Mon 7/27/2015
R | E | C | A | P | | R | A | T | E | D | | G | E | T |
E | C | O | L | I | | I | G | I | V | E | | E | R | A |
M | O | N | I | C | A | S | E | L | E | S | | O | R | R |
| | | M | A | V | E | N | | N | I | M | R | O | D |
| A | D | O | R | E | | T | O | S | | U | G | L | Y |
G | R | A | N | D | E | | | N | O | L | T | E | | |
R | O | R | Y | | N | A | M | E | | A | T | T | A | R |
A | M | Y | | Y | O | K | O | O | N | O | | E | G | O |
B | A | L | S | A | | R | E | N | U | | G | N | A | T |
| | H | I | P | P | O | | | D | A | R | E | M | E |
O | M | A | N | | I | N | S | | G | R | A | T | E | |
B | A | N | G | O | R | | P | A | E | A | N | | | |
A | N | N | | P | A | L | I | N | D | R | O | M | E | S |
M | I | A | | A | T | O | N | E | | A | L | A | M | O |
A | A | H | | L | E | P | E | W | | T | A | R | O | T |
Mon 10/14/2013
T | A | P | E | | G | A | P | E | | | N | A | L | A |
N | E | I | N | | A | L | O | T | | M | O | T | O | R |
U | S | A | I | N | B | O | L | T | | A | T | T | I | C |
T | O | N | G | A | | U | S | U | A | L | F | A | R | E |
| P | O | M | P | S | | | | B | L | A | R | E | D |
| | B | A | S | I | N | | S | A | R | I | | | |
S | E | A | S | | B | O | S | C | | A | R | T | S | Y |
P | A | R | | U | S | B | P | O | R | T | | A | T | E |
A | R | S | O | N | | L | Y | L | E | | U | L | E | E |
| | | I | R | A | E | | D | A | N | S | K | | |
M | I | L | L | E | R | | | | M | O | O | R | E | |
U | S | E | R | S | F | E | E | S | | I | P | A | D | S |
G | E | T | I | T | | U | S | H | E | R | E | D | I | N |
G | R | O | G | S | | R | A | I | L | | N | I | N | A |
Y | E | N | S | | | O | I | N | K | | S | O | A | P |
Zhouqin is one of surprisingly many Times crossword constructors from the Minneapolis area (what is it about Minneapolis?). I like this puzzle because the repeated element (US-) at the starts of the theme entries is so unexpected, and because the "explainer" at 43D is so good. PIANO BARS, MALL RAT, NOT FAIR, and TALK RADIO are great nontheme entries, too. BTW, when I was in Minneapolis a few weeks ago, Zhouqin answered a question I'd been wondering about: how the heck is her first name pronounced? It's something close to "SHOW-tsin." Now you know.