When I woke up this morning, I grabbed my laptop at once and looked to see if anyone had booked the slot I was going for, Gold Rush at 10:40. Still 8 available slots, perfect! I ate two bananas I had left over from yesterday and started walking. It was about half an hour to the location, and I stopped at a newly opened café close by to get a sandwich for breakfast.
The staff at The Escape Game was very friendly and chatty. It was just one other group there at the same time. I figured out that I did my 40th escape room today, which was a fun coincidence since the reason for the trip is that I turned 40 this summer.
I managed to get through the room, The Gold Rush, with just 13 seconds left on the clock. A bit closer than in Las Vegas when I had 5 and 12 minutes to spare. A couple of obvious misses from my side (What has no legs but always runs? Not the clock, apparently). But with good hints from the game guide, I got there in the end. A little too many padlocks for my taste, but the environment was amazing! I think it was the first time I had to fire a gun (an air-powered gun) in an escape room. But that’s America, I guess 🙂
They had an offer of 20% off if you booked your next game at once, so I started thinking. It was very fun, and 20% is quite the offer. And there was another room with no bookings in just 30 minutes. So I took a lap around a few blocks and then came back and booked Special Ops: Mysterious Market. This one only had a couple of padlocks and some pretty nice puzzles, one involving a big screen and missile targeting. I had better luck here and exited with about 9 minutes to spare.
I jumped on an electric scooter and drove off towards Fisherman’s Wharf. Didn’t really know where I was heading, just that I had a couple of more items to shop for. The weather was really nice in the sun, probably the last heat I will feel for a few months now.
I stumbled upon the second location of The Escape Game, and started to talk to manager Meg, asking if any room was playable as a single. I got a couple of options and then had some deliberations with myself, whether it was worth the wait and the cost for a third room today. I decided it was and booked Timeliner: Train Through Time for 16:50. I went for some fika and came back with about 20 minutes left.
At 16:46, a group of six people came in and wanted to play a game. They saw the board and found “my” game (which then had seven available slots). Since I had only paid for one slot, Meg had to book them to the same room. I wouldn’t mind playing with someone else, but these guys seemed to look more for a party than a game. When they were done, Meg came over and asked if I still wanted to play, and I had already started to look at available slots later in the evening. She was so kind and rebooked me to 21:20 and flagged it as private. We spoke quite a lot (while I was waiting) and I’m so happy with her effort to help me!
I got into an Uber and went back to the hotel. I needed to eat some dinner before the game, because it will be quite late afterwards. I took a shower, and before leaving the hotel, I asked the receptionist if they had any taxi service to the airport for a flat rate. No, but they could call a cab. So I’ll either check Uber tomorrow or take the train as I did on the way here.
I went to the same place as the day before yesterday, Ti Piacera. I got one odd table in the middle of everything. No live music tonight, but quite loud. I asked about their mocktails, and I got a mango-based margherita (I think). Then I ordered the Bistecca and the Lava cake for dessert. The food was delicious, and it was, all in all, a very nice last meal in San Francisco.
For once, I took my time eating, not to rush, and I had plenty of time before I should be at the escape room. After I was done, I walked a block and got on bus #19 towards Fisherman’s Wharf. Walked slowly and watched all the happy people that spending the Saturday night out. Apparently, there was some “Santa con”, because very many people were dressed in different Christmas outfits, more than just a red hat.
It was a bit cold, so I got there a bit early to wait in their lounge. At 21:20, I got picked up by a staff member, and I began. Especially the first room was quite tricky, and I had to ask for a few clues. A couple of them I should have gotten on my own, but I made it out with 3:45 to spare.
I walked a few blocks and then got on the bus back to the hotel. When I got to my room, I wrote an email to the Escape Game company and told them about my experience today. Hopefully, it reaches the staff members’ bosses. We should be better overall at giving credit when it’s due.
Tomorrow I’ll pack up and start my journey home. The ten-hour stop at Heathrow, I could live without, but if that’s the price for flying business across the Atlantic, I’ll take it.