60 to Escape (Schaumburg, IL): Wild, Wilder West (and two games in one!)

August 31, 2026 Brian Gondek 0

When 60 to Escape opens a new room, I always find out in the weirdest ways. They rarely advertise ahead of time that a new room is coming, and they quietly release new rooms to roll them out slowly. Because of this, my process for finding out about a new game is by crossing my fingers and checking out the booking page for all three of their locations, then doing a triple take when I see a new icon among the mix.

Home Games Aboard a Ship

August 8, 2026 Brian Gondek 0

After our first two days on the Norwegian Getaway, we had played both the ship’s escape room game and the ship’s murder mystery game, and outside of a few remaining trivia games, we were left to our own devices for thought-driven games. The good news is that I brought along a supply.

International Waters: NCL Getaway – Bamboozled

August 1, 2026 Brian Gondek 0

The first night of a cruise is generally a quiet one, with a welcome party and little else. Our recent trip aboard the Norwegian Getaway through a little surprise at us – the ship’s escape room game, Bamboozled, was scheduled for the first night!

Travel Tip: Trading Rental Cars

July 25, 2026 Brian Gondek 0

I had an unfortunate adventure on our most recent road trip. The good news is that there’s a lesson to be learned from it! The story begins below, with the lesson at the end.

Four Planes, Three Trains, Two Cars, and a Boat

July 18, 2026 Brian Gondek 0

I’m typically an advocate for squeezing in as much as possible into a single trip, and my recent trip across the Southeast was an all-timer. Trips like this one may sound stressful, but I have some tips on how to get maximum enjoyment out of them.

City Limits Escape Rooms (Volo, IL): Grand Opening!

June 2, 2026 Brian Gondek 0

This week marked a very cool occurrence – City Limits Escape Rooms had a grand opening event in Volo, IL. Tours, snacks, giveaways, and a ribbon cutting… It was a special event in many ways, but escape room enthusiasts have some particularly special reasons to be excited. What are those reasons?

Hugo and the Solo Creator

May 17, 2026 Brian Gondek 0

Today I’d like to spotlight a lesser heralded pioneer who is probably one of the top handful of people responsible for getting me into escape rooms and puzzles. I need to start with the answer to a simple question – who is David Gray?

The Four Wishes – A New Genius Successor

April 18, 2026 Brian Gondek 0

Last year, we had a ridiculously good stretch of mind game shows, with Bloody Game 3, Devil’s Plan 2, and Genius UK airing at the same time, with Youtube productions Gamebreaker and Life’s Game providing additional options. Since then, we’ve had a long break, but the silence was broken by a very worthwhile entry to the genre – Four Wishes!