
By Sam Gross
Welcome to the first Sunday crossword puzzle from West Side Rag.
This puzzle features Upper West Side references, from neighborhood landmarks and lore to the special details that make the neighborhood feel like home. We wanted to create a local puzzle that would offer a healthy challenge for both longtime residents and recent arrivals.
Regular readers will also spot a few clues that draw on recent stories from the West Side Rag team.
Before you dive in, here are a few tips for solving:
- This puzzle is designed to be phone-friendly, but you’ll admittedly have more screen to work with if you play on a computer. The navigation bar above the puzzle also offers the option to Print it out if you’re more of a paper and pencil person.
- If you get stuck, the online version has an Assist button that will let you Reveal or Check a letter, word, or the entire grid. You can also Ask a friend by sending them an invite code and the link to the puzzle.
- All of the clues fit an Upper West Side theme, but crossword fans will notice this means a slightly sprawling grid and fewer intersections between words. We’ll continue working to craft the perfect puzzle that feels local to the neighborhood while offering the right amount of playability.
We’d love your feedback. How’d you make out? Any ideas for future puzzle clues or feedback on how we did? Please let us know in the comments.
And if you’re not signed up yet, join our free daily newsletter for easy access to future puzzles and stories as they’re published.






YAY!!!! I love this. Thank you.
Bravo!
Great idea!!!
That was fun ! (I needed help with 1 and 9 down). Looking forward to more
Love the new crossword!
Super fun! What a great idea
I love this!
easy
Awesome fun.
Thanks
Although I do the Sunday NYT Crossword every week (so this was easy), this was a fun distraction. Great idea! Maybe increase it in difficulty over the weeks and months?
Nicely done!
That is fabulous.
Fun!
Love the puzzle from Oklahoma.