Sean

This was a very fun and enjoyable puzzle. Did it sitting outside on a Berlin morning that has a strong tinge of fall in the air. I too thought the solves had to be some combination of those companies' products, until the 31-Across "winery" solve was just too obvious too ignore that there was wordplay going on here--aha! they're anagrams. Fun facts to know and tell: the very first NYT Crossword appeared on a Sunday in 1942 with the author line of "Anna Gram" (a pseudonym for the first editor, Margaret Farrar.) The puzzle was meant partly to give readers a short break from the relentlessly bleak news cycles (this was not long after Pearl Harbor, of course), a function it is still serving today. (yes, I can Wikipedia with the best of 'em). Other note: Had a really, really hard time with the upper left grid, kept coming back at it until solving 23-Across gave me a few crosses that made the rethink the clues, (esp 1-Down).

This was pretty fun once you get the trick but for my part I found it fairly hard for a Sunday puzzle, closer to an end of week one maybe. But maybe my brain just wasn't clicking today with some of the clues.

My fastest Saturday puzzle and first time I didn't need hints! There were a few that stumped me but the crossings resolved them. Clever clues today. Also I live in Germany so the Biontech guy is someone who is pretty well known. He was on TV here quite a bit during the pandemic.

I thought it was fun. Growing up on the Gulf Coast I knew what Mardi Gras parade organizers were, and the video game one was a gimme, so I got the top right block pretty fast. Top left had me stumped because I didn't get the slang for rare solve until almost the end. Was proud to have figured out the famous hog rider pretty fast though. Folks may also remember him as Marty Funkhouser on Curb Your Enthusiasm, who passed away a bit back. If he looks a bit like Albert Brooks that is because he was his brother (Albert changed his birth name Einstein for obvious professional reasons). OK enough trivia....time to start the two week break over here in Germany (what we call the "time between the years").

Really sorry to see Deb go, even when I figure out what the puzzle is up to on my own (today I did not get it until the grid was like 90% complete, then I was like duh, they're "wheels"..) I always read the Gameplay just to have it unpacked. Happy retirement and travels!