Issue #16: A 45-year-old Man Visits Universal Studios Hollywood for the First Time

A recap of my inaugural trip to Universal Studios Hollywood, five homes with separate spaces for your guests, and a new season of officiating lacrosse games.

The Silvert Lining is a place where I talk about real estate, cool homes for sale, things I’m looking forward to, and how I’ve been spending my time. In addition to this newsletter, I also post regularly on Instagram. You can follow me at Dan Silvert Homes. If you would like to meet with me to discuss your home search, you can schedule time here.

With my friend Chris Zahner at Universal Studios Hollywood.

My girlfriend believes that amusement parks are more fun as an adult than as a kid. She has a long list of reasons, including being the master of your own destiny, being tall enough to ride every ride, and the availability of cocktails. Take her opinion with a grain of salt as she also has a Magic Key (season pass) to Disneyland in Anaheim with her sister (shoutout to Silvert Lining reader Allie!) who lives in Orange County. I have been to Disneyland with her on two occasions and enjoyed the experience, but am not joining her in buying a season pass. My girlfriend’s enjoyment of amusement parks also includes Universal Studios Hollywood, which she visits annually with her sister, cousin, and friends.

My girlfriend is rarely envious of my travels as she is a literal globetrotter who occasionally lets me join her. But last week she was one part envious and one part excited for me when I flew to Southern California for the day to visit Universal Studios Hollywood for the first time. I was invited by my college lacrosse goalie, Chris Zahner, to spend the day at the park with him, his wife, and their three amazing boys. Chris now lives on the East Coast and was in Southern California for a memorial service for his dad, who was one of our team's biggest fans when we played lacrosse at UC Davis. It takes a special person to regularly drive from San Diego to Davis for his son's college lacrosse games, and Henry Zahner was that guy.

Having fun at Moe’s Tavern in Springfield, U.S.A.

Since I was hosting open houses and reffing a college lacrosse game all weekend, I wasn't able to attend the memorial service. Having a fun day with the family and meeting the boys for the first time (the oldest is 11-years-old...time flies!) was great, and I think you can see how much fun it was in the pictures.

What makes Universal Studios Hollywood unique is that the amusement park is located on a working studio lot. While I enjoyed Super Nintendo World, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and Springfield, U.S.A., my favorite attraction was the studio tour. On the tour, I saw sets for classic movies and TV shows along with current filming locations and a couple short rides mixed in.

Living it up at the Super Nintendo World part of the park.

In 1915 Universal founder Carl Laemmle opened his studio to the public; the admission fee was five cents and included lunch. Early visitors would watch silent films being filmed and could wander around the property on their own. With the advent of talkies, Universal closed the studio to the public as to not disrupt the recording of dialogue.

By the 1960s, the studio system was long gone and studios were looking for alternate sources of revenue. In 1964, Universal Studios reopened to the public with two-hour tram tours of Universal’s backlot; admission was $2.50 and did not include lunch as attendees were encouraged to buy lunch at the studio’s onsite commissary. Going behind the scenes of the glamourous film industry resonated with the public, and within a few years over 8,000 people were visiting Universal Studios every day.

In 1976, Universal Studios debuted the Jaws ride, which included a 25-foot animatronic shark. Since then Universal Studios has expanded its original Hollywood location and opened amusements parks in Florida, Japan, Singapore, and China. And yet, you can still ride a tram around Universal’s Hollywood studio lot for a peak behind the curtain of the film and TV industry.

Here is a short clip of the set of Steven Spielberg’s 2005 film War of the Worlds that is part of the studio tour.

Meeting up with old friends who were traveling made me think about how nice it would be to own a home with a separate space for guests. Friends and family could visit without proving the classic adage, often attributed to Benjamin Franklin, that “Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days.” Here are five houses with Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) to give you overnight guests their own space:

26 Moraga Via in Orinda is a 1968 Mid-Century Modern home with 6 bedrooms/6 bathrooms listed at $2,300,000. The home includes a 450 square foot ADU that was built in 2014 and has a full kitchen.

5883 Margarido Drive in Oakland’s Upper Rockridge neighborhood is a new build with 5 bedrooms/6 bathrooms listed at $5,750,000. The home includes an ADU with private access, 1 bedroom/1 bathroom, and a full kitchen.

1056 Warfield Avenue in Oakland’s Lakeshore neighborhood is a 1922 Bungalow with 4 bedrooms/2 bathrooms listed at $1,379,000. The home includes an ADU with 1 bedroom/1 bathroom, a separate entry, and a private deck.

2698 Mountain Gate Way in Oakland’s Piedmont Pines neighborhood is a 1959 Ranch style home with 5 bedrooms/4 bathrooms listed at $1,599,000. The home includes an ADU with a separate entrance.

6824 Tahoe Place in El Cerrito is a 1950 home with 3 bedrooms/2 bathrooms listed at $888,000. The property has a detached 350 square foot ADU with 1 full bathroom.

Let me know if you are looking for a new home, and I can create a customized search based on your wants and needs that will email you homes that meet your search criteria. You can schedule time with me to discuss your search for a new home or selling your current home by emailing me at DanSilvertHomes@gmail.com. DRE #01963734

In my uniform and element officiating a lacrosse game.

Lacrosse season has commenced and many of my evenings and weekends are now filled with officiating high school and college lacrosse games. On Saturday, I combined a couple of my favorite activities - road tripping and reffing lacrosse - for a game that saw Chico State host Cal Poly Humboldt. Both teams competed hard and the weather was beautiful.

With my friend Jerry Roque at the Chico State vs. Cal Poly Humboldt lacrosse game.

Before the game, a Chico State player came up to me and said "Dannnn!" It took me a moment to realize it was Jerry Roque, who I became friends with when he was coaching at Livermore High School and I was coaching at Foothill High School in Pleasanton. A big thing I enjoy is watching “kids” I've coached or reffed grow into pretty amazing adults. It was great to see Jerry out there playing well and having a good time.

On Sunday night I’m flying to Palm Springs to attend the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament’s qualifying rounds. I’ll be back next week with a full recap of my trip.