Universal Studios

One of the most quintessential theme parks to visit in Southern California is Universal Studios. I mean, come on-- Six Flags is all over the country. Disney is all over the WORLD. But nothing says "LA" and "So Cal" quite like Hollywood.

So it is no surprise that in the many years I've lived in LA, I've been to Universal Studios numerous times. Most of the time, it's to accompany friends/family that visit us from other states and other countries. I always enjoy both the shows and the rides, and I think I actually like it better than Disneyland!

On our wedding night, Allan and I stayed at the Hilton next to Universal Studios, and visited the theme park the next day-- the hotel stay and park tickets were a gift from my parents. I've been there by myself on a company trip when I worked for Amgen.

The last time we were at Universal Studios, we finally got to bring Todd-- it was the summer of 2010, and my cousin and his family were visiting. Their daughter is about Todd's age, so it was especially cute to see the two kids run around and do everything together.

My favorite photo from Universal Studios is from March 2007, when my friend Lisa visited from Wales. She took this picture of Allan posing next to Frankenstein. It's a testament to how freakishly tall Allan is, that Frankenstein needs to wear huge, clunky shoes in order to be just a little bit taller than sandal-clad Allan!

We're planning to go again today, after some purchasing mishaps over the summer (when my parents were yet again entertaining friends from out of the country) left us with a couple extra tickets. Let's see how much has changed in the last couple years!