First was to see if I could take the Metro system in Los Angeles from Santa Clarita to Universal Studios and back home.
Secondly, to see if I could find the new Super Mario World that is being built at Universal Studios.
And thirdly, to see if the discounts with the annual Silver Pass actually work in City Walk.
Metro
Parking at Universal Studios Hollywood is $30. It’s $10 after 5 p.m. Part of the reason I wanted to try to take Metro to Universal Studios was to see if I could find a less expensive way to get to the park.
I made my way to Union Station in downtown LA in the morning. It cost $15 for a round trip ticket from the Santa Clarita Metro Station to Union Station. That is already half as much as it costs to park at Universal Studios. The round-trip tickets are per person as well. The more people who take Metro, the more it costs.
That was not the best start to my Christmas Eve adventure to Universal Studios.
Once at Union Station, there are plenty of options and experiences. Olvera Street is within walking distance. And there are plenty of Metro lines to take anywhere in the city. That was a bonus to taking Metro to Union Station.
A daily pass on the Metro Lines is $3.25. That is way more affordable than the $15 Metrolink tickets. It is probably best to eliminate the Metrolink step altogether next time.
Getting from the Universal City Metro Station to the front gates of Universal Studios is fairly easy too. There is a tram stop over a bridge and across the street from the station that takes visitors to Universal Studios.
The Metro option is a convenient way to avoid paying for parking at Universal Studios. But it is not exactly the most affordable.
Super Mario World
The new Super Mario World is under construction and, depending on who you trust, is expected to open either in the spring or fall of 2022. It probably won’t be ready until fall, but there are some reports that it is going to be ready in the spring. Probably wishful thinking at this point.
From the escalators to the lower level of Universal Studios, the progress on Super Mario World can be seen. The green hills and mushrooms are clearly visible. Other structures are in construction. It’s hard to tell what they might be, but one is purple. The whole Super Mario World doesn’t look very big, but none of the lands in Universal Studios are very big.
Discounts
One of the first places I visited on my trip to Universal Studios and City Walk was the Pink’s hot dog stand. It is one of the places that is supposed to honor the discount that comes with the Silver Pass.
It worked.
There are a few restaurants in City Walk that are supposed to honor the Silver Pass discount, between 10% and 15 %. Johnny Rockets, Ben & Jerry’s, Blaze Pizza, to name a few, offer 10% discounts. It’s not much, but any savings are appreciated.
Antojitos Cocina Mexicana, Margaritaville, VIVO Italian Kitchen and Wetzel’s Pretzels offer 15% discounts with the Silver Pass.
On my way out, I stopped at Voodoo Donuts. They offer 10% discounts. However, Voodoo Donuts boxes do not travel well on Metro.
Once in Universal Studios, I spent most of my time in Whoville, watching the shows, listening to music and enjoying the tree lighting.
Next time, I will have to see what some of the buttons in The Simpson area do.
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