The Polite Traveler

  Welcome, intrepid explorer to the last in my series of articles about my experience in Universal Studios Florida.  For those of you just tuning in, I decided to celebrate my 60th birthday at Universal in Orlando primarily because I’m a devout Potter Head.  When I read that Diagon Alley would open up this year, there was no other place I’d rather be than there.  What follows is what I found. First, You Have to Find It We knew Diagon Alley was near when we stumbled onto a serious piece of London, beginning with Grimmauld Place.  Fans will remember this street as where Sirius Black lived.  Watch window #12, as the house-elf, Kreacher peers out every 30 seconds.  The opening to Diagon Alley is a bit obscured, so take your time and enjoy the London waterfront.  It’s difficult to ignore the triple-decker Knight bus stationed next to a beautiful replica of a Piccadilly Circus fountain.  The bus sports the shrunken heads introduced in the Prisoner of Azkaban movie.  They interact

For all those just tuning in, this is one in a series of travel articles.  My hubby and I traveled from Davis CA to Orlando Florida to celebrate my benchmark birthday at the exciting Universal Studios Florida.    As a Northern Californian native who lives roughly 90 minutes from the Golden Gates, I’ve visited more often than I can count.  I simply adore the city by the bay, especially Fisherman’s Wharf.  I love the smell of the ocean, the boats and shops.  I was amazed—guess I shouldn’t have been—at the depth of Universal’s snapshot replica of the big city in this part of the park.  (Source: Wikimedia of the sign in SF, CA.) Fisherman’s Wharf in Orlando Those magic makers at Universal really show off their skills here.  As we strolled through this tiny section of the park, the iconic “Fisherman’s Wharf” sign signals what we will all find here.  However, the real gems are in the details.   Slow down ; look up, look down and investigate shop windows.  You just might find some

  New York, New York... Ah, the hustle and bustle of this huge city... But, wait!  I’m in Orlando, Florida.  Hmm, this must mean that I’m also in Universal Studios Florida.  Yep, this well-appointed—and very exciting—park includes a chunk of New York City.  And it is glorious.    For those of you just tuning in, this is a continuation of a series of articles based on my vacation to Universal Studios Florida.  My husband and I traveled from our hamlet of Davis, CA to celebrate my big 6-0 birthday with thousands of strangers.  Enough about me, let’s get walking on those streets of NYC.  A New York-Street Scene Attention to detail was extensive with the brick, iron, and streetlights.  The R.H. Macy’s Department Store looked so authentic (from the movies) that it brought back warm memories of the movie, “Miracle on 34th Street”—one of my favs.   The charm of this area oozes from every storefront and facade.  I felt as if I was magically transported to a movie set of the Big Apple.

Dear Polite Traveler, Continuing with my multi-article report on a particularly enjoyable benchmark, birthday celebration trip to Universal Studios Florida, I now take you to Production Central.  In my opinion, Production Central contains some of the most enjoyable rides and entertainment in the park.  It is situated to the left of the gate as you enter Universal Studios Florida.  In fact, we nearly stumbled over the crowds racing to queue for the Despicable Me, Minion Mayhem ride.  Strangely, I crave bananas. Before our trip, my husband and I didn’t know much about the Despicable Me movies except that everyone seemed to enjoy them.  Intrigued by the consistently long lines, I decided that we should give it a go.  ( video by darthvader92) Luckily, we chose to try this ride first thing our second day at the park, which is fortunate.  There were no crowds this early in the day, so the line was short and we were hustled into our “prep” room for our minion processing within minut

To celebrate my milestone birthday of six decades on this planet, I decided to visit Universal Orlando with my eager travel buddy, my husband.  This theme park consists of two parks broken up into multiple “zones” or sections.  In my first article, I covered the glitzy  Hollywood  section.  Here, I cover both the Woody Woodpecker’s Kidzone and the World Expo, which are next to each other—just to the right of Hollywood.     First, we Help to Save E.T.’s Planet (Video by TheCoasterViews) The E.T. Adventure is a very easy, albeit a bit cheesy, ride.  My husband and I enjoyed it though.  Actually, since it was a very hot day (it can get very hot and humid in Orlando) it was a refreshing diversion.  The ride begins as soon as you queue.  A video creates a back-story informing the riders that E.T. needs our help to save E.T.’s planet.  I recommend this ride for anyone who has seen the movie, who appreciates cutesy rides, and those with children .   Lots to do for the Kiddies! (Vide

Exploring The Hollywood Section of the Park For my 60th birthday, I could have gone anywhere.  After all, it’s a big deal hitting the big 6-0.  Strangely enough, I decided to visit a theme park.  Silly, huh?  Well, read along to find out how this decision was one of my better ones. Two Parks, One Great Memory. Universal Orlando Resort consists of two—huge—theme parks, a “City Walk”, and various hotel resorts.  Because these parks are so large, I cover just our experience in the Hollywood section of Universal Studios Florida in this article.  The remainder of Universal Studios Florida, Universal’s Island of Adventure and the City Walk is covered in others.  Here’s a hint of what you will find in those articles: Wow!  Yum. Loved it!  Woo hoo!  Set the Mood With a Pin One of the coolest elements of my trip was that it was my birthday celebration, even though not technically my b'day.  Since it was a special occasion, I received a special button stating that it's my