New York Times, Monday, March 1, 2021

Hi, Crossworld! I'm thrilled to be making my NYT debut today. It's been so much fun getting to know many of you virtually over the past year or so, and I hope we're all able to gather and meet at an in-person event soon. Until then, please say hello on Twitter (@footnote24) or the Crossword Discord Server.

The idea for this puzzle came while I was reading Erik Larson's Devil in the White City. I had just started constructing, so I was hyper-aware of word lengths, and I noticed the matched pair of FERRIS WHEEL and EIFFEL TOWER. I knew that another World's Fair was coming up soon, so I figured there was potential for a timely puzzle (though admittedly not a groundbreaking one). When I saw that SPACE NEEDLE and the revealer would complete the set, I was off to the races. I was pleased to sneak in EPCOT as a mini-bonus in the middle row, and I'm happy (and surprised) to see that I'm debuting non-themers 3-Down and 66-Across.

The original plan (both mine and the NYT team's) was for this to run on or around 10/20/2020 when the 2020 World's Fair was scheduled to kick off in Dubai. That didn't happen, for obvious reasons, but I hope this puzzle reminds solvers of past vacations taken and sights seen—and I hope that we're all able to safely travel and explore again soon.

As a Dodgers fan still not fully over the 2017 World Series (although 2020 helped quite a bit in that respect), I should note that the stacked pair of 4-Across and 15-Across was unintentional but apt.

Finally, thanks to the NYT team for allowing me to make a last-minute cluing change (to my own clue!), which I very much appreciated.

"Name that Theme" felt like it was going to be a breeze today. Kicking things off with SPACE NEEDLE? Yes! It was so great to see our local landmark featured. EIFFEL TOWER next? Ah, this is easy. LANDMARKS, done!

Next is sure to be New York's EMPIRE STATE BUILDING. San Francisco's GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE. Sydney's OPERA HOUSE. Along with a revealer of LANDMARK EVENTS! Man, I am so smart!

FERRIS WHEEL?

There's a famous Chicago landmark called the FERRIS WHEEL? Sure, I'll buy that. (Considering I once confused Wyoming and Wisconsin. That was last year.)

Wait. WORLDS FAIRS? More like WORLDS FAILS, in my case.

I like the concept of "iconic architectural features from WORLDS FAIRS." I was so badly expecting a third city landmark, though. I do think it works overall, but FERRIS WHEEL broke the expected pattern in a jarring way. I bet it would have felt fine if the puzzle kicked off with FERRIS WHEEL instead of ending with it.

I overlooked EPCOT until Mike pointed it out. It is billed as a "permanent World's Fair." Strange to have it present but not clued along thematic lines, though.

Such solid debut gridwork! I appreciate how careful Mike was with his short fill. Editors would have a hard time pointing out anything here, except perhaps EWW, which is tough to figure out the correct spelling since there is none. I did wonder about UNFREE, but the dictionary helped free me of my unfree notions. A legit, if not everyday word.

Love the color of BRUTE FORCE (like my coding and writing skills) / ALL TERRAIN and SO-CALLED / NICE IDEA, too. Great use of those long spots. Given Mike's level of care in his short fill, I'd suggest next time attempting a higher level of difficulty. Take out the black square between OLES and WOO, for instance, see if you can work in another pair of sizzlers without compromises.

Strongly executed debut.