#Hollywood City Walk

[icelynodette]

Universal City Walk California To Oregon Travel Day

[emaadsidiki]

Chasing the Stars in Hollywood. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[brian-in-finance]

Video 📹 from Instagram

Remember… (about Caitríona in Money Monster) she’s so good in the film, and such a trooper. I wish she was my assistant director. — Jodie Foster

[rabbitcruiser]

Johnny Cash was inducted into the Country Music Awards Hall of Fame by Kenny Rogers on October 13, 1980.  

[oldshowbiz]

1963.

A historic plaque surrounded by construction and new developments- ignored by absolutely everyone.

[thedaveandkimmershow]

Yesterday was and will be our most vacation-y day of our trip. Our one day in the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park.

Now, I'd been watching the wait times on the Universal app over the last few days and, while the prevailing wisdom was to save the Harry Potter rides 'til the afternoon 'cause everyone was gonna ride them first thing... I could see those wait times at ten and twenty minutes between eight and ten in the morning after which they shot up to an hour and more.

So.

Between eight and ten.

My unspoken plan, then, was to get up super early, leave around six to beat all the Monday morning commute traffic, and hit the turnstiles promptly at eight after which we'd be able to knock off those and maybe a coupla other highly popular ride before ten.

Yeah.

That didn't happen.

We got up around six, left around 730, got into the park somewhat after ten after a Starbucks breakfast in City Walk. Then, first thing inside the park we had an official photograph taken because one of the Universal photographers asked us. Then we walked over to Hogsmeade, through Hogsmeade, to Hogwarts castle to wait in line for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

The wait?

Eighty minutes.

We spent a bunch of that time moving through a shaded forestry area, eventually realizing the kids behind us were from Spokane on a band trip to a Disney music festival. Once inside, we discovered the kids in front of us were similarly from Washington state on a trip as a choir. They were super Harry Potter fans, though. One of them was wearing a Slytherin robe and wielding a wand, both of which set them back three hundred bucks. No problem, though, since they brought a thousand for Harry Potter merch plus—and this was very sweet—thoughtful gifts for their family back home.

We actually spent a bit of the waiting inside Hogwarts engaged with these kids who, for whatever reason, spent a big chunk of that time trying to figure out where in the context of eight Harry Potter Films this ride takes place.

Between films three and four, they decide. Harry's hair basically gives it away.

So yeah. That happened.

The ride itself is very clever. It's constantly in random motion the whole time whether actually in motion or virtually in motion. Either way, in some people it induces motion sickness. And I, as it turns out, was one of them. Only a little bit, though. It didn't hang on for long. But that was that and I'd done Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

After that, we thought beers in town... only the "town" was still inside Universal Studios Hollywood and the beers were sixteen bucks.

Each.

So we went back to Flight of the Hippogriff that's right across from Forbidden Journey.

Also an eighty minute wait.

Interesting, these long wait times didn't bother us 'cause there's lots to photograph and then lots of photographs to filter through my Snapseed app that's my tool of choice for tweaking, well, everything.

Eventually, the ride was shirt, fun, and didn't tweak my head like Forbidden Journey. Plus, just before we got on, we got a firm recommendation from the family behind us that Revenge of the Mummy ride was totally legit. So that was a definite To Do for our afternoon.

After finishing both Harry Potter rides, we indulged a bit of photography in Hogsmeade before heading over and down to the line for the Universal Studios back lot tour.

Forty minute wait. About an hour's worth of ride, though. During which we got to discover that, of our childhood experiences from this tour, only three remain: the flash flood, Jaws, and the Psycho house. The flash flood was pretty much what is always was. Jaws was somehow different. And we drove right in front of the Psycho house whereas my memory has me seeing the house before from below, up the hill.

Other than those experiences, everything else was new and pretty cool. Especially the two big 3D experiences: King Kong and Fast & Furious. Plus, adding that dude carrying a body and wielding a knife at the Bates Motel parking lot scene was an inspired addition. 🙂

One of the tips we got before coming down was never eat in the park. The prices gouge you. Which is true. Exhibit A: those sixteen dollar beers.

So we left the park for City Walk and The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen where we wanted to sit at the bar. Only they don't have a bar at this location but we got a good tip from the host and so headed straight for the bar at Margaritaville where we had a lovely business lunch.

A business lunch?

Yeah. That's how it worked out plus, due to an fortuitous error in billing, our food was basically paid for by other customers so we only had to pick up the beers.

And a very healthy tip.

By the time we were in the move again, making our way back into the park, it was not only somewhere between 330 and 4, but the temperature had also dropped a touch and the wind had picked up... making it seem like the temperature had dropped a lot.

Our first stop, believe it or not, was figuring out how to take a photograph of slogan attached onto the glass of a door in Springfield, home of The Simpsons.

The slogan?

DR. NICK RIVIERA

Unlicensed for over two decades!

Which, as it turns out, is tough to photograph when the glass in which it's attached is reflecting a lot of bright things.

The solution?

Take the picture from a huh angle pointing down so that the glass is reflecting the ground which is in shade. BAM.

After that, it's down the four separate escalators down to the lower lot. The Revenge of the Mummy ride is, conveniently, right there as soon as you hit bottom. And the wait?

Fifty five minutes.

No sweat.

Which it really wasn't although the line wasn't as engaging as wandering through all those Harry Potter movie sets on your way to Forbidden Journey.

By the time we hit the front of the line, it was quickly obvious we had different expectations of what this ride was... than what it really is. Me, I thought it was gonna be a cross between the walking part of The Haunted Mansion... and the riding part of that Indian Jones ride in Adventure Land. Instead, it's straight up a high speed roller coaster.

In the dark.

That goes forward a lot.

And backward a lot.

In the dark.

Did I mention that?

At first the ride seems sort of leisurely, trying to immerse you in a creepy vibe. Then, at some point, the creepy Egyptian god proclaims in a slow, creepy voice

Your soul. Is. Mine.

Only, the creepy Egyptian god puts more emphasis on the word MINE at which point we are launched into the darkness on what is now clearly a high speed roller coaster that, in that moment, literally takes your breath away. It's why, as Kimmer observed, everyone's so silent in their coaster cars as those cars return to the load/unload area.

It's a kind of stunned silence.

After that, I was thinking the Jurassic World ride, the only one I had in mind left to experience. We strolled a bit down to the Transformers 3D entrance after checking out some of the food places but nothing clicked. Then I showed Kimmer the end of the Jurassic World ride that's basically the end of Disney's Splash Mountain so now Kimmer's thinking we need to get plastic parkas.

So now we're on the hunt for plastic parkas, first at the Jurassic World store and then randomly walking about, asking certain people where they got theirs... which brought us back to the Jurassic World store where you can get them at the cash register.

Eleven bucks.

So we just got the one for Kimmer and got into the Jurassic World line.

Forty minutes.

During which time it gets colder. And it gets windier. And then the ride breaks down. And the wait time becomes Re-opening Soon.

Now waiting in line under such conditions isn't the worst thing because they've got large monitors everywhere that basically a TV channel for the faux Dinosaur facility that's educational and entertaining.

However.

It's getting colder. And, yes. There's a certain investment that settles in because the longer you wait... the more it feels like you have to wait because what if you leave and then the ride opens again???

An hour in, though, the announcement comes that they have no idea when the ride's gonna open again. So we abandon the wait with nothing to show for our experience except the one plastic parks we bought for Kimmer.

Back up at the upper lot again, it's colder, it's windier, sunset's definitely fallen on most of the park, and we head back to Hogsmeade for golden hour photography and one more turn of Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

Thirty-five minutes.

This time, we're in line with a dad and his two kids, locals with annual passes, who just spent the day in Super Nintendo World that included waiting three hours in line for Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge.

The kids had the most magnificent day and we're eager to share their stories augmented by their dad's take on the logistics of the day and how all the virtual tech works. He even had a bit of video on his phone to fill out the experience.

Now, we're in line for the Forbidden Journey but he's not gonna ride it.

Why?

Because the last time he got such motion sickness he had to close his eyes. So he's dropping his kids at the front of the line and will meet them when they depart the ride.

We end up sharing the ride with his kids and, this time around, I get motion sick. Nothing vomit-y. Just a bit of dizziness that hangs on after the ride and doesn't let go.

Fortunately, we are done for the day. It's a little after 730. It's dark. It's cold. There really isn't anything else we want to do. So we make our way back to our campervan, Big Foot, grabbing me a mint tea from Starbucks along the way just in case I do have anything stomach related going on.

By the time we're back at Kimmer's cousin's place, it's around nine thirty and we settle in for an evening of boisterous family time that includes a pair of highschool freshmen as well as pizza and cookies homemade made by Kimmer. A quite fun and lovely way to enter the next phase of our trip: a round of camping for all of us starting later today.

I will say, before I have to get going as well, I had an epic night of sleep last night.

Thank God.

😁😁😁

[lifeofloon]

So happy to have a Toothsome's Chocolate Emporium and Savory Feast Kitchen here I'm CA now! Drinks are so good, we didn't even get pics of em!

Food shown is Pub it up Burger, French onion soup, and chocolate gnocchi with peppers and chicken.

[scorpius-rising]

I think the most fascinating thing about the US being a shit place to live is the fact that from all the indicators it shouldn't be. Like yes, there are far worse places to live for many people. But the US is the world's largest economy. Its hegemonic media and celebrities dominate the global culture. Its business exploits the labour and resources of billions of people and its military is the most dominant on the planet. By all rights it should be a pretty good place to live and instead it's just...bad.

[omgthatdress]

Few American writers and entertainers have managed to have careers as wild and scandalous as that of Mae West.

A vaudeville performer since childhood, she developed a distinctive sexy stage persona and signature sauntering walk that was inspired by the likes of Julian Eltinge and Bert Savoy.

In 1927, she opened her first play, Sex, which she both wrote and starred in. It centered around Margy, a high-end sex worker, and Clara, the stuck up society lady who was the mother of the man Margie falls in love with. Ticket sales were strong, but city officials were upset about the play's risqué content. West was eventually arrested, tried, and sentenced to ten days in jail for obscenity.

While incarcerated, she told reporters that she'd worn her silk panties in jail, instead of the "burlap" that was usually given to prisoners. The scandal of it all sent ticket sales through the roof.

Her next play was set to be even more controversial: it was called The Drag, and it had an entire cast of homosexuals. The end scene was a massive and spectacular drag ball. The show went for ten performances before it was shut down by police.

Police threatened to shut down all of Broadway if The Drag continued to be performed, so it was cancelled. However, a censored version with a now heterosexual protagonist called The Pleasure Man was allowed to perform a year later.

Eventually, West would make her way to Hollywood and become one of the most iconic stars of the 1930s.

In 2019, The Drag was performed for the first time in many decades at Gay City in Seattle, and has since then been performed several times across the U.S.

[treasurechestmemories]

Universal City Walk California To Oregon Travel Day

[emaadsidiki]

HOLLYWOOD 💃🎬🕺 جہاں بھی گئے ، داستاں چھوڑ آئے

[dippitydodaday]

[rabbitcruiser]

The Simpsons first appeared as a series of shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show, first starting with "Good Night", on April 19, 1987.

[timmurleyart]

Night stroll on Hollywood boulevard. 🎥🍿

[luxebeat]

California Dreaming: Favorite Holiday Destinations

California Dreaming: Favorite Holiday Destinations

Gardens, hotels, and attractions throughout Southern California are decked with holiday installations to get you into the holiday spirit. Most have boutiques filled with decorations, lights and gifts to bring home to dazzle your own home and holiday tree. Here are my favorites: Universal Studios Hollywood Holidays at Universal Studios Hollywood Come enjoy holiday inspired cookies, funnel cakes…

[berzahoes]

moments | tom blyth

summary: moments with tom and you <3 oh, and keanu reeves is also there! (reeves!reader)

an: nepo baby reader my beloved 🫶🏼

ON SET OF BILLY THE KID

since your dad had a few weeks off, he decided to visit you and tom on the set of billy the kid, which was filming in canada. tom was nervous since this would be the first time your dad would see him act in person. you understood why since your dad was a big name in hollywood (and also named the nicest guy).

“he just texted, he’s here.” you told tom, who was in already in his billy the kid attire. you were hanging out in his trailer until he was called to set.

“is this really happening?” tom sighed. “keanu reeves is going to see me act . . . holy shit.”

“just pretend he’s not there or just relax. he loves you and he loves everything you’ve been in.” you stood up from the chair and walked over to him.

“apart from being a big actor, he’s your dad. what if he sees that i’m not good enough to be with you?”

“if he ever says anything like that, run. that’s not the real keanu reeves,” you replied and placed a kiss on his lips. “i’ll be right back, I’m going to go find him.”

“i have to be on set in two minutes. i’ll meet you guys over there.” tom said as you exited his trailer in search of your dad.

eventually, you found him talking to the stunt coordinator about, one of his favorite subjects, motorcycles.

“sorry to interrupt,” you apologized for cutting into their conversation.

“no worries, i better get going. it was really nice talking to you. thank you.” the stunt coordinator said as he walked away.

“tom said he’s going to meet us on set. they’re about to start filming.” you and your dad walked to where tom had told you to go.

“this is really nice. did you see that horse over there? beautiful horse. remember when you didn’t want to ride the horse on set of john wick?” keanu teased. you rolled your eyes playfully and kept walking to the set.

the scene tom would be filming was the opening scene of the whole show. your dad quickly made friends with the producers and director and sat by them when filming began. you watch your boyfriend get into character and deliver his lines perfectly. you didn’t know what it was, but you loved seeing him as billy the kid.

“cut! that was great, tom! we got it!” the director shouted. immediately your dad started applauding as loud as he could.

then tom joined you and your dad. “tom, that was amazing. you did an incredible job.” your dad complimented him.

“thank you, sir. it means a lot that you’re here.” tom replied. he still couldn’t believe keanu freaking reeves watched him act. you two have been together for quite a while so he didn’t have to be so nervous around your dad. but he was and hearing keanu say such kind words to him calmed him down.

“dad was talking about the horse.” you said, pointing to the horse that tom called his.

before you knew it, both of your guys were walking in the direction of the horse.

LUNCH WITH THE FAMILY

it was a nice day out in new york city. before you dad started filming for his new movie, he wanted to have lunch with you, tom and his partner, alexandra. he picked out where you would have lunch and texted you the address. it wasn’t that far from tom’s apartment so you decided to walk.

“what do you think your dad is going to say about this?” tom asked, referring to his recently bleached blonde hair.

“i think he’ll like it. i like it, but i do kiss the brown hair.” you admitted. soon enough, you made it to the restaurant. your dad had gotten an outside table so you easily spotted him and alexandra waiting for you and tom.

tom had a hat on so your had hadn’t noticed the blonde hair until tom took it off. alexandra gasped as keanu chuckled. “you look great, man.” he brought tom in for a hug.

“you do look great, tom.” alexandra agreed and stood up from her chair to greet you and tom.

“hi, sweetheart,” keanu said as he hugged you and kissed your cheek. “when are you going blonde?”

“never. i think the only time i ever dyed my hair was when i had a mental breakdown during seventh grade and dyed my hair red.” you said as you sat next to tom.

“she had me up at two am helping her rinse because she didn’t want to get dye on her fingers.” keanu continued.

“you had red hair? i need to see that.” tom chuckled.

eventually the paparazzi found you and they kept some distance, but they still annoyed you. you four took the opportunity to mess with them and posed with peace signs or funny faces. it reminded you of the times when you did the exact same thing years ago with your dad. whenever he took you out to eat, the paparazzi would arrive seconds later taking pictures of you two. keanu suggested making faces at the camera so you did just that. now, you were doing the same thing but with your boyfriend, dad and stepmom.

KEANU REEVES, PROFESSIONAL THIRD WHEEL

“how’s the family?” stephen colbert asked. you dad was a guest and his show and he loved any chance he had to talk about you.

“family is doing really great, thanks for asking. i’ve spending a lot of time with my daughter. her and i are doing lots of activities like pottery, she loves pottery.” he explained.

“that’s great. and do you two always hang out when you’re not busy?” stephen asked.

“yeah, she sometimes has her friends over and i call her and ask if i could come over and then i take her friends and her to dinner or bowling.” he laughed as he remembered all the times he took your friends out so he could also spend time with you.

“i don’t know if you’re aware of this, but twitter has actually named you the professional third wheel because of these photos.” stephen showed keanu and the audience some paparazzi photos of you and tom walking hand in hand down the streets of new york and to the side was your dad with an ice cream cone in his hand.

“oh man, i mean it was going to happen,” keanu said. you and your dad actually had an agreement about what stuff he could share about when it came to being asked about you in interviews. “tom is a great guy, he’s the best.it looks like they’re annoyed with me, but I promise they’re not.” he laughed as another picture was shown of tom talking to him, but he was still holding your hand. whatever it was that tom and your dad were talking about, it seemed really interesting since they weren’t paying attention to you at all.

“oh no,” keanu hid his face in embarrassment. “she looks mad at me, i hope she wasn’t mad.”

“this is my favorite one yet.” stephen added as another picture came on screen.

the picture showed you on your phone walking while your dad and tom walked behind laughing hysterically at something that someone had said.

“are you sure i’m the third wheel?” keanu joked as the audience laughed.

“is tom blyth single?”

the cast of the ballad of songbirds and snakes were doing the wired autocomplete interview and it was tom’s turn to answer questions.

“i am not. i have a beautiful, lovely wonderful girlfriend.” he answered with a smile.

“and his name is keanu reeves!” rachel added followed by josh laughing.

“the pictures don’t lie, tom!”