I found an advertisement for this virtual escape room/scavenger hunt. The Oz Escape sounded like a lot of fun. Walk around the city to predetermined stops to get information and solve riddles. 1 1/2 hours average time, 2.8K. Easy walk! So much fun!! I went to the site and found out that you get a ticket for $40 and it is valid for 6 people. Very cool!!
Rob said he would go, so I bought the ticket and posted on Facebook for anyone interested to let me know. 1 person replied, a friend that used to work for my work landlord. OK, we have 3. I’ll just talk to other people and get more, I have 3 months until it happens.
During the 3 months, our friend Harold has started spending time with us again. We’ve been going out to parks to walk and going for drinks once in a while. It’s good for Rob to have someone else to talk to!! We asked him to join us with the Escape, he said fun!!
Last month, my former co-worker, Cherie, texted me to say hi. It’s been a long time. I found you that she had some medical issues in the mean time and spent a lot of time in the hospital 🙁 We decided that we aren’t going to let that much time pass until we talked again. I invited her to the Oz Escape and she agreed that it sounded fun and she was in 🙂
I got everyone’s email address and about a week or 10 days before the event, I had the app invite them to the group. One person didn’t get the email, so I uninvited them and resent the invite. Everyone said they got the email, so I figured everything was good. We made plans as to the time we would meet and where. 3:30 at the fountain, or 3 if you want to park near my home and walk over with us. Everything’s set up!!
The day comes, and Harold asks if this is a grown-up thing or if his 9-year-old daughter can come with us. I’m not very good with kids, childless only child here, but I can handle a few hours, right? Unexpected, but no problem, she is usually a good kid. I texted Cherie that she could bring one of hers if she wanted to. The kids would be able to play along with us using the parent’s phone with them. No problem.
It is a very hot day, even for South Florida, but it’s less than 2 miles, it won’t be that bad. Right?
Rob and I are ready at 3, Harold sends a text at 10 after 3 to tell us he is a block away, and Cherie didn’t read the text that told her to be here at 3 if she wanted to walk over. Cherie and Derek were to use the parking garage near the park where we were meeting. Derek was delayed by traffic, so he would be late, and Cherie got a late start. I told Rob everyone was running behind so there was no rush for us to get there at 3:30. Rob, Harold, his daughter (we’ll call her B), and I started walking to the park. B is looking at everything, as kids do, stopping to investigate, etc. Rob is about a block ahead of us because he doesn’t wait for anyone.
When the 4 of us finally make it to the fountain, we started waiting for the 2 that drove. This park has a lot of homeless people living in it, and I see one of them peeing on a wall as we are entering the area. B gets bored and starts wandering around. Rob and Harold were talking, so I remind Harold about her getting to far away. Probably didn’t need to, but I didn’t want anything happening on an excursion that I planned.
I’m texting and on the phone with the 2 drivers. Derek ran into traffic, then needed to stop to get water, he was on his way. Cherie was there and parked, but wasn’t sure how to get the fountain. They were both fairly familiar with the area because we were about a mile from where we all met originally. Go toward the river and make a right on Las Olas. The river is a block south of Las Olas, so easy enough, right?
No, not that easy. Cherie managed to get herself lost. I went to find her, and she had walked 1 block east of the parking garage, headed south to the river, and walked straight across Las Olas and ended up at the river. I found her, and walked back to the fountain with her and showed her where she parked so she didn’t have to go that extra block around.
Cherie reunited with Rob, Harold and B. They hadn’t seen her in a long time either. I got updates from Derek on his ETA while they all talked. Everyone was ready to go. Just waiting for Derek.
Finally the last member of our game arrived. He is hard to miss! He was wearing a black ballcap with a teal blue robot-ish figure wearing headphones, dark purple long shorts, neon-green bandana and wrist bands, black and white checked gloves, black anime shirt with neon-pink Japanese lettering, socks to match the lettering, and shoes of all the above colors. Like I said, hard to miss. I asked if everyone had downloaded the game and if they were ready to go to the game’s starting checkpoint on the next block. No one had downloaded the app yet.
Great, now everyone has the app downloaded and set up an account. I showed them how to get into the game, but Cherie couldn’t get in? We figured out that she hadn’t signed up with the same address she had me send the invite. We got her in and off we all go to the starting point.
We all get there and I asked if everyone had a continue button so we could all start the game together and no one gets ahead of everyone. Trying to prevent confusion. Harold didn’t have the continue button 🙁 His GPS shows him as still being back at our apartment, a mile away!!
Well, I’m trying to fix it, I ask Rob to help, but he has already hit continue and is telling me that he can’t solve the riddle that I haven’t even seen yet because I’m trying to help with the GPS. Finally I get Rob to try, he can’t do it either. Harold and B will have to look over our shoulders. B is REALLY bored by now. We all, except Rob, hit continue and take turns reading aloud the information, and the comic strip like frames that are part of the info. We solve the riddle/game and find out that the second checkpoint is the fountain where we all met to start. B is not happy to be going back to the same place 🙁
We walk the block to get there. We read the info and are trying to figure out the clue. Rob tells us that he is feeling light-headed, and needs something. He doesn’t know what. Water, or food? He doesn’t know. Protein or carbs? He doesn’t know. There is a Velvet Taco across the street, he can get a drink or food, whichever he needs. He doesn’t know, he just needs protein. Well, ok, protein, we can work with that. Go to the Velvet Taco. He isn’t sure. Finally he decides to go get what he needs, then he’ll catch up with us.
We solve the riddle and head to the next checkpoint. There are 16 total, so we do the next 3 or 4 before Rob catches up to us. This checkpoint shows as in the middle of the river, but fortunately we are able to get close enough to get the link. We do another, and are at the place I found Cherie before we got the game started. We do a couple more and aren’t too far from our apartment. Rob tells me he still doesn’t feel well, so he heads home. B has been complaining and I asked if anyone else would like to go. I was trying to sound bitchy about it, but I got a couple of looks. I said I know it’s hot and if anyone else isn’t feeling up to it, it is ok to leave. Everyone else decided to stay.
We head out again, and Derek tells us that he is starting to feel light-headed. I ask?\!ed if he wanted to stop, but he decided to tough it out. He was wearing a lot of dark colors which are murder in the heat 🙁 We are over halfway done, almost 3/4. YAY!!
We push on, with Derek having more heat issues, B is getting more and more bored. I found out that Cherie has to work at 7, I am cat sitting tonight, and B has to get home to her mother. It is already after 5. Between all the delays, we have been out in the heat a lot longer than planned.
Now we go to a checkpoint that looks like it is in the middle of a 6-lane major boulevard in the area. Derek and I can reach the checkpoint on the curb, but Cherie’s phone can’t catch it. Harold and she walked out as far as needed during a break in traffic. We start to work on the puzzle clue, and B decided that she is now interested in the game. She takes my phone to figure out the puzzle. Now I can’t see the puzzle, so I’m waiting for others to figure it out. Derek used a hint 🙁 and they got it. B wants to read the information pages, but has trouble with words like begrudgingly (she is only 9). I helped with the words, but I took my phone back so we could get to the next checkpoint.
The next checkpoint was next to a major homeless encampment in the area. Not fun. This clue is to compare the 2 pictures, B takes my phone to work on the clue. She says she is good at this. Derek isn’t working on it, so I told him to give me his phone. I found the answer and B typed it into the app. Eventually.
Last checkpoint!!! Finally!!! I am getting overwhelmed with the heat just like everyone else, but I am trying not to let it get the better of me. Derek uses hints yet again, B wants to read aloud, everyone else (including me) is just done. I tried to look at the last puzzle, but the heat got the best of me. I asked Derek for the answer, and he asked if I was sure since I like figuring them out. I told him to give me the f-ing answer. I was done. I didn’t get home until after 6:30.
Takeaway. Great event! Lots of fun!! NOT in 100+ weather. Bring water. The designers of the game need to make sure that their checkpoints are in safe areas. Most of them had no shade, and sadly, they didn’t need to be in those exact spots since the sites visited had absolutely nothing to do with the clues and puzzles. No reason to be on the river, or in the middle of a 6-lane boulevard.
I think I’m going to try another indoor escape room next time.