OK, it’s no secret that Disneyland is one of my favorite places in the world. Call me crazy, but there’s just something about being there. Enjoying a Churro, throwing a quarter in the wishing well, so many things that have an impact on me. But, that’s another story.
My wife’s 30th birthday was coming up and I wanted to do something different. We can ALWAYS go to Disneyland, but what about one of the other theme parks? Knotts Berry Farm? Meh….it’s OK. Magic Mountain? Well…….not this time. Disneyland is to Magic Mountain what a cool breeze on a Summer day is to jumping out of a plane!
What about Universal Studios Hollywood? The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was something Amanda was excited to see. She’s never been there in her adult life, I haven’t been there in over 20 years, so everything was starting to fall into place. The plans were set in motion, and off we went!
The funny thing is, I wasn’t expecting things to go the way they did. Disneyland is our happy place, our escape from the world. Here’s where I feel a little dirty. The entire trip was AMAZING!! Universal Studios was supposed to be a fun trip, but it ended up being much more than that.
Dreams came true, there’s no other way to describe it. Things happened in that park I didn’t think were possible. And what it all came down to was this: The employees actually pay attention! Amanda wearing a birthday button got her selected for the wand selection ceremony in Olivanders. If things weren’t 100%, employees noticed it and DID something about it. I won’t bore you with the details, but I will say that how the Universal employees treated us was a true throwback to how Disney cast members acted back in the day. I have my theories about Disney cast members, but that’s for an upcoming blog….
Plus, how can you go wrong with a place that will serve you a Butterbeer from Harry Potter and a Duff beer from the Simpsons within steps of each other? Disneyland will always be our go-to, but Universal will be that dirty little secret we’ll always look forward to.
For more on our Universal adventures, make sure to visit my Facebook page. Thanks for being here, until next time!
I find I am eagerly looking forward to each episode of your blog. Great work, Greg. It is so refreshing to read something created by someone younger than I (me?) that actually takes the care to use proper grammar and spelling. As I say to Matthew, we sent you to school and you did more than just eat the pencils. LOL