Downtown Hunt and Escape

On Saturday, a group of my friends and I did something really unique and fun. There was a special event in downtown Fort Wayne that was a GPS-app-based scavenger hunt and escape room, kind of like the popular Pokémon Go stuff, but this time the theme was Beauty and the Beast (and other assorted fairy tale characters). It involved in elaborate backstory and complex relational dynamics, and we spent four hours covering a 6-block radius of the city to gather clues, solve puzzles, and have interviews with fictional characters. We took a little break halfway through for a refreshing drink and snack at Fortezza, and we darted from shade to shade as the afternoon heated up, but we stuck with it, completed the challenges, and ultimately saved the Beast! Here were the three highlights of the event for me: 

1. Doing it with amazing and adventurous friends. Pam, Kelsey, and Rachel are all three "O.G. Fort Wayne Friends" that I knew 10 years ago, and I am thankful that I get to still have them in my life. They are some of the most creative and courageous women I know, as well as some of the most fun people to spend a sunny summer afternoon with! Bonus friends were Kelsey's daughter, Melody, and Rachel's son, Uriah, who are just as cool as their parents. 

2. Dressing up. I love a good excuse to wear a costume or dress up, so when the game instructions suggested it, of course we went all out! we decided to get creative and try to make our own versions of the various characters from the movie. So I was a Cogsworth the Clock, Pam was Mrs. Potts, Rachel was an angry mob townsperson, Kelsey was the overwhelmed mother from the marketplace, Uriah was Chip the Teacup, and of course Melody was Princess Belle. I personally think that of all the groups we saw around town, we had the best costumes. And when people would smile or wave or point, I greeted them with a jaunty "Bonjour!"


 3. Accessibility. It was so much fun to be downtown again, like last year! And all of the areas that we visited during the event reminded me of how accessible and wheelchair friendly this town is... good job, Fort Wayne! Sidewalks, curb cuts, store entrances... we could all do together, I didn't miss out on anything because of my wheels. In fact, there was even a challenge that I was able to complete for the group, by going to retrieve a special item several blocks away, when everyone else needed to just rest on a shaded park bench for a bit. It is very empowering and invigorating to be in a place where I feel like I can get wherever I want to go and have full access.

I have a few more adventures planned for this summer, so stay tuned to learn all about it! 

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