Drive-By News from the Crossword Industrial Complex
Updated: 3 days ago
Greetings everyone! Liz here -- your Benevolent Tsarina of the Crossword Industrial Complex. High summer is just about over and because I'll be away this coming week, this post will be fast and furious. It's a Drive-By Edition where we're putting the pedal to the metal and flooring it.
Back in July, we visited the USS Intrepid for the July 4 festivities. This pier (where the Concorde SST is situated) was the site of some exciting outdoor World Cup screenings in June. It transformed into a nexus for all manner of ships on July 4th, as the Parade of Ships sailed up the Hudson.
Though it was over 100 degrees that day, people flocked to the piers to see the ships. Afterwards, many of us adjourned the nearby Landmark Tavern, one of the city's oldest taverns. Owners Michael and Don are my good friends, and it was nice to celebrate July 4th at this historic tavern on Manhattan's west side. We regained our strength with food and grog before setting out into the afternoon heat. Pub culture has been very good to the American crossword biz: how would we ever dream of making crosswords without the standard PUB quaffs and BREWS: ALE, BEER, LAGER, IPA and anything ON TAP?
I'll return to the Landmark for the NFL season and the Tavern's annual football pool. As a diehard Buffalo Bills fan, I'm feeling it this year -- I believe that the Bills will go all the way to the Super Bowl, and win it all! After four tries at Super Bowl, the fifth will be the charm. Go Bills!
And while I'm at it, I'll serve up another sports prediction: I'm choosing Iga Swiatek to win the U.S. Open. She's such a powerhouse and recently won the National Bank Open in Toronto, on hardcourt. So, let's go, Iga. Jazda!
I've been trying to play more hardcourt tennis myself (my preference is clay) but there's often interference from a certain furry entity in the house. As sports go, what would puzzlemakers do without tennis? ACE, LOB, NET, ASHE . . . and in recent years, ARYNA, COCO, MIRRA, IGA, IVA, ELENA, LINDA (Noskova) and (Alexandra) EALA. Our tennis loving cup runneth over.
And speaking of writing puzzles, my new book of crosswords, "Crosswords for Classical Music Lovers" was recently published and it's available on Amazon. I would be honored if you solved this collection of puzzles! Creating this volume was a Labour of Love and a culmination of a lifetime of balancing two passions -- music and puzzles.
Morningside Heights
When you live in a college neighborhood like I do, one tends to adopt the "semester" calendar. To me, September feels like the beginning of the year. Congratulations to the new students who arrived this weekend. May you be fearless and happy during your years here.
CODA
"I would never stoop so low as to be fashionable. That's the easiest thing in the world to do"
~Dolly Parton
Recently we lost the beautiful Dolly Parton -- singer, songwriter, actress, entrepreneur, philanthropist, literacy advocate. She exuded grace and generosity, never wavering from her dedication to literacy through her Imagination Library foundation which provides free books for kids.
There will never be anyone like Dolly Parton again -- ever. "Islands in the Stream" is a timeless duet by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. Behold: two Mighty Lions of the music industry -- no Autotune, no background dancers, no gimmicks. Just two people performing at the top of their game with respect for each other.
"Sail away with me to another world . . ."
Cruciverbally Yours,
Liz
