It's Always Fun to Spend a Day at the Theme Park.

     I made it to Universal on Saturday, and had a blast. This was my first time back since getting my annual pass. We arrived shortly after 9 AM, and went straight to Islands of Adventure. We had to make quick stop at Guest Services to pick up the tickets that my friends had won. Well, maybe it wasn't so quick. The place they had won the tickets from, didn't really completely their task of doing what they needed to do, in order to make this very simple. All they had to do, was email a confirmation number, or at the very least, give them the confirmation number when they went and picked up the parking pass. The woman at guest services worked as quickly as she could, but she of course had to locate all kinds of information first. In the end, the tickets were handed over, and we made our way to the gate.

     Our first goal once we were in the park, was to head directly to the new Skull Island, or as everyone calls it, King Kong. There was already a 45 minute wait when we got there, and it only took us maybe an extra 20 minutes to get in. We got in line, and were pretty excited to be riding a brand new ride. It opened a couple months ago. I have heard mixed reviews about it. Some people said it was fantastic, others said it was, not so much. The lovely lady you see on your right, greets you when you get into an anti-chamber in the line. She is speaking a language that you don't know, but you can make out Kong when she incites the villagers. The begin chanting Kong, Kong, Kong, as the excitement builds. Her eyes roll back into her head, as the pitch of rises, and then, the lights flicker and everything resets. We saw this, maybe a dozen times as we waited in that little room. There was a delay on the ride, so our 45 minute wait soon became an hour. That still didn't matter, our excitement hadn't died. We finally made it on to the safari bus that would take us around Skull Island. Our driver, who on a first look seemed like a real person, but on further examination was just an animatron. He assured us that the legend  of Kong was just that, a legend. We drove around a bend, and saw some adventurers get attacked by giant bats, then around another corner to see that one of them had escaped the attack, only to be attacked again by a giant crab, or something like that. We raced away an were confronted by T-rexes (is that how you spell many t-rex). Out of nowhere Kong himself jumps in and starts fighting with the T-rex (maybe that is the plural and no "es" is needed). The jump back and forth over our safari bus, and then the fight is over. We round another corner to see the giant head of Kong roaring at us, and the ride is over. Here is the thing, the ride has some fun parts to it. The fight for example, but all in all, it is far too short, and not worth an hour wait. When I go back, and I see a 5 minute wait, I'll ride it again, otherwise, I'm not interested.

     After we got over our disappointment, we headed to Hogwarts to get on the Hogwarts Express, and head over to Universal Studios, so that we could hit up Diagon Alley. We were able to hope right on the train, because no one was really ready to switch parks that early in the morning. The train ride is fun with a little video display to entertain you on your journey. Turns out, and I didn't know this. The video is different depending on which way you are traveling. That makes it all that much more fun.

     Once over in Universal we headed straight to Diagon Alley and toe Gringotts ride. It just so happens to be one of my favorites, and Diagon Alley itself is quite spectacular. The did a really good job of putting you into the books. The pictures to the right and below are of the enormous Chandeliers that are in Gringotts. It's quite beautiful inside, and any wait is pleasurable due to there being so much to look at when you are in there. I believe we only waited about 20 minutes to get on that ride. They keep things moving so well. They get people on and off the cars quickly. There is never really much of, just standing around. You stop briefly and then walk about 5 feet. The ride itself is a 3D rollercoaster. As for the rollercoaster part, there are no loops or spirals, but there are some quick drops and banked turns. The car itself also spins around which adds to the thrill. Most of the riding part is done in the dark which tricks your senses into believing that you are going faster than you really are. Fun all around really.

      If you get the chance to go to Universal, one of the first things you should do, is go to Diagon Alley and ride the Gringotts ride. I think it's called Escape from Gringotts.
It's super fun, and the best part, is that once you leave the ride, you are back in Diagon Alley. There is so much to see there, and I tried to show my friends all of it, but you really need a few days, just to look around the whole thing. There are all the little shops, that are representations of the places in the books, and the interactive areas, if you have a special wand. You can buy them at Ollivander's Wand Shop. Yes they are pricey, but they are so very cool. There is Knockturn Alley with it's dark mischievous demeanor. The robe shop, where you too can have you very own wizarding robe from your house of choice. Of course if you have already gone on Pottermore and had your house selected for you, you can get that one. We didn't get a chance to have any butterbeer but we did get a real beer there, and it was quite good. It was one of Universal's own beers, which is brewed by the Florida Brewing Company, called the Wizard's Brew. They bartender said that it was a red hoppy lager, but I think it was more a red hoppy ale. I didn't get lager from it, but to my surprise it was quite good. FBC is known for doing lowest common denominator beers. Bud clones and what not. The also brew the Duff beer for the Simpson's area of the park.

     We started getting hungry, so we left Diagon behind and headed to New York. There is an Irish Pub there that has pretty good food. There wasn't a crowd inside, so we were sitting quickly and got our food, just as fast. it was really good, and we managed to finish just in time to see one of my favorite side shows at the park, which is The Blues Brothers. They drive up and hop on an outside little stage and perform the hits from the movie. They get people dancing and singing, it's a real good time.



     We went from there to the Transformers ride. it's another 3D rollercoaster, but it doesn't have the ups and downs and fast turns that Gringotts does. It is more of a visual and hydraulic thing. The car moves on a track, but it bounces around and tips up and down and sideways with the screen that is in front of you. You get a sense of falling when the screen shows you going down, and the car shakes. It was pretty fun. Sorry, don't have any pictures from that one.

      After Transformers, was the rollercoaster that I can never remember the name. It's called Rip Roarin' Rockin' Rollercoaster or something along those lines. You get to pick the music that plays as you ride, and they videotape you with that soundtrack. I've never looked at my video, so I don't know how well they come out, but it is a super fun rollercoaster. You start by doing a 100 foot climb straight up, and when I say strait up, it is a 90 degree vertical climb. Then you go over the top and immediately go into a spiral, with whips and turns, and all kinds of fun. They make you take everything out of your pockets and place them in lockers before you get on, because you will lose everything in them. We did single rider to get through the line faster and we only waited a little more than 10 minutes. Another ride, that is totally worth the wait, but why do it when you don't have to.

     At this point we had covered all the rides that we wanted to, so we took a quick jaunt back to Diagon Alley to see a bit more of it, before hopping back on the Hogwarts Express for IoA again.

We got a few more pictures. The top one is one of my friends and I, trying to get the Gringotts dragon in the background. If you squint you can see it

 This of course is the dragon as it is breathing fire. It does that about every 15 minutes or so. You begin to hear a rumbling and everyone in the area stops and points their phones or cameras at the dragon, waiting to capture this very moment. This one was taken by my friend, and she nailed it. perfect timing on her part.

Finally, here is the Hogwarts Express. In all of it's glory. I'm not exactly sure how far you actually travel on this, but In my head, it can't be much more that a hundred yards. The ride itself seems to take a while because there is so much going on with the video presentation in the cabins. The cabins are just like in the movie. You sit 6-8 people in  cabin and you just enjoy the ride. The ride back was particularly fun, because my friend pointed out a woman to me, that had major sideboob going on. She was wearing a bra, but it was still visually appealing. It must have been kismet, because we all ended up in the same cabin together, and she sat across from me. Here is it gets even better. When she sat down, I don't know if she did this on purpose or if it just happened on her own, but her tank top slid over revealing almost her whole boob. I couldn't help but stare. The really strange thing is that her daughter or sister or some family member, was sitting directly across from her, and never told her. I believe they were from Spain, so maybe it's a cultural thing not to care about something like that. My friend however, was dying laughing when I told her about it.

     We hit a few more rides. One rollercoaster, that is an old favorite, then Harry Potter ride, which I can't remember the name of, and the Jurassic Park ride, which is not called that at all. I think it is called River Quest. The end result of that ride, is that you go straight down a 70 foot drop or maybe more, and then you get drenched. The guy that directs you to your lane, made sure to put us in the front. I think it was because we looked like fun people and were joking around with him. I was soaked. This is where Universal does things best. You always exit through a little store so that you can see you photos of you going down the drop. This one in particular sells all kind of shorts and t-shirts, so that you can change into dry clothes. Here is the kicker, they make sure that the AC is blasting so that you are tempted more so, because of how instantaneously cold that you get. I powered though and didn't fall for it. That was or final ride before heading out of the park. We wanted more food.

     There was a new place at City Walk. That is what the area before you get tot he parks is called. They have clubs, restaurants, a movie theater, and little shops. Well this new place was some kind of chocolate factory and eatery. We figured we would give it a try. The place was packed. The line to put your name in was about 15 minutes long. We walked trough the confections part of the place, and then left. It smelled great in there, but we just didn't want to wait long for food, so we headed over to the Hard Rock Cafe. We got right in and were seated immediately. The Elvis room was our location for dining, and it was freaking cold in there. That was mostly because I was very damp from that boat ride. The food was great. They really do a great job there. It's expensive, but when you taste the food, you don't mind as much. Our server happened to have a striking resemblance to myself, and my friend wanted to get a picture of both of us, before we headed home. He was happy to oblige, and the following picture was taken. Oh, I have to add, that his name is also Bob. It's a little freaky.

We could be brothers or at least some long lost relatives. My beard looks a little our of sorts, since it was soaked about an hour before, and I had no comb with me. What was I thinking, not bringing a comb. That was the end of the day right there.

      There is some sad news tonight. The sports world lost two big names today. I woke up and was looking at my phone when I saw that Jose Fernandez had died in a boating accident. I was shocked. Fernandez  was a pitcher for the Miami Marlins, and he was knowns for his skill, and love of the game. He was also very fan friendly, always looking to throw a kid a ball, or sign an autograph. He was well on his way to greatness. I know of one player in particular that faked an injury so that he wouldn't have to face him. He was worried about the effect it would have on his numbers. Yes, I'm talking about Bryce Harper. he denied that this was the case, but anyone who knew how Jose owned him at the plate, could see the truth. Jose Fernandez is swirling in the ether tonight, and will be missed by baseball fans and his family alike.

     The other big loss, is a true legend of the game of golf. Arnold Palmer along with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, popularized the game of golf when it began being televised. They were the biggest stars on the course, and Arnie was one of the biggest names of the three. It seems that everyone knows the name Arnold Palmer. If not because of his golf game, then it is because of his signature drink, which was s simple half an half mixture of lemonade and iced tea. Palmer had won Majors, designed golf courses, he released his own version of his drink, and he worked to make the game of golf more accessible to middle and lower class families. Palmer also swirls in the ether tonight, setting up a tee shot for a hole in one.

     Truly a sad day in sports. The great that could have been, to the great that was. These two had a profound affect on many peoples lives, and did their best to hep people in every way they could. They will be missed.

     Weather looks pretty good this week, so I should be riding Saki to work for most of it. That is always a good thing. I'm off to bed now, so Peace in and goodnight.