LA - love them...

Like any big city new to us, there is much to love and quite a bit that weirds us out about LA.

Our favourite exchange so far:

(At a bus stop in Downtown LA)
Lady: (yelling as bus is pulling out) STOP THAT BUS!!
Us: (waiting for a different bus) Um...Stop!
Lady: (boarding stopped bus) Thanks guys, you must be tourists.
Us: (speechless)

Anyway, it's Day 3 in LA and we're finally ready to do a theme park. Hence, our destination today is:

Universal Studios - Now one might say that for me, personally, this visit is about doing the stuff that EVERYBODY ELSE IN MY FAMILY got to do some 20 years ago while I got left behind to ensure that my education would not suffer by missing a portion of that crucial 4th year of primary school. Heaven knows where I'd be today with a missing gap between 6s and 9s in my times table. (Gem: "bitter much?")

For the longest time, I've wished that I could somehow go back in time and catch up on all the cool stuff I've only ever experienced vicariously through my Mom's snapshots. But to do so would require, I dunno, some sort of time machine, like a Delorean fitted with a flux capacitor...














...or a Segway? Ok, Doc, if you say so.

So the first thing we do is the classic Studio Tour which retains some of the old attractions like the parting of the Red Sea and Bruce the shark. Today they are joined by set pieces from more recent flicks like the Fast & the Furious, Jurassic Park and That One Where Stuff Goes Kablooey.





























Along the way, our tour guide informs us of the upcoming King Kong opening next summer. This of course is no good to us today so George treats us to a wee preview using the set of Desperate Housewives..




















"Rawwrr!" Ok settle down now George.

Aside from the Studio Tour, Universal also offers regular theme parky stuff like a roller coaster ride through Mummy-land. This takes place in near total darkness which makes for lousy photies.















But as you can see, it's just as terrifying on the outside.

There's also Backdraft-themed explodey show...













As well as a Special Effects showcase for which Gem gleefully volunteers...











...to be terrorised by a giant kitty as well as various versions of Eddie Murphy.

Here too is where George finally gets to meet his Curious and Ultimately More Famous counterpart..











George: "Meh, he ain't that big a deal. Anyone can get their stupid face on a big old sign."











"Look at the scrawny little runt. Bet you I could take him on with one hand tied behind my back."











"Uh, Gem? Not so close, ok?...please?"

And for the rest of the day, we wander throughout the park and the rest of Hollywood, finding stars where they happen to be...
































and where they used to be..











By the end, we've pretty much had our minds blown..











and thus, we're ready for a good lie-down..












....where we can all be stars in our dreams.

Next - 2 more days of LA - whew!

S'long!

ps. As we're in Vegas now where apparently everything that happens here stays here, getting stuff out via the internet is going to be a bit tricky but we'll try our best. Stay tuned....