We have stumbled upon a new cheat code. At least it felt like cheating, because it was so helpful. I have been wanting to go to a Harry Potter park for more than a decade (since before we knew what an awful person the author is), and today my daughter, the only other member of the family who likes the series still, took me to Hogsmead. To be more accurate, she took me to Universal Studios theme park, and we bookended our long day at the Harry Potter section.
Both daughters have conspired to get me to use mobility aids, and this week has proved them right to do so. One daughter bought me a rollator-walker from Facebook Marketplace, and both threatened me with banishment if I didn't take it to LA this week. It helped some at the museum Sunday, but was also a pain to deal with. Today at Universal, however, it was a magic token. On several rides, they waived us over to the express pass lines, or sent us along ramps and up elevators to spaces where we could board the rides and leave the walker. On both the Harry Potter and The Mummy rides, we were in and out in 10-15 minutes. I still had to wait in line at the Transformers ride, but having a place to sit when I needed it made the wait go much faster. It wouldn't have knocked a thing off Jurassic Park water ride wait, and we bailed on that one immediately after seeing a 1.5-2 hour wait.
I have now tried butterbeer, and we picked out our interactive wands (which do tricks at HP parks all around the world). I was tempted by clothing several times, but other than a Marauders Map scarf, I abstained. For the children we picked out plushies of three Mario characters: Bowser, Boo, and Goomba. I'll probably hold off on giving them until Valerie's birthday, but no guarantees on that.
Tomorrow's plan is for a recovery day. We might go out to the gluten-free bakery for breakfast, but we won't be leaving Long Beach for anything.
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