Review of It'Sugar - Candy Store in Washington D.C.

Location: 714 7th St NW
(between N H St & N G St)
Washington, DC 20001

September 7, 2013

website: http://www.itsugar.com/

Attractions:  A candy store with cool stuff

Price: Very expensive candy here, it adds to about $12.00 a pound, don't go wild

How we got there:  Metro to Metro Center, then we walked a few blocks to Verizon Center

Best For: Middle school and up, some of the candy and magnets have some pretty mature stuff printed on it. The whole store is not really for little kids.

Rating: 4 stars

Most Interesting thing I learned: You can buy a Rice Crispie treat that's as big as a doormat.

You can buy all sorts of different candy buy the pound, they have lip gloss in strange flavors and lots of trinkets with funny sayings.  I'd' go there for some cute trinket for a friend, but I'd buy my candy at Target.

 

Here's the front of It'Sugar

 

You can get a 5 pound Gummy Bear

Here's a big box of Nerds

Review of Universal Studios Islands of Adventure

Location: Orlando, Florida

August 17- 24, 2013

website:  https://www.universalorlando.com/Theme-Parks/Islands-of-Adventure.aspx

Attractions:  Harry Potter World, Water rides, Voyage of Sinbad show, etc. 

Price: It varies, but it's not cheap.  If you are going more than 2-3 days a year it's better to get season passes.  Don't buy a 2 park pass if you are going to spend all day in one park.  We saw some people who bought a 2 park pass and spent all day in Universal Studios, by the time they got to Island's of Adventure it had closed.  These parks don't usually stay open late.

How we got there: Airplane to Orlando then rental car

Best For: 6 and up- but there is a Suessland for the littler kids

Rating: 5 stars for Harry Potter, 4 1/2 everywhere else.

Most Interesting thing I learned: I get taller and shorter throughout the day. You're probably wondering about the statement so here it is. I walk in to Harry Potter World, excited because the height tester at the entrance showed I was tall enough to ride Dragon's Challenge and the Incredible Hulk.  So I stand under the height tester at Dragon's Challenge.  I'm tall enough, I go on the coaster and I love it.  A few hours later my family walks over to the Hulk, I'm so happy because I've never been before and my Dad has been telling me how great it is.  I get under that height tester and I'm close to 1 inch too short.  The worker isn't at all interested in the fact that I measured 52" at Dragon's Challenge and sends me off.  The moral of this story is, if you are close to 52" watch out.

Important tip:  At Universal they make you check your backpacks on all the good rides.  Anything other than a pair of glasses or a hat has to go in the lockers.  If it doesn't fit in your pocket it can't go on the ride.  The lockers are free, and you can use them for a half hour, but it's a hassle getting your stuff in and out, especially if the lines are short and you want to go on the ride again.

You really get wet on the Popeye Water Ride. Wear ponchos, don't forget your ponchos, seriously, you are going to need a poncho for this, one more thing, BRING A PONCHO.  A big plastic bag to put your stuff in is a good idea.  They have a spot in the center of the rafts to store stuff but it's not going to keep everything totally dry.  It's at least twice as long as any other raft ride I've been on.  Other raft rides might get one or two people in the raft wet, this gets everybody wet and then gets them wet again.  And again.

You are going to get wet on the Dudley Do Right sawmill ride too.  The big drop is bigger than any regular other log ride at other parks.

Dr. Doom's Drop Tower is the world's lamest ride.  They probably spent millions of dollars on the decor to make it scary, "Turn back, you're going to die."  The ride is very disappointing, you think this is going to be soooo scary, the ride shooms up very fast.  My Dad is laughing which means he's having a good time.  We stop not even halfway up the tower, and at zero miles per hour we go down, back up and then back down no faster than a slug.  I've been on elevators that have moved faster than this.  If you are serious about enjoying thrill rides as I am, don't bother with this one.

I wouldn't know about The Incredible Hulk Roller Coaster because some meanie wouldn't let me on, but from the looks of it, and what my Dad told me it's a really fast roller coaster that goes upside down has lots of drops and is great fun. It looks like you get splashed, but you really don't.  Get in front if you want to see where you are going, the line is longer to get those seats.

Spiderman is a motion simulator ride, the cars go up and down and spin, you wear 3D glasses.  It's a combination of movie and scenery. The layout is a lot like Transformers but it has a better story. Younger kids might be better off without the 3D glasses so they won't get scared.  You can still see what's happening on the screen, it's just not as freaky. Great for fans of the ultimate Spiderman TV show on Disney XD.

Harry Potter World
#1 must do ride, The Forbidden Journey is pretty much the first 3 Books/Movies of the Harry Potter series.  It's a motion simulator that seats 4, you see a combination of movies and scenery.  You don't go upside down, but you do go on your back.  This ride can freak out people who are afraid of spiders, heights, dragons breathing hot fire in their face, or ghostly dementors. You might need to shut your eyes in some parts.  Flying around the Quidditch tournament and flying up to Hogwarts at the end of the ride are great fun and very realistic.

If you don't go on the ride, you can still walk through the castle for a tour, this is worth it as it is very cool.  You can see the sorting hat, Dumbledore's office, the gardening area and the talking pictures, One of the classrooms has a dragon skeleton hanging from the ceiling, and it snows every once in a while in that room.


#2 must do ride, Dragon's Challenge is a real roller coaster, it goes upside down and is pretty smooth.  It's very fast. It is a long walk to the ride,and it gets pretty dark sometimes it gets hard to see.

Flight of the Hippogriff is a very tame roller coaster, it's pretty much a Barnstormer if you have been to Magic Kingdom. But towards the end of the day the line gets much longer than the line should be for such a short ride.

The whole area is interesting, they have the engine to the Hogwarts express for pictures.  You can try out wands in Olivander's where they have a little show and one person get's picked to try out wands in the show. If its a hot day you will have a long hot wait.  They have good food at the Three Broomsticks.  If you look carefully you can see the shadows of owls flying around. There is a candy shop, and lots of places to buy souvenirs.  Don't forget to try the Butterbeer.  The frozen kind is really good,  it tastes like butterscotch soda, it's very sweet.  The women's bathroom is haunted by Moaning Myrtle. You can hear her telling stories and complaining.

Hogwarts

Sorting Hat

Honeyduke's Candy Shop

Sinbad Show - Every time I go to Islands of Adventure, I try to see the Sinbad show because it's soooo good.  It has a lot of stunts and explosions, there are loud noises that might scare very young children.  There is a splash zone, but there is just a little splashing.  It's a 4 1/2 star show, it's an action comedy romance. They've got a hero, brave princess, sidekick and bad guys. Stay at the end of the show, you can have your picture taken with the cast, but be one of the last people to get your picture taken with the villains or else water from their masks will get dumped on your head.

We eat at Mythos - it's a sit down restaurant that's really good.  I like the decor, it's an interesting design to show gods and goddesses.  They will give you a guide to show you who is were.  They have very good tomato soup and bread.  My Dad likes the risotto, and all of the desserts, the service is friendly and the waiters will give you lots of good information about the park.

 I don't think it's a good for a restaurant to have a guy puking on the front

Jurassic Park Playground is a good place to run around.  There are lots of nets and places to squirt water on people.

The Fight of the Pterodactyl is a fun ride, it's not scary if you aren't afraid of heights,  but it can only take 2 people at a time so the line is really, really, really, really long.  Go on this first thing.  You have to bring an adult to ride with you.

Review of Universal Studios Orlando

Location:  Orlando, Florida

August 17-24, 2013

Website: https://www.universalorlando.com/

Attractions:  The Mummy's Revenge Roller Coaster,  Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket, Animal Show, ET Ride, Simpson's land etc. etc.

Price: It varies, but it's not cheap.  If you are going more than 2-3 days a year it's better to get season passes.  Don't buy a 2 park pass if you are going to spend all day in one park.  We saw some people who bought a 2 park pass and spent all day in Universal Studios, by the time they got to Island's of Adventure it had closed.  These parks don't usually stay open late.

How we got there: Airplane to Orlando then rental car

Best For: 6 and up

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Most Interesting thing I learned:  The Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket line is always longer than it looks.

Universal Studios Orlando

Important tip:  At Universal they make you check your backpacks on all the good rides.  Anything other than a pair of glasses or a hat has to go in the lockers.  If it doesn't fit in your pocket it can't go on the ride.  The lockers are free, for a half hour but it's a hassle getting your stuff in and out, especially if the lines are short and you want to go on the ride again.

The Transformer's ride is pretty hard to take seriously if you are a girl.  It's a ride where you sit in a little box with 16 other people and wear 3D glasses.  It moves on a track, but it's not a roller coaster, it's a motion simulator.  Every time I saw Octimus Prime I almost laughed my head off because it looked so stupid.  They kept telling us we had to protect some diamond while giant robots punched each other and then turned into trucks. This ride had a huge line because it just opened, go in the single rider if you are dying to ride it.  If you want to go on a ride like this with your family, go on Spiderman in the next park over.  At the end of the ride they say "The world thanks you." and then you get dumped in the gift shop.  It's a bad ride based on a bad movie.  I don't recommend it.

Simpson's Land just opened when we got there and it's a must see.  Everything looks so real, it's exactly like the TV show.  They have a food court inside and behind Moe's.  There is one new ride the "Twirl and Hurl" If you are looking to spin, this is not the ride you want to go on.  It does not twirl, and I didn't feel a bit sick after going on it.  It's a disgrace to it's name.  The actual Simpson's ride cracks my father up.  This is a must ride.  It's a motion simulator and a comedy for all ages.  Look out for the quote "No one ruins my vacation but me, and maybe the boy."

My favorite ride is the Mummy's Revenge.  Younger kids might find this ride a bit scary, because of how real they make the mummy look.  I find the waiting line scarier than the ride.  I think it's the second most thrilling ride in the park.  It's one of the smoothest roller coasters so it's easy for people that don't like roller coasters.  Even my mother loves this one, and she hates lots of roller coasters.  It goes backwards, at one point you think it's over but it's not.  There is a lot of fire effects and robot mummies.  When you think the ride is over, and it starts up again, make the "FACE OF FEAR" to the camera on your right when you go down the drop.

The kids area has a Barney Play section that I haven't been into because I'm 10 and it might give me a rash.  I'm not sure little kids know who Barney is anymore.  The rest of the Mouse playground is pretty fun, it has a giant waterslide.  If you don't want to get wet, pull back on the handlebars the entire time.  Some of the areas are specifically for younger kids and they keep older, bigger kids out.  This includes the ball pit and the bounce house.  There is a Woody Woodpecker roller coaster that is pretty much like the Barnstormer at Magic Kingdom.  It goes up, down and swerves to both sides.  It's a good first roller coaster ride for little kids.

The ET ride is pretty much a cross between Peter Pan and the Little Mermaid, with aliens.  The waiting area is like being in the movie.  Before you get on the ride, you get a card and it puts your name in a computer, if you are lucky, ET will say your name and that you're his friend at the end of the ride.   

The Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket is a great ride, but it starts off going straight up and that makes me uneasy.  For littler kids it's really hard to pull the safety bar over and down, the workers have to get it.  You get to pick songs from 2 different categories. Pick it quick, if you have to mess with your safety belt you might not have time to pick and a random song will come on.

Men in Black might scare little kids, especially if they are afraid of alien monsters, but it is loads of fun and very true to the first movie.   There is lots of interesting stuff to look at while you are walking to the ride. This is a target shooting game, it spins at one point but it isn't a roller coaster.  It doesn't go very fast.  Shoot as many of the aliens as you can, the world depends on it!  Push the red button the second you are told to get 100,000 more points. At the end they "erase" your memory just like in the movie, and let me tell you, it works, I had no clue what happened and had to ask my Mother. 

My Dad really likes the Blue's Brother's show, across from the Mummy Ride.  People my parents age and older dance around like loons in the street.  I like the show but I haven't seen the movie.

The Beetlejuice show is good for kids who like classic rock sung by monsters. 

The animal show is worth seeing.

The best place to have lunch is on Fisherman's Wharf, they have a big fish tank in the restaurant.

They are building a new Harry Potter Ride in the park, that looks like it will be very cool.  We saw a You Tube video of an animated version of the ride but it looks like it's been removed.