New York Times crossword May 29 / Constructed by Jeremy Newton and Tony Orbach

You’ll get through this? I wasn’t so sure after looking at the grid for today’s puzzle, but I was glad for the title’s encouragement.

This ingenious maze-within-a-crossword by Jeremy Newton and Tony Orbach was a three-fer, as explained in a blurb above the clues. First you had to solve the puzzle, then you had to get through a maze, and then you had to identify the inspiration for it all: Ralph Waldo EMERSON (“[See blurb],” 153 Across).

So the gimmick here was identifying the 15 clues whose answers contained the word DOOR. But instead of entering the word door, you had to draw one. (As you can see in the picture at the bottom of this post, I basically just drew a square; no doorknobs for me.) Each door then led to an adjoining room, until you had reached the finish at the bottom right.

In order, the “doors” are: DEAD AS A (DOOR)NAIL (“Done for, finito, kaput,” 14 Across); RING (DOOR)BELLS (“Go canvassing, say,” 8 Across); POWER (DOOR) LOCK (“Auto security feature,” 27 Across); FRONT (DOOR)STEP (“UPS drop-off site, often,” 18 Down); NEXT-(DOOR) NEIGHBOR (“Seinfeld vis-a-vis Kramer,” 53 Down); HOLD THE (DOOR) OPEN (“Show a bit of courtesy [for],” 86 Across); and CLOSED-(DOOR) MEETING (“Hush-hush powwow,” 39 Down).

They continue: OUT(DOOR) GAMES (“Some fun in the sun,” 57 Across); WIN A (DOOR) PRIZE (“Teaser on party fliers,” 75 Across); HEATED IN(DOOR) POOL (“All-weather resort amenity,” 34 Down); BACK (DOOR) DRAFT (“Involuntary extension of troop tours,” 89 Down); FOUR-(DOOR) SEDAN (“Chrysler 300, e.g.,” 146 Across); ARCHED (DOOR)WAY (“Colosseum entrance, e.g.,” 96 Down); HOTEL (DOOR)MAN (“Hilton or Westin welcomer,” 115 Across); and, finally, TRAP-(DOOR) SPIDERS (“Burrowing arthropods,” 141 Across).

Even more impressive, the second part of the DOOR answers are answers in their own right. In DEAD AS A (DOOR)NAIL, for instance, NAIL is also the answer to 26 Across (“Execute perfectly”).

Anyway, after using the “doors” to get through maze, the puzzle blurb tells you to look at the circled letters in each “room” you visited. Going in order, the letters spell the Emerson quote: EVERY WALL IS A DOOR.

Wow. That was awesome.

Go Phillies Dept.: “Diamond stat” (114 Across) is RBI, which I hope the Phillies get a lot of tomorrow when I go see them in D.C. vs. the Nats.

On the Road Dept. I’m actually already in D.C. and have spent way too much time at a Caribou Coffee solving this puzzle and typing this post, so I’m going to sign off and say SEE YA (“‘I’m outta here!’” 151 Across).

Questions or comments? Leave them here, visit my Facebook page or tweet me @crosswordkathy.

New York Times crossword May 22 / Constructed by Bob Klahn

Shhhhh! Not because there’s a surprise party for the New York Public Library‘s 100th birthday tomorrow, but because, well, it’s a library. The stately building is a bastion of history, knowledge, books and – if you believe the Ghostbusters – ghoulish librarians. (Having grown up in L.A., that movie may have vicariously served as my first trip to Bryant Park.)

So today’s puzzle rightly honors the milestone, as referenced in the title and a comment at the top of the clues: “Note: The New York Public Library turns 100 on May 23.” The theme clues provide a quick glimpse of the library’s more eccentric holdings:

“The Library’s rare first-edition printing of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ is, to its publisher’s chagrin, ___” SUBTITLED ‘A PARIOTIC SONG’ (24 Across). “Norbert Pearlroth spent 52 years of 60-hour weeks in the Library’s Reading Room collecting material for ___” RIPLEY’S BELIEVE IT OR NOT (43 Across). “The Library’s Special Collections include one of George Washington’s creations, ___” A HANDWRITTEN BEER RECIPE (69 Across). “The Library’s Periodicals Room was the source of most of the excerpted material in the first issue of ___” READER’S DIGEST MAGAZINE (97 Across). And “The handle of Charles Dickens’s ivory letter opener, in the Library’s collection, is ___” THE PAW OF HIS DECEASED CAT (120 Across).

The New Yorker cover also celebrates the library's centennial.

The New Yorker, too, is acknowledging the 100th birthday this week with its cover featuring the library’s guard lions — named Patience and Fortitude — and a Sketchbook page inside illustrating other curiosities in its collections: Mary Shelley’s hair, Charlotte Bronte’s pencil, Malcolm X’s briefcase, S.J. Perelman’s typewriter, Jack Kerouac’s reading glasses and Virginia Woolf’s walking stick.

The page notes that 60,000 people showed up to check out a book the day after it opened on May 23, 1911, and that the library now houses more than 60 million books, artifacts and ephemera.

Unfortunately, it’s behind a paywall so I can’t link to it. The artist is Maira Kalman.

My one quibble with the puzzle is that the milestone itself isn’t worked into the grid as an answer. Back in November, the puzzle was about lighting the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, but you didn’t know that until you solved 148 Across.

Confession #1 Dept.: I actually had to double-check my answers to the first two theme clues because the crossing words were so foreign to me. I figured out that there was a typo in “The Star-Spangled Banner” first edition, but was it A PATIOTIC SONG or a PARIOTIC SONG? The clue for 11 Down was “‘Jabberwocky’ birds,” referencing a poem full of made-up words. Great. So was the answer BOTOGOVES or BOROGOVES? I looked it up. It’s BOROGOVES, making the national anthem a PARIOTIC song.

Confession #2 Dept.: The same thing happened with George Washington’s artifact. I knew that it was A HANDWRITTEN BEE_ RECIPE. Beef? Beet? Beer? The clue for 60 Down was no help: “Easily handled, as a ship.” Yafe? Yate? Yare? I looked it up. It’s YARE. So old George made his own suds. Awesome.

Around the Corner? Dept.: I first heard of Johnny Depp in the ’80s when he was on the TV show “21 Jump Street.” Didn’t know the “Setting of Johnny Depp’s feature film debut” was ELM STREET (87 Down). The horror!

New Slang Dept.: “This is not going anywhere” is a STAYCATION (59 Across).

Philly Shout-Out Dept.: “Grace in film” is Philadelphia’s own Grace KELLY (91 Across).

Questions or comments? Leave them here, visit my Facebook page or tweet me @crosswordkathy.

New York Times crossword May 15 / Constructed by Cathy Allis

The key to today’s puzzle lies in your ability to fuhgeddaboudit — or to at least emulate those who do. A Nu Yawk accent is “Included Herewit,” whereby the theme answers tweak common phrases by replacing a “TH” sound with a hard “T.” The big hint comes in 75 Down, “Film cousin whose accent this puzzle spoofs“: VINNY. How would “My Cousin Vinny” describe the “Possible result of a costly Italian vacation?” DEBT IN VENICE (27 Across).

Others: “What Ernie may wish he had vis-a-vis his roommate?” is BERT CONTROL (4 Down); “Jokes in a campy 1960s TV locale?” is BATROOM HUMOR (55 Across); “Akin to milking a cow?” is LIKE PULLING TEAT (64 Across); “Bless butter with a gesture?” is CROSS ONE’S PAT (78 Across); “Vessel for just the two of us?” is YOU AND ME BOAT (108 Across); “Role of a boxer’s physician?” is WELT MANAGEMENT (113 Across); and “Non-choice for restaurant seating?” is TABLE OR BOOT (68 Down).

Finally, there is “Salt Lake City athlete’s dear hawk mascot?”: SWEET BIRD OF UTE (24 Across). It reminds me of a great scene in the movie when Vinny, played by Joe Pesci, gets into an spat with the judge over his pronunciation of the word “youths.”

Better Half Dept.: Also included in this Vinny-themed grid is a clue for the female lead: “Marisa who played 75-Down’s girlfriend”: TOMEI (59 Across). She also won a best supporting actress Oscar for it.

Pennsylvania Shout-Out Dept.: “Setting for ‘The Office’” is SCRANTON (86 Down). Wonder how next season will play out with no Steve Carell.

Manchebo Beach, Aruba, January 2011

Excuse for Vacation Photos Dept.: “One of the Leeward Antilles” is ARUBA (35 Down). We went there back in January.

Printed Too Soon Dept.: “Politico Gingrich” is NEWT (117 Across). Had the puzzle gone to press a few days later, surely the clue would have been “Presidential candidate Gingrich.”

Fun Foodstuffs Dept.: “Frozen tater brand” is ORE-IDA (8 Down) while “Kellogg’s cereal” is MUESLIX (61 Down).

Feathers and Sequins Dept.: “Word after string or rubber” is BAND (1 Down). Here in Philly, we have numerous string bands that don gaudy costumes each year to compete in the Mummers Parade on Jan. 1. It’s kind of like our Mardi Gras. Come out and see it sometime.

Questions or comments? Leave them here, visit my Facebook page or tweet me @crosswordkathy.

New York Times crossword May 8 / Constructed by Daniel A. Finan

Sigh. Doesn’t it always seem like a clever puzzle one week is followed by a dud? Last week’s “Look on the Bright Side” was creative, if less than stellar; this week’s “Working in Opposition” is unimpressive and might as well have been titled “Oxymoronic.”

The theme paired opposites into seemingly contradictory two-word phrases: In 23 Across, for example, “Capris?” are LONG SHORTS. The antonyms continue with ROUND FLATS (“Domes to let in London?” 30 Across); NEW OLDS (“Pre-2004 purchase from G.M.?” 38 Across); FAULTY SOUNDS (“Sour notes?” 47 Across); LITTLE LOTS (“Fractions of acres?” 56 Across) and the triply opposing — is that possible? — BAD FAIR GOODS (“Shabby wares sold at an expo?” 70 Across).

Others: LEFT RIGHTS (“What socialists campaign for?” 83 Across); LAST INITIALS (“B and O, for presidents #43 and #44?” 91 Across); PRO CONS (“Career criminals?” 101 Across); TAPED LIVES (“Material for a biographer with a recorder?” 111 Across); and TOP BOTTOMS (“Best-looking rear ends?” 121 Across).

Kentucky Derby Dept.: An “Ambitious track bet” is a TRIFECTA (57 Down), although apparently just picking the winner at Churchill Downs yesterday was pretty hard. Animal Kingdom took home the roses as a 20-1 longshot.

Shout-Out From Aunt Kathy Dept.: PETRA is a “Millennia-old Jordanian city that’s a World Heritage Site” (7 Down) as well as the name of my adorable niece. She can’t read this yet, but her parents can. Hi Petra!

Four-Legged Companion Dept.: “Animal shelter?” is an ARK (71 Down), as in Noah’s. It reminded me of a story I wrote last week about a movement by animal ethicists to reconsider the language we use when talking about pets. As part of that, I learned that animal welfare activists in California are trying to replace the word “pound” with “shelter” in all of the state’s animal control ordinances.

Fooled Ya! Dept.: “Rick who sang ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’” is ASTLEY (107 Across). He is also the source of the annoying trend known as Rick-rolling, which luckily seems to have fallen by the wayside in recent years. That song was bad enough the first time around in 1987.

Walk Like An Egyptian Dept.: Somehow, Steve Martin as TUT still brings a smile to my face after all these years (“‘King __,’ song premiered on 27-Across on 4/22/78,” 66 Across). And 27 Across, of course, is SNL.

Questions or comments? Leave them here, visit my Facebook page or tweet me @crosswordkathy.

New York Times crossword May 1 / Constructed by Xan Vongsathorn

You had to put on your rose-colored glasses — and tilt them just a tad askew — to solve the theme answers today. The key was figuring out 110 Across (“Optimist’s phrase under adverse circumstances … or a hint to completing the answers to the six starred clues”), which was hard because it didn’t seem like there were enough spaces for the answer: THERE’S NOWHERE TO GO BUT U …

Um … what happened to the P? Look UP — the P is right above the U. Turns out all seven theme answers take a turn — for the better, of course, because (as the title and Monty Python say) we’re looking on the bright side! Just go up one square from the last letter.

The last letter of each theme answer could be found above the second-to-last letter. The hint was in 110 Across: THERE'S NOWHERE TO GO BUT UP.

So the “*Most awful thing you could imagine” is WORST NIGHTMARE COME TRUE, with E located directly above the U (22 Across); “*Destination of 1911″ is THE SOUTH POLE (36 Across); “*First rung on a ladder” is an ENTRY LEVEL JOB (46 Across); “*Dunce’s place” is BOTTOM OF THE CLASS (64 Across); “*Destitution” is ABJECT POVERTY (83 Across); and the “*Coldest point” is ABSOLUTE ZERO (93 Across).

For all of those answers, there is nowhere to go but up.

Tooting Their Own Horn Dept.: “Big Apple media inits.” are NYT (74 Down).

Keystone State Shout-Out Dept.: “Pennsylvanie, e.g.” is an ETAT in French (94 Down).

Mini Me Dept.: “Some miniatures” are MODELS (24 Down), which made me think of the ad I saw in the paper today for a Kate Middleton collectible bridal doll. I can’t believe how fast that stuff comes out. In a pair of related clues, “2012 Olympics site” is LONDON (34 Down) and “Kiss, in 34-Down” is SNOG (41 Down) — as in Wills and Kate shared a snog on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London.

Just Had To Look Dept.: I figured out that SAMOA is “Where lavalava skirts are worn” (41 Across), but I had no idea what they looked like. Here are the results I got from Google images.

Hollywood Taught Me That Dept.: Embarrassed to say that I knew “Leonidas’ kingdom” was SPARTA (67 Down) only because of the movie “300.”

Getting Creative Dept.: Some unusual answers included EXOTIC CATS (“Tamed tigers, say,” 69 Down); C.S. LEWIS (“Creator of Aslan and the White Witch,” 90 Down); I NEED HELP (“Declaration upon checking oneself into rehab,” 32 Across); and ZZ TOP (“‘Legs’ band, 1984,” 95 Down, which I must add was one of my favorite videos on MTV way back when MTV actually played videos).

Sorry for the late post. This daylight savings thing has me thinking it’s earlier than it really is.

Questions or comments? Leave them here, visit my Facebook page or tweet me @crosswordkathy.