“Escape if you can”- Bucktown awaits!

**** It is not easy to admit when one fails, but tonight, as smart as we were, we could not get out of an escape room in the allotted 60 minutes. We did have a good time and saw where we were in error when our “leader” came into our room- “Roaring Dan’s Pirate Dungeon”, one of five themed escape rooms at Escape Artistry located at 1342 N. Milwaukee Avenue ( right across the street from The Den Theater. We made a night of it, first enjoying drinks and some good bar grub just down the street at Standard Bar & Grill (1332 N, Milwaukee Avenue). See RESTAURANTS for more on this.

As we walked up the long flight of stairs, Jane, Cary, Frank and I spoke about our past experiences with Escape Rooms. I would think that the younger kids are much faster at this than we would ever be. We all checked in and the others did their wavers. This is standard operating procedure , reducing the liability for the company that has built the experience.

FYI- we are not at liberty to discuss a great deal, but I can tell you that 3 out of 4 of us had a great time in spite of not finding the last key that would open the final door. When our Hostess came in to recap the good, the bad and the ugly of our experience and showed us what we missed ( more than once, we were on the right path, talking ourselves out of it) there was a knee slapping moment where I wanted to shout “S h _ _ !”.

Ours was “Roaring Dan’s Pirate Dungeon” and there were special areas that we had to get to to work our way out. The first part of the adventure was figured out and I think we were feeling pretty good. After all, we still had 52 minutes. Lo and behold, the time moved quickly and the clues were a little more confusing. They do keep an eye on you ( the one without the patch) and you can hold up a card seeking guidance.

There were times that we seemed frustrated, I am sure, but Frank and Cary truly got down on all fours to try and figure out the clues. No cell phones allowed, no flashlights and no help from outside. You are on your own, brain working on overtime and laughing when you do some silly things, like throwing a potato and hitting a partner/player instead of the target you were looking for. The “key” to the escape room is truly the key.

The Escape Artistry rooms are located at 1342 N. Milwaukee Avenue ( second floor) in Chicago. The hours are 11:30 a.m. ( Saturday and Sunday 10:30 a.m. until 10:30 p.m.

call 773-789-9535

www.escape-artistry.com