Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
163
Fun Facts
Glaring Mistake
The only people who weren't applauding the new Walt Disney Concert Hall were
the condominium owners across the street. To them the stainless-steel building
was a giant Easy-Bake oven—every time the sunlight reflected off the Concert
Hall and into the condos, it increased daytime room temperatures up to 15%. The
final solution was to dull the finish on certain sections of the Concert Hall.
that combines 3-D effects, a humor ous stor y line, and “ surprise” special effects—the
flying dragon chase is wild.
There are also sev eral live shows performing daily. At the
Fear Factor Live
show—
based upon the NBC hit—par k guests compete against each other in a pr ogression of
extreme stunts.
Waterworld
is a fast-paced outdoor theater pr esentation (and far better
than the film that inspir ed it) featuring stunts and special effects per formed on and
around a small man-made lagoon (most per formances are sold out, so arriv e at the the-
ater at least 15 min. before the showtime listed in the handout park map). In
Backdraft,
guests move from theater to theater amid realistic ruptured fuel lines, melting metal, and
scorching warehouse scenes. On the
Animal Actors Stage
trained monkeys, pigs, hawks,
and other animals perform various entertaining tricks (well, most of the time).
Straight ahead of the par k's main entrance on M ain Street is the
Hollywood Ticket
Office,
where you can obtain free tickets (subject to availability) for any TV shows that are
taping during y our visit—including the
Tonight S how with Conan O 'Brien
—as w ell as
tickets and passes to other local museums, spor ting events, and entertainment attractions.
Universal Studios is an exciting place for kids and teens, but just as at any amusement
park, lines can be br utally long; the wait for a 5-minute ride can sometimes last mor e
than an hour . I n summer, the stifling Valley heat can dog y ou all day . To av oid the
crowds, try not to visit on w eekends, school v acations, and Japanese holidays. I f you're
willing to pay extra money to skip the hassle of standing in line, the park offers a
“Front
of Line” pass
with—obviously—front-of-the-line privileges, as well as VIP passes (essen-
tially private tours). You can also sav e time standing in line b y purchasing and printing
your tickets online. Log on to www .universalstudioshollywood.com for mor e informa-
tion. Another ticket option is the
“All You Can Eat”
pass, which allo ws guests to dine
all day at selected in-park restaurants for one price.
For the freeway-phobic or those car-less at D isneyland, Universal offers an
Anaheim
Shuttle Service
to guests who purchase a full-price admission ticket to Universal Studios
online via P rint@Home ticketing at www .universalstudioshollywood.com. The shuttle
bus depar ts from various Anaheim-area hotels twice daily . Additionally, the
Southern
California CityPass
(p. 214) offers admission to fiv e SoCal attractions including U ni-
versal Studios Hollywood and the Disneyland Resort.
Located just outside the gate of U niversal Studios Hollywood is
Universal CityWalk
(
&
818/622-4455;
www.citywalkhollywood.com). If you have any money left from the
amusement park, you can spend it at this 3-block-long pedestrian pr omenade crammed
thick with flashy name-brand stores (Billabong, Fossil, Skechers, Abercrombie & Fitch),
nightclubs (H owl at the M oon dueling piano bar , R umba R oom Latin dance club),
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