"We Were Just Leaving" April 21, 2023

[LadyBird]

And my experience was just the opposite of "too easy." Interesting how we each react differently to the various mechanisms.

I was page 1 last week and pulled to shore this week by my husband. I saw the two trees in each answer right away but tried all sorts of things and never saw the (now) obvious. Although, in my defense, when we travel I am in charge of finding interesting things to do and visit and Dave is in charge of lodging.

[sharkicicles]

First thing I thought of after solving… had to go back and listen to the whole album.

[Ergcat]

I've never stayed in a DoubleTree either. My husband was sitting beside me when I finished filling in the grid and I casually asked (expecting him to roll his eyes), "Is there a hotel chain with trees in its name?". He immediately replied DoubleTree and didn't even relish in my delight when I said, "Of course! That's it!"

Next I had to do a little light reading about DoubleTree. I was particularly interested in their famous chocolate chip cookie and soon found the official recipe that they published in 2020 as we were all sheltering in place because of Covid-19. Guess what I did yesterday afternoon? Better yet, guess what I had with my first cup of coffee this morning?

DoubleTree Cookie.jpg

@Hidden in 3D and that cookie will taste so much better with coffee in THE MUG! Good luck, everyone, and be sure to have a DoubleTree chocolate chip cookie on hand to savor with THE MUG!

[TeaJenny]

Just a small bit of unsatisfaction — Is there a meaning to “We Were Just Leaving”? Trees do grow leaves which is an awful stretch to make into ‘leaving’. What am I missing?

Yes, that's the connection that my wife made, which I didn't see, which led to our (her) solve.

No rules, just hints at the direction to go.

Pines don't have leaves either, but sorta?

I guess I'm Oak-ay with that

Make like a tree and check out?

To quote Biff Tannen, "Now, make like a tree, and get outta here."

[mheberlingx100]

I was at my daughter’s house while doing the crossword. I finished the grid and saw the trees in the downward entries.

She immediately said, oh like Doubletree! With that she expected for me to give her the mug if I win this week.

Sorry, kid. No chance I’d give you the mug when I was one second slower and did 99+% of the work. And you don’t even drink coffee!

[DBMiller]

Got it right away this week, but had to make sure the "Two Trees Inn" at Foxwoods casino wasn't a bigger chain.

[phykos]

just driving by

[LizD]

Gah I love Mitch Hedberg! My vet school roommates and I quoted him often.

[drbockel2]

Dead in the water. Gurgle gurgle…

[MikeMillerwsj]

The contest answer is DOUBLETREE. Each of the four theme answers conceals a type of tree twice: FIG, PINE, TEAK and ELM.

This was a big one! We had 2,954 entries, with about 78% correct. Incorrect answers covered most of the other big hotel chains: FOUR SEASONS (39), HILTON (18), MARRIOTT (14), BEST WESTERN (8), SOFITEL (7), and HOLIDAY INN (6) among others.

Congrats to this week's winner: Chris DeSena of Coronado, Calif.!

[The XWord Rabbit]

The XWord Rabbit doesn’t want to make this an essay about the “E” word. It upsets some Muggles.

You know the word he’s talking about. It described Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper in a 1969 motorcycle movie. A year later it was used to describe a book of piano exercises in a Jack Nicholson movie. Rodney Dangerfield tried to get money like this in 1983. Earth girls were this way in 1988. You get the idea.

Well, this puzzle was like that for most Muggles, and it left your poor Rabbit high and watching paint dry again.

The four vertical anchor entries each contained the name of a kind of tree -- twice -- in other words, a Double Tree, the meta.

So here we are, another week with no nominees. Musically, your Rabbit found something a bit more appropriate, title-wise, and contemporary (by his standards) – for this week’s results.

Can you dig it? Peace, man!

[altosax]

One small mistake at 20A. Infinity is not a number, it’s an idea.

[altosax]

One small mistake at 20A. Infinity is not a number, it’s an idea.

[Meg]

https://www.hilton.com/en/travel/articl ... ie-recipe/

There's lemon juice in their chocolate chip cookie recipe. Interesting!

[kfahey714]

Wow. I had the mechanism easily pinned, but I submitted GreenTree Inn, as they are all Green Trees. I will concede DoubleTree is "more" right, but I do not concede I was wrong!