The Price of Freedom

I paid some dude $30 to lock me in a room.

     Today I did something a little different with my leisure time. I decided to visit an escape room.

      An escape room is exactly what it sounds like. The basic premise is that you pay someone to lock you in a room,  they give you a set of conditions or clues, and then you try your best to escape from said room within a certain time limit. I took on this challenge, and I was ready to get down to it. Then, twelve other Asians arrived...

How many Sherlocks does it take to get out of a room?

    THIRTEEN. Yes, it apparently takes thirteen people to be put into a room to solve how to get out of it.

     As I arrived to solve this escape room, I was met with twelve other like-minded souls. At first I thought this was a problem, I also thought to myself that these 'simpletons' would get in my way and slow me down...

Thank God I was wrong. 

     The host took us to a room called 'Sherlock's Study'. The room itself looked like what you think a study might look like. Lots of books, a grandfather clock, portraits on the wall, etc. After he corralled us inside, he gave us a little speech and some rules and locked the door, and started the timer.

It's like CLUE. No it's not.

     **I DON'T  WANT TO BE TOO SPECIFIC IN CASE PEOPLE WANT TO GO**

     As soon as the door locked we all went to work. We looked through the bookshelves, ransacked desks, and basically looked under anything that was not fastened or bolted to the floor. After this 5 min raid for clues, we all pooled our resources and put the clues we gathered on the desk and tried to make sense of them. Some clues led to even bigger puzzles, while some seemed like obvious red herring's. Regardless, our team of detectives worked through each clue multiple times till we found our answers.

EVERYONE and ANYONE should do this.

     Going through the game made me realize that doing this with a diverse group of people is the most ideal. The game is great at naturally showcasing everyone's individual expertise. I saw many instances where someone that was good at math blow through a number cipher, but get hung up on a riddle. The room rewards those who are able to focus, but also rewards those who can think unconventionally. This out-of-the-box thinking helped us gather many more clues which eventually lead us out of the room. It is clear to see that the best way to get out of the room is to have the most diverse team.

5:42

     It took us almost the whole hour to find the final code to final room to the final lock to the final key to get out of the room finally. With some time to spare, 5 minutes and 42 seconds to be exact, we all burst out of the room and back into the lobby where we celebrated in front of our host/warden. We initially walked into that room as skeptical strangers, and walked out as something more. We shared an hour, we shared a room, and we shared an experience that is hard to explain. 

Some things to consider

Were there alot more people there than I expected? Yes.

Was the admission kind of pricey? Yes.

Was it Fun? Hell Yes! 

     In the end I think that's all that really matters.Proving your intelligence or showing your skill is always fun, but it is nothing like the feeling of camaraderie you get when you all leave that room under the time-limit.

     I can see this kind of activity work well in an office setting as a team building exercise.

      It was my first time doing something like this, but it will not be my last. Supposedly places like this are popping up all over the southern California region. I really enjoyed this experience and look forward to going to and through many more places like this.

*Want to go?*

INFO:

Exodus Escape Room

5140 E La Palma Ave Unit 203, Anaheim, CA 92807

(714) 392- 7909

    http://exodusescaperoom.com/

**IF YOU MENTION MY NAME THEY WILL not GIVE YOU A DISCOUNT**