After spending an evening of Sleep No More at the mysterious McKittrick Hotel, we are not quite sure what we experienced. It is part haunted mystery house, part theater, part performance art, part cabaret and a whole lot of fun. Sleep No More is a self-guided tour, in which masked and totally silent guests explore a nearly dark, multi-story building. Each room is totally different: one may be an indoor forest, another a ballroom, another a hospital ward, and the next somebody’s bedroom. Sometimes you happen upon performers lip synching old tunes, staging fights or seduction scenes (or both together) or doing a modern dance performance. Sometimes you are effectively guided to performance by a semi-dressed cast member rushing into another room or another floor. You can pass through rooms quickly, or stop and sit or even lie down. You are encouraged to explore the inside of closets, cabinets and drawers.

You explore to your heart’s content. When you feel you have done it all (there is virtually no way of telling for sure, since, no matter how logically you try to progress, individual floors are hard to navigate and you continually move among floors to see performances), you return to the “lobby.” You end the evening in a cabaret, where you can order a drink and watch a band playing and singing popular 40s, 50s and Big Band songs. If you haven’t yet had enough, you can stay longer at an after-party.

Although Sleep No More is hard to categorize or explain, it is a unique experience and loads of fun. When you get to New York, make every effort to check into the McKittrick Hotel.