August 25, 2023

Title: BANG-UP LOCATIONS

Constructor: Rafael Musa

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

BANGKOK, THAILAND (4D: Southeast Asian capital that's home to Wat Pho)

BANGLADESH (8D: Country that celebrates Pohela Boishakh)

BANGOR, MAINE (10D: Third most populous city in the Pine Tree State)

Theme synopsis: Each vertical theme answer is a LOCATION that begins with the letters B-A-N-G, meaning the word BANG is UP at the top of the grid.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• BARN (16A: Farm building that might house livestock) and SILO (68A: Farm storage building) We have a pair of 4-letter farm buildings here.
• LIGHTING (19A: Condition that's optimal during the golden hour) The golden hour is the period shortly after sunrise or before sunset. During this time, LIGHTING is softer than when the sun is higher in the sky. This clue made me smile. My husband is a photographer, and there have been so many times when he has said, "Hold on, stay right there ... the LIGHTING is perfect."
• ORC (25A: Fantasy meanie) and TROLL (26A: Fantasy meanie) A consecutive pair of fantasy meanies!
• KESHA (40A: "TiK ToK" singer) "TiK ToK" was KESHA's debut single, released in 2009, seven years before the launch of the social media app of the same name.
• DISCO (42A: Donna Summer genre) Donna Summer (1948-2012) was known as the "Queen of DISCO."
• ACCEPT (51A: "Will you ___ this rose?") When our daughter was living at home, she and her dad would often watch TV shows together, while I listened in from the other room. Two of the shows they watched together were The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. This is all to say that even though I don't watch these shows, I recognized the phrase, "Will you ACCEPT this rose?"
• DORA (58A: First Latina balloon character in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade) The DORA the Explorer balloon made its first appearance in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in 2005. The balloon was used for five years, making its last Macy's parade appearance in 2009. Since then, DORA has been represented in the parade as a walk-around character, or on a float instead of as a balloon.
• TENT (39D: Shelter for some unhoused people) In the past few years, the term "unhoused" has been suggested as an alternative for the word "homeless." I was happy to see the word used here. As this Guardian article explains, the use of the word "unhoused" highlights the fact that the reason many people are unhoused (and perhaps living in a TENT) is due to a problem with the accessibility of housing.
• EDGE (54D: "The ___ of Glory" (Lady Gaga song)) "The EDGE of Glory" is a 2011 song by Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga has said that the song is about one's last moments before dying.

Geography review:

• BANGKOK, THAILAND (4D: Southeast Asian capital that's home to Wat Pho) Wat Pho, also known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, is a Buddhist temple in BANGKOK, THAILAND. The temple houses a statue of a reclining Buddha that is 46 meters (almost 151 feet) long. The reclining posture of the statue represents the entry of Buddha into Nirvana. Behind the reclining Buddha are 108 bronze bowls. Dropping a coin into each bowl is believed to bring good fortune.
• BANGLADESH (8D: Country that celebrates Pohela Boishakh) Pohela Boishakh is the first day of the Bengali calendar, a solar calendar used in the Bengal region of the subcontinent. The Bengali calendar is the official calendar of BANGLADESH, a South Asian country with coastline along the Bay of Bengal. BANGLADESH shares borders with India and Myanmar. Pohela Boishakh is a national holiday in BANGLADESH, and is celebrated with parades, festivals, and family time. In BANGLADESH, Pohela Boishakh is celebrated on April 14 of the Gregorian calendar.
• SLC (9D: Utah's capital (Abbr.)) Salt Lake City (SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah.
• BANGOR, MAINE (10D: Third most populous city in the Pine Tree State) Labels such as "third most populous city in the state" are relative, of course. The third most populous city in California (after Los Angeles and San Diego) is San Jose, with a population of over 970,000 people. The third most populous city in MAINE (after Portland and Lewiston) is BANGOR, with a population of just over 31,000 people. BANGOR, MAINE is home to a 31-foot statue of Paul Bunyan. (The statue is hurricane-proofed!) Stephen King fans may recognize this statue as the one brought to life in the book It. Speaking of Stephen King, he has a home in BANGOR, MAINE.
• YORK (55D: New ___ City) And speaking of population, the population of New YORK City is around 8.5 million people. It is the largest city in the United States.
• ERIE (56D: Cleveland's Great Lake) Cleveland, Ohio is located on the southern shore of Lake ERIE. This is the fifth time we've seen our crossword friend ERIE this month.

Once I figured out the theme from BANGKOK, THAILAND, I was able to fill in the word BANG at the top of the remaining two theme answers. That was helpful. Thank you, Rafa, for this puzzle that was a BANG-UP way to begin my Friday.

One more thing: Rafa also has today's New York Times puzzle. While it's bound to be a bit more challenging than this one, I'm sure it's worth a look.