Author: Megan Stump

March 28, 2015 – Smashburger will be replacing Original Tommy’s in CityWalk, Inside Universal has learned. This follows the closure of Original Tommy’s earlier this month. In a Facebook post on March 18, Original Tommy’s announced they would be closing its doors after 13 years in its CityWalk location. They stated that according to new management, Original Tommy’s no longer worked with the future plans for CityWalk. Since its closing just three days ago, signs have already gone up announcing the arrival of a new burger joint, Smashburger. This change comes alongside a slew of changes to CityWalk’s offerings, including…

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March 18, 2015 – Original Tommy’s Hamburgers has announced that they will be closing their CityWalk location on March 24, 2015. Tommy Koulax first introduced his famous chili-topped hamburger to Los Angeles residents in 1946. Since then, they have opened multiple locations throughout Southern California, including Universal’s CityWalk Hollywood. Original Tommy’s has a very simple menu of burgers, hot dogs, and fries, all topped with their world-famous chili. Located on the second level facing the 5 Towers, Tommy’s has served as a convenient place for guests and employees to grab a bite to eat since 2002. According to an announcement…

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March 3, 2015 – On March 5, USA Network will premiere a new murder mystery set in the time of modern day Jerusalem. DIG follows FBI agent, Peter Connelly, who sets out to solve the murder of a young American. As Connelly gets deeper in the case, he finds himself in an international mystery that goes into the darkest secrets of the Holy Land that threatens to change the course of history. To promote this new television series, USA Network partnered with the entertainment company, Escape the Room, to create a one-of-a-kind DIG experience: “DIG: Escape the Room.” This game…

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The Court of Miracles March 2, 2015 – Hello and welcome to another installment of Zoom Lens, where we take a closer look at areas of the park that often gets overlooked by the average guest. For those of you who have read my previous articles, you may have noticed a pattern in my interests. What has drawn me to this park is its vast history both as a theme park and as a studio. As a result, I chose to focus this month’s article on one of my favorite locations on the backlot: Court of Miracles. For those of…

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February 15, 2015 – Salvatory Shoes has closed, Inside Universal has learned. The shoe store was located in the back of Universal’s CityWalk between Buca di Beppo and Stop and Play. Debuting in in 2007, Salvatory Shoes sold a variety of shoes, from Minnetonka Moccasins to athletic footwear to Dr. Martens. With the absence of this shoe store, guests still have many options for purchasing footwear – including Flip Flop Shop and Skechers No announcements have been made about what is to replace Salvatory Shoes, though CityWalk has undergone a few noticeable changes in recent months, ranging from the closure…

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The NBCUniversal Experience January 31, 2015 – Welcome to another installment of Zoom Lens, where we take a closer look at a specific aspect of the park that may be overlooked by the average guest. This month I wanted to focus my attention on the NBCUniversal Experience. As I’ve mentioned many times before, I am a big Universal Studios history nerd. I am fascinated by the movies, the actors, the make-up, and the story of Universal Studios. One of the things that really drew me to love this park so much is their attention to the history that brought them…

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Grinchmas 2014 December 16, 2014 – It has reached that point in the year when the sun sets sooner, the nights get colder, and the Grinch comes out from his hole in Mount Crumpit to make the park look fit for a Who. While my favorite event at this park is Halloween Horror Nights, I do love what they do for Grinchmas. Each year comes with new challenges and surprises, and this year did not disappoint. I had the pleasure of experiencing Grinchmas on opening weekend and left extremely pleased. As we know, there is a large amount of construction…

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December 9, 2014 – With Grinchmas now underway, the park will now head into one of the busiest seasons of the year. If you’re a fan who visits the park year round, be prepared for hoards of crowds because the park will be capacity. As always, patience is key! However, despite the seasonal crowds, Universal continues to push ahead with two major projects nearing completion – Springfield and Fast and Furious: Supercharged – alongside some smaller projects scattered about. We have another feature-packed update this month, so let’s get started. Park Update Index » Parking Lot Expansion » Lankershim Boulevard…

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Update: December 11, 2014 – As we originally reported earlier this month, Universal has officially announced its scaled back New Year’s Eve celebration event, substituting fireworks and outdoor performances with a marathon of classic Universal movies at the AMC Theatres. We’ve included Universal’s official press release below alongside this article’s original text. Universal CityWalk Rings in 2015 with Special “New Year’s Eve Movie Night” Celebration at the AMC Theatres, Featuring Five of Universal’s Most Iconic Films Back on the Silver Screen Universal City, California, December 11, 2014– The countdown to 2015 begins with Universal CityWalk’s all-new “New Year’s Eve Movie…

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