Welcome to Happylifeblogspot! A food blog with drool worthy recipes
Show of hands…..does anyone else have cabin fever??? We do this year and it’s pretty hardcore! Now I know a beach vacation with cold drinks and palm trees and waves crashing would be the ultimate cure right about now….but we already have a vacation planned […]
We spent last weekend across the border, exploring Niagara-on-the-Lake before all of the Christmas madness set in. Niagara-on-the-Lake is situated in Ontario, Canada right where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, and directly across the river from Youngstown, NY. This historic town is home to […]
Halloween is basically my family’s favorite holiday! My two adult brother’s still dress up in costumes. My mom dresses up….every year….never fail. Heck, even my 87 year old Grandma still dresses up! Growing up I remember making homemade costumes with my Dad so that I would have the most original (and scariest!) costume in my class. My mom loved throwing us Halloween parties and bringing all of our friends along to haunted houses. And you can bet that come October 1st, she is hounding the whole family to get together and keep the tradition alive! She absolutely LOVES it!!! That’s where Escape City Buffalo comes in!
My family also loves escape rooms! So when we heard that Escape City had a scary escape room…..Body Collectors…..we knew it would be perfect for us! As soon as we entered the lobby at Escape City, we knew that it would be unlike any escape room that we had ever done! Their attention to detail and theming is nothing short of spectacular. It’s pretty much the DisneyWorld of escape rooms! And speaking of Disney, they have a Ghost Mansion room opening in winter 2018, which is rumored to be inspired by The Haunted Mansion. Also coming in winter 2017, will be an adults only Hangover themed room which I absolutely can’t wait to get into! Couple that with their private party room and I can already envision my next birthday party!! Everyone’s invited!!!
We opted to stick with the spooky Halloween spirit and tested our skills at the Body Collectors game. The game is based around the Saw movie series. Without giving too much away, I will say that I was extremely relieved when Billy the Puppet did not ride in on a tricycle, but he does play a major role in the game! (I am SOOOO afraid of puppets!!). You start by selecting one unlucky human sacrifice….err…umm, I mean volunteer. Bless my hubby for stepping up and taking one for the team here! You must then work to free that person from restraints, and then together as a group, you will work your way through a series of chilling and thrilling rooms by finding clues and solving puzzles.
There are a bunch of small scares scattered throughout the game, which keep you on the edge of your seat, but are not enough to scare off even the biggest chicken in your group! I loved that it accommodates all skill levels from escape room newbie to expert because they offer unlimited clues! That’s right! They will give you as many clues as you need to ensure you have the best experience possible. And the clues are displayed on a high quality video monitor, unlike other escape rooms that we’ve been to that just slide a post it note under the door. The game is so extremely well thought out and the rooms are so detailed and high quality that you may even forget that you are playing a game for a moment or two. It literally feels like you are on the movie set for a Saw movie. And with the latest installment, Jigsaw, coming to theaters at the end of October, I can’t think of a better time to try this room! Movie and escape room anyone???
Our group managed to escape with 19 minutes to spare! Afterwards we headed to Smoke on the Water to celebrate our victory and to sample some of Western New York’s best barbecue. We love to cook out anything and everything at home on our propane smoker so we know a good pulled pork when we see one. And the Classic is just that, a perfectly smoked hand pulled pork sandwich on a Costanzos bun. Not to be outdone by the Voodoo fries that come with it. Perfectly crisp and so flavorful! I just could not stop eating them.
My hubby went with the Choose Your Own Adventure, a massive platter of generous portions of two meats and two sides. He chose the obvious traditional BBQ picks, smoked beef brisket and 1/4 rack of baby back ribs, alongside the Voodoo fries (a must!!) and Chiavetta’s potatoes. Is it a man thing to order potatoes with potatoes??? Or just my hubby?!?
If Tonawanda, NY wasn’t on your radar, well then it should be! Smack dab in the middle of Buffalo and Niagara Falls, it’s pretty much accessible to everyone. And I can now say that it’s home to one of the most intriguing and impressive escape rooms in the area as well as some of Western New York’s tastiest barbecue! You’ve got to try both for yourself!! Round up 4-8 people you won’t mind being trapped in a room with, and make it your next date night, family game night, or party! The only thing left to ask is……..Would you like to play a game?????
*I was not financially compensated for this post by Escape City Buffalo. I received a sample of their service for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.*
We had absolutely gorgeous weather for Labor Day weekend, so we decided to do a little bit of local exploring, and took the 30 minute drive out to Kaylena Marie’s Bakery in Orchard Park. I had been completely dying to try out Kaylena Marie’s ever since […]
Last week my husband and I celebrated our wedding anniversary!!! We’ve got 6 years of marriage under our belts, 2191 days, 52584 hours, 3155040 minutes, 1 home, 2 loved puppies, 6 vacations, and ZERO STABBINGS!!! We must be doing something right?!? Here’s hoping we can keep […]
How do you spend the last day of summer vacation?!? Well going on an adventure of course! The best way to start an adventure is with a great deal! Obviously!! Every Wednesday in September, 5 Wits Escape Rooms has joined forces with Bar Louie to bring you this awesome deal! Take advantage of buy one get free admission prices at 5 Wits after dining at Bar Louie (receipt must be from the same day). On top of that, Bar Louie will reward you with a free appetizer for signing up for The Mob via a mobile coupon! Be sure to sign up for this 24 hours in advance as it took a day to receive our coupon. But why stop there with the savings??? Bar Louie runs Happy Hour Monday thru Friday from 4pm-7pm which means you can score $3.50 drafts, $4.50 wines, and $5.50 signature martinis, along with half price flatbreads and select appetizers. So of course we started with a signature martinis and a Bud Light on draft! May I suggest the Diva (pictured below). When the rest of our group arrived, we all chowed down on dinner. Definitely needed our strength and quick wits to be on point for the next part of our adventure!
We headed inside the mall to 5 Wits to see if we were up for the challenge! 5 Wits (at the Walden Galleria in Buffalo) offers three different adventure challenges. Your team must solve a series of puzzles and challenges to complete each adventure. Here you will submerge yourself (and your team) in this action packed, live action, insanely interactive escape room! 5 Wits was unlike any other escape room I had been to, not only because of their top notch special effects and stellar story lines, but also because they are suitable for virtually all ages. Our team consisted of my 8 year old niece Ellie, my 9 year old nephew Nathan, their parents, myself, my husband, and my mom. Yep! Even Grandma came. Our group ranged in age from 8 to 64 and everyone LOVED the experience! We started our journey in Deep Space!
Our mission started here on Earth as we received our instructions. Within seconds we were teleported to the abandoned starship Nebulous, a starship that had recently sent out a distress signal after being abandoned for years.
5 Wits escape rooms are set up in 3 stages. Each stage is set in a different room and whether you succeed or fail, you still get to continue on to the next room. So try to act fast and get your head in the game as quickly as possible to complete the mission. The rooms are very interactive and you’ll be moving around a lot! Your adventure will also be timed, so the faster you complete each task, the better your final score will be. In both games that we played, Deep Space, and Drago’s Castle, the middle stage seemed to be the most challenging stage for our group.
The best advice that I can give to you is to be a good listener!!! We were so impressed by the show of it all that we found it easy to get distracted or over excited while you’re in the game. So try to stay focused. And you will definitely need to utilize your team! Some of the challenges will require you to rely on more than one person to complete. Also it was really nice to have the kids there to handle the low work!
Overall we scored 82 out of 100 in Deep Space, which I thought was pretty good because I’m pretty sure our starship is floating out in space in about a zillion pieces right now! If you’re ever trapped in Deep Space, you might not want to call this team!
But if you ever have to capture a dragon…..now here are the kids for the job!! I couldn’t resist the adorable knight and princess accessories. So cute!! They loved wearing them during the game and they obviously helped us solve the puzzles faster!
For our second game, we tried our hand at Drago’s Castle. This game is full of awesome surprises and without giving too much away, I’ll just say that it was pretty magical. The quest starts and ends with an interactive storybook. This room is more geared towards kids story wise, but the adults absolutely loved it too, and the puzzles were still challenging. It’s probably also a little more physical as well, Grandma was a good sport and crawled on her hands and knees through a tunnel, but they also have another option available if that’s not your thing (which I thought was really nice!).
Overall we scored an 86 out of 100 and captured the dragon in the end! We decided to stop after two adventures since the kids started school the next day, but did purchase tokens to come back on another day and test our wits at the Tomb!!! We can’t wait!!!
We celebrated our win with a victory lap to Dough Boyz Dough for a round of well deserved edible cookie dough! Pictured here are Monster M&M, King Caramel, and Brownie Batter! We also had a few Classic Chips in our party. ALL were delicious!!! Make sure to savor every bite! And if you by chance you can’t finish it, they keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks!!
I can’t think of a better way to spend a Wednesday!
We’d love to hear from you! Leave us your questions, comments, and love down below!
A couple weeks ago we took a charming little daycation to Becker Farms! Does it count as a vacation if it’s just one day of fun? I think so! I’m counting it!! Becker Farms is a quick 45 minute car ride from our home in […]
Hi There! I’m Lisa. I’m a lover of all things crafty, creative, DIY, and delicious!!! Oh yeah and puppies too! I love cooking and baking for my friends and family but especially WITH my friends and family. I show my greatest affection through food. If I cook or bake for you, it means I really like you!