WSJ (Contest) Grid: 15 minutes; Meta: 4 more 
[4.21 avg; 7 ratings] rate it
Matt Gaffney’s Wall Street Journal contest crossword, “One Direction” — Conrad’s writeup
This week we’re looking for a famous resort city. There were five long down(hill) theme entries, each containing SKI, here they are left to right:
WSJ Contest – 10.26.2025
- BUKOW(SKI)[A]N: Dark and gritty, as a novel
- HERSHEY(SKI)[S]SES: Treats since 1907
- (SKI)[P]AGENERATION: What traits often do
- TAKETOTHE(SKI)[E]S: Aviate
- A(SKI)[N]GALOT: Pushing a friendship too far, maybe
The letter after (downhill) of the SKIs spell our contest solution ASPEN. Fun, easy puzzle by Matt. Solvers: please share your thoughts.
Not easy for me!
OK, it was easy, but I didn’t see it. I did think the palindromes might be a thing, but no luck there.
Puzzle: WSJ (Contest); Rating: 5 stars
Nice fills and nice meta.
Loved this one. Fun without the torture.
+1
Thanks Matt for making me feel smart for a change.
I did figure out the puzzle eventually, but I was distracted by 38 Across in the middle of the puzzle being “one” as the “smallest bill”. Often the word in the middle of the puzzle is a hint that relates to the theme (just last week?). So I was trying to figure out how a one dollar bill or other bills could relate to the puzzle’s “one direction” theme. An accidental coincidence, or intentional red herring? Did anyone else struggle with this?
I was also misled by the central ONE, as well as its crossing BONES; I thought that the two ONEs formed an arrowhead indicating a direction…..
Yes! And One Direction, the group, was known a 1D. And 1 down in the puzzle was “alps” so I “knew” the ski resort had to be in the Alps!
Count me with the distracted ones!
Puzzle: WSJ (Contest); Rating: 5 stars
Finally. Thank you!
Puzzle: WSJ (Contest); Rating: 5 stars
Not only did I not see the downhill skis but I didn’t realize the letter following was important.
Me, too! Like Larry above, I was distracted by the “one” combined with 57D’s “only.”
I’ve been a skier since childhood and skiing is a major reason reason that we moved to Colorado last year.
I’m going to blame my sleep deficit of the last few days for my inability to see the SKIs. Like some of the earlier commenters, I was misled by the “One” in the title and especially the ONE in the center of the grid.
Nice meta. I wish I had solved it. I need to break my streak of unsolved metas.
I will just add that I have never heard of 3D’s “bukowskian” — or its namesake, Charles Bukowski, who according to Wikitionary was a “German-American writer whose work often addresses the ordinary lives of poor Americans and the drudgery of work.”