10 March 2014
Unexpected Pentagon Visit
Ben looks back on a long trip to Cincinnati
“The day started well enough….
Leaving New York
… but took a turn for the worse. No tour would be complete without at least one day where the travel plans cascade in front of us like a line of dominoes. It only takes one slight delay to a flight for the intricate web of connections to become a tangled mess. Yesterday’s travel-day between NY and Cincinnati was just such an occasion. This is how we feel about days like this:
Having caught a [delayed] flight from New York to Washington DC (en route to Cincinnati), we became concerned that someone might self-destruct after six hours of thumb-twiddling and card-gaming. So we hatched a plan to escape on the metro to the nearest point of interest, which happened to be Pentagon City.
Washington DC from the air
It’s a fairly non-descpript part of town, but is home to a branch of Californian Pizza Kitchen, which was distinctly better than anything at the airport, especially with outdoor seating where we could enjoy the evening sun and relatively fresh air.
Californian Pizza Kitchen: the escape from Wahington Reagan airport
Feeling much more human we returned to Washington Reagan airport and continued on our merry (thanks to a few drinks with dinner) way. Luckily it was plain sailing from then on, but we still had a bit of time to kill, so Jim decided to create a crossword. See below…”
The extremely late flight to Cincinnati – Will is so tired he accidentally sits in the cockpit
Clues:
Across
2 Eleanor’s degree subject (11)
10 Eight performers (5)
11 Increase laboriously (3)
12 Large bovine (2)
13 Tonic (2)
14 Not off (2)
15 Supertonic (2)
16 Meditation by Savonarola (7,3)
(also 23 down)
17 Nuchal Translucency (abbrev.) (2)
18 One (Scots) (2)
20 The world’s finest airline (2)
21 First person plural (2)
23 Critics pour these forth (8)
26 To proceed (2)
27 Of (French, or Spanish) (2)
28 Fuss (about nothing?) (3)
29 Katie’s cathedral city (11)
30 The same as 14 across! (2)
32 Irresponsible fellow (3)
34 An immeasurably long time (4)
35 Stile’s record label (8,5)
36 Mantric hum (2)
37 Petrol (American) (3)
39 Byrd wrote three of these (4)
40 Instrument played by Emma (11)
42 Belonging to him (3)
43 Abbreviation of even (3)
44 Stile’s most-recent programme (1,7,4)
46 Search for food (6)
Down
1 Composer of Woefully Arrayed (6)
2 Epic antiphon by John Sheppard (5,4)
3 Make amends (5)
4 Ashby twin not on tour (5)
5 Stile’s 2008 Grammy nominee (5,3,8)
6 Leading note (2)
7 Stile’s management agency (4)
8 One hundredth of a semitone (4)
9 Chopping tool (3)
12 Gibbons’ first name (7)
19 Spiral-horned deer (4)
20 Constricting snake (3)
22 Second mode (6)
23 see 16 across
24 Moved seamlessly onwards (6)
25 Stile’s 2010 Grammy nominee (4,2,4)
29 Pertaining to pyjamas (6)
31 Included (2)
32 Traditionally thrown into the river (3)
33 Divided (6)
34 Prolific, yet elusive composer (4)
35 see 40 down
37 A secluded valley (4)
38 After tea, a Brit’s favourite tipple (3)
40 Final motet of Lassus’ Lagrime (4,4)
(also 35 down)
41 Friendly fellow (4)
42 Ugly, old woman (3)
44 Otherwise (2)
45 Egyptian sun god (2)