Leaving NYC, a view of the Empire State Building from outside Penn Station.

New York Times crossword Oct. 30 / Constructed by Andrea Carla Michaels & Patrick Blindauer

So I am in NYC, the motherland of the crossword puzzle. After wandering through the snow falling in Manhattan on Saturday, we stopped at a newsstand to buy the early edition of the Times. That’s right: Sunday’s news on Saturday, and for a dollar cheaper than what I pay for the Times in Philadelphia. What a country.

That, unfortunately, was about the extent of the excitement for me with this puzzle. The clunky title hints at a simple device: Theme answers are names of movies with their “R”s changed to “L”s.

“One of St. Peter’s heavenly duties?” is ANGEL MANAGEMENT (23 Across), taken from the Adam Sandler comedy; “‘Snakes on a Plane,’ e.g.?” is a SCALY MOVIE (42 Across), from the comedy-horror flick; “What a lazy mover prefers to carry?” is THE LIGHT STUFF (52 Across), from the astronaut adventure; and “Workout class on a pleasure cruise?” is PILATES OF THE CARIBBEAN (67 Across), from the Johnny Depp/Keira Knightley franchise.

Others: “Unbelievable court infraction?” is a FANTASTIC FOUL (88 Across), from the live-action comic book; “Cabby’s nonstop patter?” is TAXI DRIVEL (96 Across), from the Robert De Niro classic; and “Guests at a Hatfield/McCoy marriage ceremony?” are WEDDING CLASHERS (119 Across), from the Vince Vaughn/Owen Wilson rom-com.

Bizarre Clue of the Day Dept.: “Number of X’s in this puzzle’s answer” is TWO (86 Across), which I’m guessing refers to the number of times the letter X appears in the finished grid. Who would bother to figure that out in order to write that clue?

Polar Opposites Dept.: “Opera whose second act is called ‘The Gypsy’” is IL TROVATORE (17 Down). In the opposite position in the grid is LENNOX LEWIS (“World heavyweight champion who was once an Olympic boxing gold medalist,” 69 Down).

Home Sweet Home Dept.: Later on tonight, we’ll take a train back to Philly from Penn Station, which sits under MSG (“Rangers’ venue, for short,” 82 Across).

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

New York Times crossword Oct. 23 / Constructed by Joe DiPietro

Sorry this so late! If you saw my tweet earlier today,  you’ll know I have a relatively good excuse: I was working my actual job and didn’t have a chance to even look at the puzzle until after dinner.

Now that I’m done … eh. It was OK. I got tripped up in a couple of places — seriously, who calls a “King or queen” DYNAST (52 Down)? — but not on any of the theme answers. Actually, after glancing at the title I thought the theme would entail removing the first letter of a common phrase (“Take it from the top!”), thus turning it into something punny. But as far as I can see, the title only refers to the fact that all the theme answers go down. Am I missing something? Otherwise, the answers are just standard phrases paired with clever clues.

“Gets up for the debate?” is STANDS TO REASON (3 Down); “Beats it and won’t explain why?” is GOES WITHOUT SAYING (7 Down); “Proof that a ‘Jersey Shore’ character has an incontinence problem?” is DEPENDS ON THE SITUATION (8 Down); “Arrests an entire crime syndicate?” is RUNS IN THE FAMILY (13 Down); “Eschews Mensa material when going to parties?” is DOESN’T TAKE A GENIUS (33 Down); “Contents of Lenin’s Tomb, e.g.?” is REMAINS TO BE SEEN (42 Down); and “Merits at least a 20% tip?” is SERVES YOU RIGHT (50 Down).

Never Thought Of It That Way Dept.: “Entire ‘Reservoir Dogs’ cast, e.g.” is MEN (10 Down). And “Skinny” is NEWS (72 Across) — as in get the skinny on something. That took me an embarrassingly long time, considering I’m IN the skinny business.

Oh, I Remember That Guy Dept.: “Neurotic Martin Short character” is ED GRIMLEY (32 Across).

The Only Hun I Know Dept.: “Slayer of his brother Bleda” is ATTILA (15 Down). Guess that’s why I never knew Attila had a sibling — he killed him.

Hear Them Roar Dept.: “The Wildcats of the N.C.A.A.” in this case is KSU (48 Down), for Kansas State. In any other case, it could be Villanova, Arizona or Kentucky … and I’m sure there are more. Speaking of wild cats, I was heartbroken that so many beautiful tigers were among the animals shot in Ohio last week after being set loose by their troubled owner.

Fun Phrases Dept.: “Incredibly nice” is AS SWEET AS PIE (110 Across); “V formation?” is a PEACE SIGN (100 Across); “Change quickly” is TURN ON A DIME (107 Across); “Item in a certain e-mail folder” is a SENT MESSAGE (26 Across); and “Tone setters for conductors” are OPENING NOTES (24 Across).

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

New York Times crossword Oct. 16 / Constructed by Joel Fagliano

Phew! Does solving a puzzle titled “Getting in Shape” mean I don’t have to go to the gym? Because I think my brain got a pretty good workout with constructor Joel Fagliano’s very clever visual theme. (It also made me wonder how I could have sucked so badly at geometry in junior high.)

Today’s grid included what initially appeared to be several loose groups of shaded squares. But as I started solving, it became clear that letters linked the shaded squares to form geometric rebuses (rebi?). In the lower left corner, for example, the shaded squares spelled out NECKLACE in the shape of a diamond. Thus 109 Across (“See shaded letters intersected by this answer”) is DIAMOND NECKLACE.

The shaded squares spell out rebuses related to the shapes they form.

Others (which all shared the clue above): ARCTIC CIRCLE (3Down); OVAL OFFICE (32 Down); SQUARE INCH (50 Down); LOVE TRIANGLE (62 Down); and the granddaddy of them all, ARTIFICIAL HEART (24 Across).

Major League Dept.: Football fans would know that the “Texans’ org.” is NFL (82 Across), where players score TDS (“82-Across stats,” 87 Across). Baseball fans should get PNC for 89 Down (“___ Park, home for the Pittsburgh Pirates”) and NL EAST for “Phillies div.” (118 Across), which they’ve won for five years straight, I might add. If only they could win the big one as often.

To Put It Another Way Dept.: “I kid you not!” is TRUE FACT! (20 Across); “Unfortunately, that’s the case” is AFRAID SO (53 Across); “Hurry!” is COME QUICK! (55 Across); “Easy as pie” is IT’S A CINCH (76 Across); “I didn’t mean to do that!” is OH, NO! (75 Down); and “I’m less than impressed” is MEH (67 Down).

Labyrinth Dept.: “Well-known maze traveler” is PAC-MAN (13 Across), and GAME OVER is the “Message seen after 13-Across dies” (116 Across). Speaking of mazes, did you see the story about the family that called 911 last week after getting lost in a corn maze near Boston?

Remembering Steve Jobs Dept.: “Apple debut of 1998″ is I-MAC (66 Down). Reports say Apple is holding a memorial service for him today at Stanford. NYT puzzle editor Will Shortz and crossword constructor Kevin Der honored him with a Jobs-themed puzzle just two days after he died.

Cinema Paradiso Dept.: “He played the candidate in ‘The Candidate,’ 1972″ is REDFORD (37 Down); “Harvey of ‘Reservoir Dogs’” is KEITEL (9 Down); “‘Do the Right Thing’ pizzeria owner” is SAL (78 Down); “1969 film with an exclamation point in its title” is CHE; and a “1977 thriller set at sea” is ORCA (99 Across).

On the Shelves Dept.: “‘Things Fall Apart’ author Chinua ___” is ACHEBE (22 Across); “‘Going Rogue’ author” is Sarah PALIN (13 Down); and “Mouse in a classic Daniel Keyes book” is ALGERNON (68 Down).

National Parks Dept.: “Geological feature on a Utah license plate” is an ARCH (36 Across). That is hard-earned knowledge from a long-ago family vacation to Arches National Park during one very hot July.

Motor Trend Dept.: “Palindromic vehicle” is a RACE CAR (85 Across) while a “Mazda model” is a MIATA (67 Across).

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

New York Times crossword Oct. 9 / Constructed by Brendan Emmett Quigley

I couldn’t really tell what today’s puzzle theme would be from looking at the title: I briefly thought it might involve types of birds, or parrot-like expressions (“Polly want a cracker!”). But it’s subtler than that — an aural gimmick in which the “B” sound in common phrases is replaced with a “P” sound. That’s how “Grin and Bear It” becomes “Grin and Parrot.” And how the phrase “based on a true story” becomes, in 67 Across, PASTE ON A TRUE STORY (“Lay out some newspaper copy the old-fashioned way?”).

Other theme answers, going Across: “defensive backs” becomes DEFENSIVE PAX (“Detente as a means of self-preservation?” 24 Across); “Boyz in the ‘Hood” becomes POISON THE HOOD (“Make a homie’s turf unfit for habitation?” 40 Across); “black diamond” becomes PLAQUE DIAMOND (“Rhombus on an award?” 95 Across); and “secret ballot” becomes SECRET PALATE (“What a mysterious restaurant critic has?” 112 Across).

And going Down: “Beats a retreat” becomes PIZZA RETREAT (“Getaway where Italian pies are consumed?” 3 Down); “24″ character Jack Bauer becomes JACK POWER (“Strength required to lift a car?” 16 Down); “sugar bowl” becomes SUGAR POLL (“Where your opinion on ‘One lump or two?’ counts?” 77 Down); and “bronze medals” becomes PRAWNS MEDALS (“Awards won by shrimps?” 66 Down).

Crushing Blow Dept.: I am still reeling from the Phillies loss in the NLDS on Friday. The best record in baseball — the best record in club history! — at 102 wins and they can’t get an RBI (“A single may get you one, briefly,” 113 Across) in the most important game of the season. Now the Eagles are flailing, and the Sixers are locked out. At least the Flyers are off to a good start.

Philly Shout-Out Dept.: “Duke ___, Rocky’s manager/trainer” is EVERS (28 Down). He was played by Tony Burton.

Names I Didn’t Know Dept.: Until today, the only Elvira I knew was Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, who hosted horror movie-a-thons on TV when I was a kid. (Apparently, she’s still around). Today I met another one in 51 Down: “Title character in love with Elvira” is ERNANI, an opera by Verdi. Also new to me: LUTSK (“Ukrainian city,” 59 Down).

Places I’ve Been Dept.: “Chichen ___ (Mayan ruins)” is ITZA (3 Down), which we visited while on our honeymoon at Playa Mujeres, near Cancun. Also took a trip to ASSISI (“Setting of the castle Rocco Maggiore,” 10 Down) recently while in Italy, though I have to admit I didn’t visit the castle in that clue.

Charitable Plug Dept.: Today’s post was late in part because I drove up to central Jersey for a fundraising event called Dogs 4 Dystonia. My friend Joanna has a debilitating muscle condition called dystonia, and she’s working to find a cure by organizing this annual event with her parents. Money goes to the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation.

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

New York Times crossword Oct. 2 / Constructed by Eric Berlin

Trick or treat! Today’s crossword celebrates Halloween a little bit early. As related in an editor’s note, the grid is a double puzzle that — when fully solved — will yield the names of 10 “famous” people attending a “costume party.” (Caveat: “Famous” is a relative term, and two of the celebrities passed away years ago. “Dead Man’s Party,” anyone?)

The puzzle’s 10 theme answers each contain two shaded squares; the celebrities are “unmasked” by changing the letters in those squares. For example, “Rods on a cowboy’s truck” (23 Across) are RANCH AXLES; by changing the N and the X to a Y and an R, you’ve now invited musician RAY CHARLES to the party. (It’s hard to shade here, so I’ve bolded and underlined the appropriate letters.)

Other guests: golfer GREG NORMAN (from GREEN ORGAN, “Environmentally sound keyboard,” 25 Across); songwriter BOB DYLAN (from BOND PLAN, “007 strategy,” 42 Across); “Interview with the Vampire” author ANNE RICE (from INNER ACE, “High card up one’s sleeve,” 44 Across); Giants quarterback ELI MANNING (from SLIM AWNING, “Narrow overhang,” 66 Across); and “Jeopardy” host ALEX TREBEK (from ALERT REBEL, “Government resister standing ready,” 68 Across).

More guests: Former Yankees/Dodgers manager JOE TORRE (from JOLT OGRE, “Shock a fairy-tale monster,” 85 Across); R&B/soul crooner LOU RAWLS (from LOUD OWLS, “Nocturnal birds liable to keep people awake,” 89 Across); actor DON CHEADLE (from CONCH LADLE, “Soup spoon designed for shellfish,” 109 Across); and “Gilligan’s Island” actress TINA LOUISE (from FINAL GUISE, “Last costume at a costume party,” 111 Across).

Fun concept for a puzzle, but not sure that’s a party I’d be eager to attend — especially considering Ray Charles and Lou Rawls died years ago. I’m not even sure some of these people still qualify as celebrities. Greg Norman? Anne Rice? Seriously? However, I have to admit I’m grateful there weren’t any Blake Livelys or Olivia Wildes to be found; I’m not even sure I could name US Weekly’s top 10 It Girls/paparazzi targets today.

Hard Copy Dept.: “Newspaper section that competes with Craigslist” is WANT ADS (90 Down), which you can find (among other places) in the SUN (“Baltimore daily, with ‘the’,” 46 Across). While we’re on the subject of dead trees, “Paper collector” in this grid is an INBOX (57 Down), though my inbox contains only e-mail.

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