Return to LA

Hello!!

This year has gone by rapidly and so much has happened. Since the last time I wrote, I have concluded my mini internship and traversed Southern California again, among other things. Los Angeles is probably one of my favourite places in this world so far. Not only is the weather amazing, but there is also a lot to see and experience. So, settle down and enjoy the recount of my activities in California (sing it!)

I went to Universal Studios and spent the whole day there.  The place is a dream if the dream includes a swarm of other visitors like yourself. There is so much detail in the sets, structures and buildings (buildings fascinate me). I walked around the whole park and went on almost all the rides. If you have a device that keeps track of your steps, you will hit and surpass whatever your daily step goal is without even realizing. Advice number 1: plan to spend the whole day there. Entrance is not free, so you should aim to get your money’s worth. The hours vary, but it is usually from 10am to about 9pm. Advice number 2: carry drinking water. You can carry snacks as well because you will get hungry and most of the food is expensive. I carried snacks and still bought ice cream. (I love ice cream and it was amazing ice cream. I stand by my decision). Advice numero 3: wear sunscreen and carry a hat. The sun does not smile. All of these should fit in a small backpack because you would have to lug this around for the duration of your stay. Advice number 4: try not to go alone. The park is best enjoyed with company. I went with my sisters and they made it 10x better. There was always someone to point and exclaim about something to.

So, the majority of the rides there involve 4d visualization, motion simulation and animatronics. Some are mild and some literally take your breath away- the mummy ride is a vivid example. I experienced a range of emotions in those few but memorable minutes. One of the best things there, to me, is the Studio Tour. It lasts about one hour and it is exactly what it is…a tour of the studio. It takes you to the parts of the studio used for film productions and shows you other things as well. It also has about 4 or 5 major highlights throughout the ride. These parts usually involve some form of motion simulation or visualization or both. This time there were pyrotechnics, water, lights and sound effects involved. My major issue though for most of the rides is the wait times. The level of ridiculousness varies depending on the ride. The more anticipated and exciting the ride, the more people want to go on it. This leads to long lines and longer waiting periods. One of the rides had a wait of 240 minutes. Initially, my brain was calculating the 240 minutes to mean 2 hours, maybe to shield me from the reality of the wait time. At least that’s what I told myself because I refused to believe I forgot how to do basic mathematics.

There are VIP passes which take you down a special line and straight to the front, but those come at an extra cost. In all, I spent more time waiting for some rides than actually going on them, but they were worth it.

I went to multiple beaches too like Torrance beach and Terranea because the water is breath-taking. I, however, am not an adept swimmer (my capabilities sway more to the beginner level) so I always stayed a reasonable distance from said water. At Abalone Cove, I saw what I will conclude are dolphins. I walked down the trail until I came close to the waterfront then I stood there and marvelled at the beauty before me. Abalone Cove has more of rocks of different sizes. I also went to the City Beach at Longbeach, where I tried those scooters for the first time and (drumroll please) had ice cream. I like them for fun, but when I realize that people take these as transportation across busy intersections, my heart literally skips a few beats.

I also had boba for the first time. Boba is a tea-based drink that has chewy tapioca balls added to it. It comes in a variety of flavours, but I decided to have vanilla because I have never been wrong about vanilla. I enjoyed the drink, but the texture of the balls was too much for me. They have this jelly-like consistency and really no flavour. My expression when I unconsciously swallowed some of the tapioca balls was priceless.

My activities continue in my next post. How have the past few months been for you? Eventful? Basic?

Like Gazelle in Zootopia said, try everything!

Till next time,

Bye!