Universal Studios Hollywood is just about to wrap up an epic Halloween season, but one of their most ambitious projects ever is making big progress. Since our last Universal Hollywood update there have been all sorts of advancements on new attractions for both the Upper and Lower Lots. We’ll take a look at the construction for The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash, as well as some major construction on the Lower Lot on the rumored Nintendo Land. There’s a lot to see, so . . . lights . . . action . . . update . . .
Universal CityWalk
As always, the Universal experience begins at CityWalk. In my opinion, it’s the best way to start off a visit. I like to window-shop my way into the parks and decide what I’m going to visit on my way back to the car. Let’s take a quick stroll through this entertainment district to see what’s new, like the two new restaurants, and maybe stop for a bite to eat!
It’s Sugar
This store still has construction walls up around its facade. We’re not sure why this project has taken so long to complete. If any of our loyal readers have some insight, please comment below!
Antojitos Cocina Mexicana
Who is ready for some authentic Mexican cuisine? This new addition to Citywalk is a great fit. Overall the atmosphere of the restaurant is unique and inviting, the food is what you expect from any casual dining in most high traffic tourist areas.
From their website: Explore the tastes, sounds and sights of Mexico at Antojitos, authentic Mexican cuisine in the heart of the Universal CityWalk, now open. Explore a menu that boasts traditional favorites like signature guacamole, empanadas and tacos. Plus enjoy over 150 tequilas, handcrafted cocktails and draft imports.
The Cuisine!
The Fajitas were hot and spicy, and the Chips and Salsa were fantastic. The food was served fairly quickly, and the staff was friendly and energetic.
Overall, this new restaurant works well with the hip and fun CityWalk vibe.
Still curious about Antojitos Cocina Mexicana? You’re in luck because we have a full write up about it and the other new restaurant, Vivo Italian Kitchen!
CityWalk: This & That
One thing we enjoy about CityWalk is that although it’s compact, it isn’t claustrophobia-inducing. Even when the park is at capacity, CityWalk remains manageable and enjoyable.
Although Vivo Italian Kitchen has been open for a little while, one of our staff stopped by during their tour of Antojitos for a sample of some of their offerings. Have any of you eaten here? Let us know your thoughts.
Universal Studios
Construction Updates
Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash!
Won’t be too long now, this ride Pets is slated to open in early 2020. There has been significant work on the facade of the show building since our last visit. As you can see from the photos below, the green scrims reveal the outlines of windows and other architectural elements based on the New York City buildings from the film. Take note that in this phase, they have blocked this passageway from Minion Mayhem to the Walking Dead attraction.
Nintendo World Construction
But it’s the big construction project on the Lower Lot that has captured our imagination. From the photos below, you can see the rise of a massive show building butted up against Transformers. They are starting with the second floor of the building now.
This & That: Universal Studios
Universal Studios Hollywood is a great theme park to visit for the day. But at the moment it is impacted by Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) and fills to capacity very quickly. On HHN days, the park closes earlier and hard ticket guests are able to enter the park around 5pm, which provides a huge influx of guests.
If you love to be scared, this park in, my humble opinion, is the place to go for the mazes! Now let’s take a walk through the park and ride a couple of rides!
Crowds throughout the park were manageable just up to when Halloween Horror Nights was starting to ramp up.
Jurassic World
Jurassic World is now running at much higher effeciency than when it opened, Sunday mid-day the ride’s wait time was only 30 minutes.
Upper Lot
During Halloween Horror Nights, you can see some of the main Halloween props scattered around the park. These are some of the spooky decorations you can expect to encounter when visiting the park during .
Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Holiday decorations and entertainment will soon come to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. For more info about Christmas at Hogwarts, be sure to read about what’s coming to Universal Hollywood for the holidays HERE.
One of our authors took a trip to the Florida Wizarding World counterpart for the first time last week. Although it’s all the way on the other side of the country, her Muggles’ Guide to the Wizarding World is pretty handy and worth a read.
The World Famous Studio Tour
We jumped on the tour to visit 13 city blocks on four acres of Universal’s backlot, which is celebrating its 55th year anniversary! The Studio Tour originally opened back in July 15th, 1964.
Something that’s new to us is the restoration of the iconic Lyon Estate signs from the Back to the Future series. Many devoted fans of the franchise provided monetary contributions to restore the signs for viewing during the Studio Tour.
Earthquake 
The wild, wild west
The vast collection of cars
And we certainly can’t our little friend, Jaws.
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That’s a wrap for this update from Universal Studios Hollywood. Are you going to be visiting the new attractions when they open? Let us know in the comments below!
