Going to a Theme Park by Yourself

Have you ever waited in line for a ride, and see that single person the ride attendant shuffles into the other groups of people? Have you ever thought "What is this person's story? Who goes to a theme park alone?" Well, I guess I can now answer - me.

I went to Harry Potter World by myself. And you know what? It was actually a lot of fun. I should start off by saying that I am a person who enjoys spending time alone, and I don't feel awkward sailing solo in a sea of people. Needless to say, I think that helped a lot.

I made a few temporary friends - from the kind man who helped me chose my wand, to the Universal employee that rode a few rides with me because it was after her shift and she too was solo. But even when I alone, there was enough to look at that I never felt awkward. And the single rider line! That alone made it so worth it. I didn't have to wait at any of the rides. I went on them back to back just because I could.

I think the best way to sum up the day is through my Snap story. ( I apologize in advance for the poor video quality)

 So... I didn't know that there would be a timed ticket into HP World itself. I got there around noon, so I had 5 hours to kill...

This was actually one of my favourite parts of being there by myself. People watching is one of my favourite past-times. And at a theme park? People watching is almost as fascinating as it is in an airport. And so I wandered around for a while. Universal has changed a lot since I was last there, so I had to get my bearings.

I don't know why exactly, but I feel like I'm funnier on Snapchat. So I felt like being a ham on my story.

Since a) it was my day off and b) it's usually easier to make friends at a bar rather than walking around aimlessly, I stopped for a beer. I did make small talk with some of the other people ordering around me, but this was still kind of the most boring part. I also realized later in the day that I should have done this last, since it started raining later... But, since I wasn't finding many people to talk to, I defaulted to the book I brought.

BTW, this book is called Murder and Mayhem in the Crescenta Valley by Gary Keyes and Mike Lawler. If you or anyone you know lives in the Crescenta Valley, you know it's a very sleepy place. But there are a lot of insanely rich people so it's even more fascinating to learn all of the land's deep dark secrets. Like how Mountain View Elementary School in Tujunga was built on an infamous mobster's land, and when they were building it the construction equipment kept falling into hidden caverns where he stored his illegal booze. I happen to drive past that school often.

(I meant "Now that's an intro")

Ah, the single rider line. This ALONE makes it worth it to go to a theme park by yourself. I went on every ride back to back a few times, just because I could. I would suggest even getting in this line if you're in a groupe. Yes, you will all be separated but there is NO WAIT TIME.

Not gonna lie, at this point I was kind of lonely. But it didn't help that it was really raining, the temperature dropped, and there is no single rider line on the studio tour. So the wait was pretty long. I should have taken my book out again, but there were bits in the line that weren't covered from the rain. So I took this time to people watch once again

Finally, I got in. Waiting 5 hours wasn't all that bad, except for the last 40 min when I was too cold to want to go on a ride, and not hungry enough to get food. So I sat around awkwardly people watching some more. My mood completely changed when I got into the park.

HP World is awesome (read my review here). If taking my last vacation day to go by myself didn't give it away, I am a Harry Potter nerd. So this was my nerd heaven. You can't feel lonely and cold in a magical world! Or, you can, but you can ignore it a lot easier.

This was something I just had to laugh at. I dropped my things in a locker, zipped right up the single rider line, walked right into my seat, the ride begins... then this. And you never know how long this kind of stuff lasts. At least it didn't happen when we were upside-down or in some other crazy position. The people around me were also laughing, so it was nice that everyone was in good spirits.

Obviously, I had to go on a few more times. They had a lot of cool stuff for the people who were waiting in line to look at. The hat was still when I passed it the first time, but the second time around it was sharing cryptic advice.

Going to a Theme Park by Yourself

April 27, 2016

Have you ever waited in line for a ride, and see that single person the ride attendant shuffles into the other groups of people? Have you ever thought "What is this person's story? Who goes to a theme park alone?" Well, I guess I can now answer - me.

I went to Harry Potter World by myself. And you know what? It was actually a lot of fun. I should start off by saying that I am a person who enjoys spending time alone, and I don't feel awkward sailing solo in a sea of people. Needless to say, I think that helped a lot.

I made a few temporary friends - from the kind man who helped me chose my wand, to the Universal employee that rode a few rides with me because it was after her shift and she too was solo. But even when I alone, there was enough to look at that I never felt awkward. And the single rider line! That alone made it so worth it. I didn't have to wait at any of the rides. I went on them back to back just because I could.

I think the best way to sum up the day is through my Snap story. ( I apologize in advance for the poor video quality)

 So... I didn't know that there would be a timed ticket into HP World itself. I got there around noon, so I had 5 hours to kill...

This was actually one of my favourite parts of being there by myself. People watching is one of my favourite past-times. And at a theme park? People watching is almost as fascinating as it is in an airport. And so I wandered around for a while. Universal has changed a lot since I was last there, so I had to get my bearings.

 I don't know why exactly, but I feel like I'm funnier on Snapchat. So I felt like being a ham on my story.

Since a) it was my day off and b) it's usually easier to make friends at a bar rather than walking around aimlessly, I stopped for a beer. I did make small talk with some of the other people ordering around me, but this was still kind of the most boring part. I also realized later in the day that I should have done this last, since it started raining later... But, since I wasn't finding many people to talk to, I defaulted to the book I brought.

BTW, this book is called Murder and Mayhem in the Crescenta Valley by Gary Keyes and Mike Lawler. If you or anyone you know lives in the Crescenta Valley, you know it's a very sleepy place. But there are a lot of insanely rich people so it's even more fascinating to learn all of the land's deep dark secrets. Like how Mountain View Elementary School in Tujunga was built on an infamous mobster's land, and when they were building it the construction equipment kept falling into hidden caverns where he stored his illegal booze. I happen to drive past that school often.

Ah, the single rider line. This ALONE makes it worth it to go to a theme park by yourself. I went on every ride back to back a few times, just because I could. I would suggest even getting in this line if you're in a groupe. Yes, you will all be separated but there is NO WAIT TIME.

Not gonna lie, at this point I was kind of lonely. But it didn't help that it was really raining, the temperature dropped, and there is no single rider line on the studio tour. So the wait was pretty long. I should have taken my book out again, but there were bits in the line that weren't covered from the rain. So I took this time to people watch once again

Finally, I got in. Waiting 5 hours wasn't all that bad, except for the last 40 min when I was too cold to want to go on a ride, and not hungry enough to get food. So I sat around awkwardly people watching some more. My mood completely changed when I got into the park.

HP World is awesome (read my review here). If taking my last vacation day to go by myself didn't give it away, I am a Harry Potter nerd. So this was my nerd heaven. You can't feel lonely and cold in a magical world! Or, you can, but you can ignore it a lot easier.

This was something I just had to laugh at. I dropped my things in a locker, zipped right up the single rider line, walked right into my seat, the ride begins... then this. And you never know how long this kind of stuff lasts. At least it didn't happen when we were upside-down or in some other crazy position. The people around me were also laughing, so it was nice that everyone was in good spirits.

Obviously, I had to go on a few more times. They had a lot of cool stuff for the people who were waiting in line to look at. The hat was still when I passed it the first time, but the second time around it was sharing cryptic advice.

 A kid using her wand to activate the magical window display

Here's another thing I was thankful for. In the park, you are allowed to walk around with your beer. I was worried I would have to sit here and finish it before I could leave the Three Broomsticks. At this point I had spent enough time sitting alone, so I really didn't want to again. And when you walk around with alcohol, it's almost like you're in NOLA so that instantly lifted my mood.

This was the only real wait I had - to get into Olivander's. At this point the rain stopped so I was able to take out my book and read. I would have tried to make friends in line, but the people next to me were foreigners and everyone seemed to be in their groupes. However, this is specifically why I bring a book to places. When you're on your phone, you look closed off and discourage conversation. With a book though, you keep yourself busy and provide a more open opportunity for people to initiate a conversation. Don't take a book you're completely engrossed in though, because that would defeat the purpose.

Olivander's was amazing. They had people to help you chose your wand! A very nice man helped me with that very thing. After talking with him for a bit, any lingering feelings of loneliness went away. For me, usually that's what does it. I can go hours not interacting with other people, but it's better if there are a few fleeting conversations peppered in there. It was also just nice to kind of nerd out with another person about how amazing everything was there. I mean there were SO MANY CHOICES OF WAND.

At this point I was kind of on a happy high. Which was continued by making another temporary friend. On the Flight of the Hippogriff ride, another single rider got in next to me. We started chatting and it turns out she works at the park. It was after her shift and she was exploring HP World. We went on a few more rides together before parting ways.

Going to a Theme Park by Yourself

April 27, 2016

Have you ever waited in line for a ride, and see that single person the ride attendant shuffles into the other groups of people? Have you ever thought "What is this person's story? Who goes to a theme park alone?" Well, I guess I can now answer - me.

I went to Harry Potter World by myself. And you know what? It was actually a lot of fun. I should start off by saying that I am a person who enjoys spending time alone, and I don't feel awkward sailing solo in a sea of people. Needless to say, I think that helped a lot.

I made a few temporary friends - from the kind man who helped me chose my wand, to the Universal employee that rode a few rides with me because it was after her shift and she too was solo. But even when I alone, there was enough to look at that I never felt awkward. And the single rider line! That alone made it so worth it. I didn't have to wait at any of the rides. I went on them back to back just because I could.

I think the best way to sum up the day is through my Snap story. ( I apologize in advance for the poor video quality)

 So... I didn't know that there would be a timed ticket into HP World itself. I got there around noon, so I had 5 hours to kill...

This was actually one of my favourite parts of being there by myself. People watching is one of my favourite past-times. And at a theme park? People watching is almost as fascinating as it is in an airport. And so I wandered around for a while. Universal has changed a lot since I was last there, so I had to get my bearings.

 I don't know why exactly, but I feel like I'm funnier on Snapchat. So I felt like being a ham on my story.

Since a) it was my day off and b) it's usually easier to make friends at a bar rather than walking around aimlessly, I stopped for a beer. I did make small talk with some of the other people ordering around me, but this was still kind of the most boring part. I also realized later in the day that I should have done this last, since it started raining later... But, since I wasn't finding many people to talk to, I defaulted to the book I brought.

BTW, this book is called Murder and Mayhem in the Crescenta Valley by Gary Keyes and Mike Lawler. If you or anyone you know lives in the Crescenta Valley, you know it's a very sleepy place. But there are a lot of insanely rich people so it's even more fascinating to learn all of the land's deep dark secrets. Like how Mountain View Elementary School in Tujunga was built on an infamous mobster's land, and when they were building it the construction equipment kept falling into hidden caverns where he stored his illegal booze. I happen to drive past that school often.

Ah, the single rider line. This ALONE makes it worth it to go to a theme park by yourself. I went on every ride back to back a few times, just because I could. I would suggest even getting in this line if you're in a groupe. Yes, you will all be separated but there is NO WAIT TIME.

Not gonna lie, at this point I was kind of lonely. But it didn't help that it was really raining, the temperature dropped, and there is no single rider line on the studio tour. So the wait was pretty long. I should have taken my book out again, but there were bits in the line that weren't covered from the rain. So I took this time to people watch once again

Finally, I got in. Waiting 5 hours wasn't all that bad, except for the last 40 min when I was too cold to want to go on a ride, and not hungry enough to get food. So I sat around awkwardly people watching some more. My mood completely changed when I got into the park.

HP World is awesome (read my review here). If taking my last vacation day to go by myself didn't give it away, I am a Harry Potter nerd. So this was my nerd heaven. You can't feel lonely and cold in a magical world! Or, you can, but you can ignore it a lot easier.

This was something I just had to laugh at. I dropped my things in a locker, zipped right up the single rider line, walked right into my seat, the ride begins... then this. And you never know how long this kind of stuff lasts. At least it didn't happen when we were upside-down or in some other crazy position. The people around me were also laughing, so it was nice that everyone was in good spirits.

Obviously, I had to go on a few more times. They had a lot of cool stuff for the people who were waiting in line to look at. The hat was still when I passed it the first time, but the second time around it was sharing cryptic advice.

 A kid using her wand to activate the magical window display

Here's another thing I was thankful for. In the park, you are allowed to walk around with your beer. I was worried I would have to sit here and finish it before I could leave the Three Broomsticks. At this point I had spent enough time sitting alone, so I really didn't want to again. And when you walk around with alcohol, it's almost like you're in NOLA so that instantly lifted my mood.

This was the only real wait I had - to get into Olivander's. At this point the rain stopped so I was able to take out my book and read. I would have tried to make friends in line, but the people next to me were foreigners and everyone seemed to be in their groupes. However, this is specifically why I bring a book to places. When you're on your phone, you look closed off and discourage conversation. With a book though, you keep yourself busy and provide a more open opportunity for people to initiate a conversation. Don't take a book you're completely engrossed in though, because that would defeat the purpose.

Olivander's was amazing. They had people to help you chose your wand! A very nice man helped me with that very thing. After talking with him for a bit, any lingering feelings of loneliness went away. For me, usually that's what does it. I can go hours not interacting with other people, but it's better if there are a few fleeting conversations peppered in there. It was also just nice to kind of nerd out with another person about how amazing everything was there. I mean there were SO MANY CHOICES OF WAND.

At this point I was kind of on a happy high. Which was continued by making another temporary friend. On the Flight of the Hippogriff ride, another single rider got in next to me. We started chatting and it turns out she works at the park. It was after her shift and she was exploring HP World. We went on a few more rides together before parting ways.

 Definitely mis-spelled Hippogriff.

So, I went to a theme park by myself. And not only did  I survive, I even had a lot of fun. I wouldn't mind going to a park by myself again, especially if it means I can use the single rider line.

There were times I got lonely, but that was mostly because I kept thinking of how my friends would react to certain things and that made me miss them. And, sharing experiences always makes them better. But I didn't let that stop me from having an experience in the first place. These days, the goal is to have #squadgoals and have such a booming social life that you have tons of options and can wait until last minute to make plans. But I feel like sometimes that can hold you back. I wanted to be at HP World opening day, so I made it happen. Sometimes that's the only way you can have adventures - by just making them happen. 

Photographed by: myself