Harry Potter World

Over spring break I visited Harry Potter World in California's Universal Studios.  As an avid Harry Potter fan I have always wanted to go there, and looking back on the trip I can't help but relate it to this class.
We've discussed the ways in which people don't necessarily experience concerts or other events because they're busy snapchatting the entire thing, and I actually thought about that when I made my decisions about what and when to photograph.  The first time I walked around Hogsmeade I opted to not take any pictures and simply enjoy looking around and seeing all there was to see.  I think this enhanced my experience because I was actually taking it all in rather than documenting the fact that I was there.  Later on in the day I took many pictures and videos so I could look back on it, but I'm happy I waited to do so until later on.
This trip also reminded me of the aura and copies.  The main attraction of Harry Potter World is recreating parts of the book's universe so we can experience it in real life.  The books have a different aura from the movies, just as both do from the physical place in California.  However, Universal Studios still manages to capture some of Harry Potter's aura, thus attracting so many people.  Buying souvenirs there was a necessity because it's Harry Potter World and why would you not buy a souvenir?  Many people have that attitude, as the park very well knows, and therefore can overcharge on everything because people are willing to pay more at the park.  I ended up getting the resurrection stone horcrux, and I probably could have found it for much cheaper online, but I didn't want it from online.  Somehow it being from Harry Potter World instead of the internet makes it seem more real, I guess giving it a different aura than from Amazon, even though they would probably be almost identical.  It just seemed more real to me if it came from a shop in a recreation of Hogsmeade, and I realized that a huge part of an object's aura is where it's from; I had thought about that before, but not to the extent that I did after leaving Harry Potter World.  Overall Harry Potter World is a magical place with a magical aura and I 10/10 would recommend.