This year, we wanted to do something different for our holiday party instead of just drinks and food. We were invited to try out Puzzle Out and told me to bring a big crew. We went after Park & Sixth, and none of us knew what to expect. We all hung out in the lobby area, super rowdy. Everyone was Instagram-ing and Snapchat-ing, it was so funny! We all got pretty hyped.

The Puzzle Out team commanded our attention and told us we needed to get into two teams, and we would be going against each other. Of course, the two team leaders were myself and Haytham. Haytham is extremely competitive, so I knew right away I had to choose the right team members.

After we all did weird team handshakes and huddles, we were shipped off to two separate rooms. The idea behind the escape room is that every room is a different theme. There are clues and puzzles that you have to solve in order to get points. In our case, it was money. But you must escape the room within the hour.

To be really honest, I suck at puzzles or anything involving any sort of logic. I definitely only work with one side of my brain, so this was a fun challenge. We all had to work together to figure shit out. We laughed a lot, yelled at each other a little bit, and I think it definitely brought my team closer. We were also able to monitor what Haytham’s team was doing and how many points they were getting, so that definitely added to the competitive experience.

We didn’t end up winning, and neither Haytham’s team since none of us managed to escape the rooms in time, but since Haytham’s team had more points, I guess you could say they won. And they definitely rubbed it in our faces, but it was all in good fun!

We all hung out in the lounge afterwards and laughed, recounted fun moments, took photos, and hugged it out.

If you want to do something different with your colleagues, friends, or family (other than going out for drinks or dinner) I highly recommend checking out The Puzzle Room at 317 Grove St. They’re perfect for corporate team building, or team building for small businesses!

Visit puzzleoutroom.com for more info!