Monopoly: San Jose Edition

Did you know San Jose has the largest Monopoly board in the world? You can find it at Discovery Meadow near the Children's Discovery Museum and for $300 you can rent it for a private party. The 3-hour game even uses giant game pieces and dice. 

Now we're getting a normal size version of the game, but with a San Jose twist. The makers of Monopoly are creating a San Jose Edition of the game where all 38 spots on the board will represent local areas. You can submit ideas for the 22 property spots at sanjose@toptrumps.com. So if it's always been your dream to own both Santana Row and Valley Fair and add a couple hotels to them, this will be your chance.

Source: SVBJ

San Jose Puzzle

Here's a quick brain teaser before the weekend. Where should San Jose go on the list below? Submit your answer over here.

Hat tip to Serhiy Grabarchuck for submitting this.

Terminator Virtual Reality attraction coming to San Jose

An LA entertainment startup called Spaces is launching their first US-based attraction and we are one of two planned stateside locations. The 30-minute experience sets up teams of guests to take on Skynet, so the location couldn't be more appropriate. In addition to VR headsets, there will be physical effects like wind and explosions.

Even though you probably have never heard of Spaces, they were spun out of DreamWorks Animation and have an impressive list of executives and investors. This will likely be a big-budget experience. The company also has a $30 million contract to bring VR and mixed-reality to a Chinese theme park and are working on other VR experiences using their own intellectual property.

There will be an exclusive sneak peak at a secret location sometime soon. You can register for a chance to be one of the first to try out the experience over here.

It will be interesting to see how these next-generation entertainment experiences pan out. Hopefully we are not taking too many steps towards becoming a Black Mirror episode.

Source: SVBJ

Omescape San Jose adds a 5th escape game: Sorcerer's Sanctum!

Escape games are now all the rage in the Bay Area, but some rooms are far better than others. The concept is similar for all escape games: you are locked in and have an hour to solve a series of puzzles in order to unlock the door and escape. So far I have done all of the Omescape rooms in San Jose, and they have been by far my favorites. 

Omescape uses a lot of special effects, tactile challenges (as opposed to solving lots of math problems), and utilizes multiple rooms/secret doors for each escape. Some challenges can feature as many as 6 rooms to explore.

Omescape San Jose has recently added a 5th room called Sorcerer's Sanctum, and that officially makes it the largest venue for escape games games in California. There are very few locations in the world with more than 3 rooms. Omescape kindly invited the San Jose Blog team to come to Central San Jose and try out the new room.

Sorcerer's Sanctum has a brilliant set design that sets a new benchmark for these types of game. We were not allowed to take photos in the room, but have provided a few stock photographs below. The theme is magic--there were magical wands, potions, hidden doors, and so many other surprises that you might expect from a Sorcerer's laboratory. Some of the clues and pieces had RFID chips in them so that they would electronically unlock the next challenge when placed in the right spot. It was as high-tech as escape rooms get. Here is the official description:

Sorcerer's Sanctum
You and your friends have accidentally stepped into a house occupied by great magicians. Your team work will be crucial in helping you pass through a series of magical puzzles in order to escape from the spell in time!

I will say that the 4/5 difficulty rating is way off. This room only has a 2% escape rate so far, which is the lowest of any of their games. They are thinking about making some of the challenges easier or bumping up the rating to 5/5 difficulty. We did get out, but it took 72 minutes. If you go over 60, that means you do not win. The brilliant thing about the room is that we had so much fun even though we were not able to get out in time. Most of our team had never done an escape game before, but they all had a blast and are eager to do more! If you are a beginner, I recommend doing Kingdom of Cats to start.

Omescape San Jose is located at 625 Wool Creek Dr, Ste E, San Jose 95112. Check out their Facebook page over here and book tickets here.

Remote Chance: A Cinematic Escape

The newest escape game in San Jose is themed around the film industry and is called Remote Chance. This one is designed for teams up to 11 players and the challenge lasts 1.5 hours (including introduction and solution walkthrough). For those have have never done one of these, your team is locked in a room and has a certain amount of time to solve puzzles and escape. They are really fun to do with friends and coworkers.

Remote Chance is located at 701 N. 1st Street and games are available at the following times:

Friday 6:45pm, 8:45pm
Saturday 10:20am, 12:05pm, 2:50pm, 4:35pm, 6:50pm, 8:35pm
Sunday 10:20am, 12:05pm, 2:50pm, 4:35pm, 6:50pm

For more info and to get tickets, head over here.

San Jose Murder Mystery Dinners

Last weekend, my wife and I attended "A Dance with Death," a 50's-themed interactive murder mystery dinner in Downtown San Jose. The event was a blast!

The story is told during three acts where the mystery unfolds live. There are actors but some of the guests are also turned into characters in the story. Obviously, one or more people are not going to make it through the night and your goal is to figure out who the murderer (or murderers) are. In between the acts you have time to do investigation and interact with each character to collect clues. Throughout the show you also get a three-course meal and can order drinks to help lubricate your brain.

The Murder Mystery Co. hosts a dinner every Sunday at the Old Spaghetti Factory in San Pedro Square. They have been performing in the Bay Area for the last 3+ years and have a very talented group of actors. There are different themes and stories, but it looks like the two that are alternating right now are "A Dance with Death" and "Midnight at the Masquerade." The also host a Thursday event in Redwood City at another OSF.

Fore more information and for tickets, head over here.

Omescape San Jose adds a 4th escape game - Pandemic Zero

Escape games are continuing to become more and more popular in the Bay Area. I love them, even thought I lost the first three rooms I attempted. They are not easy (only 15-33% of teams escape), but even if you lose it is a great experience.

The concept is similar for all of these rooms: you are locked in and have an hour to solve a series of puzzles in order to unlock the door and escape. Some companies create rooms that are better and more interesting than others. So far I have done three of the Omescape rooms and they have been among my favorites. Omescape uses a lot of special effects, tactile challenges (as opposed to solving lots of math problems), and utilizes multiple rooms/secret doors for each escape.

Omescape San Jose launched with three rooms: Kingdom of Cats (easiest, 2-6 players), Dark Altar (medium difficulty, 4-6 players), and Joker's Asylum (very hard, 6-10 players). Their fourth room is called Pandemic Zero and is medium difficulty (3-6 players). Here is a description of their latest challenge:

Pandemic Zero
A super virus has infected 95% of the world's population.
You have discovered the location of a top-secret lab. However, the entrance to it has been locked because of a citywide quarantine.
Can you find the hidden entrance underneath the city in the sewers and finish work on the cure before you become infected too?

I'm really stoked to try it out next weekend. They are also working on a fifth room that is still 2-3 months away, which will make it the largest escape room facility in the Bay Area and perhaps California. If you have yet to do an escape room, try Kingdom of Cats and you'll be hooked.

Omescape San Jose is located at 625 Wool Creek Dr, Ste E, San Jose 95112. Check out their Facebook page over here and book tickets here.

Omescape has brought three awesome escape games to San Jose with more to come

Escape games have become all the rage in the Bay Area, and for good reason--they are a lot of fun! The concept is simple, you are locked in a room and have an hour to solve a series of puzzles in order to get the key and escape. The puzzles are often very creative and require out-of-the-box thinking to solve.

Usually these games are very challenging (only 15-33% of teams escape). I have now done four of them and and have only escaped once, and I can tell you that every single time has been a blast including the three losses. You'll be thinking and talking about the game for days after it ends. I have to warn you that these can be very addicting.

Omescape was kind enough to invite me to try a game in their San Jose location. In 2014, the company opened its first Bay Area location in Richmond. They then opened the San Jose location late last year at 625 Wool Creek Dr, Ste E, San Jose 95112. Over 3,500 groups had already played in Richmond and 6,000+ individuals have played in San Jose. Omescape chose to open a location in San Jose since their target customers are smart, young professionals that are passionate about trying new things.

Currently Omescape San Jose has three rooms: Kingdom of Cats (easiest, 2-6 players), Dark Altar (medium difficulty, 4-6 players), and Joker's Asylum (very hard, 6-10 players). Since I have done a few escape rooms already, I asked to try Joker's Asylum which only has a 13% escape rate. It was by far the toughest room I have done, but we had an awesome team and managed to escape! There is not much I can tell you about the room without spoilers, but I will say the puzzles were very creative and the room(s) were well designed. They also heavily used technology to enhance the whole experience.

Two additional rooms are under construction right now. One will open next month (ToxiNation) and the last one will take another three months. After those are completed, Omescape San Jose will be the largest complex for escape games in the Bay Area.

As a special treat for everyone reading this right now, they have provided me with a coupon code good for 10% off any game. Head over here to check out their games and redeem the code!


Coupon Code: THESANJOSEBLOG
10% off

To redeem: Go to https://omescape.us/sanjose/book/ --> Pick the desired room by clicking "Book Now" -->  Choose a time and date --> Select the number of participants then click "Continue" --> Enter the code on the right column --> 10% discount will apply to the entire room rate.

Please note: The group must meet the minimum number of players required for the game room to make a booking, and once the booking is made, the room is exclusive to the group. If the group wants to add additional player(s) after the booking has been made, and the group is under the maximum number allowed for the room, they can just pay at Omescape once they arrive for the extra player(s).

Real Escape Game San Jose - The Crazy Last Will of Dr. Mad

San Jose's second mass-escape game takes place this weekend at the San Jose Woman's Club in Downtown San Jose. Teams of six will compete to virtually escape a room by solving a variety of puzzles and riddles. Each team has 60 minutes to escape, and even if you don't escape you will get a full walk-through at the end. These events are a ton of fun and you will be talking about the game well after it ends.

There are 13 different time-slots to choose from between Thursday the 19th to Sunday the 22nd. For more information and to book tickets, click here.

Super Bowl Festivities in Downtown San Jose

Downtown San Jose is going all out for Super Bowl 50 this week! This isn't just pandering to this big event. The Carolina Panthers are staying at the San Jose Marriott and Super Bowl Opening Night will be hosted at the SAP Center. The heart of San Jose's Super Bowl 50 activities will be in Plaza de Cesar Chavez. They have installed an advanced lighting system synced to live music, a beer garden, multiple game areas, and food trucks. Downtown Ice is still going strong and there is even a NFL store pop-up shop nearby. San Pedro Square has shut down a whole street, added turf, and provided 50 nerf footballs to throw around.

There is a lot going on, and thankfully the city has provided an interactive Super Bowl 50 map for Downtown activities. Check it out over here!

Summer in St. James Park

Every week there is an assortment of events happening in St. James Park. You have family-friendly concerts every Thursday at 6:30pm, music and spoken work performances every Tuesday at 6:30pm, and Yoga and Games at noon every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. You can access the most recent calendar of events at the San Jose Parks Foundation website. I'm happy to see so much effort going into activating this historic park.

Escape from The Werewolf Village

A new "Escape" game is coming to San Jose! If you haven't done one of these yet, they're a blast. Its basically a live game where your team has an hour to figure out how to escape a room by solving a series of puzzles. It's a unique and challenging experience and I'm stoked to another escape game coming to San Jose.

This particular event is only taking place from May 21st-24th at the San Jose Woman's Club (75 S 11th Street, San Jose). I normally would not post this far in advance, but I have a feeling these tickets will sell out. You can find out more about this great event and get tickets over here.

There is also "Escape from the Mysterious Room" on North First Street, which is exceptionally well done. That event is ongoing and you can get tickets here.

Kickstarter: Monopoly in the Park Picnic Tables

The largest Monopoly board in the world needs your help! There are four tables with checkerboard centerpieces that have to be replaced due to wear and tear over the last 10 years and some vandalism. Since Monopoly in the Park does not receive any funding from the city, they are looking to the community to help fund these new tables that will be available for all to enjoy (and this time they will be coated with anti-graffiti sealer to protect and preserve this investment).

To contribute, please head over to the Kickstarter page over here. Hat tip to Karl Schramm for alerting me to this.