to catch the shuttle, I was in Universal City, which is partly in
Los Angeles, partly an unincorporated municipality, though I don’t know which
areas are part of Los Angeles. Universal's CityWalk is considered part of the
larger Universal Studios Hollywood area. When you use a pass the first time,
your finger gets recorded.]
While everyone was waiting for the rest of the park
to open. I found out that there was a couple beside me from Oregon. We were a
bit amused because our weather was pretty comparable. I asked about Universal's
House of Horrors and a woman worker suggested taking lots of photos because it
was about to be demolished.
I went for the Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem ride
first because I liked the ride but hated the queue area and wanted to whip
through that. Then in the Lower Lot, Transformers: The Ride 3-D, then Revenge
of the Mummy; this time the locker cooperated with giving me my stuff back. Jurassic Park: The Ride (a flume ride) was open this time so
I rode it and got some nice photos.
[NOW: Everything prior to the Lower Lot was of
course in the Upper Lot. Jurassic Park: The Ride has been replaced with Jurassic World: The Ride.]
Back to Upper Lot, I took in a Shrek 4-D show and
then the Simpsons Ride, which I'm pretty sure had a much longer wait than estimated.
Studio Tour, then lunch at Mel's Diner, where I got a pop refill using the
bottle I bought last time. Then two more goes at Jurassic Park in the Lower Lot
and Waterworld then Universal’s Animal Actors Studio in the Upper Lot. One bit
with a dog took a while because the dog was being a chatterbox and the trainer
didn't want to reinforce that behaviour.
[NOW: Shrek 4-D has closed.]
Back in the Lower Lot, I did Transformers: The Ride
3-D twice more then Jurassic Park: The ride twice more. I dashed back up in a futile
effort to get in another Universal’s Animal Actors show. I probably would have
made it if not for people's tendencies to park on the escalators. I bought a
pop then down to lower Lot again, visiting the NBC Universal Experience mini
museum, then Transformers 3-D: The Ride, then Jurassic Park: The Ride.
Returningto the Upper Lot, I did Simpsons one more time and checked a few shops
in the park. Leaving the theme park, I revisited Universal’s CityWalk, the
latter including the comic shop Things from Another World.
I took another Universal Shuttle back to near Universal
City/Studio Station, then a Red Line back to LA Union, then the Orange County
Line Metrolink back to Orange Station; my ticket was checked for the second
trip from Los Angeles in a row.
The train arrived earlier this time so I managed to
get a 54 OCTA bus to a stop vaguely near the hostel; not as close as the 56 but
less of a wait. My stop wasn't one of the ones called out so had to dash back a
ways but made it to the 7-11 to grab dinner and a drink before the 56 was even
set to leave the Metrolink Station. Started packing upon getting back to the hostel.
That's a wrap for Universal Studios and for Metrolink.
[NOW: So I missed one stop. I got off the bus in
Orange.]
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