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You’re Almost to Your New Home! New Listing at 642 Brook Hollow Road! Charming all brick, ranch home in West Meade. 4 bed/3bath, over 1-acre lot. Renovated throughout with details such as gleaming hardwoods, tiled bathrooms, quartz and butcher block countertops, backsplashes, & SS appliances including wine cooler. Owners Suite on main, dining room w/ wood-burning brick fireplace & custom mantle. Spacious full finished basement w/ bedroom, full bath, extra storage, kitchenette w/ wood burning fireplace, entertainment/office/craft room with private entry.
Elementary: Gower Middle: H.G. Hill High: Hillwood Comp. This property is listed at $820,000. Consult your local real estate agent to see.
Of course, every definitive restaurant list about Southern California has In-N-Out Burger. Hard pass. Not saying we don’t grab a Double-Double burger and a Strawberry Shake when visiting but it’s not even in our “You need to visit” list. These are going to be the places some may know but for some reason don’t visit. They are also not in any particular order:
The Hat (multiple locations)– The Hat has 11 locations all over Southern California but it all started in the San Gabriel Valley. I remember eating here as a kid and nothing has changed in what they serve and it’s quality for fast food. I’ve heard they have a Steak Sandwich that is really good but I have zero time or calories to spend on a steak sandwich when at The Hat. For me, it’s all about the Pastrami dip that has perfectly sliced Pastrami and a perfect bun. Pickles and Mustard round out what in my opinion is Southern California’s perfect fast food offering. I always split the sandwich (since I am not trying to bulk up) because there is an equation that makes this place soar way past In-N-Out on any list in my opinion. If you like the hot dog bun chili that we have around here, then you are going to love the Chili cheese fries. Don’t be a rookie though. Don’t just stop there. Get the Pastrami on them. The chili cheese fries with pastrami is a serving bigger than a Los Angeles Yellow Pages. Eat here and only here in a day and you’ll be good most of the day with only a need for a snack later. Menu Here
Tam O’Shanter (Los Feliz, Los Angeles)- Full disclosure. I’ve only been here during the Christmas time dinner service before this trip. We usually eat here for a pre-Christmas dinner and not for lunch. We tried the lunch service this time to give a full report. We are also HUGE Walt Disney fans and love Disney History. The fact you can sit at the table where Walt Disney and his Imagineers sat (and allegedly the markings on the table are from them) is pretty cool. It’s also where Don Draper from Mad Men and the boys from The Office had Dwight’s Bachelor party in the Series finale. So, this place is packed with Hollywood History, and visually from the logo to the decor is a classic restaurant to visit. Then you add the food. So first, during Dinner (menu here) we have tried the Prime Rib (which they are famous for), Fish and Chips, Tam Burger and their sides. I am not a big fan of Prime Rib in general so I prefer the Tam Burger and load up on the sides. Their French Onion Soup, Sweet Corn Fritters, and Creamed Spinach Yorkshire Pudding is a must. Obviously, we had the Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert and it’s fine. I probably would pass on dinner any other time of the year but Christmas because of how well they do lunch. During Christmas they have Strolling Victorian Carolers who come by your table (Mash here to see) and sing Christmas songs both classic and pop, we opted for Wham! These are the Carolers that have been featured on Modern Family. Every other time of the year Lunch can’t be beaten and is preferred over dinner service simply because of the Ale & Sandwich Bar (menu here). It may look basic, pictures below, but the roasted pork with mash potatoes & gravy with sweet corn is spot on. Not to mention the daughter loved the classic fudge sundae offered. So, you want to dine here if you can. If it’s Christmas, book during dinner. If not, swing by for lunch if you are visiting one of the nearby studio tours or Universal. We actually ate here after visiting the Rose Parade decorations so it was a day of old Southern California classics. Click here for the menu.
il Pastaio (Beverly Hills)- Gotta give a shout out on how we decided on this place. The Travel Muse Youtube Channel talked about il Pastaio as one of her favorite Italian places during her birthday video “Perfect Sunday” so we had to try. We put it to the test and it came through with flying colors (Italian flag colors of course). This was our Christmas Eve Lunch! First off, the service here is top-notch and boy are those waiters Italian. Each waiter appears to be Italian (accent) and their service is reason enough to dine here and book a trip to the home country. We started with the charcuterie plate (Parma Prosciutto Served with Gorgonzola Cheese, Walnuts, Crouton, and Fresh Pears Add Burrata). The Burrata was well worth the upgrade. The daughter got meatballs and spaghetti and they were like no other she has had in her short life. We didn’t mention it earlier, but il Pastaio means “Pasta Maker” it’s evident by the quality they deserve the name. The Fettuccine Bolognese in meat sauce may have been the meal winner and it was ordered by my wife. Mine was a holiday offering (Sorry misplaced the name) with peppers and seafood. It was wonderful but I am not a huge seafood fan. I decided to get it because we were so close to the coast and Tennessee is so landlocked. So, if you love seafood and a kick of spice you’ll love this. I really did like it though and I usually am not a big seafood eater. The Tiramisu, oh man, is the show stopper. I don’t care if another dessert is calling you. Order a cup of coffee and get this tiramisu. It’s by far the best I ever had. Our meal was not very expensive (compared to other places we ate in the area). It was affordable considering we didn’t have wine/alcohol nor did we get the white truffles on anything. Many people were raving about the truffles but they just aren’t my thing. If they are your thing, prepare to pay for the experience going in and enjoy them. This is a place that should be on your list and be warned a reservation is probably necessary. It gets packed. Side Note: Yes, celebrities eat here if that is your thing. It wasn’t ours. We loved how many people brought their tiny dogs though. Click Here for Menu
Cielito Lindo (Olvera Street)– OK, not everything has to be Beverly Hills or Burbank to be great. In fact, most places in LA are lowkey, simple, inexpensive, and wonderful. The quicker the food, usually the better the spot. Los Angeles’ oldest neighborhood is Olvera Street and it’s a real joy to visit. Nearby is China town (not as good as SF’s) but really the Olvera Street area is unique because it is the Mexican roots of the City of Angels that make this city great. Lots of vendors that the kids will love and you’re going to love the street vendor shopping as well as the shops. It’s sorta like going to a flea market here but with a Chicano tint to it. Most people enter from the parking lot across the street near the statue. If you do enter there on the very opposite end of that entrance point sits the great Cielito Lindo (There is paid parking right behind Cielito Lindo if you are in hurry). Known for the Taquitos in Avocado Sauce this place has operated here since 1934. The menu is here and there is a small area to sit and eat. Cielito Lindo was featured recently as Gustavo Arellano (Writer of Taco USA) & Anthony Bourdain dined on the tasty taquitos in Bourdain’s Parts Unknown Ode to LA’s Hispanic community. Olvera street is very familiar to me so I feel safe but be warned that the LA homeless people are in this area and most will leave you alone. We suggest going around 11 am that way you feel safe your first time visiting.
Monsieur Marcel (LA Farmers Market)- LA Farmers Market for Brunch is a no Brainer because of all the options. For us it’s where we opt for Monsieur Marcel (Menu). We eat here usually twice at this location during the Christmas season (Santa Monica and LAX now have them but we can’t really speak on those spots). In fact it is the first place we visit when we land at LAX. Yes, they have wine but what makes this place great is if you love CHEESE! Their Cheese and Meat plate is a fantastic offering. The amount of cheeses available are staggering and the quality is the only thing that is more impressive than the different options available. Even the regular butter was spectacular for the Tartine (with the jam it makes a great dessert). I had the French Croque Monsieur (sourdough bread, jambon de Paris, french emmenthal, mornay sauce) and it was divine. My wife had the Quiche Lorraine with spinach and it was equally as tasty as my Croque Monsieur. The daughter went with Tartine and bacon (this is legit thick cut hickory smoked bacon). We’ve also had their wonderful French onion soup here as well. Well worth the trip but give yourself time to walk around the Farmers Market and the adjacent shopping area known as The Grove. Non-local but daughter friendly “American Girl” is located in The Grove. If staying in the area at a VRBO or rental house shop here for groceries after dining. Another place to eat nearby that we love is Du-par’s. The perfect diner fare.
Are you on a cash discount program or a surcharge program from your company and paying a monthly fee to be in said program? If you are paying more than $25 a month, your company is taking advantage of you!
THIS IS CRAP.
Your company is literally making 2 to 3 times more money off of your account by putting you in the cash discount program. Then they have the audacity to charge you a high monthly fee!
You can do the math yourself. Take a statement out before you switched to cash discount/ surcharge program. Take the amount you paid in processing fees divided by the amount of sales/volume. This will average (if your company was halfway decent) somewhere between 2.5%-3%. And now your company is charging your clients 3.99% + a program fee of $50, $100, $200?!!!! Hand over fist money + sticking it to you on the other side!
On top of all that, the reporting is hard to keep up with. Your company wants to take daily deductions from your account for the fees. The accounting is a nightmare and never to the penny!
JadaPay does cash discount the right way. Through our Take Charge program, you will get:
… you will never see the fees hit your account only the money you are owed
You will get a free standard terminal for life of business
If you process under $10k a month you will pay $25 to be in the program.
If you process over $10k a month you will pay NOTHING.
Quit letting your company take advantage of you and your business!
First things first, Chicago Pizza is not Pizza it’s Lasagna. Sorry Windy City you are the best at Hot Dogs and anything that deals with encased meats. St. Louis, we don’t even know what Provel Cheese actually is but it’s something we like and hate at the same time. I can’t seriously consider your pizza though. I wasn’t drunk so it probably wasn’t the proper way to consume it. On it’s own, it’s a solid option but not when you have St. Louis ribs all around you. So, that should give you a clue on our taste in Pizza. Also, this is our opinion and we welcome your opinions below. To be fair we are basing this off three places so we very much could be wrong. So let’s give you the rundown and below we will rank them. Let’s start in the Midwest.
I have to say this is the most shocking of all the places we went to of the three. We never thought of Michigan as a contender for the best pizza. Chicago gets most of the midwest love and it’s completely unjustified. If you want a thick pizza Detroit style is the only style worth it’s weight in dough. Buddy’s on Conant Street got off to a good start. Anytime I see off-duty cops hanging out at a place you have to assume they know the spots to eat. Then followed by some Union guys getting off their shift and of course local families rushing in.
This place is the birthplace of Detroit style pizza. It opened in the 1930s more as an after-hours drinking spot with a little gambling. It has that feel in a good way still today. Right away, the staff was on point. very attentive and helpful. In 1946 they put Pizza on the menu.
We ordered The Detroiter: Cheese, pepperoni on top, tomato basil sauce, topped with shaved parmesan cheese, and Buddy’s Sicilian spice blend. It’s all about the crust and the caramelized cheese on the corner and edge of the pan slices. Somehow this pizza is best when on the corner of the pan. The middle is OK but the corner slices are amazing. The thing that is also great is this pizza (unlike the Lasagna Chicago Style) is it won’t make you feel like you gained 15 pounds eating it. It’s very light. This is good because they offer something I had never had before, Vernor’s Ginger Ale Float! It blew my mind.
When I had this story in mind it was going to be two cities. New York vs New Haven. Detroit made it tough. That said, Apizza (as they say in New Haven) was one till about two years ago I had never heard about. My Southern U.S. and Los Angeles upbringing never exposed me to the city. Then while working on our family genealogy I found out our ancestors of ours were one of the founding families in New Haven, Ct. and I wanted to know more about the city than it being the home of Yale University. So, I googled New Haven. Our first surprise is they call it Apizza. Then, they have six nationally ranked Pizza restaurants in a five square mile radius. A town of 130,000 people with six great pizza places is a dream. After doing my research I heard we had to try Frank Pepe’s if I was going to try one. Spoiler Alert, before I left for Boston (past stories on that) I grabbed one more pie from Frank’s to go. The line here can be out the door and take a while to get a table. We were lucky that it was a short 15-minute wait when we arrived.
It’s the total opposite of the midwest counterparts and actually has more in common with NYC and Italian pizza. It’s flat and thin. New Haven does cook theirs a little more to give it a slightly burnt taste (which was great). They don’t do a ton of cheese. In fact, one of our pizzas had a light taste of cheese and it was my favorite of Frank’s. It’s very simple. The dough is very crispy from the overnight fermenting. The coal ovens in this place are beautiful and they have been working in Frank’s longer than most customers in the place have been alive.
My favorite was obviously The Original Tomato Pie w/ Mozzarella. Hands down the best at Frank Pepe’s. We also got one with Fresh Tomato on top and it was good but it made it a little soggy, for me. All this said the thing that made Frank’s great in my book was the White Clam Pizza. Made with Fresh Clams w/ Grated Cheese, Olive Oil, Fresh Garlic & Oregano. Not because it was great, it was, but because I hate clams. I don’t like clams. Yet, I loved them on this pizza. They took an ingredient I despised and made me love it. Our daughter loved her pizza which was bacon (mind-blowing bacon) and cheese pizza. Below is a little sample of what we had.
I can already hear people saying we went to the wrong NYC Pizza spot. You’re wrong. We went where Spiderman was a delivery guy! Joe’s is right around the corner from Stonewall and is in one of the best neighborhoods to visit in New York City. Located on Carmine Street. It sits across from Father Demo Square this is what I have pictured when thinking of a New York Pizza shop. A place you can grab by the slice. A little greasy so there is a way to hold it. That nice crack when you fold the crust. A way to eat it and hope not to spill any on your shirt (we were heading to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child after). The smells of the neighborhood mixed with the smell of cheese and dough. It even had the stereotypical celebrities on the wall photos. The staff here didn’t have time for pleasant gab. This is New York. Know your order, have your money ready, and move along.
The Ambiance is key here. I got caught in it and declared it the best after we ate here. There is something about the neighborhood. It’s a by the slice shop and it’s all to-go. Even though we sat in the window. It’s not sit down as we did on the other two. The dough and cheese with the tomato are so simple here. The Pepperoni was good but Detroit style was the only one with Meat that I loved. That said, this will not be my favorite below taste-wise. Although, those photos show why the ambiance is so cool at Joe’s.
A BALANCED NYC PIZZA BREAKFAST
If you ask me on the street, I may have a new top three. These are all 1a, 1b and 1c. You need to visit all three locations.
Soon we’ll need to do our favorite slice of Pizza in Nashville. Who wants to help us eat some pizza?
There are a plethora of great biscuit places in Nashville but, everyone agrees one of the best is Biscuit Love. During Covid waiting in lines for brunch has gone away and we now just grab take away. Either way, it’s delicious and worth the visit. No matter if you are local or visitor reading this, grab some biscuits and feel the Love in each bite from Biscuit Love. Menu Below:
They have three locations in Nashville and Franklin, Tennessee. Their dining rooms and patios are OPEN DAILY from 7:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
BISCUIT LOVE in the GULCH
Hot yoga is a vigorous form of yoga performed in a very warm and humid studio. It’s a great way to achieve better health. You tend to burn more calories due to an increased heart rate and metabolism. The blood flow to your arms and legs is increased, delivering more oxygenated blood to the muscles. Muscle tone and flexibility are improved. Experience it for yourself this week at one of these Hot Yoga of East Nashville Classes:
Hot-26 (Bikram Method Yoga) a series of 26 postures completed in a room heated to 100 to 105 degrees at approximately 40% humidity. The heat is helpful in allowing the body to go deeper into the postures safely by increasing the elasticity of the muscles, ligaments, tendons, allowing greater flexibility with a lower risk of injury. The heat also facilitates sweating and detoxification through the pores and skin – the body’s largest eliminating organ. The heat also greatly increases the challenge to the cardiovascular system, allowing for a challenging workout and greater fitness levels to be achieved. Finally, the intensity of the heat deepens the need for concentration and focus, strengthening the student’s willpower and self-control both in the classroom and beyond.
The Hot-26 discipline is an excellent way to develop and maintain a healthy body – it works as a preventative medicine by improving the immune system; detoxifying the muscles, lungs and organs; and preventing arthritis, back pain, and injuries to muscles, ligaments and tendons.
In addition, Hot-26 classes will help regulate weight and/or bring bodies to a healthy weight – each 90-minute class burning between 500 to 1100 calories. The self-control and focus developed in the class will be transferred to all areas of one’s life to improve overall mental and physical health.
Power Yoga (Vinyasa Flow) yoga is offered for a variety in one’s workout routine. Power Flow classes are taught in a slightly heated room (85 to 90 degrees). The classes and postures are unique and new every day. In this style of yoga, the students flow dynamically between postures, gaining a fun/spontaneous yoga experience.
Power Yoga classes combine standing postures, sun salutations, and floor postures for an energizing, cardiovascular, full-body workout. Power Flow classes combine breath control with postures designed to strengthen the body, develop flexibility and improve stamina. Students note improved core and upper body strength and toning.
Power Yoga classes are fitness-driven and excellent for regulating weight and/or bring bodies to a healthy weight – each 60-minute class burning between 450 to 600 calories.
Buti Yoga is a dynamic practice of vinyasa and hatha yoga sequences with added movement + Cardio-intensive bursts of Tribal Dance and primal movement. Prepare to loose your inhibitions and have a crazy amount of fun! Buti Yoga utilizes the Spiral Structure Technique to sculpt + tone the deep abdominal muscles that stabilize and strengthen the body. Instead of linear movements, the spiral structure technique and other Buti yoga movements challenge the body along all planes of motion.
You’re Almost to Your New Home! New Listing at 820 Restover Court! WELCOME HOME!! Beautiful 3bd/3bth Home Located in Villages of Larchwood. Minutes from the Nashville Airport, Percy Priest Lake, and Downtown. Formal Living & Dining Rooms, Large Deck and Patio, Beautiful Private Fenced Back Yard on a Cul-de-sac. New siding, Fence, and Deck as of 2018, Double Storm Windows throughout the House, New Paint Inside and Out. Roof and HVAC less than 5 years old.
Elementary: Ruby Major Middle: Donelson High: Mcgavock Comp. This property is listed at $354,900. Consult your local real estate agent to see.
When Nashville Buy Local travels we try to tell you about some of the best local spots to eat and have fun. Sometimes though we have to be total tourists and today is no exception. We will discuss more our two Holiday trips to Southern California but today we focus on Universal Studios Hollywood and their VIP Tour and is it really worth it. We will discuss the five things you’re going to Love and the 5 things you’re going to HATE. These are in no particular order. For a better in-depth look, check out this behind the scenes with Steven Spielberg (Click Here)
First, let’s set it up. We decided to order our tickets online for the day after Christmas in 2017 and three days before Christmas 2019. A notoriously crowded time period in the parks but since we were already at Disneyland on the lower crowd days (which was the smarter move) we knew we were going to need help. Universal Hollywood is hard to see in one day if you just get general admission. Two-day passes may help see the whole park. You can make it easier with the front of the line or unlimited front of the line but we weren’t there for just rides. We wanted to see the studio tour and see it on steroids. That’s why we opted for the VIP tour. That leads us to our first thing you’ll hate.
1.HATE- The Price. Because it was peak season the three of us were $409 a piece (You can get it for around $350 in off-peak times). YIKES. For you our readers though we bite the bullet to give you more about the experience. In no terms is this normal but how does Universal justify $280 more than a single day ticket? We’ll get into it below. Also, buy online.
So, the day arrives and we get up really early. We were lucky we were staying a mile away because we drove right to our Valet parking spot (which comes with the package). Honestly, I should put this in Love because before and after a day in the park you want a close parking spot to save your energy and help your tired bones. We arrived for our 7 am tour at 6:30 am (You pick when you want to arrive) before the park opened where we were greeted with our first love, the food.
1 LOVE- The Food. Not only is your morning started with an empty park but a wonderful breakfast (Black Forest Ham & Cheddar Cheese Croissant, Egg & Munster Cheese, Asparagus wrapped in Smoked Salmon, Pastries Galore, Coffee, Latte, Yogurt and because it’s California the freshest fruit I’ve had in a while) with a great room surrounded with Emmys and movie posters in a fantastic room. You could have dined on the patio overlooking the main walk-in but we were there too early so, no crowds.
We will get more into the tour but since we are on food I must mention our Lunch and breakfast come with the price. If you’ve eaten in an amusement park the food is usually “meh” in taste and “Whoah” in price. Well, this was a fantastic eating day in a park with fantastic food. Easily if we ate the way we did in the park without this tour it would have been $75+ per person. So, you’re seeing they are making up for the price difference pretty quick. While we are on food lunch is in the Moulin Rouge.
Obviously, this photo is at night but the decor of this restaurant isn’t really themed as you’d find in other parts of the park. It has some photos of Les Miserables and Moulin Rouge and oddly Dracula comes to pose for photos and tell you where you can get a clean plate for seconds at the marvelous buffet. It’s a bit odd but who needs theming when your view is this:
To the right are people working but they were working on getting the pet actors ready for the show. Then down below is a wonderful view of the working studios and Lakeside Golf Course (which membership is roughly $150,000). So you really are there for the nice weather and the views. Also, the food which had a hodgepodge of regional favorites, seafood, beef, salads and desserts, and everything was fantastic:
Now let’s back up to the morning since the big food question is out of the way. You’re on your own for dinner and it’s not included. That is where we suggest heading into Burbank for a local spot to eat. After breakfast, you meet your tour guide. In 2017 Doug was our tour guide and in 2019 we had two guides. Doug was still working that day in 2019 and I gotta say, Doug is one of the best. The guide walks you through the park to our personal tram for the backlot tour. The difference between this tram and the normal one you get with general admission (which we took later in the day to compare) is that there are comfortable seats and complimentary drinks on board. Oh, and this one stops and sees things the normal tour will never do.
2. Love- Our Love #2 was an immediate delight they had taken us for 5 minutes to the set of NBC’s Superstore. Since we are were not allowed to shoot photos in 2017 but we were in 2019 here is a video sample of the show:
We admit it is a little weird for a Buy Local page to be excited to see the inside of a box chain store but, this is a great show and we got to see their sets for the upcoming May sweeps. We also noticed Hollywood is still in the middle of an area with critters like our own. It appears raccoons had invaded the set the day we were there (both years). They taught us about hitting your mark and how product placement has played a big role in funding TV shows. It was apparent by how some of the products were displayed in certain shots. This is definitely not part of the normal studio tour and if you are into TV or film this will obviously be a better deal than say the Warner Brothers basic tour (which we’ve taken). Many others who’ve taken both say this backlot tour is better than the others. We were also very fortunate to be on the set of a show we liked. So this love we might be a little biased.
3. Love- Our next stop was the place everyone wants to go…. Hill Valley (or the courthouse in To Kill a Mockingbird).
We were able to stop and see the great Courthouse Square (as seen in Back to the Future 1 and 2 as well as “To Kill a Mockingbird” and the TV “Hairspray Live”). We don’t want to give it all away but there are so many things in this tour that make it worth it and being able to get out and explore here, “Psycho House,” “War of the Worlds” and “Little Europe” definitely made it worth it for us. Also, stepping foot in “The Good Place” and on the set of the spot they filmed the Westerns for “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood” is pretty fantastic.
4. Love-Props department. We had a wonderful time on this part of the tour which is called the Edith Head building where all the movie props are stored. We won’t go into detail here about what you will see because you can find it on the interwebs and some have placed it on Youtube. It is a great place to visit if you want to have a glimpse at the job of a set designer. Not to mention just outside of the building is Walton’s Mountain and the hill from Spartacus (which on the other side is the Hollywood sign).
The tour continues and we visited Jaws, King Kong in 3D, Little Europe (where it’s set up for “The Good Life” television show), Whoville as well as Wisteria Lane. Honestly, there are many redundant things on the backlot tour and the VIP but on the VIP you get more access and you are able to pose with sets and props that make for great photos to post on social media. This is when our guide Doug (WHO WAS AWESOME) gives you more detail and insight on the day to day workings along with extra information the normal tour does not discover.
2. Hate- Fast and Furious- I’ve enjoyed the hokey series of Fast and Furious but this is the worst part of the VIP and Backlot tours. They both do it and it’s just bad. Not like the script is bad because that is a given. This is bad because it’s not any better than the Kong one and it comes after the Kong portion. They should get rid of it because it’s toward the end of the tour and it kind of leaves it on a low note.
3. Hate- Not enough time on VIP tour- This is me just being greedy. I wanted more set visits. More time on the streets where they film (which we did get more in 2019). Others obviously wanted to get to rides but the thing that makes this park a must-do is the backlot tour. Nowhere else will you find access to a backlot like Universal Studios Hollywood.
4. Hate- Rides. Let’s get this out of the way. The rides are fine at Universal Hollywood. That said if you have visited Universal Orlando the rides in Orlando dwarf Hollywood’s. So much so The Mummy is one of our favorite rides in Orlando. In the Hollywood version, the story is less and so is the ride.
55. Hate- Harry Potter. Again, this is if for those who have been to Orlando. You are spoiled with the sheer size of Orlando’s offerings. Not that Hollywood’s isn’t great. It is and if you never have been to Orlando you are going to love it. The Hollywood one is overcrowded, the wand ceremony here is ‘meh’ compared to Orlando. That’s because it’s more crowded and when you get the wand there are fewer things to do with it once you buy it, compared to Orlando’s interactive setup. So, if you only care about Harry Potter go to Orlando.
4. LOVE- Front of Line. Although I just criticized the rides they are still great rides in general and I actually like the Simpson’s portion better in Hollywood theme-wise. The thing about VIP everything for you is front of the line. There is zero wait for any rides. So, I wasn’t upset like some will be with a general ticket waiting 90 minutes for a ride that may be 40 seconds, looking at you Flight of the Hippogriff.
5. LOVE- Shows. This is true with anything based in California compared to Florida theme parks. The talent is better. The shows are more entertaining. Also, with the VIP you get premium seating. We had the best seats at every show because of the pass.
So, after the last show we were with Doug it was 3 pm. We had experienced all the major attractions and eaten our weight in great food. You have a personal guide through the park for roughly 8 hours (He holds your bags while you are on your ride and finds drinks if you need them as well). Personally, I would suggest the VIP Experience and I am not sure I could go to Universal (Hollywood not Orlando) without it. We are more interested in this park for their studio and backlot offerings so VIP made more sense. If you and your family are there for the rides and only sorta care about the film studios and sets…. get front of line pass and not VIP. To be really helpful, if you care about rides go to Knott’s Berry Farm. Better rides for half the price. Universal is about experience and intellectual properties. We didn’t mention that when we were there Whoville and Harry Potter were celebrating Christmas. Christmas time at Universal is everything we hoped it would be. Also, Max the dog from The Grinch (not the actual dog) is the sweetest dog ever (Photo Above). Go to Universal Hollywood and splurge. Get the VIP tour. Go during Christmas. Hogwarts projections are worth a visit. Some photo and video highlights below.
When we look at products we always look at the companies producing them. The BE-Hive is a company we support fully because we use their non-animal-based proteins often. Now BE-Hive offers a selection of CBD products. All of their “cBEd” products are made from hemp organically grown and harvested in Middle Tennessee. They are non-GMO, and contain zero pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers.
They also test all of their products through third-party laboratories and provide corresponding lab reports to each individual product, allowing you to buy full-spectrum hemp products that are safe and legal for consumption.
Check out their products and visit their store to order online.
