Sunday, July 06, 2025

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 6, 2025): Nice Place in the U.S. to Vacation

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 6, 2025): Nice Place in the U.S. to Vacation
Q: This is a phonetic challenge in four parts. First, say a letter of the alphabet out loud -- like B, C, or L. Then name something you might carry around in your pocket. Say it twice. Finally, name a variety of tree. Say these four things in order, and phonetically they'll name a nice place in the United States to vacation. What is it?
This place was mentioned on this blog in the last couple years by someone from a city and state that started with the same letter.

Edit: As part of a two-week challenge, Tim Pearce of Pittsburg, PA sent in HAWAII = "Honolulu and Waikiki — awesome, I imagine".
A: WAIKIKI BEACH (Y + KEY + KEY + BEECH)

110 comments:

  1. Take the original name of another prominent locale near the vacation place. Rearrange, and get the first name of a renowned African leader.

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  2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  5. A place I’ve always wanted to go

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  6. I am finding it impossible to clue. I was there in 1969.

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  7. Very easy puzzle first location that came to mind. Took about 30 seconds to make sure that the letter, pocket items and tree really did fit the name.

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  8. I needed some guidance on this puzzle.

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  11. I live close to a place by that name, although I am sure that's not the one intended in the puzzle. Still, perhaps I should visit that close-by place more often.

    "More than 600 correct answers" to last week's challenge. So, technically, I got it right in guessing "between 700 and 800"!
    (Ok, as I said, that wasn't really a guess; it was an oblique reference to #747, Minnie Driver's rank in IMDb's top-1000 list.)

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    1. Sorry, Wolfy. I win the showcase. I guessed between 113 and 699 correct answers.

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  12. Since this puzzle has no listener attribution, it must be from the puzzle master himself. I think it's intended to bring the number of correct submissions back up after a few dismal weeks. I'm guessing close to 2000, despite summer slump.

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  13. This was way too easy because I live in Florida, but I'll still give it 75 points.

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  14. Residence of a well-known assassin.

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  15. Reminds me of a Ricky Nelson song

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  16. Interesting...many comments have been removed, but the one that helped me get to the answer is still there. I guess it's an age thing.

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    1. Just checked again, and now that comment is removed. 🤭

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  17. Got it in seconds. Now to think of a clue that won't be removed by a blog administrator...

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    1. Take the first two letters and last two letters of the vacation place. Rearrange to get something associated with the mouth.

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    2. Natasha, is that a tree joke? 😉

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    3. WAkiki beaCH => WACH => CHAW

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  18. My clue is Arthur Godfrey.

    My girlfriend and I got this before it even aired - it was our first guess at breakfast.

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    1. He's connected several ways. I remember listening to him on CBS on my parent's vacuum-tube portable radio. "Seems like old times."

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  19. Trying again.
    I’ve vacationed at the intended answer, and at another location with a related name.

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  20. I guess this would be a nice place to visit. Too many Hotels, condos and crowds for my taste. We've visited the state, with a focus on less crowded areas. When I travel here in Colorado, I avoid the crowded, condo-ridden areas, like Aspen and Vail, preferring the areas that focus on the rich history of the state, like Alamosa, Durango, and Cortez. So much native history, as well as mining and railroad history in the southwestern part of the state

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    1. Agreed! Great Sand Dunes NP near Alamosa is a spectacular place. The changing shadows and wildlife are mesmerizing.

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    2. I love Great Sand Dunes. It happens to also be a nice dark-sky area, so I spent several hours there in the middle of the night doing star-trail photos

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    3. Such splendid dark-skies! Did you see the tiger beetle, endemic to the dunes, and a nocturnal creature? We did a midnight hike there one May with my son's Boy Scout troop. Both the stars and the beetle were wondrous.

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    4. You went with your son's Boy Scout Troop? Didn't he get razzed?

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    5. I spent several years in Scouts and we never had a chaperone. The only time that we ever saw anyone's mother was at the Court of Honor or parent's day at camp Osceola.

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    6. It was a special weekend camp out for all the Scouts and their families. Some parents opted not to hike at midnight but several of us moms and dads did. Different scouting activities look different all over the country.

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    7. Okay...I grew up in the 1970's. Our parents just wanted to get us the hell outta the house.

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    8. Word Woman: I didn't see any Tiger Beetles. I'll admit, I wasn't looking for them...

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    9. Curtis, they are quite sparkly for night time critters >>>

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicindela_theatina

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    10. Next time I go, I’ll look for the beetles

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  21. Got this nearly instantaneously. I vacationed here in 2021, in the midst of a COVID peak; although it was a questionable time to be traveling, it was indeed a nice place to vacation!

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  22. No clue. This one was obvious for me.

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  23. EZPZ But you all already knew you need a letter. These ain't it.

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  24. A lot of people stand and wait here.

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  25. There will be 2000 correct answers.

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  26. Never been. Have been to Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, and even took a cruise to Cozumel. Of course, none of this is TMI because the place in question is not located in any of these aforementioned places. I will offer this as a clue, though:
    There is a well-known reality/competition show that Mom and I like to watch(I don't dare reveal its name because it would be a dead giveaway who I'm about to mention). One of the series regulars is associated with another celebrity whose surname suggests that of the vacation spot in this week's challenge.
    pjbWillSayAPartOfTheVacaySpotIsAReasonHe'sBeenToOneOfTheStatesHeMentionedEarlierInThisPost

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  27. Blaine, i just noticed that a couple of dates in your header mistakenly list the date as Jun 06, not Jul 6.

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    1. Let’s do the time warp again!

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    2. Did everyone enjoy the fireworks on the 4th of June? 😀

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    3. They weren't at all spectacular, but at least they were quiet.

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    4. They were Burstin' Out All Over!

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    5. The noise was so loud that I had to give my male corgi Xanax and shut the windows the night before and the next two days

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    6. Clark, just ask my wife about the effect on our horses of our neighbors’ guns- and explosives-happy celebration of the 4th.

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    7. Dr. K It's the only time my corgi wants to be in bed with us. I love horses, but with horses?! By the way I used to ride English style.

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    8. Clark, my wife’s the equestrian, and she rides English, too.

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    9. Do the English ride hourses?

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  28. There's a famous American band whose identity might be TMI.

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  29. There have been times where we say a Sunday puzzle would have been better to run at a different time of year. However, in this case, I believe the timing was quite right (proof to be provided on Thursday).

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  30. Replies
    1. The official video for 夏日戀人 (Summer Lover) by Anita Mui (梅艷芳) was filmed in Honolulu and at Waikiki Beach.

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  31. WAIKIKI BEACH; Y KEY KEY BEECH

    "I needed some guidance on this puzzle." As in divine guidance. Divining rods may be made of BEECH wood.

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  32. WAIKIKI BEACH (<—Y + KEY + KEY + BEECH)

    Hint: “Take the original name of another prominent locale near the vacation place. Rearrange, and get the first name of a renowned African leader.
    —> Lehai (Hawaiian for Diamond Head, about 3 miles from Waikiki) —> Haile (Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia, 1930-74)

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  33. WAIKIKI BEACH

    > Jet Li.

    A particularly obscure clue, recognizing the importance of the introduction of commercial JET aircraft to Hawaiian tourism, its position as the 50th state (L, to Romans), and the overrepresentation of "I" in "WAIKIKI".

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  34. WAIKIKI BEACH (phonetically: “y, key key, beech”)

    My clue:

    I live close to a place by that name, although I am sure that’s not the one intended in the puzzle.

    There is a Waikiki Beach in Salem, MA. We won’t know for sure until Sunday, but—“a nice place to vacation”—as it may be, I am still sure that’s not the one WS had in mind. ;)

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    1. Did you go to the Witch Museum, when you were in Salem?

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    2. Witch one? ;)

      (Couldn't resist that!) No, I think that is just about the only witch-themed place in Salem I missed. I did go see the Witch Dungeon Museum (which [sic] I really liked), the Witch House (which was once the home of Witch Trials Judge Jonathan Corwin), and a couple of other witch-themed sites. Salem really capitalizes on all things witch/which bolster tourism!

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    3. Kinda like Roswell NM....all things alien. 🛸👽

      This thread brought back a childhood memory. Whenever I'd say to my dad "You know what?" he'd say "I know some whats, which what are you talking about?"

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  35. This week on Puzzleria! we proudly present the following two-pronged Appetizer:
    Subterfuge & Greek Creature Appetizer:
    “A Dwindling” & “Holding their Fates to the Fire”
    These conundrums involve “subterfuge & misdirection” and a phrase formed by the “not very well known” movie title and the “misdirection,” which are parts of a mysterious countdown.
    We upload Puzzleria! soon, this afternoon!
    Also on this week's Menus:
    * A Schpuzzle of the Week titled "Midday menu: frothy fruity eggy veggie medley,"
    * A Predatory Hors d’Oeuvre titled “Take two anagrams, be(d)head, call me in the morning,”
    * A 59-26 Skidoo Slice titled "One Cool Cat and One Hot Dog!,"
    * A Hungry Hovering Hummingbird Dessert titled “Mingle? Schmingle! Where’s the Pringles?!”
    * And ten Riffing Off Shortz Entrees titled "Did a “Sea Change Change Yew?” (inlcuding six riffs by Nodd and two from Tortitude).
    Please join us.

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  36. My clue: "This was way too easy because I live in Florida, but I'll still give it 75 points." I was alluding to the Florida "keys" and to the 15 stars (each star has five points, for a total of 75) on the American flag when Francis Scott "Key" wrote the poem "Defence of Fort M'Henry" which was set to a popular British tune and eventually became the American national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner.

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  37. Y, key, key, beech->Waikiki Beach

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  38. My comment "A lot of people stand and wait here" was a punning reference to Milton's line "They also serve who only stand and wait." Except I meant "surf," not "serve," since Waikiki was the locale most closely linked in the public mind with Duke Kahanamoku, the man most responsible for popularizing the sport of surfing and who grew up in the community of Waikiki.

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  39. Waikiki Beach, Oahu. My clue was: Residence of a well-known assassin. That would be Mark David Chapman, the numbnuts who killed John Lennon. My other clue was: M, as book 'em. I think someone else had this idea, too.

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  40. Waikiki Beach: “Y” + Key + Key + Beach

    Last Sunday I said, “Arthur Godfrey.” His favorite musical instrument – which he frequently played on the air and also made records with – was the ukulele. This instrument is also strongly associated with Hawaii.

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    1. He also was a big promoter of middle-class tourism to the islands. His signature greeting of "How-ah-yah, how-ah-yah..." sounded a lot like "Hawaii", sorta.

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  41. My comment about the timing of this puzzle being quite right, was a reference to Francis Scott Key and the national anthem (like Scarlett noted above) and running this puzzle over the July 4th holiday weekend. "Proof to be provided on Thursday" was a reference to the lyric..."gave proof through the night".

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  42. Sun Jul 06, 04:29:00 AM PDT
    I think time is speeding up. This century just seems to be zipping right by.
    Looks like Bobby had the same Y2K idea and Nodd had the same Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikikaisha idea.

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  43. I predicted 2000 correct entries Sunday morning, a reference to the 2K, two keys, connection. I could see that Bobby had the same idea later, but I missed Paul's Y2K reference. By the way, the strange oriental message that prompted skydiveboy to ask SPAM? was from someone named K K.

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  44. Y-Key-Key-Beech >> Waikiki Beach

    I have strong connections with this puzzle having vacationed on Waikiki Beach and Key West.

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  45. Y+KEY+KEY+BEECH=WAIKIKI BEACH
    Taiki Waititi(sounds like WAIKIKI)is the husband of Rita Ora, who recently joined the cast of "The Masked Singer" as a panelist.
    pjbIsMuchMoreFamiliarWithFlorida'sFt.WaltonBeach(BeenThereManyTimes)

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  46. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" the movie now almost 50 years old was just now mentioned on "All Things Considered." Great, but then the host informed us it is still considered a classic.
    What in the world do they think classic means? At least he did not mention anything about "instant classic movies."

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  47. I watched the movie, Conclave last night. My reserved DVD copy finally arrived, and I found it well worth watching, but for the absurd ending. However, I am wondering if anyone here bothered to check out the layout of the chessboard at just before 5 minutes into the film? Why is it film professionals cannot arrange a chess board and pieces in a logical and correct manner. This one is really a joke.

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  48. 1700 correct entries last week.

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  49. This week's puzzle (from memory): Take 2 different articles of clothing, one after the other. The result will spell something seen at a baseball game.

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    1. Much too easy. I'd say another 1700 answer week, maybe more.

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    2. Yeah, it's taking me longer to figure out a non-TMI clue.

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    3. Agreed. You can take this one to the bank.

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    4. Careful with that new submission form.

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  50. Take two different articles of clothing. Place them one after the other. The result will spell something seen at a baseball game.

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  51. Way too easy. Leaves me with apathy.

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