{"id":126,"date":"2026-09-22T09:49:41","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T09:49:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126"},"modified":"2026-09-22T09:49:42","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T09:49:42","slug":"our-first-day-of-work-in-irreverent-lunacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126","title":{"rendered":"Our First Day of Work in Irreverent Lunacy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Greetings from Omega Mart in Las Vegas! (By Meow Wolf)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I love the American Southwest, Traveler. It\u2019s either scorching and dry during the day or extremely cold at night. It\u2019s mysterious, quiet, serene, and magical. Above all, the desert is great for my sinuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s so much to do, as well. I\u2019ve toured ghost towns in Western Nevada. I\u2019ve driven nearly to the peak of Mount Shasta, California. I\u2019ve seen street art everywhere, hiked national parks, and even rode a zip-line through Fremont Street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But last year, I introduced myself to an experience that was so amazing that I had to come back and try another one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The experience was a Meow Wolf<\/em><\/a> installation in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was their first of what would turn into five installations, with a sixth on the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What Is Meow Wolf?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Well, there\u2019s a movie about this coming out that I\u2019m not going to spoil, but I\u2019ll try to include the broad strokes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the About section on their website, Meow Wolf is a collective of artists that started in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 2008<\/mark>. If I can summarize them, they are outsider, inclusive anarchist artists who keep that spirit alive in their core values. The founders always disliked the gallery scene in Santa Fe. As such, they sought to make their weird brand of outsider art while still making it accessible to everyone, including patrons and future collaborators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In creating sculptures out of garbage to tell weird stories, a vision was born \u2014 the vision of Meow Wolf, an art installation that spans a bowling alley and is financed by none other than George R.R. Martin<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I\u2019ll save the Santa Fe chapter for another article. Today, I\u2019m going to write about Omega Mart<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Area 15<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Today, I learned a new term, Traveler. What we\u2019re about to visit is known as Experiential Retail<\/em><\/a>.<\/em> If you\u2019d like me to sum up experiential retail, the main idea is that, as a millennial, I hate going to the store. It\u2019s loud and crowded, and any number of things can go wrong when I\u2019m trying to buy bath towels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I mean, I could<\/em> buy the bath towels on Amazon<\/em><\/a>, right? (C\u2019mon Traveler. You knew the link was coming. Who doesn\u2019t need bath towels?<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do we get a spooky, 41-year-old misanthrope like me out of the house?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, that\u2019s easy. I need an adventure, and I will gladly<\/em> spend good money on one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As such, the closure of traditional brick-and-mortar shopping made way for the return of pinball parlors gave us pop-up beer gardens, and, most importantly, birthed interactive art installations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Area 15<\/em><\/a> is, in itself, an art installation. As we walk up to the outside of the main building, there\u2019s a giant robot, an airplane fuselage, and of course, a cornhole<\/a> game. And everything I mentioned has a story to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, except for the cornhole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But as impressive as the robot is, it\u2019s hot in the Nevada summer, Traveler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So let\u2019s head inside to Omega Mart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are beer gardens, food stalls, merchandise tables, and, mercifully, restrooms past the airlock. There\u2019s more blacklight paint in here than I had in my bedroom when I was in high school. There\u2019s also a friendly staff ready to help us figure out how to buy tickets for anything and where to wait in line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My favorite thing about this interior, Traveler? Somehow, Omega Mart feels out of place in the whole thing. It\u2019s a brightly lit storefront welcoming you inside, with friendly staffers in uniforms checking you in while we\u2019re in line. Chicken advertisements, other deals, and signs are begging us to turn back now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we\u2019re ushered to the front of the line, the Muzak<\/em><\/a> plays over the\u2026wait\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turn back now<\/em>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Omega Mart<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If I could explain Meow Wolf to an outsider or a first-timer, I\u2019d say it as such:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meow Wolf is like playing a featured side character in a science fiction horror movie, with no idea where you are or what\u2019s going on around you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I won\u2019t give away the story of Omega Mart, Traveler. I wouldn\u2019t do that to you. But I\u2019ll let you know that in this interactive maze partially designed to unlock your sense of wonder and make you feel like a kid again; there is a dark story filled with adult themes such as love, loss, the afterlife, the overreach of American consumerism<\/a>, hopelessness and at the same time, hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A bare walkthrough of the Omega Mart facility (which also has restrooms, don\u2019t worry) takes about 45 minutes to an hour. That\u2019s the bare<\/em> walkthrough, Traveler. Once we enter, our tickets are good until close. However, the walkthrough doesn\u2019t do Omega Mart justice. There are videos on televisions that play on a loop and prop grocery products all over the store (I had no idea what was for sale and what wasn\u2019t, honestly). There are computer consoles to log into and watch the backstory of Omega Mart and the strange land you\u2019re about to visit unfold. Secret passages, interactive games, and foggy, atmospheric conditions are all over the store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we\u2019re finally finished for the day and walk outside the building to the parking lot, dare I say that the world you and I live in now seems like a strange planet that doesn\u2019t make sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That<\/em> is how immersive a Meow Wolf exhibit can be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, I hope you\u2019ll take me up on the offer and visit Omega Mart<\/a>, Traveler (the link is from my Viator<\/em> shop page). If only once to decide if interactive art is for you and your family, you might just find me there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After all, I have four more of these to visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until again,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Safe Travels<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Greetings from Omega Mart in Las Vegas! (By Meow Wolf) I love the American Southwest, Traveler. It\u2019s either scorching and dry during the day or extremely cold at night. It\u2019s mysterious, quiet, serene, and magical. Above all, the desert is great for my sinuses. There\u2019s so much to do, as well. I\u2019ve toured ghost towns […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[43,38,44,42,41,26,39],"class_list":["post-126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-art","tag-extreme-experiences","tag-immersive-experiences","tag-las-vegas","tag-meow-wolf","tag-offbeat-travel","tag-travel-writing"],"yoast_head":"\nOur First Day of Work in Irreverent Lunacy - Destination Spooky<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Our First Day of Work in Irreverent Lunacy - Destination Spooky\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Greetings from Omega Mart in Las Vegas! (By Meow Wolf) I love the American Southwest, Traveler. It\u2019s either scorching and dry during the day or extremely cold at night. It\u2019s mysterious, quiet, serene, and magical. Above all, the desert is great for my sinuses. There\u2019s so much to do, as well. I\u2019ve toured ghost towns […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Destination Spooky\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-09-22T09:49:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-09-22T09:49:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/qmart1-1024x768.webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"vsjrev\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"vsjrev\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"vsjrev\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1c99eea2c92f246218ac235e2ec27f21\"},\"headline\":\"Our First Day of Work in Irreverent Lunacy\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-22T09:49:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-22T09:49:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126\"},\"wordCount\":1001,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/qmart1-1024x768.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"art\",\"Extreme Experiences\",\"immersive experiences\",\"las vegas\",\"meow wolf\",\"Offbeat Travel\",\"Travel Writing\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126\",\"name\":\"Our First Day of Work in Irreverent Lunacy - Destination Spooky\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/qmart1-1024x768.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-22T09:49:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-22T09:49:42+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/qmart1-scaled.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/qmart1-scaled.webp\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1920},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Our First Day of Work in Irreverent Lunacy\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/\",\"name\":\"Destination Spooky\",\"description\":\"Safe Travels, Traveler.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Destination Spooky\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GhostTransparent-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GhostTransparent-1.png\",\"width\":1400,\"height\":1406,\"caption\":\"Destination Spooky\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1c99eea2c92f246218ac235e2ec27f21\",\"name\":\"vsjrev\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fc89913c498c86407fef571afeb524cefac9e1fe34065ec6d271d2e79cf6fdc4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fc89913c498c86407fef571afeb524cefac9e1fe34065ec6d271d2e79cf6fdc4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"vsjrev\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Our First Day of Work in Irreverent Lunacy - Destination Spooky","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Our First Day of Work in Irreverent Lunacy - Destination Spooky","og_description":"Greetings from Omega Mart in Las Vegas! (By Meow Wolf) I love the American Southwest, Traveler. It\u2019s either scorching and dry during the day or extremely cold at night. It\u2019s mysterious, quiet, serene, and magical. Above all, the desert is great for my sinuses. There\u2019s so much to do, as well. I\u2019ve toured ghost towns […]","og_url":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126","og_site_name":"Destination Spooky","article_published_time":"2026-09-22T09:49:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-09-22T09:49:42+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/qmart1-1024x768.webp"}],"author":"vsjrev","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"vsjrev","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126"},"author":{"name":"vsjrev","@id":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1c99eea2c92f246218ac235e2ec27f21"},"headline":"Our First Day of Work in Irreverent Lunacy","datePublished":"2026-09-22T09:49:41+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-22T09:49:42+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126"},"wordCount":1001,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/qmart1-1024x768.webp","keywords":["art","Extreme Experiences","immersive experiences","las vegas","meow wolf","Offbeat Travel","Travel Writing"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126","url":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126","name":"Our First Day of Work in Irreverent Lunacy - Destination Spooky","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/qmart1-1024x768.webp","datePublished":"2026-09-22T09:49:41+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-22T09:49:42+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/qmart1-scaled.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/qmart1-scaled.webp","width":2560,"height":1920},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?p=126#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Our First Day of Work in Irreverent Lunacy"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/","name":"Destination Spooky","description":"Safe Travels, Traveler.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/#organization","name":"Destination Spooky","url":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GhostTransparent-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/GhostTransparent-1.png","width":1400,"height":1406,"caption":"Destination Spooky"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1c99eea2c92f246218ac235e2ec27f21","name":"vsjrev","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fc89913c498c86407fef571afeb524cefac9e1fe34065ec6d271d2e79cf6fdc4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fc89913c498c86407fef571afeb524cefac9e1fe34065ec6d271d2e79cf6fdc4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"vsjrev"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/destinationspooky.com"],"url":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=126"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":131,"href":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126\/revisions\/131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/destinationspooky.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}