Weekend Getaway

A few weeks ago my sister called to see if I wanted to go to California with her for a weekend getaway to Universal Studios.  As many of you know, I have been dying to go see Harry Potter land for some time now.  So, I of course said yes and Brian said he was coming too.  So My sister, my niece and the two of us spent this last weekend in California at a theme park.  We left the kids with my mom.  Friday we flew out and because traffic is terrible there we didn't have time to do anything but eat dinner.  We went to city walk at Universal and ate at Margaritaville.  The balloon lady came around and asked if anyone wanted a balloon animal.  All the girls said no, however in an unlike Brian fashion he enthusiastically asked for one.  While she was making him a monkey climbing a tree, I whispered to him, "you know you have to tip her."  He had no idea this was expected.  Luckily Taylor had a couple of dollars and all was well. Although Brian will probably not ever say yes again to a balloon animal. 

The next morning we were up bright and early and ready to go.  

We hit Harry Potter land first and it did not disappoint.  Hogsmeade looked exactly the way you would imagine.  There were people dressed as wizards and witches everywhere you looked.  They sell wands that you can use in certain places to make real magic.  So there are people all around waving wands and doing magic.  It makes it all the more real feeling. 

We rode Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey first.  It was incredible.  This ride was truly one of the best rides I have ever ridden.  We did the hippogriff coaster next.  Short and sweet, we were able to ride twice.  It gave amazing views of the castle so I would say it is totally worth it. 

First Ride

2nd ride, no one else would ride a 2nd time

We walked around the shops a bit to let every one's tummies settle and then went to ride everything else.  The park was not very crowded so we were able to get all the rides in.  The best coaster at the park is definitely The Mummy.  We all really enjoyed the back-lot tour.  It is  pretty neat to get to go onto a studio where things are being filmed.  I was most excited about The Good Place set.  

At the end of the day we headed back to Harry Potter to watch the castle be lit for Christmas.  We almost skipped this because it was so cold and we were not dressed for that.  Luckily we stuck it out.  We got some butterbeer and found a spot.  Without a doubt, the best part of the day.  It was so magical.  I had chills, and not from the cold.  I loved it so much that my face hurt from smiling so big.  Everyone made fun of me because my eyes even got a little teary.  It really was so good.  They even make it snow at the end!  It was just so perfect. Oh and the butterbeer, AMAZING!  Loved it. Wish I could make it at home. 

OK I'll stop gushing over Harry Potter land.  The park closed so we headed back to the hotel and ordered room service for dinner.  We were so tired from our wonderful day, we all fell asleep rather quickly.

The next day we went to the park, but since we rode everything the day before, we just walked around.  The park was much more packed and no one felt like standing in line so we got ourselves another butterbeer and decided to head over to the beach instead.  It was windy that day, which made it even more cold.  We went to the pier and looked around, but it was hard to enjoy because of the cold. 

We found a shopping promenade and walked around there.  We did find a Buddies Bakery.  You know from that show The Cake Boss.  So we got a treat from there and that was pretty yummy.  I could have tried one of everything.  Brian and Taylor decided to ride electric scooters.  Stephanie and I were way to cold, so we got some hot chocolate and found some comfy chairs to wait for them.  They said it was really fun and a tiny bit sketchy at times.  

We decided to go to the observatory on the way back to the hotel.  I didn't know anything about it, but it was really fun. We got to see a show in the dome theater which was really fascinating and they have a really neat planetarium.  Plus there are amazing views of the city from there.  I highly recommend this place.  I wish we had gone when it was light out to really enjoy the view.  We got back to the hotel to get to bed early because we had to leave for the airport at 4:45 in the morning.  We came home to a whole lot of snow and cold weather.  We realized California wasn't really that cold after all.  It was such a fun weekend.  I'm so glad we did it.  I think the older I get the more I treasure the memories made with loved ones.  This is definitely one of the best.  

Miles of Love,
Stacey