It's finally here! Universal Studios pt. 2

I finally got the photos! (All photo credit goes to Elizabeth "Izzy" Keeney.) So without further ado...

Left to right: Me, "Alkira," and "Izzy"

Probably the most awesome part of Universal Studios was the area where you could take photos with the characters.

They had Frankenstein's Monster, a guy with a mask and a chainsaw, a mummy, and a vampire.

Doing the Monster Mash

Does someone want a hug?

The vampire was AWESOME. I went up to talk to him twice (we walked by him a few times).

First time:
(It should be noted that I was wearing a bright red sweatshirt.)

Me: Hi.
Vampire: Hello.
Me (struggling to say something cool): Nice day.
Vampire: Bit sunny for my taste, but yes.
Me: Ah.
[Awkward pause]
Vampire: I like you jacket.
Me: Thanks!
Vampire: It's making me hungry.
Me:...Thanks...um...bye.

He had a very nice accent.
I went back to my friends. Alkira laughed hysterically at me. We walked around there some more, and I had an amusing run-in with a statue. There were two, sitting on this park bench, painted completely black. For the life of me, I could not tell if the statues were actually statues! I thought I'd check by poking one of them.

So I sneak up...Sneak sneak sneak...Within three feet now...sneak sneak...And suddenly, no warning whatsoever, the one I'm planning on poking turns and smiles at me!

I jumped about three feet in the air and skedaddled back to my friends PDQ.

OH! And we got to meet Vin Diesel! (Is that how you spell it?...not really sure...)

Us with Vin Diesel. And no, I have no idea what I'm doing with my hand.

Well, not really. But we had fun with the big, creepy wax model, anyway.

Being Sherlock Holmes fans, we were inordinately excited to see a street sign proclaiming that we were walking down BAKER STREET. Then we stopped and oohed over the sign that said MRS. HUDSON'S BOARDING HOUSE.

But what we REALLY fangirled over was the door with a 221B plaque on it...and a silhouette of Holmes! Complete with deerstalker and spyglass!

Standing in a famous shadow

Universal did most of the original 1940s movies.

My friends teased me because I kept trying to open doors that didn't open. I couldn't get into the 1920s car either. Grr.

The case of the immovable mail flap

The case of the closed phone box

I probably shouldn't have tried so hard to open it, though...

Yours truly gets arrested!

Then when we went down to ride the rides, Alkira had a couple of Egyptian deity incidents. There were these two Egyptian gods, a man and a woman, walking around outside of the Revenge of the Mummy ride. They were both on stilts, so they were what, five feet taller than us? Something like that. Anyway, Alkira goes running up to the guy and yells, "HIGH FIVE, MAN!"

He just gave her this look--you know, a proper look--and walked off. Like, I am too mighty to deign to high-fiving mortals. 

"You suck!" yelled Alkira.

She fumed about it for the next few minutes, until we ran into him again. Then she ran up and wanted a high five again. She raised her hand over her head.

He gave her another look--and then raised his hand over HIS head. Come and get it, mortal.

Remember that he was like five feet taller?

High five, man! Uh...

Izzy and Hannah and I were laughing hysterically in the background. But I think Alkira got her high five.

(As a side note, the woman was willing to give out high fives. Egyptian goddesses are apparently nicer than Egyptian gods.)

Egyptian goddesses are friendlier than Egyptian gods

A bit later we headed back to the photo area. Alkira wanted to have a go with the vampire. I should mention that we are NOT Twilight fans.

So we wait for the other tourists to finish taking pictures of him biting their wrists and the occasional neck and then walk up.

Alkira: Hi!
Vampire: Hello.
Alkira: I notice, sir, that you do not sparkle.
Vampire: Well, that's because I'm a REAL vampire, no?
Alkira, Izzy and Me: !!!!
Me: *I love you.* (But only in my head.)
Alkira: So what do you think of vampires who DO sparkle?
Vampire: Well, they're not real vampires, are they? They're more like...elves. I mean, I can drink blood, be out in the daytime...
Alkira: Dude. You're awesome.

Count Dracula, who does not sparkle,  enjoys his snack

Then we took some photos, reaffirmed how truly and utterly amazing that vampire was, and stopped bothering him.

I seem to have some pictures left over, so here they are!

Jaws enjoys his snack. I do not.

...? Who turned out the lights?

Alkira and I cheer on the Dodgers.

One of the original DeLoreans from Back to the Future. It was on the behind-the-scenes tour.

Izzy loses her mind...to a fish.

What I was really doing when I got "arrested."

Izzy with the Universal fountain thing