After The Walking Dead premiere yesterday we decided to spend some time at the park because we could, and we had taken the day off. (if you missed our coverage of The Walking Dead check it out here)
Written by Gregg Condon
Below is a quick update from the park including some HHN preparation pics as well as some work going on near Transformers for a new attraction that everybody knows about but isn't announced yet so we'll call it "The Public Death of Wild Animals" (that's opposite of what it is right? ;) )
A busy park without AP's ... imagine that. =)
Down on the lower lot work is already going on for HHN
The spot for "The Public Death of Wild Animals" ...
The new soundstages near the Metro Sets are HUGE and coming along quite nicely.
Maze at the Metro sets ... from looking at this facade we are about 95% we have this one figured out.
Shark Week!!
Since Universal Florida decided to send out their humidity since they are mad that Universal Hollywood got The Walking Dead, we needed some yummy refreshments in the afternoon at one of our favorite spots in the park.
We hadn't seen Waterworld in about 10 years, so we were overdue
Alright, that's going to wrap it up for this update. We're probably about another month or so away from getting our Annual Passes again and resuming regular park updates but we hope this one is enough to hold you over in the meantime.
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It's finally here!!! It's Potter Week!! As you all know the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opens at Universal Studios Hollywood this Thursday (April 7) and the star studded premiere is tomorrow night (April 5). We will of course be there on the red carpet so be sure you are following us for all of that fun. So while we're celebrating all things Wizarding World this week we thought it would be a good time to stop and take a look backwards a bit, to take a look at where the park was just a few short years ago and at the "Epic Transformation" they've made. Because it truly is EPIC. From a park that just a few years ago was giving a full year away for the price of one day to where today is commanding multiple visits for tourists and has definitely swayed the attendance habits of local fans who now have a choice between incredible theme parks to attend each weekend. It truly is an AMAZING time time to be a theme park fan in Southern California. (keep in mind, we don't have all the older pictures we would have liked, but at the time we weren't thinking of taking them for posterity ... oh hindsight) We'll start off at the front of the park since that's the first thing everybody sees when they enter. Remember when this was the new thing in the park? Of course, the iconic entry to the park hasn't changed much over the years. The rest of the entrance area has sure changed over the years though. Sure looks different today All new Starbucks!! And they aren't even done yet, coming this Summer!! The Wild West Theater Now ... Universal Plaza decked out for Lunar New Year earlier this year. Let's take a left turn from Universal Plaza where we now have the amazing Despicable Me Minion Mayhem and Super Silly Funland. T2:3D. Now ... Despicable Me Minion Mayhem and Super Silly Funland Did You Know: Despicable Me Minion Mayhem was one of the first projects we started covering as a website? Continuing on through the upper lot of the park, who remembers when Marvel had a presence at the park? It really wasn't that long ago. Once Marvel left it was just "Comic Heroes" Or when this was actually a thing? Even the Studio Tour entrance has undergone some pretty significant changes over the years: The tour itself has had some changes, some forced and two totally different Fast and Furious attractions. Have a tramtastic day ... But all of the changes weren't exclusive to the upper lot, the lower lot has received it's share of love recently. Then ... Special Effects Stages (now on the upper lot) Now ... Transformers The Ride 3D Even small changes to make the guest experience better. Then... Now ... But of course, none of that compares to the changes made to the upper lot in just the last few years. The thing that has finally made Universal Studios into a full fledged "Theme Park" and not just a "Studios" park. Then ... Did you know: The Universal Amphitheater closed in September 2013? Not even 3 years ago. Anybody know what is in this spot now? Certainly looks much different today. No Epic Transformation could be done without a LOT of Epic Construction. Now ... we'll start off with the amazing Springfield addition that was made last year. And of course, none of that compares to what is opening in just a few days. So now it's finally here ... just a few short days away. Wizarding World opens for the world to see. And we all have heard the rumors, we know they aren't done yet. When the new additions will be announced is anybody's guess. Will they take the advantage of the world looking at the park this week to make another big announcement? We'll find out tomorrow night. We hope you enjoyed this look back at the park over the past few years. We of course had a lot more pictures that we could have shared, but we figured this was more than enough. It's still amazing how much work has been done in just a few years and we can't wait to see what the future holds. We're back this week at Universal Studios Hollywood as their "EPIC TRANSFORMATION" continues. And really, it is quite epic to think that in just a couple of months the walls around Wizarding World are going to be open and we are going to be inside. Of course, prior to that, there is LOTS to be done, and it's some of that we're going to spend some time with on this update. It's a big one, you may want to grab a snack. =) Written by Gregg Condon We'll start off down on Lankershim as the pedestrian bridge from the Metro Red Line is coming together nicely. Probably not the best idea to be taking pictures while driving next to CHP. Ooops. =) The video board is getting some much needed upgrades. Can't wait to see it all done. Heading up the hill. Because new lands and new parking structures are great, but if you have no way for people to get up the hill ... Now that we're all parked let's head into the park, but wait, lots more epic transformations going on here too. The entire right side of the entry plaza is being redone. But FYI, the gates on that side are still open, and people don't really notice. Score!! Once inside the park, the work is still just beginning. The new retail location is looking really great and should complement the entry of the park very well. This is the main way into the park ... and they are still holding people prior to 9am. They may want to move that into the park a bit more as this was as far back as people were lined up. Some great details on these buildings. Even around the corner the buildings are looking great. Hollywood Grill is also getting some work done. You may remember there's a pretty big seating area behind these walls, not sure if it's coming back or not. It's kind of in what is going to be a VERY high traffic area. Moving down to the lower lot, Jurassic Park:: The Ride is getting a very extensive rehab. Lots of the track after the drop has already been replaced. Don't piss off the supervisor. He's got some pretty sharp teeth. The new dining location across from Transformers is under tarps still. No details have emerged yet. Just a couple of quick tram notes. The building between the front lot stages and the backlot NY sets is gone. This is a pretty big plot of land, no way to know what's coming but it's plenty big enough for another soundstage. Work is continuing in earnest on Little Europe. Apologies for the bluriness, the tram didn't want to stop for us. ;) How awesome would it be if they used this area for HHN? And that's gonna wrap it up for ... oh, wait, that's right, Wizarding World. ;) Ticketing systems for Wizarding World are ready to go. This is going to be Lunar New Year soon, and then it's going to be a queue. A very long, very magical queue. It was quite overcast today, very Hogwarts'y Walls have started to come down and we can now see into Hogsmeade. And a new view of Hogwarts. Oh yeah, we can still see this old view too. ;) There were lights on and everything!! Later in the day they were testing music and other things in Hogsmeade. We did take a little video while at the park as well, so if you like your updates in video form, here ya go. Be sure to give our YouTube page a subscribe too!!! =) And one last look at Hogwarts from CityWalk. Alright, that's for real going to wrap it up for this update. It was really long, but there is so much going on at the park right now. Let's just hope they can get it all ready for Wizarding World. It's going to be insane, VERY insane, but still awesome. |
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