Glen Rock High School, do I have exciting news to share with you! Who here has heard of the new escape room place in town? I know I have! If you haven’t, don’t worry, because I’m here to give you some piece of mind (haha). Escape Much?, run by owner Stephanie Livanos and her husband, recently had its grand opening! The new place opened up in between Giannelli’s and Tasty Junction in town, by the train tracks.
“We’re so happy to bring [our] business to Glen Rock, especially [because] it’s different,” said Ms. Livanos when I went to ask her about her business. “It brought a different aspect to the town.”
The students agree! I sent out a small survey to ask the people of Glen Rock High School what they thought of Escape Much?, and a lot of them thought it was a welcome addition. 73%, to be exact. There are mostly food places here, so this is the first real activity place we have, making it distinct in the best way possible.
“I’m really excited! There aren’t a ton of escape [rooms] in the area, so this is a welcome change,” said Zach Yona. a junior at Glen Rock High School. “It seems like a great place to [hang out] with friends after school,” commented senior Sam Baig.
Escape Much? currently has two rooms: Emily’s Garden and The Lost Artifact, though they plan on expanding later on in the future. I had the pleasure of getting a sneak peek of one room, and while I can’t spoil anything, let me tell you, it was immaculate! “[Both rooms] were absolutely gorgeous!” said Eva McGuire, a freshman and someone who had done the escape rooms before, explaining it better than I ever could. “The puzzles were fun and engaging, and really made you think. The owners are also super nice, and gave good hints when needed.”
The best part? All of these rooms are completely created by the Livanoses. No shortcuts, no purchasing the puzzles from anyone else. Every puzzle is thought up, sometimes from weird dreams at 2 in the morning, and then further developed into a wonderfully thought-out escape room. Isn’t that amazing? Proof that your crazy dreams can actually be useful!
“It’s about communication, teamwork, teambuilding, and working together,” Ms. Livanos explained about the purpose of her escape rooms. “It brings people together.”
The rooms create a super cool environment with all the decorations and lights. Tons of images and furniture in the rooms really add to the feeling and transport you to a whole new world (Aladdin pun very much intended, thank you).
“Our hope is that, when you go into one of these rooms, [you’re] brought to a different universe,” Ms. Livanos said.
If Escape Much? seems like the place you’ve been dreaming of, or even if you are the tiniest bit interested, I encourage you to check it out! Trust me, you won’t regret it. Maybe I’ll see you there!
P. S. Calling all theater nerds! Ms. Livanos is looking for kids to put on a theatrical display of the backstories and/or rules of the rooms. If you’re interested, reach out to [email protected]. Pizza and soda provided!
