Day 4 in Los Angeles - Universal Studio (30 July 2009)
This morning, we called to Cathay Pacific helpline again on my flight ticket modification and we got a good news that is an available seat for the next day, this means that SL and I could have one more day together. Suddenly, we were feeling happy and my mood wasn't as down as the day before, this good news really changed our emotion although we only earned one more day, it is good enough for us.
After breakfast, we headed to Universal Studio immediately, we nearly got lost at first because they didn't provide a clear direction, but we finally still successfully got to destination after some climbing up to a small hill. Well, we actually could take a shuttle to the Studio, but I just wanted to enjoy my walking time with SL alone, we didn't have much day to walk together then.
I were arrived to Universal Studio at 8am, which is its opening time, we were so lucky that we walked up, so that we could avoid some cword at the entrance. Of course, I took the Studio's map and schedule again, then we could plan our trip. From the map, I found that Universal Studio actually is much smaller than Disneyland and they don't have much ride for visitor, but they provide some interesting facilities to us, like Studio Tour, back scence "lectures", 3D and 4D shows. Honestly, I found Universal Studio is more interesting to me than Disneyland Park.
If you have change to visit to Universal Studio in one day, you would find there is so familiar to you because many Hollywood movies or drama are taken just inside this studio. And so do I found, I felt familiar while I was walking on a street and there was a bookshop made me remembered a movie, The Travel Book Co, this is a bookshop always appeared in my favourite movie "Notting Hill", this is the male lead Hugh Grant work place. Thereafter, I saw a roadsign which was written as Notting Hill, it told me clearer that "Notting Hill" was taken in Universal Studio.
Oh no... I couldn't believe this!!! Four years ago, I was in the UK and influence by this movie, therefore I purposely walked to Notting Hill area when I travelled to London, and I still could clearly remember that day. It was a raining day, but I didn't give up to walk from street to street in Notting Hill area, because I wanted to find some place that can recall my memory about the movie, included the chair of the garden, but I couldn't see anything there. Until four years later, I just found the scence in Universal Studio of Hollywood. I really can't believe this, what I couldn't find in Notting Hill, but appeared suddenly in front of me in Hollywood :S I felt mixture emotions of happy and surprise. Once again, I still can't believe this!!!
In Universal Studio, we watched Shrek 4D, which you can never found in cinema, which is an adventure after Shrek and Fiona got married, there we always felt some watering on our face when the Donkey was sneezing and our seats kept shaking when they are on the ride or boat. Although this was not my first time wacthed a 4D movie, I was still very enjoyed it.
Besides Shrek 4D, the Studio also has Terminator 2 3D, it is a little special for me because there were some actors appeared in and out of the screen, they were abled to catch the right timing appeared on stage and disappeared themselves into the screen, this is an excellent show. Well, I think you might not understand what I was talking about until you were there in the threater :)
"Studio Tour" is a must if you visited to Universal Studio, there is a tram will take us drive around the Studio and a tour guide will be assigned in each train, they will explain some interesting behind-screen fact to us, I really saw a lot and learn a lot during the tour. Also, I could see some familiar view that appeared inside some movie after the guide told us so and replayed it in a TV on board.
This is a automated broken bridge, there our tram would suddenly sank on the bridge, that just felt like an accident, but the bridge actually was pre-programmed to break and reconnect again :)
This picture is a dinasour bones, it just look so real and I felt like I was in Jurassic Park that time :D
In the tour, they also recreated accident scence in a train station to us, there you could find everything is collapsed just in a moment, the roof was broken, car fell out and train crashed, everything is so real like a great disaster but actually they were pre-programme and recover to their original view just within a moment.
There is an aeroplane crash accident scence on our studio tour, any disaster spot of Universal Stuio, there was really look like an accident location. And our guide told us, the director bought a real plane and transport to Universal Studio, then destroyed it just on spot for his movie. Well, I have forgot how many million spent on this plane, but it is really cost a lot, especially all money was used just to destroy the plane. There you can see that is not easy to make a two-hours movie.
Actually, there are still a lot of interesting facts during the Studio Tour, but I am not abled to recall all of them :P
After Studio Tour, our guide highly recomanded us for Simsom Ride, there we went and it was really a long queue kept us 45 minutes of waiting. However, it was written as Krustyland at the entrance and there provided us a layout of Krustyland, well... it was huge and confused me, I thought we were going into another theme park just beside Universal Studio, but I really couldn't see it exactly. Then, we assumed that they will build a Krustyland soon and we got a test ride for a game :S
After we got nearly to the ride, they kept telling us this is a dangerous ride and we needed to put our personal stuff out of the ride, so that it won't fall out, then I was really curious what a thriller ride. Finally, we got into a room and our cart was there, but SL insisted to take our videocam and camera with us because he didn't believe that would be dangerous until we lost them.
When the ride started, we saw our ride was just out of track and it would be falling down to n meter to the ground, we suddenly were worried. But after a moment, we just found that this ride actually is a 4D ride, our cart would move and shake just as what the screen showed us, it was alike an adventure movie and we were the person took the ride in the movie, it felt so real to me.
Honestly, I like this Simsom Ride because it is so special and I think this is a creative idea for inventing this ride. However, SL doesn't like it much because he like the real thrill, instead of computerised ride. Anyways, I like it is enough :P
Apart from Simsom Ride, Universal Studio also has another two famous rides, Jurassic Park and Mummy, they both are interesting and thrill, this suited to SL's type, we even got wet at Jurassic Park ride, it was fun :D
Universal Studio also provides some talks about their special effect, which explain to us some effect that they need special assistant or computer technique like backdraft fire effect, virtual studio, creature factory and sound lab.
Backdraft is a situation when a fire is starved of oxygen at high temperature and can occur an explosive when oxygen is re-introduded to the fire. In the stage, the staff explain us backdraft scenario and some movie took backdraft scene, then they also recreate an backdraft explosive in front of us, there were heat but indangerous.
Virtual Studio told us how they used computer technique to create some virtual image into the movie, example how they made Eddie Murphy played seven roles together in Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, it was incredible.
Creature Factory explained about creature role in movie, the method they made those creature move smoothly and look alike with emotion.
And the Sound Lab performed us how they gathered all sound together to make a muted movie sounded.
Inside the Universal Studio, they is a stage for animal actor, there we could see those animal in movie performance and get know how they are trained just as what the movie wants them to behave.
Finally, we got to watch Water World, which had been canceled for several shows at afternoon, therefore we found the theatre was crowded with audiance. Here I need to say they got three zones in the theatre, which are soak, wet and dry zones, therefore you need to be careful to choose your seat if you don't want to get wet because there will be a lot of watering during the show, even before the show if you are "lucky" :P
The show is about fighting between two gangs of pirate, who are looking for a dryland as their next living place as there is rich and fruitful. During the show, you could see a lot of special effect, I think it was good but I was a little hard to follow their motion from one place to another place.
After Water Worlde, Universal Studio trip was nearly going to an end, then SL and I just went to a souvenir shop to buy a T-shirt for me, because I saw SL has an orange Universal Studio T-shirt and I also wanted to have the same one as hims, but we couldn't find an orange colour there, then ended up at buying a grey colour kid size similar design T-shirt :P I was so happy then.
At last, I was realy enjoyed a lot at Universal Studio, I like it more than Disneyland Park because I could learn a lot of new things there. Yippie yippie... Happy happy!!!
Universal Studio website: http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/index.html
After breakfast, we headed to Universal Studio immediately, we nearly got lost at first because they didn't provide a clear direction, but we finally still successfully got to destination after some climbing up to a small hill. Well, we actually could take a shuttle to the Studio, but I just wanted to enjoy my walking time with SL alone, we didn't have much day to walk together then.
I were arrived to Universal Studio at 8am, which is its opening time, we were so lucky that we walked up, so that we could avoid some cword at the entrance. Of course, I took the Studio's map and schedule again, then we could plan our trip. From the map, I found that Universal Studio actually is much smaller than Disneyland and they don't have much ride for visitor, but they provide some interesting facilities to us, like Studio Tour, back scence "lectures", 3D and 4D shows. Honestly, I found Universal Studio is more interesting to me than Disneyland Park.
If you have change to visit to Universal Studio in one day, you would find there is so familiar to you because many Hollywood movies or drama are taken just inside this studio. And so do I found, I felt familiar while I was walking on a street and there was a bookshop made me remembered a movie, The Travel Book Co, this is a bookshop always appeared in my favourite movie "Notting Hill", this is the male lead Hugh Grant work place. Thereafter, I saw a roadsign which was written as Notting Hill, it told me clearer that "Notting Hill" was taken in Universal Studio.
Oh no... I couldn't believe this!!! Four years ago, I was in the UK and influence by this movie, therefore I purposely walked to Notting Hill area when I travelled to London, and I still could clearly remember that day. It was a raining day, but I didn't give up to walk from street to street in Notting Hill area, because I wanted to find some place that can recall my memory about the movie, included the chair of the garden, but I couldn't see anything there. Until four years later, I just found the scence in Universal Studio of Hollywood. I really can't believe this, what I couldn't find in Notting Hill, but appeared suddenly in front of me in Hollywood :S I felt mixture emotions of happy and surprise. Once again, I still can't believe this!!!
In Universal Studio, we watched Shrek 4D, which you can never found in cinema, which is an adventure after Shrek and Fiona got married, there we always felt some watering on our face when the Donkey was sneezing and our seats kept shaking when they are on the ride or boat. Although this was not my first time wacthed a 4D movie, I was still very enjoyed it.
Besides Shrek 4D, the Studio also has Terminator 2 3D, it is a little special for me because there were some actors appeared in and out of the screen, they were abled to catch the right timing appeared on stage and disappeared themselves into the screen, this is an excellent show. Well, I think you might not understand what I was talking about until you were there in the threater :)
"Studio Tour" is a must if you visited to Universal Studio, there is a tram will take us drive around the Studio and a tour guide will be assigned in each train, they will explain some interesting behind-screen fact to us, I really saw a lot and learn a lot during the tour. Also, I could see some familiar view that appeared inside some movie after the guide told us so and replayed it in a TV on board.
This is a automated broken bridge, there our tram would suddenly sank on the bridge, that just felt like an accident, but the bridge actually was pre-programmed to break and reconnect again :)
This picture is a dinasour bones, it just look so real and I felt like I was in Jurassic Park that time :D
In the tour, they also recreated accident scence in a train station to us, there you could find everything is collapsed just in a moment, the roof was broken, car fell out and train crashed, everything is so real like a great disaster but actually they were pre-programme and recover to their original view just within a moment.
There is an aeroplane crash accident scence on our studio tour, any disaster spot of Universal Stuio, there was really look like an accident location. And our guide told us, the director bought a real plane and transport to Universal Studio, then destroyed it just on spot for his movie. Well, I have forgot how many million spent on this plane, but it is really cost a lot, especially all money was used just to destroy the plane. There you can see that is not easy to make a two-hours movie.
Actually, there are still a lot of interesting facts during the Studio Tour, but I am not abled to recall all of them :P
After Studio Tour, our guide highly recomanded us for Simsom Ride, there we went and it was really a long queue kept us 45 minutes of waiting. However, it was written as Krustyland at the entrance and there provided us a layout of Krustyland, well... it was huge and confused me, I thought we were going into another theme park just beside Universal Studio, but I really couldn't see it exactly. Then, we assumed that they will build a Krustyland soon and we got a test ride for a game :S
After we got nearly to the ride, they kept telling us this is a dangerous ride and we needed to put our personal stuff out of the ride, so that it won't fall out, then I was really curious what a thriller ride. Finally, we got into a room and our cart was there, but SL insisted to take our videocam and camera with us because he didn't believe that would be dangerous until we lost them.
When the ride started, we saw our ride was just out of track and it would be falling down to n meter to the ground, we suddenly were worried. But after a moment, we just found that this ride actually is a 4D ride, our cart would move and shake just as what the screen showed us, it was alike an adventure movie and we were the person took the ride in the movie, it felt so real to me.
Honestly, I like this Simsom Ride because it is so special and I think this is a creative idea for inventing this ride. However, SL doesn't like it much because he like the real thrill, instead of computerised ride. Anyways, I like it is enough :P
Apart from Simsom Ride, Universal Studio also has another two famous rides, Jurassic Park and Mummy, they both are interesting and thrill, this suited to SL's type, we even got wet at Jurassic Park ride, it was fun :D
Universal Studio also provides some talks about their special effect, which explain to us some effect that they need special assistant or computer technique like backdraft fire effect, virtual studio, creature factory and sound lab.
Backdraft is a situation when a fire is starved of oxygen at high temperature and can occur an explosive when oxygen is re-introduded to the fire. In the stage, the staff explain us backdraft scenario and some movie took backdraft scene, then they also recreate an backdraft explosive in front of us, there were heat but indangerous.
Virtual Studio told us how they used computer technique to create some virtual image into the movie, example how they made Eddie Murphy played seven roles together in Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, it was incredible.
Creature Factory explained about creature role in movie, the method they made those creature move smoothly and look alike with emotion.
And the Sound Lab performed us how they gathered all sound together to make a muted movie sounded.
Inside the Universal Studio, they is a stage for animal actor, there we could see those animal in movie performance and get know how they are trained just as what the movie wants them to behave.
Finally, we got to watch Water World, which had been canceled for several shows at afternoon, therefore we found the theatre was crowded with audiance. Here I need to say they got three zones in the theatre, which are soak, wet and dry zones, therefore you need to be careful to choose your seat if you don't want to get wet because there will be a lot of watering during the show, even before the show if you are "lucky" :P
The show is about fighting between two gangs of pirate, who are looking for a dryland as their next living place as there is rich and fruitful. During the show, you could see a lot of special effect, I think it was good but I was a little hard to follow their motion from one place to another place.
After Water Worlde, Universal Studio trip was nearly going to an end, then SL and I just went to a souvenir shop to buy a T-shirt for me, because I saw SL has an orange Universal Studio T-shirt and I also wanted to have the same one as hims, but we couldn't find an orange colour there, then ended up at buying a grey colour kid size similar design T-shirt :P I was so happy then.
At last, I was realy enjoyed a lot at Universal Studio, I like it more than Disneyland Park because I could learn a lot of new things there. Yippie yippie... Happy happy!!!
Universal Studio website: http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/index.html
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