Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Puzzle by Lucy Gardner Anderson, edited by Will Shortz
WIKI (1D. User-edited online reference) tells us that INTERSTATE (20A. With 59-Across, highway that goes through the 15 places indicated in this puzzle, in order, north to south) NINETYFIVE (59A. See 20-Across) (I-95) is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, paralleling the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Florida and serving some of the most populated urban areas in the country, including Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Miami. It is one of the north-south routes of the Interstate Highway System, having replaced older U.S. Highways, mainly U.S. Route 1.
The puzzle sports the zip code abbreviations of the 15 states through which the highway passes contained in double circles placed from top to bottom in order of the route from north to south -- ME, NH, MA, RI, CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, VA, NC, SC, GA, and FL. Unlike the straight-a-way of I-95, the road indicated by those abbreviations in the crossword is reminiscent of the old roads of the west where it is said the builders followed a jackrabbit, which is just fine -- it makes for a scenic route!
The remaining entries, however, do seem to exist simply to serve the indication of a highway within the puzzle, that too is good -- who wants to get LOST (33A. Needing directions)? A few links: 38A. “Dueling BANJOS”; DRACO (47A. Harsh Athenian lawgiver); FABLE (68A. “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” e.g.); NIOBE (54D. Weeper of myth); WEBMD (48A. Online health info site); 50. Cole Porter's "Well, Did You EVAH?"; SHIP (One of the S’s in U.S.S.).
Getting there is half the fun! ----------------- For today’s cartoons, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated. For the complete post, go HERE.
