Articles by Brian Gondek

The Riviera of the Midwest (St. Joseph, MI)

December 9, 2018 Brian Gondek 0

December 7, 2018 – One month after completing an escape room in Idaho and finishing my 50 state goal, I was feeling stir crazy.  Between holidays, illnesses, and buying a new car, I’ve been stuck in the suburbs of Chicago every week, with only a quick trip over the border to the Milwaukee area to break things up a little.  This weekend was no different, with a Christmas party and a Blackhawks game to go to.  Still, no snow on the roads and an open Saturday left me feeling ok with getting out of town.

Puzzle #26: Right in Front of You

December 6, 2018 Brian Gondek 1

Today’s puzzle is similar to one from a few weeks ago.  I had asked for the longest possible word where each letter comes after the previous in the alphabet and got many interesting answers.  The challenge is the same today, but with a different sequence of letters.

St. Louis, MO: St. Louis Escape – Subway

December 3, 2018 Brian Gondek 0

May 25, 2018 – St. Louis Escape looks scary from the outside.  You enter through an unadorned staircase adjacent to a loading dock.  The entrance is well-labeled, thankfully, and that gives you the confidence to keep you moving forward, though you reach for your cell phone to make sure you can call for help if you run into any trouble.  And then you enter the lobby and find all your concerns were for naught, as St. Louis Escape actually has a really spacious and comfy lobby which gives you plenty to do (puzzles, games, pinball) while you wait for your […]

Puzzle #25: Plus 1 Letter

November 29, 2018 Brian Gondek 1

After last week’s puzzle focused on an interesting relationship between two words with the same letters (gum/mug, congrats to Jon C. for being first to answer), I upped the ante and came up with a similar puzzle with two four letter words.

Puzzle #24: One for the Road

November 22, 2018 Brian Gondek 0

On the road to Wisconsin to visit family for Thanksgiving, a new riddle fell right into my lap and I knew I had my puzzle for the week.  One more thing to give thanks for.  But seriously, this year has been great and I feel very blessed.  Thanks again to everyone who’s made the 2018 journey so special.  And the year isn’t over just yet!

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Guest Puzzler

November 21, 2018 Brian Gondek 0

As I’m approaching my own deadline for putting together a riddle this week (Wednesday before midnight!), a colleague and puzzle enthusiast sent me a big list of rebuses (rebi?) to tackle.  Deadline for my own submission is tomorrow, so wish me luck.  When I finish, I’ll report on how many I was able to solve and you can try your hand at beating my mark.

Louisville, CO: Rabbit Hole Recreation Services – Mystic Temple

November 17, 2018 Brian Gondek 0

November 2, 2018- I get asked a lot what escape rooms I’ve done have been my best or my favorite, and I’ve always deflected those questions.  One of the reasons I can still enjoy escape rooms after solving 300+ is that each room is so different, and most aren’t even trying to do the same thing.  Sometimes it’s a cinematic experience meant for a small group.  Sometimes it’s a communications exercise for a large group.  It can be a linear brainteaser or a tangle of parallel tracks.  Different people will like different styles of rooms more than others, and unless I know […]

Puzzle #23: Mysteriously Vanished?

November 17, 2018 Brian Gondek 0

Getting ready to publish another escape room tale when I noticed that puzzle #23 had up and vanished from the site.  No idea what happened, and apologies for any confusion this may have caused!

Puzzle #22: Forward-looking Words

November 9, 2018 Brian Gondek 0

No, I haven’t disappeared.  I’ve been working on rolling out a new way to anonymously submit answers to my weekly puzzle, and I think I’ve got it!  Let’s try it out this week.  No longer do you need to go out on a limb and publish your answer for all to see.