What I Learned Today

How did the LA Times puzzle go for you today? I got stuck at the intersection of 6-down and 20-across. The clue for 6-down was "___ babbino caro": "Oh my beloved father" (Puccini). I had OMI_. I couldn't figure out the last letter which was the first letter of: Vermont ski resort. I had _KEMO.

After some Googling I discovered that 6-down is OMIO babbino caro, a soprano aria from Puccini's Gianni Schicchi. Wikipedia tells us that: It is sung by Lauretta after tensions between her father Schicchi and the family of Rinuccio, the boy she loves, have reached a breaking point that threatens to separate her from Rinuccio.

Here's a beautiful rendition by Angela Gheoghia:



Googling the Vermont ski resort I found OKEMO. I've skied in Minnesota, Colorado, and Upstate New York (oh, and also North Dakota believe it or not), but I've never heard of OKEMO. It's a little less crossword-friendly than ALTA. Wikipedia tells us:



Okemo Mountain Resort is a ski resort located in Ludlow, Vermont. Before becoming a popular ski resort destination, Ludlow was originally a mill town, and was the home of a General Electric plant until 1977. The resort experienced 600,000 skier visits in 2009. Parents Magazine rated it the Top US Family Snow Resort.