Our friend Dean was in town on business again, and Sarah and I spent a day with him at Universal Studios and its sister-park, Islands of Adventure. After being laid up all summer with my injured knee, it was such a treat to be having fun at a theme park again.
And what a wonderful, fun day it was, too. The parks weren't busy at all. It was post-Labor Day, so kids were back in school, and the recently departed Hurricane Frances scared away what tourists might have remained. We didn't have to wait in any lines at all.
We got to do all of our favorite attractions, like: Shrek 4-D, Men in Black: Alien Attack, E.T. Adventure, Jaws and more. The Twister attraction hit close to home with our own recent hurricane adventures.
Still one of our favorite attractions and one of the most amazing theme park rides anywhere is The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. Combining 3-D film with motion simulation and actual forward momentum, this ride controls all you see and experience, creating an attraction unlike any other. Everytime I ride it, I am amazed all over again.
Another favorite is Seuss Landing, home to Islands of Adventure's Dr.Seuss-themed attractions. Here, Dr.Seuss' beloved children's books come to life:
The Cat in the Hat, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, If I Ran the Zoo, and many others. We probably spent more time in this section than any other area of the parks. We're just big kids at heart!
Universal Studios' newest attraction is Revenge of the Mummy. Sarah and I had been looking forward to going on this new ride for months and months. Promoted as a "psychological thrill ride," we didn't know exactly what to expect. It was an indoor rollercoaster through the darkness with several surprises and unexpected twists. We enjoyed it immensely and rode it several times.
Click below to see video of our day at Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure: Lower Quality Video (1.1mb) Higher Quality Video (8.5mb)	By the end of our day, my poor, injured knee was very fatigued, and I was ready to sit down for a long while by the time we made it home. But it was totally worth it! We had had a marvelous, entertaining, adventurous, fun-filled day!
Click here to visit the Universal Studios website:
Posted: 9/12/04