Summer Fun 2013 Part I: Family & Harry Potter
Most of our summer passed by quickly. Trevor worked at a summer camp and I spent quality time indoors working on my dissertation and submitting research proposals to conferences.
However, throughout the month of August we were able to take a break and spend time with family. My dad and Myrna stopped by at the end of their 28 day, 3000 mile road trip up to the Pacific Northwest (see: South by Northwest blog post). We walked around UCSB, meditated at the campus Labyrinth, and enjoyed delicious food at Silvergreen's in Isla Vista.
In early August, Trevor and I visited San Diego. Heather also flew down from Seattle and we relaxed on the hammock, walked along the beach, ate way too much food, and of course, had a family game night with Apples to Apples (you can refer to me as the Apples Champion!).
Heather joined us on our travels back to Santa Barbara and spent a couple nights in our apartment. Although the mornings were cloudy, the sun came out and the beach was beautiful in the afternoon. We shopped on State Street and walked out to the end of the pier. We also watched the sun set from Ellwood cliffs and helped Heather get her Mexican food fix (since the Mexican food in Seattle is not authentic) by eating burritos at all of the popular places in Santa Barbara, including Super Rica, Super Cucas, and Freebirds.
A week after Heather headed back to Seattle, Trevor and I hopped on a flight to Orlando, Florida. I found a great travel deal online that included a 4 night stay in a hotel, 3 Universal Studios park passes, 2 days of free food (worth $150), early admission, and free transportation to the theme parks. We started our adventures at the Universal Studios Island of Adventure.
Thanks to our early admission passes, we entered the park one-hour before the general public and sprinted to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. What an incredible setting! It seemed as though we had walked right into the Harry Potter movie. We went to Ollivander's to watch a wand-selection demonstration and then we toured the castle and went on the Forbidden Journey ride. Although the ride was an incredible exploration of the world of Harry Potter (e.g., Quidditch pitch, Whomping Willow, spiders, dementors, dragons) it made us both lightheaded and nauseous. Regardless of feeling sick after the ride, I thought it was an amazing masterpiece that combined video, sound effects, props, sets, and a motion simulator.
We enjoyed exploring the Wizarding World before the masses of people crowded in (the average wait time for the Forbidden Journey ride is 65 minutes). And, of course, no trip to the Wizarding World is complete with out a sip of delicious Butterbeer (rootbeer and butterscotch). My new favorite drink! We also visited the various Harry Potter shops, including Zonko's, Honeydukes, and Dervish & Banges, and ate lunch in the Three Broomsticks.
After leaving the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, we toured the rest of the park. We went on the Amazing Spider Man ride (motion simulator), took the Dr. Seuss train around Seuss Landing, and visited Jurassic Park. We also watched an underground show called Poseidon's Fury and ate lunch at Mythos, which overlooked the lagoon that was in the center of park.
The temperature rose to 90 degrees with 70% humidity, but luckily there were plenty of ways to cool off. We took Popeye's boat down the whitewater rapids and we were soaked head-to-toe. There were some fountain areas to play in as well. While the heat wasn't too bad, the air conditioning was overbearing. Every ride and shop that we went into (or walked past) was blasting the a/c and we were constantly going from 90 degrees to 50 degrees and then back to 90 degrees.
Well that was the first part of our August fun! Stay tuned for the next post featuring our adventures at Universal Studios and Walt Disney World.
Also, check out our trip photos: Universal Island of Adventure
However, throughout the month of August we were able to take a break and spend time with family. My dad and Myrna stopped by at the end of their 28 day, 3000 mile road trip up to the Pacific Northwest (see: South by Northwest blog post). We walked around UCSB, meditated at the campus Labyrinth, and enjoyed delicious food at Silvergreen's in Isla Vista.
Watch the Family Photos Slideshow
Heather joined us on our travels back to Santa Barbara and spent a couple nights in our apartment. Although the mornings were cloudy, the sun came out and the beach was beautiful in the afternoon. We shopped on State Street and walked out to the end of the pier. We also watched the sun set from Ellwood cliffs and helped Heather get her Mexican food fix (since the Mexican food in Seattle is not authentic) by eating burritos at all of the popular places in Santa Barbara, including Super Rica, Super Cucas, and Freebirds.
A week after Heather headed back to Seattle, Trevor and I hopped on a flight to Orlando, Florida. I found a great travel deal online that included a 4 night stay in a hotel, 3 Universal Studios park passes, 2 days of free food (worth $150), early admission, and free transportation to the theme parks. We started our adventures at the Universal Studios Island of Adventure.
We enjoyed exploring the Wizarding World before the masses of people crowded in (the average wait time for the Forbidden Journey ride is 65 minutes). And, of course, no trip to the Wizarding World is complete with out a sip of delicious Butterbeer (rootbeer and butterscotch). My new favorite drink! We also visited the various Harry Potter shops, including Zonko's, Honeydukes, and Dervish & Banges, and ate lunch in the Three Broomsticks.
After leaving the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, we toured the rest of the park. We went on the Amazing Spider Man ride (motion simulator), took the Dr. Seuss train around Seuss Landing, and visited Jurassic Park. We also watched an underground show called Poseidon's Fury and ate lunch at Mythos, which overlooked the lagoon that was in the center of park.
The temperature rose to 90 degrees with 70% humidity, but luckily there were plenty of ways to cool off. We took Popeye's boat down the whitewater rapids and we were soaked head-to-toe. There were some fountain areas to play in as well. While the heat wasn't too bad, the air conditioning was overbearing. Every ride and shop that we went into (or walked past) was blasting the a/c and we were constantly going from 90 degrees to 50 degrees and then back to 90 degrees.
Well that was the first part of our August fun! Stay tuned for the next post featuring our adventures at Universal Studios and Walt Disney World.
Also, check out our trip photos: Universal Island of Adventure
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