Who here is a fan of Criminal Minds or Law and Order? Forensic science and murder mystery shows have always fascinated me. It’s crazy to think people actually do this for a living! It was never a dream of mine to become a detective or a forensic scientist, but I always thought it would be cool to see an actual crime scene and solve a real-life case. I may have been watching too much Supernatural lately, but hey…a girl can dream right?
Last year was when I first heard about these “Escape the Room” places popping up in New York. I was totally intrigued [and also terrified] of the idea of literally being locked in a room with nothing but clues to get myself out. I’m not sure if these exist in other states, but for those of you who don’t know what they are all about, I’ll tell you a bit more about my most recent experience.
When Epic Escape Rooms, Long Island reached out to me, I was thrilled to get a bunch of friends together and see how [and if] we could work together and actually win the game! Up until this point I’ve done two other escape rooms, so I was already kind-of prepared of what to expect. The room we chose to do was called “Disorderly Conduct”. To give some background, this was the story we were given:
You wake up in jail. What happened? How did you end up here? So many questions running through your head. Surely you couldn’t have committed a crime. Everything from last night is a blur. All you know is that you need to escape, and soon!
Without giving too much away, we were put in a room that looked like we were thrown in jail. Our group was separated between two cells and locked inside. We had sixty minutes to use clues and objects around the room to not only escape our cells, but escape jail [the room] as well!
*Just a disclaimer to anyone who isn’t familiar with escape rooms: The room was not actually locked due to fire safety reasons. Also, there is a camera and TV inside the room so we can communicate with the team if anything was to go wrong, or if we needed a clue! They are constantly watching as you play to make sure everything goes smoothly. **Shout out to Harry + Adriela who supervised our game! They were awesome! If you visit the West Hempstead location, request them to help out your party as well!
So, how was it being locked in a room with the people I love?
Haha! Being extremely Type A [you guys already know this], my initial instinct was to take charge and make sure everyone was paying attention to the rules and communicating between the jail cells. My plan epically failed [pun not intended] ! It’s so interesting seeing everyone’s different personalities mesh together in such tight quarters with no easy way of escape. It took us a little bit to get going, but once we found the first clue it brought us all together. We learned to work with each of our individual strengths. There is no winning the game if you don’t work together. Certain clues don’t just help you. They could possibly help another team-member, which in turn gets your entire team closer to winning! It was definitely a different way of thinking and truly felt realistic in the moment. With the clock counting down, the pressure was on!
Did we make it out in time?
Yes! My team made it out with nine minutes to spare! There was a point about halfway through where we came to a stopping point and couldn’t find the last key to break out of jail and win the game. We did ask the team for a clue [Thanks Adriela!] who helped point us in the right direction to the next piece of the puzzle. We eventually solved it and broke out! Success!
Fun Fact: Every team who is able to escape “Disorderly Conduct” gets to sign the wall inside one of the jail cells, so look out for my tag @andsimplethings inside the cell if you go and play!
What skills I felt were necessary to win:
- Patience: Working with friends is hard! Let everyone give their opinion on what to do next. Usually the next clue is where you least expect it!
- Teamwork: Like I said before, not every clue helps you as an individual. You may find something that helps out another team-member. Remember: the end goal is for the entire team to escape!
- Basic Math: Yes, sometimes math is involved.
- Logic/Strategy: Necessary. No other comments here.
- Creativity: At some point you may need to think creatively, not just logically to find the next clue. Really getting into the character you are playing will help! 🙂
Would I go back to Epic Escape Room, Long Island?
I would 100% go back and play another game at Epic Escape Rooms, Long Island! I have nothing but excellent things to say about our experience here and would totally recommend it! Epic Escape Rooms offers a challenging, live game in all different themes and difficulty levels! Do you think you and your friends can stand up to the test? It can be something fun + different to do one night with friends, a company team-building exercise, or even date night!
But wait. Are you intrigued by something even more intense?? They just opened up another location in Brooklyn including two new advanced rooms! Ready to be handcuffed by live actors in the game with you? This super-intense game of “Taken” may be just for you. I personally can’t wait to visit this new location and try to beat this level!
If you are interested in booking a game, you must make a reservation in advance. Just head to www.epicescaperoomsli.com to schedule your time slot. The team over at Epic Escape Rooms LI has so generously provided a coupon code exclusively for my followers! Just use the code ANDSIMPLETHINGS at checkout for 15% off! This is valid at both the West Hempstead + Brooklyn locations!
You can find them on Instagram @epicescaperoomsli + @epicescaperoomsbrooklyn
One last thing: They were nominated for Bethpage’s Best of Long Island 2019! Please vote + support this amazing small business by clicking the link here and finding Epic Escape LI under Arts + Entertainment > Escape Rooms.
/ / As always, this is my personal blog. This blog post is not sponsored. Any views or opinions represented in this blog are my own and do not represent the views of any company or individual I may mention. This post may contain affiliate links where I make a small commission if you click and shop using my links. It won’t cost you a penny, but helps keep this blog running!
/ / As always, this is my personal blog. This blog post is not sponsored. Any views or opinions represented in this blog are my own and do not represent the views of any company or individual I may mention. This post may contain affiliate links where I make a small commission if you click and shop using my links. It won’t cost you a penny, but helps keep this blog running!
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