A Visit to Universal Studio near Hollywood

Jack loves movies. I remember thinking when I was young, that I wanted to be an archeologist. I liked dinosaurs.

But Jack has always wanted to make movies, and when he was very young, I told him stories about Star Wars and Disneyland. I made up the Star Wars tales, but the Disneyland things were different. I tried to tell him things we did on each visit. It was fun for us, because it allowed him to savor the memories--both then and now. He still remembers a lot about those early visits.

Our last trip to Universal Studios was one he had wanted to do for a very long time. Krustyland was one of the first rides we did. It was one of those rollercoaster rides you do inside a huge car. It doesn't move anywhere, but the thing shakes and gives riders the belief that they experience what they see on the screen.

Jack loved it.

We waited in a line and heard a series of jokes that basically set the stage for ride. A small film clip showed a bizarre clown seeking revenge.

I was a bit nervous about the ride itself, thinking somehow that Jack would be frightened. It was on the same site, where they once had the Back To The Future ride, and it was one that Ann hated: not because it was scary, but because it made her so dizzy.

I wasn't nervous about that with Jack, but there were occasional clips on the pre-ride film that hinted at possible moments that Jack might not like.

But he loved the ride. He did not, however, enjoy the Mummy ride. I had looked forward to going on that since the 90's, when they had ads for the ride in the park and on television.

It was a horrible ride, and it scared Jack. The dips and drops on the rollercoaster were unpredictable, and they were also just silly and pointless. Once, the car jerked to a sudden stop and began rolling backwards. None of us liked it.

But the Jurassic Park ride remains one of my favorites. Jack covered his eyes. That's the unfortunate part about having had him watch part of it with me. Thinking he would enjoy it for the same reason I would have at that age, I had him sit in the chair by me once and watch a part of it.