Ensenada, Mexico: Escape Room Ensenada + Room #300

February 12, 2019 Brian Gondek 1

February 9, 2019 – There’s a lot to cover in this post.  Not only was my visit to Escape Room Ensenada my 300th escape room, but it was also the first time I attempted an escape room in a non-English language.  The rooms I completed in Singapore and Japan were English-friendly, so this was a completely new challenge for me.

Puzzle #35: Video Round!

February 7, 2019 Brian Gondek 2

I’m in Los Angeles now on my way to a cruise that’ll take me to Ensenada Mexico, and I’m really hoping I’ll find a way to play their escape room.  The room first opens at 5PM and my cruise ship departs at 6, so unless I can get them to open early for me, I’m out of luck.  But I will keep trying!

Tulsa, OK: Safehouse Tulsa – Crypt and Homicide

February 1, 2019 Brian Gondek 0

May 26, 2018 – No time for rest as I headed onward from Kansas City.  In a last minute judgment call, I decided to push forward to tick Oklahoma off my list of states.  My original plan was to dedicate a trip to flying into Dallas and driving from there to Oklahoma City (cheaper than flying directly to Oklahoma City).  But I had the time and relished the opportunity to get ahead of my planned pace for 2018.

Puzzle #34: Outside the Box

January 31, 2019 Brian Gondek 0

Well, it’s officially cold in Chicago.  I put a water bottle INSIDE my foyer, and this morning it was frozen solid when I woke up.  I’m pretty sure that if my heater stops working, my place will be sub zero in under an hour.  As a result, I really wanted to do a fire-themed puzzle today, but I settled for matchsticks.

Puzzle #33- Bonus Round!

January 24, 2019 Brian Gondek 1

This week, I’m introducing bonus elements to puzzles!  Every once in a while, I’ll add a little bit extra to a riddle, either connecting the riddle to some kind of outside reference or extra layer of challenge.  It may be fair, it may be unfair- it’s a complete grab bag!  The bonus might literally be unsolvable without advanced knowledge of Morse Code and classical literature…  Or it may be kind of easy.  Either way, it doesn’t hurt to guess.

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January Project Update – Final Design

January 24, 2019 Brian Gondek 0

I’ve been somewhat quiet lately despite not traveling all that much in early 2019.  I’m still feeling good about the twelve projects in twelve months goal for this year, and I’m more than excited ever about my January project.  The final delivery might be a bit later than Jan 31, but I can kick off the February project while waiting for the finished items. Christina and I have finalized our design for the January item, and while I want to keep it a little bit of a secret, I’m also eager to tell everyone.  The January product will be my […]

Puzzle #32: A Simple Trick

January 20, 2019 Brian Gondek 0

Ten days left in January, and there’s still a lot of work to do to get the first product of the year out the door.  Given the time constraints for starting mid January, my hope is to at least have the order submitted for production by January 31st.  In the meantime, here’s a new puzzle!

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2019 Goal: The Twelve Labors

January 17, 2019 Brian Gondek 0

The first few weeks of 2019 have been rough.  I’ve been focused nearly around the clock on a project for work, and any free time I’ve had has quickly been scooped up by other responsibilities.  I haven’t traveled anywhere since the trip to St. Joseph, Michigan (over a month ago), and it’s been a few weeks since I’ve done a local escape room.  I’ve been getting stir crazy.

Puzzle #31: Outside Knowledge

January 10, 2019 Brian Gondek 2

It’s always tough to determine how much outside knowledge is fair for a puzzle.  Is it fair game to have a puzzle that connects to a calendar?  Roman numerals?  Pi?