< Sunday Puzzle: Name these iconic U.S. summer vacation destinations!

AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:

It's time to play the Puzzle.

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RASCOE: Joining us is Will Shortz. He's puzzle editor of the New York Times and puzzlemaster of WEEKEND EDITION. Hey, Will.

WILL SHORTZ, BYLINE: Hey. Good morning, Ayesha.

RASCOE: So, Will, would you please remind us of last week's challenge?

SHORTZ: Yes, it came from the crossword constructor Peter Gordon. I said, think of a famous film with a three-word title - six letters in the first word, three in the middle, and four in the last - in which the first and last words are rhymes for consecutive numbers. What movie is it? Well, the movie is "Heaven Can Wait." And the first and last words rhyme with seven and eight.

RASCOE: Oh, wow. OK, so I know that there have been remakes of this movie, but Michael Jackson has a song, "Heaven Can Wait," that I love. Like, that's one of those little-known Michael Jackson songs, but listen to it. It's real good. There were 2,200 correct entries. And this week's winner is Tom Hergert of St. Cloud, Minn. Congratulations, Tom.

TOM HERGERT: Thanks very much, Ayesha.

RASCOE: So are you a big fan of "Heaven Can Wait"?

HERGERT: I like the film a lot. I saw the Warren Beatty version. I know there were others.

RASCOE: Yes, yeah. And have you heard the Michael Jackson song?

HERGERT: I don't think so. If I did, it's been a while ago.

RASCOE: How long have you been playing the Puzzle?

HERGERT: Well, I sent in a few postcards at one point, but I haven't been faithful about doing it all the time.

RASCOE: OK, but it paid off this time.

HERGERT: Absolutely.

RASCOE: It only takes one time to get it. What do you do when you're not playing the Puzzle?

HERGERT: Well, I'm a retired university professor, but now I'm dabbling in carpentry, back in a little bit of music, and sailing and kayaking.

RASCOE: Are you ready to play the Puzzle?

HERGERT: I've been ready a long time.

RASCOE: (Laughter).

HERGERT: I'm as ready as I'm going to be today.

RASCOE: I love that answer. OK. Take it away, Will.

SHORTZ: All right, Tom and Ayesha. This is a good two-person puzzle, so Ayesha, feel free to jump in. Summer is almost here, and you may be starting to think about places to travel this year. So I'm going to describe some tourist destinations in the United States. The initial letters of the descriptions are also the initials of the places. You name them. For example, if I said Washington Home, you would say White House because they both start with W-H.

HERGERT: Got it.

SHORTZ: Here's No. 1. Gigantic chasm.

HERGERT: Grand Canyon.

SHORTZ: That's it. No. 2 is Pilgrims reached, R-E-A-C-H-E-D.

HERGERT: Plymouth Rock.

SHORTZ: You got it. Try this. Edifice so big. Edifice so big.

HERGERT: Eastern seaboard.

RASCOE: (Laughter).

SHORTZ: No.

RASCOE: That's a good one, though. Let me think. So...

SHORTZ: The first word is edifice.

RASCOE: Edifice. So that's a E. So E and a S and a B. What would - that would be the...

SHORTZ: What's one of the biggest edifices in the United States?

RASCOE: What is it?

HERGERT: Empire State Building.

RASCOE: Oh.

SHORTZ: You got it.

RASCOE: (Laughter).

SHORTZ: Nice job. Assorted casinos.

RASCOE: Oh. Oh, yeah. Atlantic City?

SHORTZ: Atlantic City. Good job. Merchandise offered abundantly.

HERGERT: Mall of America.

SHORTZ: You got it. Newlywed fun.

RASCOE: Yes, like a honeymoon spot. So with the - so, like, with the falls.

HERGERT: Oh, Niagara Falls.

RASCOE: Yes.

SHORTZ: You got it.

HERGERT: Thank you, Ayesha.

RASCOE: We're in this together. We're in this together (laughter).

SHORTZ: Try this one. Literature omnibus collection.

RASCOE: Literature omnibus collection. Oh. This is in D.C., right?

SHORTZ: Yes.

HERGERT: C - Lincoln? No.

RASCOE: Yeah. It's like a collection of books.

HERGERT: Oh, Library of Congress. Thank you.

SHORTZ: You got it. Try this. Blues scene. The second word is S-C-E-N-E. Blues Scene.

HERGERT: Beale Street.

SHORTZ: Beale Street. You could also have said Basin Street in New Orleans. Either one works. How about Frisco waterfront?

HERGERT: Fisherman's Wharf?

SHORTZ: You got it. Magma suddenly heaved.

HERGERT: Mount St. Helens.

SHORTZ: You got it. Yields Nature's Panorama.

HERGERT: Yellowstone National Park.

SHORTZ: Right. Also, Yosemite works. Here's your last one. It's a four-word one. Rockettes can manage here.

HERGERT: Radio City Music Hall.

SHORTZ: Exactly.

RASCOE: You did an awesome job. How do you feel?

HERGERT: Pretty good. A little embarrassed in the middle there but OK now.

RASCOE: You did a great job. For playing our puzzle today, you'll get a WEEKEND EDITION lapel pin as well as puzzle books and games. You can read all about it at npr.org/puzzle. And Tom, what member station do you listen to?

HERGERT: KNSR, Collegeville, St. Cloud, part of Minnesota Public Radio.

RASCOE: That's Tom Hergert of St. Cloud, Minn. Thank you for playing the Puzzle.

HERGERT: Thank you so much.

RASCOE: All right, Will. What's next week's challenge?

SHORTZ: Yes, it comes from listener Bob Fecho of New York City. Think of a well-known actor from the past whose last name is also a brand name. Remove the last letter of the actor's first name and you'll have a product produced by that brand. What is it? So again, a famous actor of the past. His last name is a brand name. Remove the last letter of his first name, and you'll get a product produced by this brand. What is it?

RASCOE: When you have the answer, go to our website, npr.org/puzzle, and click on the Submit Your Answer link. Remember, just one entry, please. Our deadline for entries this week is Thursday, May 30 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern. Don't forget to include a phone number where we can reach you. If you're the winner, we'll give you a call, and if you pick up the phone, you get to play on the air with the puzzle editor of the New York Times and puzzlemaster of WEEKEND EDITION, Will Shortz. Thank you, Will.

SHORTZ: Thanks a lot, Ayesha.

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