
The
plan was to go to Universal City, but knowing myself too well I knew that my
to-do list would always depend on my sleeping habits and how willing they are
to cooperate. I flew to LA without a plan, and it worked just fine for the last
few days. What happens is I would sleep until 4 PM, then take a shower and have
some snacks before my friends picked me up to go somewhere for the night.
Tonight was no different, and the destination was Universal City after all. At
least I ended up somewhere, right?
This
being my third Universal Studios experience, I can tell you that the rumors are
indeed true. They all seem to look alike, pretty much like how Disney Parks all
tend to resemble one another. I could not give a good assessment of the park
itself, though, because going inside was not part of the plan. Besides, it was
already closed for the day when we arrived so there was no chance. In any case,
the walk to the park is similar to those in Singapore and Osaka, except that
Universal City is not called a “city” for no reason.

Yes,
the theme park exists and serves as the main draw, but Universal CityWalk
itself is littered with restaurants, bars, and many other attractions that make
it a good place to go to if you want to socialize with friends. Unlike the one
in Singapore or Osaka where people tend to go to see the park itself, the one
in Los Angeles also caters to locals who just want to have a good shot of
alcohol or ride a mechanical bull at Saddle Ranch, perhaps all while rocking
the dance floor with good old friends.

The
usual suspects are present: Hard Rock Café; the big globe with the giant
Universal Studios sign; that shop where you can die happily of candy overdose;
and all the neon lights you can enjoy in a dark but peaceful evening. I guess
what we are trying to say here is that Universal CityWalk is an attraction in
itself where you could have a good time EVEN IF you don’t enter the theme park.
I don’t think such is the case for those in Osaka and Singapore. Okay, how
redundant could I get? Point taken, huh!

After
parking her car, my friend and I went in for some sightseeing, and to hunt for
the other friends meeting us there somewhere. We were greeted by a good view of
two scantily-clad Samba dancers putting on a show to attract customers. The
resto-bar where they work is aptly called Samba, where you can have unlimited
barbeque for around USD40 each, if I remember it correctly. All I could recall
is that we agreed on how pricy that would be, which is why we ended up at
Saddle Ranch.

There
is an indoor skydiving thingy close to the parking lot. I forgot how much it
would cost but I do not remember overreacting or anything so the price must not
be that prohibitive. I would have tried it any other day, but we were all
hungry and I think I prefer the real thing over the simulated experience. We
then went ahead and walked by a big stage with a giant monitor playing music
videos. Next to it was the cinema ticket booth. This is where most people take
selfies because there is a big open space for crowds.

I
turned down my friends’ offers to take a photo of me in front of the globe. I
think I already did that in Osaka and Singapore. Well this is LA, but to me it’s
just the same globe. Instead, I took the been-there-done-that selfie in front
of the arc which says Universal Studios Hollywood. With half a dozen pine trees
serving as the arc’s bodyguards, there is no doubt that we are in California,
despite the not so legible “Hollywood” label, what with its relatively smaller
size.

I
feel like I should not be blogging about this California trip because this is
more on catching up with friends and relatives, so I would not really say that
I came here for tourism. But what the heck, who am I kidding. This has always
been a “look!-I-did-this-and-that-here-and-there” kind of blog. This is about the
personal experience, not the view count, and definitely not about the how-to.
That’s what Wikitravel is for, and they are doing a really good job at it.

The
Saddle Ranch was almost empty. We were wondering why, but rather immediately
deduced that it’s because of the Memorial Day Holiday on Monday. Most people
just take Friday off to have a longer weekend, so most people who would
normally come were most likely already on their way to Vegas or somewhere else.
In a way, it was a good thing, because we absolutely enjoyed the quiet ambiance
and lack of partygoers. Wow, we are getting old indeed, hating on noise,
teenagers, and shit.
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