Gone Fishing?

With the long weekend coming up, I'm sure some of my friends are looking forward to fishing! This theme answers to today's puzzle, "Catch of the Day" (by Fred Piscop) are perfect for the occasion! 

17A: Enviable vantage point (LOFTY PERCH). No explanation necessary.

56A: Underside of some shoes (RUBBER SOLES). Louboutins, anyone? These VERY pricey shoes are famous for their red soles on the bottom. Many, many people have tried to copy Christian Louboutin, but none have succeeded. His NYC store is within walking distance of my office. I won't even attempt to walk in there. However, if you're lucky to own a pair of his shoes, you can replace the red rubber soles.

11D: He reached his peak in 1806 (ZEBULON PIKE). Zebulon Pike (1779-1813) enjoyed a career in the military and eventually was promoted to U.S. army captain. In 1806, Pike organized the first American effort to explore the southern and western territories. He discovered Pikes Peak (originally called El Capitán) in western Colorado. Pike and his troops were captured by the Spanish and taken into Mexico in February 1807. Mexico and Texas provided him with important data about the Spanish military. Pike published an account of the expedition in 1810; it was translated into French, German, and Dutch. In 1813, Zebulon Pike was killed during an attack on the area now known as Tornoto. There are many places and two ships named for the explorer.

24D: Move on a rink (ROLLER SKATE). I loved roller skating as a child! To me, it was much easier than ice skating. I had a pair of metal skates that adjusted with your shoe size (see ad at right from a 1970s British magazine. Then there was the Levittown Roller Rink, one of the many places on Long Island that are gone but not forgotten. This was a place where many kids hung out at night. People met and married there. It was also a site for some major skating tournaments. I remember my elementary school always used to throw parties there. Also, I remember going roller skating in college at a rink in Centereach, but it didn't have the character of Levittown. Sadly, in 1986, the rink was bought by a discount drugstore chain. It's now home to a Staples store. Bor-ing!

I hoped you enjoyed looking at some nostalgia today.

Till tomorrow. . . . 

Signing off,

The Puzzlechick