"City Blocks" - September 4, 2020

[eagle1279]

On shore. Grid was a challenge for me, esp. NE corner, some clever misdirection in those clues. But as for others, once the grid was complete, the meta fell into place quickly — if it’s not a trap.

If I ever get to the tiki bar, I’ll have a Sun King Wee Mac (beer, not a tiny Apple computer).

[Gpiggies]

Thanks! My eldest is already developing an interest in metas! She's in third grade:)
and we all love our piggies!

On shore!

Edited to add, sorry I'm taking up so much space on the beach. My kids follow me wherever I go, and we have _a lot_ of beach gear, plus the tent.

We LOVE having kids on the shore, especially since yours will doubtless grow up to be star meta solvers AND cavvy moms and dads!

[femullen]

Ahore, begorrah. Jameson's neat. Better make it a double, as I'm likely to be back at sea the next four or five weeks.

[DrTom]

Well rats, thought I had the rabbit by the tail but from the puzzle criteria it is not the right rabbit.

[Joedbee]

Onshore.

[EmilyW]

Ashore!

[Big Mac]

On shore. The fill got a little too out of hand for me to truly enjoy this one.

[Scraps]

You know the beach bar will have no room for social distancing when even I manage to lug my carcass out of the surf!

[Janet]

Solved! No roadblock to finishing. I enjoyed this, but now what will I do the rest of the weekend?

[JPMalone]

On the beach. Grid tougher than the meta this time around.

[jenirvin]

I've resurfaced just in time for a nice easy swim to shore. Count me on the beach, Captain. And happy Labor Day weekend to all!

[Kris Zacharias]

On shore. Even though the consensus is that the meta is easy to figure out, the construction is nevertheless impressive.

[diplomatt]

On the beach for Labor Day Weekend. Party!

[hcbirker]

Well rats, thought I had the rabbit by the tail but from the puzzle criteria it is not the right rabbit.

You'll get this one!

[femullen]

YourPalSal began hosting Muggle Zoom meetings a few weeks ago, and they are a blast. We've been getting around 20 participants a week, and generally discuss the crossword puzzles of the week, quickly digressing into any number of other interesting topics. Whether you are a veteran Muggle or new to the site, it's a great way to meet lots of other members and put names and voices to avatars. The call occurs Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. Eastern (4:30 p.m. Pacific) and lasts about an hour and a quarter. The Zoom link information is below:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89184367093

Hope to see you there!

New solvers especially welcome on Tuesday!

Sal, my Pal, I really enjoyed the Muggle-ups on the few occasions I've been able to attend. I'm a member of a couple service organizations that, between them, speak for three out of four Tuesday evenings per month, so, with regret, I will miss this coming Tuesday's event as well. Looking forward to seeing you and the rest of the shore birds again on the 15th.

Cheers,
Frank

[howardl]

I'm on shore and got there fairly rapidly. I didn't follow many rabbit holes, though 26D and 58A gave me slight pause. (I hope I can say this without breaking the rules of early posting. If anyone thinks that it is wrong, send me a message or post a comment to that effect and I will read respectfully and try to avoid this in the future.) The pointing clue is pretty straightforward, and once I had it, I still needed some time poring through the grid to find potentials. Also, I had more trouble with the grid than usual: 60A 62A (not unfamiliar, but not the term I have heard used in its place) 70A were unfamiliar, and 49A still doesn't look right to me though the down crossings all seem correct.

[hunkra]

On Shore and feeling late to the party! Is there any booze left?

[LaceyK]

On shore. Fun one - love the mechanism.

Quite familiar and quite a treasure, huh?

[RichA2]

Ashore, also finding this an easy but enjoyable one.

[LaceyK]

On shore, not as quickly as the rest of the beach party! I knew what I was looking for but it took a night of sleep to emerge.