Universal CityWalk Reopened: What to Expect

Universal CityWalk has reopened for tourists and locals alike. Yesterday, I ventured out with my family to check it out. Here’s what you can expect!

Parking

We got there right when Universal CityWalk opened. Parking was super easy (since there were very little cars) and also FREE! Yes, you read that correctly, self-parking is complimentary during CityWalk’s reopening phase. Take note that valet parking is not available at this time. When you self-park in one of Universal Studios’ garages, you’ll notice that you have to self-distance your car from other vehicles. They enforce that by placing an orange cone in every other parking spot.

Safety Precautions

Universal Studios has implemented a temperature check station that is located in the parking garage area. You know how we go through metal detectors and get patted down prior to entering a concert venue or the airport? Get ready for the new normal of having your temp checked before going inside public spaces. In my opinion, it’s a safety precaution, similar to what we went through after 9/11, and is not that invasive in the grand scheme of things.

Universal CityWalk will be enforcing these safety precautions: https://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/web/en/us/plan-your-visit/operations-safety-updates

I must say that they did a good job of posting safety reminders, with hand sanitizer stations everywhere. I also saw a vending machine in the garage that sold face masks and hand sanitizer.

What’s Open?

Select venues are open for limited operations from 12–8pm daily. During our family outing, most of the gift shops and stores were closed. The comic book shop that carries collectibles was open. One of the shoe stores was open as well as a women’s accessory shop.

There wasn’t very many people walking around when we first got there. In fact, it was super quiet and we saw workers cleaning and sprucing things up the whole time we were there. Once it got to be around 2pm, there were more people but certainly not crowded like those images I saw on the news of our local beaches.

The people/tourists that were there at Universal CityWalk maintained social distancing & all wore face masks (which are required).

I’d say that most of the people who were there were because they wanted to eat at a restaurant or pick-up their takeout order. We saw a lot of people carrying around the infamous pink boxes from Voodoo Doughnut.

The upstairs food court area that has Pizza Hut, Panda Express, and that Poke place had a few people sitting and eating there. It looks like Smashburger is being replaced by The Habit Burger Grill.

We opted to dine at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. It was an early Father’s Day lunch for my hubby. The restaurant has a giant hand sanitizer bottle at the host stand and people practiced social distancing as we waited to check-in. Once inside, you could either eat in the restaurant or do patio dining. We were placed in the patio and I noticed that every other table was blocked off so that they could ensure safe, social distancing.

Of course, a visit to CityWalkLA would not be complete without a stop to Voodoo Doughnut!

General Observations

We had a lovely time at CityWalk. It was nice to get out of the house and soak up the sun for a couple of hours. We felt safe and I was comforted by the fact that the shopping/dining destination enforced rules and the people who entered the location took care to abide by those precautions.

Look, I know that everyone’s comfort level is different. There are risk factors in all types of activities in this COVID world we live in currently. Be sure to educate yourself, and know before you go! 🙂

For more information, visit the official Universal CityWalk website here & be sure to check out their Facebook page so that you can get the latest updates!

Disclosure: No monetary compensation was received for this post. This blog post is for informational purposes only. All images & opinions are 100% my own.