After lunch, I decided to head back towards Hollywood to see another attraction that I had missed on my first visit to the park- Terminator 2: 3D.
Along the way, I spotted Diego of
Go Diego Go with Dora and stopped to get a photo of the two of them.
The next show time for Terminator was about 30 minutes away, so I figured that in the mean time I would check out a few of the shops in the area. I believe a sign proclaimed this as the largest Betty Boop store in the world. While there was a lot of Betty, there was plenty of other classic Hollywood memorabilia as well.
Even Lucy had her own section of the store near the exit of the Lucy Tribute.
Also adjacent to the Tribute exit was a display of vintage Lucy memorabilia including this (slightly deranged looking?) Lucy Ricardo doll.
Over by Mels Diner, The Vinyls were playing some classic rock n roller. One thing that I that was neat about Universal was that while Disneys Hollywood Boulevard is set in the 1930s or 40s, Universals has more of a 50s feel with bands like this, the Lucy Tribute, Mels Diner and having characters like Marilyn Monroe, Lucy and Ricky wandering the street. Its a nice but subtle difference, but it gives both parks more a unique feel.
After a while, I decided to head back to the Terminator and join the queue. Probably within 10 or 15 minutes at most, I was in the pre-show area. Ill be the first to admit that the Terminator isnt exactly my kind of movie. Still, the presentation was well done. I wasnt as impressed with the portion that was just a 3D movie with Ah-nold, but the beginning and ending segments that featured live performers, animatronics and some truly how-did-they-do-that? kind of special effects made it worth it. I dont see this as being the type of attractions that Ill want to visit every time, but Id much rather see this again than the nearby Shrek 4D.
The Ice cream counter inside Schwabs Pharmacy was open for business (something I had never seen on previous visits), so after the movie, I decided to check it out. Something cold would have really hit the spot that day, and the idea of getting something at Schwabs seemed really fun. After all, this could be my chance to get discovered like those movie stars of yesteryear who once sat at the counter at the original in Hollywood. Unfortunately the line was extremely slow moving making the wait longer than I wanted to wait for, so I gave up on that idea.
The Simpsons had been doing meet-and-greets nearby, but were getting in their RV to leave when I passed by. Before they drove off, Marge did a few poses for all the paparazzi.
I headed back to the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit since I wanted to try and get in another ride on it before the end of the day. The line was a little longer than it had been at rope drop (about 15 minutes instead of 10), but apparently still wasnt long enough to open the Single Rider Line. I decided to go with more of a fun disco vibe this time around and picked
I Will Survive to be my ride soundtrack.
Once I got back to Hollywood, I spotted the Simpsons greeting guests (minus the previously-seen RV), so I hopped in their line. While I was waiting, the Simpsons had to take a 10 minute break, but when they returned, they brought their RV with them.
With the characters break, this actually turned out to be one of the longest waits of the day but was still less than 20 minutes. It was worth it though. After Lucy and Ricky, these are my absolute favorite characters to meet in the park. I love this picture of them too. They were told to squeeze in for a family photo, and Homer misunderstood and tried, to no avail, to squeeze in his gut.
After the meet-and-greet, Scooby and Shaggy passed by in the Mystery Machine.
I wanted to take another walk around the New York streets to get some more pictures and enjoy some of the fantastic atmosphere. Along the way, I checked out some of the details on the car from
Back to the Future.
Back in Hollywood, I ran into Bullwinkle again and got another picture.
The Simpsons were driving by as well.
I spent some time checking looking at the stars on the Walk of Fame
and enjoying the architecture.
The Madagascar characters were out for their last set of the day with one more penguin than I had seen earlier, so I stopped to get a group photo and meet my last new character for the day. Im horrible at remembering these penguins names, but I think the new one was Kowalski.
By now, I had done everything I had hoped to do (and more) while at Universal with the exception of getting some dessert as Schwabs, so I went back to get something before ending my day in the park. The line didnt look too bad, but since it was extremely slow moving, it took about 15 minutes to get through.
The décor was wonderful and very retro Hollywood. The walls were even decorated with photos and autographs of classic stars. Lucille Balls autograph was right near the counter.
The ice cream counter is run by Ben and Jerrys, so it has a lot of the same sundaes and shakes that you would normally find at their shops. The menu also included malted milkshakes which I can't remember ever seeing available at other Ben and Jerrys but stuck out here since a chocolate malt seemed like the perfect choice for an old-fashioned retro soda fountain. There were a few tables and some stools at the counter, but they were all taken. I figured that meant that I just wasnt going to get discovered today. Instead, I enjoyed my malt as I made the last walk of the day back to the exit and through City Walk.
Next chapter: Trip Reflections
I took her on it when she was 2 and she was absolutely terrified. To this day she is still afraid of ET 
