Monthly Archives: May 2019
An Escape Enthusiast Abroad: NOLA, Baton Rouge & Houston Final Thoughts
I have been home a full day now, slept many hours, and had a chance to let the whole trip process in my head. It is 14 degrees Celsius here so I am forced to wear long pants again. It’s sad. So…time for some final thoughts.
First things first: The trip was fantastic. Escape rooms aside, I loved seeing the city of New Orleans. It has an insanely rich history. Even if you are not a party person, there is a lot of stuff to see there (and eat!). I would 100% go there again…after all, there are more Gabriel Knight locations to find!
An Escape Enthusiast Abroad: Houston Day 2
Our last day in Houston found us back with Strangebird Immersive‘s Haley and Cameron. We spent the almost the entire day eating, geeking out about escapes, venting about escapes, and playing a couple of escapes. It was a great, relaxed way to end our trip. Despite not getting to play Man From Beyond, it was so wonderful to meet these fine folks and hang out.
She did not bring candles to meet us though.
Canadian Bumpkin Status: 50%
Now I know from several sources that giant cockroaches are just a thing in Houston. I still do not approve of them and squeal like crazy, but I somewhat accept they are here.
I tried some southern US Mexican food! It was yummy!
We want to have southern accents. We probably sound horribly offensive.
I have been saying beignets a lot…
The Escapes!
It was great to have Haley and Cameron to tour us around today. Not just because they know the area, but because they know more about the escape community in and around Houston.
We started at Escape Again in Sugar Land (no, it’s not a town made my Willy Wonka) and played their Hike room. It was a fun mid-tier room. It followed the trends of other rooms we have seen here: okay set, standard puzzles that did not always make complete sense but were still enjoyable, and plenty of locks to open. Overall there was a good flow though. There was one really neat environmental element I have not yet seen in any escape room. That’s always exciting!
We got to chat with the owners after and it was evident they are aiming to make each room bigger and better than the last. It’s always great to see owners passionate about learning lessons and applying those lessons to future projects. When we saw the new rooms they were building it was evident they were trying to make things as immersive as they could.
It was also nice to see owners getting along. Haley and Cameron greeted the owners like old friends and we all sat around and talked shop for half an hour before a birthday party came through. It’s encouraging to see this kind of collaboration going on in the industry. Owners gain everything by helping each other. I look forward to hearing of Escape Again’s progress.
The second room of the day was Houston Escape Room. We played a room called Grandma’s Code Breaker. This almost felt like a throwback to some of the earlier games we played years ago. It was pretty low tech. There were a lot of combo locks. Weirdest of all, our GM was in the room! We have not experienced that in years. He was really good at fading into the background though. I practically forgot he was there.
It was a cute room but nothing incredibly special. It did make me realize though that most of the games we played in the southern US have a LOT of puzzles, way more than we are used to. I wonder if that is a local trend or if it’s a product of the public system and bigger group sizes.
I could investigate further, but…I have to get up for a plan in….ugh…four hours…it’s time for sleep. Thank you so much for joining us on our adventures. I have had so much fun but look forward to my own bed and some salad. Stay tuned for my final thoughts on this whirlwind trip. I can’t guarantee I’ll be awake enough to write it in the next day.
An Escape Enthusiast Abroad: Houston Day 1
Our original reason for going to Houston was to finally see Strangebird Immersive’s Man From Beyond. Unfortunately, their new location is currently going through red tape hell and they were not ready for our arrival. They felt super bad but this is a common theme when it comes to building escape rooms. As sad as we were, it was understandable.
We did end up going to meet the owners/designers, Haley and Cameron, for dinner where we could vent and nerd out to our heart’s delight about escapes. Despite the setback, I am really glad I got to meet them in person.
Escape nerdouts with beer!
And besides, one hiccup not about to stop us from trying out escapes anyway! Read the rest of this entry
An Escape Enthusiast Abroad: Baton Rouge
This was it. Wednesday. May 15th. 13th Gate. It was one of the main reasons we booked our trip to NOLA in the first place. And yes, it lives up to the hype.
But first…
Canadian Bumpkin Status: 60%
There is not much here today because we have been driving for most of the day. Even in the car though I am still very much a bumpkin. Read the rest of this entry
An Escape Enthuisast Abroad: New Orleans Day 4
Toady was not as jampacked, but was still full of fun stuff!
Canadian Bumpkin Status: 65%
I think I’m getting into the laid back New Orleans atmosphere. I am only somewhat paranoid now instead of completely.
This is across the street from.our Airbnb. It has become our third home.
My second summation of New Orleans history: if you moved to New Orleans in the 19th century, you died of yellow fever. The end.
My skin has turned from lobster red to a slight tan. I am officially out of Canadian winter mode.
People in New Orleans seem to go out of their way to not pronounce any French names correctly. At the same time, the new pronunciations sound weirdly natural…most if the time.
I bet there is even a local pronunciation of fourth
We found a Trader Joe’s. There is something called Cookie Butter there. We didn’t buy it but…it worries and intrigues me.
I learned the real history of the voodoo doll! I wish someone would do a historical escape room about that.
The Escapes!
Today was Clue Carre in Metairie. It was a Game Museum theme which was probably the better executed of the same type of theme I have seen at other locations. Nothing crazy immersion wise, and a few puzzle ambiguities but otherwise fun! I especially appreciated it as a game enthusiast. They cover all eras of gaming, not just 80’s onwards.
I mean…they don’t mention Gabriel Knight but I can forgive them of that.
They have some new games in development but unfortunately the betas weren’t quite ready yet so we didn’t get to try them. I’m looking forward to see how the Clue Carre games have evolved once they come out.
Oh! And we also found out from the owner, Megan, that their name actually is a play on Vieux Carre (prounounced VooCarrey), the old name for the French Quarter. Yay local knowledge!
As luck would have it though, Escape My Room has a new room coming out in the Audubon Aquarium, and was ready to beta test! We got a chance to do so ourselves. So far we were the second group through.
It is more of a Five Wits style of game in which you play a room for a few minutes before you are pushed over into the next one. I have not played Five Wits but I have been told that this is the case by more than one person :D.
There were a couple of tech hiccups, but otherwise it was probably one of the more polished beta tests I have participated in. The set is absolutely gorgeous with some really unique pieces. Once some of the puzzles are smoothed out this is going to be a great room for kids and enthusiasts alike.
Aftwerward we got to chat a bit with Andrew Preble of Escape My Room. It’s always fun to nerd out about escape rooms and was a great way to end out day!..Okay, the Happy Hour cocktails may have also contributed to that.
One thing I have noticed about New Orleans games (at least the ones we’ve played) is that they tend toward the more non-linear style of game play. For most if not all our games we have had many puzzles to work on from the outset of the room. It’s an interesting contrast to the linear tendencies of other parts of Canada.
I am not sure whether this is a result of the public ticketing system or if it’s a local style. Of course, this is based on two companies played so far. We shall see how 13th Gate feels.
There seems to be a lot of stuff brewing in NOLA, which makes me sad to leave this week. I can’t wait to see how all the new rooms and experiences fare!
Gabriel Knight Locations Found
Today was my last in New Orleans and so my last day to find locations! I was super excited to see what must have been the exact location used from St. Louis Cemetery #1!
The (supposed) Laveau Tomb!
We technically also saw Bourbon Street, but I don’t want to post a picture of that. Trust me, no one wants to see Bourbon Street.
Tomorrow is 13th Gate. We shall see if the hype is worth it!
Hopefully it is as good as this watermelon margherita
An Escape Enthusiast Abroad: New Orleans Days 2 and 3
Since Day 2 of our trip was all tourist stuff and no escapes, I decided to combine Day 2 and 3 into one post!
New Orleans is indeed still a very cool city. We took tours of the Garden District, Lafayette Cemetery, and the French Quarter. The history here is so interesting and rich I am pretty sure I could spend a year here and not have learned half of it.
This is a restaurant that apparently appeases a ghost that haunts it by setting out a table with bread and wine. If I were a ghost, this is how I would want to live out the afterlife.
At the same time, seeing the severe dividing line with the more poverty stricken neighborhoods is striking and a little unsettling. I thoroughly enjoyed hanging around the more tourist friendly areas but am glad I get to see more of the city. Read the rest of this entry
An Escape Enthusiast Abroad: New Orleans Day 1
It’s been one year since my very first Escape Room Enthusiast adventure to the Netherlands. I loved it so much I immediately began to crave more escape experiences around the world.
So when my friends and fellow podcast co-hosts Mike and Ruby told me they were thinking of going to New Orleans and Baton Rouge, home to some of the most immersive escape rooms in North America, I immediately decided to follow them! So we booked our flights, our AirBNBs, our escapes and have finally arrived!
We got to hang out in an airport lounge!
Of course I want to document our adventures, escape or otherwise. So here we go! Read the rest of this entry
Thoughts from the Test Chamber 