Universal Studios was the one stop on our Orlando-area theme parks itinerary that was not a Disney Property. But it was a "must include on the itinerary" because a couple family members in our group are Harry Potter fans, and they made that attraction a high priority. (I'll elaborate more on the Potter section in the future post devoted to just that area of the trip.)
Indeed, we spent the vast majority of time at the Harry Potter community while at Universal, that I didn't have a whole lot of time to photograph much else. So the photos you see in this post were grabbed almost entirely on the walk to and from the Potter area, which happened to be near the far back reaches of the park.
Some of my favorite shots from Universal integrated the large pond or lake adjacent to the Potter area. But I chose the lead-off photo instead, partly because of the signage identifying it as Universal but also because of the architectural elements.
As always, to view a larger, sharper version of an image, simply click on it. To view a full gallery of images from my visit to Universal Studios, click on the link in this sentence.
Above is a variation on my usual "theme park entrance" opening shot in this series. This is the escalator to the entrance from the parking garage. Below, just inside the entrance, I was struck by the busy geometric elements (including lines and curves) juxtaposed with the signage.
Above and next two below reflect the high volume of signage for dining options confronting visitors just inside the entrance. The Cowfish, offering sushi and burgers, was the most intriguing to me ... and certainly the newest.
Above is modest "water integration" shot; the Hard Rock Cafe building on the other side of the water was my focal point. But below, a long-distant perspective shot of the eatery and the surrounding landscape, was more water-oriented. Two shots below is the iconic Universal Studio logo, a huge globe greeting visitors as they cross a bridge that leads to the Harry Potter section.
Above and below are examples of the landscape early on in our tour of the property.
Above: A welcome "Hello Kitty" figure outside a Hello Kitty merchandising store, which one of our family members wanted to stop in and check out. So I did too, taking the first seven photos below with my iPhone inside the store. The store was not above peddling products associated with other Universal franchises.
Above and first two below are some landscape shots.
There seems to be a lot of confusion about Mel's Drive-In restaurants and Mel's and/or Mel's Diner eateries with very similar names. The drive-in -- reflected in the establishment pictured above and first two below -- is/was a real chain in California and was the "Mel's" shown in the motion picture "American Graffit." A rift within the co-founding Weiss family led to the establishment of the other Mel's eateries that have similar names.
Above: Another water picture, but this one probably is my favorite of the batch.
Above: Anyone who raised children in the 1980s and '90s or was a child during that time period knows about the Transformer franchise. This large Transformer figure and the building it is attached to is dedicated to the franchise TV series and movies.
Above and first two below are some more landscape shots.
I honestly can't remember if the seafood restaurant shown above was adjacent to the scene I captured below. I think it was, because both contain the same style and blue-colored roof overhang, but I wanted to stipulate some doubt in case I am wrong.
A fountain (above) topped by a statue shown in a closeup below.
Above: This bus and individual dressed in bus-like colors was just outside the entrance to the Harry Potter section. For most of the day, I thought it was actually was related to the Potter section, but in retrospect ... maybe not? I don't really know. But there's an embarrassing story to the bus and individual. I saw and photographed both early in the morning before we entered the Potter section. I thought for sure the bus and clothes colors were brown at that time. When we exited Potter to head to the park entrance, I thought the colors had been changed to purple, and I marveled to the person that it was Potter-like magic. Well, apparently some early morning sunlight glare played with my color spectrum from the angle where I stood in the morning. The individual assured me it had always been purple. I asked ... for real, thinking it might be a joke. For real, was the answer.
Above: Just like at Epcot Center two days previously, young visitors at Universal Studios seemed taken by the "old-fashioned" telephone booth on display there.
Above: While Lee Ann and her daughter were lagging behind at the Hogwart's Castle, I walked ahead and came across these kids enjoying the opportunity to cool off in the heat at this unusual fountain. It would not be much longer after I took this picture that the clouds opened up and rained at the park for about 20 minutes ... then stopped.
Above: Hopefully the architecture, vantage point and the framing beam explain why I thought to composed this image.
Above: The downpour was about two minutes away when I took this water-integrated photo with Krustyland in the background. Yes, we got wet. We were in the lighter rainfall for about 10 minutes before we made it to a shop where I bought a pancho to wear (and protect the camera and lens) the rest of the time it was raining.
I end with this because it was actually the very last thing I photographed before we got into our car in the parking lot and headed out. I don't know what the sign, apparently depicting flames, is about.
Next up: Return to Magic Kingdom
Previously in the series:
Part III: Epcot Center
Part IV: Disney's Animal Kingdom
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