The 'Harry Potter' bribe
Guests ride on the Flight of the Hippogriff past Hogwarts Castle at the Universal Studios Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park in Orlando, Fla. Credit: Bloomberg / Phelan M. Ebenhack
I’m not a big fan of amusement parks. Maybe it’s because I never went to any as a kid. Fanny-packing crowds are vile, kids’ songs are annoying and I think it’s irritating that adults should go to such extremes to cater to a child’s every frivolous whim. How about skipping the teacup ride, silly hat and chicken nuggets and spending those entertainment bucks on an opera matinee, a souvenir from a museum shop and some fondue at a fancy restaurant?
But I want nothing more than to take my kid to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Fla. That’s because my husband and I have promised our 9-year-old a trip to the Islands of Adventure theme park if he finishes all seven of books in the “Harry Potter” series.
Harrison’s almost halfway through the 752-page “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” the fourth installment. As a bonus, we’ve said that when he finishes and we take the trip, we will stop at Epcot. Little does he know that one’s mostly for me. By the time we're finishing Pottering, I’ll need some drinks around the world.
