Insomnia Escape

Being Patient is Much Harder than Being “A” Patient – Room: The Patient – July 15, 2018

~ Mike K.

ESCAPE ROOM REVIEW – THE QUICK AND DIRTY

Play if… you had psych as a GenEd in college.

Avoid if… being restrained is NOT your idea of a good time.

THE BASICS

Insomnia Escape DC:

Address: 2300 Wisconsin Ave NW, #200B, Washington, DC 20007 (click address for a Google Map)

Contact and Website: 202-600-0419
https://insomniaescaperoomdc.com/the-patient/

Room – The Patient:

Description (from the company website):

Detective thriller in a psychiatric hospital.
Investigate the mystery, but don’t lose your mind…

The early 1970s. You are a group of journalists sent to investigate strange things that happen around St. Elizabeth Psychiatric Hospital…

An unsettling atmosphere of a mental asylum and unexpected scenario twists in the new thriller detective escape room “The Patient.”

Difficulty (1-10): 9/10

Time Limit: 60 minutes

Cost: $29/per person

Identifier: R1

Party Size: 2-8

Staging Area: The staging area was basically a lobby with a few couches and a coat rack. Note: this part of their location is located DOWNSTAIRS to the left of the main entrance..

Metro Access/Parking: The nearest Metro stop is either Tenleytown or Woodley Park metro (and then a bus), so it’s likely easier to drive/cab/Lyft in. There is street parking and one or two garages nearby.

OUR EXPERIENCE

This is the video we took before we entered the room:

Logistics:

Description of the room: A small office in what appears to be a mental institution.

Understanding of the Mission: Using our journalistic investigative skills, figure out what’s happening at St. Elizabeth’s Psychiatric Hospital.

Did We Escape: Yes

Time Remaining: About 4 minutes.

Our Suggested Party Size: 4 if you’re all experienced; otherwise, 6 will work fine.

Did the room challenge the entire team? Yes

Members of our team (other than the ERG): Ethan, Steph D., and Heather

Worth the time and money? This room is billed as their best and hardest room, and it was challenging (but not impossible).

Where to Eat/Drink Before/After:

  • Old Europe. Authentic German food a few minutes walk. Been there twice.
  • Glover Park Brewery – A good brewery with a nice selection of beers. No food, but they cycle in food trucks so you can get some grub.

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Who Wants to Live Forever, Anyway? – Room: The Alchemist – October 12, 2018

~ Jason ~ 1 Comment

ESCAPE ROOM REVIEW – THE QUICK AND DIRTY

Play if… you’ve got the Midas touch.

Avoid if… you think that the Philosopher’s Stone originated with Harry Potter.

THE BASICS

Insomnia Escape DC:

Address: 2300 Wisconsin Ave NW, #200B, Washington, DC 20007 (click address for a Google Map)

Contact and Website: 202-600-0419
https://insomniaescaperoomdc.com/secret-society

Room – The Alchemist:

Description (from the company website): A perfect library with floor to ceiling bookshelves. The smell of old books that lingers here is distinctive, but it is hard to know exactly what creates the nostalgic aroma. The room looks like the place where Goldfinger would stockpile gold reserves. Oh, wait… Have I just said gold?

Well, that is right. Probably you have heard that the Order of the Alchemists has finally created the Philosopher’s Stone. The secret gathering of the Order is arranged to take control of the World with this powerful artifact. You are sneaking into the library of the Master of the Order just 60 minutes before the Order members will start arriving. You are the last hope of mankind, you have to stop them.

Our escape room could be filled with enough comfy chairs and reading material to call itself DC’s best-hidden library but you will not have time for such mundane activities anyway. This is the place where the Order of the Alchemist keeps their secret documents and your task it to find the Stone.

The Alchemist is an innovative escape room here in DC. Once you and a group of your friends cross the threshold, you are transported into a different world. Can you escape the library before the members of the Order come for you? Can you find the Stone before it is too late?

Difficulty (1-10): 9/10

Time Limit: 60 minutes

Cost: $29/per person

Identifier: R1

Party Size: 2-8

Staging Area: The staging area was basically a lobby with a couch, coat closet, and a water cooler.

Metro Access/Parking: The nearest Metro stop is either Tenleytown or Woodley Park metro (and then a bus), so it’s likely easier to drive/cab/Lyft in. There is street parking and one or two garages nearby.

OUR EXPERIENCE

This is the video we took before we entered the room:

This is the video we took just after we completed the room:

Logistics:

Description: Instead of describing it, we have a picture! (posted with permission from Insomnia Escape DC)

This is a view of the room from the entryway.
This is a view of the room from the entryway.

Understanding of the Mission: Pretty straightforward. Find the hidden Philosopher’s Stone before he comes back and catches you.

Did We Escape: Yes

Time Remaining: 13 minutes.

Our Suggested Party Size: We had 6; 4-6 should be perfect.

Did the room challenge the entire team? Not particularly

Members of the team (other than the ERG): Steph D, Heather, Rosemary, and Don

Worth the time and money? This room had previously been billed as their best and hardest room. We can tell you it’s certainly not the hardest.

Where to Eat/Drink Before/After:

  • Old Europe. Authentic German food a few minutes walk. Been there twice.

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Damn, It Feels Good to Be a Gangsta – Room: Cosa Nostra – March 19, 2016

~ Mike K. ~ 4 Comments

ESCAPE ROOM REVIEW – THE QUICK AND DIRTY

Play if… you were a bootlegger (or a gangster) in a previous life.

Avoid if… guns make you nervous or you are a prohibitionist.

THE BASICS

Insomnia Escape DC:

Address: 2300 Wisconsin Ave NW, #200B, Washington, DC 20007 (click address for a Google Map)

Contact and Website: 202-600-0419
https://insomniaescaperoomdc.com/cosa-nostra

The Room – Cosa Nostra:

Description (from the company website): Tucked away in a remote alleyway, behind an unmarked door and camouflaged with a fancy gallery space, there is an urban heaven for booze aficionados. This is the year 1933, under mysterious circumstances, you are transferred to a secret speakeasy, back in the waning days of Prohibition.

Difficulty (1-10): 6/10

Time Limit: 60 minutes

Cost: $29/per person

Identifier: R1

Party Size: 2-7

Staging Area: The staging area was basically a lobby with a couch, coat closet, and a water cooler.

Metro Access/Parking: The nearest Metro stop is either Tenleytown or Woodley Park metro (and then a bus), so it’s likely easier to drive/cab/Lyft in. There is street parking and one or two garages nearby.

OUR EXPERIENCE

Logistics:

Description: Set in a saloon, you walk into the bar. There’s a poker table with several hands showing and a full pot on the table. The empty booze bottles on the shelf, and a pistol. Well decorated and themed, but it did feel a little crammed at first.

Understanding of the Mission: pretty straightforward… We needed to figure out who was killed and where they stashed the goods.

Did We Escape: Indeed we did.

Time Remaining: Just over 5 minutes.

Our Suggested Party Size: We had 7, so the recommended party size of 2-7 was pretty spot on.

Did the room challenge the entire team? Yes, there was plenty for people to work on as smaller teams.

Members of the team (other than the ERG): Stephanie, Chris, Jess and Tom.

Team Disturbed Friends (Jason, Stephanie, Mike, Chris and Jess) conquered Cosa Rostra at Insomnia Escape DC. Photo courtesy of Insomnia Escape DC's Facebook page.
Team Disturbed Friends (Jason, Stephanie, Mike, Chris and Jess) conquered Cosa Nostra at Insomnia Escape DC. Photo courtesy of Insomnia Escape DC’s Facebook page.

Worth the time and money? This location proves the old adage “never judge a book by its cover” since the building and office space is a little unassuming, but the room was really well done. We would do it again if we had to do it all over.

Where to Eat/Drink Before/After:

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