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MGWCC 758 • 12/9/22 • “Name That City” • Gaffney • resolution • 20221209

pannonica right here, pinch-hitting for joon, as his laptop has sadly gone cacky.

Had I identified that I’d be writing concerning the puzzle I might have performed you all of the favor of recording my occasions on this one. As it’s, I can report that the crossword went pretty shortly and the meta fell shortly too, with a slight delay whereas I made the leap to further step.

Title: “Name That City”
Note: This week’s contest reply is a four-letter U.S. metropolis

The 4 longest throughout solutions in our 13×13 grid include the names of US cities, and every is 4 letters lengthy. Shades of the directions!

• 18a. [Many structures in our meta city underwent this after a devastating 1980s flood] RENOVATION (Reno).
• 27a. [This kind of transaction can get expensive in our meta city] HOME SALE (Mesa).
• 32a. [Our meta city and its surrounding area contain many of these businesses] WINERIES (Erie).
• 40a. [What the weather is like in our meta city] PHENOMENAL (Nome).

So we have now RENO, MESA, ERIE, and NOME. What subsequent? Their preliminary letters don’t spell something, but it appears we have to by some means extract one letter from every. The quick leap right here is to increase these locales to their respective states. (“Name That State”?) NEVADA, ARIZONA, PENNSYLVANIA, and ALASKA. The preliminary letters of those spell NAPA (pop. 77,480 in 2021), which I believe most of us will know from the namesake valley somewhat than the city itself. The third theme reply clinches it for us: “Our meta city and its surrounding area …” and as a outstanding AVA (American Viticultural Area) it’s most well-known for its WINERIES.

This appeared very very like per week 2 MGWCC; that one small further step furnished the impediment that separates it from an easyish week 1.

• 7d [What someone solving a MGWCC never says] I’M BORED. Zero qualification or equivocation—daring!
• 21d [World’s most populous island] JAVA. Far from the world’s most densely populated island, nonetheless.
• 41d [“Well done!”] NICE. Also a four-letter metropolis, however in France. Wonder if there’s additionally one within the US? Yes! There is a Nice in California, about 104km (~64.6mi) NNW of Napa. I hope no solvers had been seduced by the engaging clue into pondering this was a shortcut to the meta.
• 42d [Mary Kay rival] AVON. Oh, there are numerous locations referred to as AVON within the United States.
• 13a [“Where You __” (“Moana” song] ARE. 14a [Like some of the myths that inspired “Moana”] MAORI.
• 53a [Wind up] END.