Missions and Martinis: SpyScape NYC

Have you ever wondered what kind of spy you would be?  Could you be the next James Bond fighting in the action or are you a pro hacker behind the scenes?  Whelp head out to 55th and 8th to experience SpyScape, the new experience that tests your wit and skills to see what kind of spy you can be.  I recently went to SpyScape on a Friday night for their Missions and Martinis event.  You must be 21+ and will receive one drink ticket & free bar snacks for the night.  My friend and I had been planning to go for the longest time and finally found a Friday free to sing Carl Wheezer's spy song for the night, yes that happened.

It is better to buy your tickets ahead of time online and make your spy profile then versus wasting time at the place.  Once you get there and check in they have free lockers before you head up to the spy experience which was very convenient so you didn't have to drag around a big coat or clunky bag.  You can then head over to the elevator to begin your experience.  The elevator was huge and features an intro video along the walls.  It explains how the tasks will help decide what kind of spy you should be.  Below is a list and description of each type of spy that the SpyScape website provides.

Spymaster: A leader of an intelligence organization

Intelligence Analyst: An expert who gleans crucial insights from intelligence

Spycatcher: A specialist in counterintelligence; thwarting enemy spies

Hacker: Someone who breaks into enemy computer systems or protects their own systems from cyber attack

Cryptologist: A mathematical master of making and breaking codes

Agent Handler: A manager of agents who provide secret intelligence or operational support

Surveillance Officer: Someone who follows and observes suspected enemies

Technical Operations Officer: A person who gathers intelligence by tapping phones, breaking into buildings, planting cameras, and other means

Special Operations Officer: Someone who gathers intelligence and destroys targets in hostile environments

Intelligence Operative: The heart of an intelligence organization, involved in an array of operations, from servicing dead drops to setting up safe houses

Once you've gotten to the main Spy floor, the challenges begin.  There are stations with numbers them however, it does not matter the order.  The wristband that you wear throughout the experience will log your challenge answers into the database.  So pick a spot to stand and scan whenever you see a station.  You will roam around various rooms learning about some spy history, yes actual spies in actual history.  The biggest area was with Enigma, the machine that cracked Nazi code during WWII to stop German warships.  If you haven't watched The Imitation Game, I highly recommend it.  Other stops include an area on Hackers such as the group Anonymous, U.S. spy Robert Hanssen who secretly betrayed his country to the Russians, and an area about the real life Q with his sleuthy inventions.

Other than answering questions during these challenges there's also some fun activity stops.  The first is to send and decode cryptic messages on essentially a giant pool ball table with an interactive screen.  Next, you can go into the Deception Room, where you will learn about lie detectors, tricking the machine/reader and determining whether someone is telling the truth or not.  There's also a giant circular room with surveillance screens where you will need put on headphones and search for key objects and/or people throughout and identify the correct camera.  Finally, the best activity, the laser room.  Yes, there is in fact a laser room.  You must go from one side to another racking up points by hitting lit buttons all while avoiding touching the lasers.  And yes, this is recorded so people can watch you on the screens outside.

At the end of the challenges and displays, you can finally go to the last area and find out what kind of spy you are.  You are shown your results from the challenges, get described in three words, and then final learn what kind of spy you can be.  My results showed that I was Analytical, Inquisitive, and Determined making me a fit for... an Intelligence Analyst.  So apparently I did in fact choose the right major for my career after all. 

Overall this was such a fun experience that I recommend.  Word on the street is that they will soon have a James Bond experience at SpyScape sooo I may just have to go there again and get a martini.

via GIPHY