Month: June 2017

To become the next great Pokemon trainer, you must first map out the world’s regions. Each number shown indicates the number of contiguous grid squares in that region (only horizontal and vertical squares count as adjacent–no diagonals!), i.e. that region’s size. No two regions of the same size can border each other. Note that each region may have zero, one, or more labelled grid squares in it.

Then, figure out how to use the map, potions, and your wits to catch all the wild Pokemon! The final answer will be a San Francisco location, where all the very best trainers will be hanging out.

Submit final puzzle answers to answers@missionstreetpuzzles.com with your team name!

Stuck? Email help@missionstreetpuzzles.com, or check out our Beginner’s Guide.

Once again, we’re offering T-shirts for the winning teams (Fastest Solver, First Photo, Best Photo) and a randomly chosen team! If you’ve already won a T-shirt, you’ll receive another color after five wins.

And the correct answer to the Pride Parade puzzle was…

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San Francisco’s famous Pride parade is this weekend! Last year, I had six friends in the parade, in this order: Peter, Urvashi, Romaine, Vladimir, Chelsea, and Essex:

• Peter could see five floats ahead of him, including Urvashi’s, whose float was directly ahead of his.
• Urvashi could see four floats, including Romaine’s, which was the one directly ahead of hers.
• Romaine could see exactly two floats: Peter’s and Urvashi’s.
• Essex’s float was the furthest east.

This year, I have seven friends in the parade, and their colorful floats spell out one of their favorite San Francisco locations. Can you help me remember the order and directions of the floats, and then figure out what that fun location is?

• The person in the orange float can see exactly x floats more than Phyllis can, where x is some number.
• If the blue and violet floats are facing the same direction, then Patria is in one of those floats; otherwise, Patria is in the green float.
• The person in the blue float can see, directly in front of it, another float whose driver has x letters in his/her name.
• There is an even number of floats between Harvey’s and the pink float (not including themselves).
• The red float is the farthest west.
• If Courtney’s float is blue, orange, violet, or green, then at least one of Courtney’s neighbors has a name containing the letter Y.
• Harvey can see Kimball’s float directly in front of him.
• The violet float is next to the yellow float if and only if Li’s float is pink.
• The people in the orange and pink floats can see the blue float somewhere ahead.
• If Li’s float is east of Harvey’s, then Li’s float is either orange or pink.
• If Harvey’s float is red or orange, then Kimball’s float is a primary color.
• If the red and yellow floats are next to each other, then the person in the red float can see fewer than y other floats, where y = x + 1.
• If Christopher’s float is a secondary color, then he can see more floats than Courtney can.
• The person in the red float has a name that is z letters long, where z = x * y.
• The pink, violet, and green floats are facing the same direction.

Submit final puzzle answers to answers@missionstreetpuzzles.com with your team name!

Stuck? Email help@missionstreetpuzzles.com, or check out our Beginner’s Guide.

Once again, we’re offering T-shirts for the winning teams (Fastest Solver, First Photo, Best Photo) and a randomly chosen team! If you’ve already won a T-shirt, you’ll receive another color after five wins.

And the correct answer to the Alphabet Game puzzle was…

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My dad is planning a family vacation, and he’s bringing an alligator, a banana, a crane, …oh wait, that was last year’s vacation. Can you figure out what we’re bringing this year? Then, with that packing list, maybe I can figure out where in San Francisco we’ll be visiting for Father’s Day.

• a 4-letter plant, the first three of which are small
• a 5-letter bird, the first four of which are a great person
• a 5-letter bird, the last three of which are ill
• a 5-letter body part, the last three of which are a musical helper
• a 5-letter building, the last three of which are a room for private functions
• a 5-letter flower, the last three of which are a body part
• a 5-letter mammal, the last three of which are supportive clothing
• a 6-letter attractor, the last three of which ensnare things
• a 6-letter body part, the first three of which are a child
• a 6-letter clothing item, the first four of which are a heavy lifter
• a 6-letter fruit, the last five of which are a span of values
• a 6-letter mammal, the last three of which are a small amount
• a 6-letter organism, the first three of which are a delight
• a 7-letter bird, the first three of which write
• a 7-letter festive object, the last four of which are a bird
• a 7-letter officer, the first four of which transmit naturally
• a 7-letter transmitter, the first four of which are a bet
• an 8-letter beautifier, the last four of which are a small blood-feeder
• an 8-letter food, the first four of which are grainy
• a 9-letter clothing item, the last three of which are a body part
• a 9-letter music-maker, the last three of which are a number
• a 9-letter opener, the last four of which are a group of people
• a 9-letter recreational object, the first four of which are thrown at it
• an 11-letter bird, the last three of which are an alcoholic drink
• a 12-letter insect, the first four of which are a shout
• a 13-letter performer, the first four of which let air through

Submit final puzzle answers to answers@missionstreetpuzzles.com with your team name!

Stuck? Email help@missionstreetpuzzles.com, or check out our Beginner’s Guide.

Once again, we’re offering T-shirts for the winning teams (Fastest Solver, First Photo, Best Photo) and a randomly chosen team! If you’ve already won a T-shirt, you’ll receive another color after five wins.

And the correct answer to the Commencement Speech puzzle was…

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Oh no! MSP University’s graduation ceremony starts in just a few minutes, but the commencement speaker Valerie Valencia is nowhere to be found! Fortunately, she left a copy of her notes behind, and it might have some initial clues about where she is. Can you take an initial look and figure out her location within San Francisco?

Welcome, graduates; we at this school are nor pupils neither teachers for the West, we are disciples of God and teachers for ourselves.

Having said that, the first thing I want to say is don’t be scared–all the giddy excitement you feel (and that I feel with you as you graduate), my guess is you’re also feeling a little uncertain today–to tell the truth we always feel unsure.
One must realize that fear is stupid (so are regrets), and one must expect to feel afraid but not retreat.
So go forth and “x-cel” in all the things you try to do, for the biggest thing is to have a swagger when you take the field, to walk like you belong with the best, go up to the plate like you know you belong with the best.

Actually, to make a point your school may not endorse, universal education through schooling is not feasible.
In my own work, in which I needed to create a piece of art that’s fresh and new, I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics or maps.

Don’t seek to outdo your peers with unrelenting pride–life is wonderful, but nonetheless a series of trade offs, especially between business/professional endeavours and family/community.
Every adult, whether he is a follower or a leader, a member of a mass or of an elite, was once a child, whether he’s a lieutenant colonel, king, or even Pope.
And of course the road ahead will have its kinks; at times you have to struggle a bit, hustle a little, and be willing to go bankrupt.
Come to terms with that fact, and remember all the ways to be a friend, given that when we talk about having a life of significance and meaning, it’s not about fame or money or resources; it’s about people and lives and hearts.
Heroic, perfect lives may seem the norm–actually, though, perfect isn’t normal, nor is it interesting.
Quaintly, to take a look around the room today, everyone thinks that we’re perfect; please don’t let them look through the curtains, so to speak.

Understand that, the older you get, the more you are aware that (my choice of words is very careful here) everybody has a certain way of seeing things, which they have to honour.
Old age can bring about many other insights, like this cliché that often guides my way: the older you get, the more you realise it’s not what happens, but how you deal with it.
Truthfully, whatever else happens in life, I enjoy nothing more than spending time with my loved ones, young and old, and at least once a year we get together for a formal family photograph.
Eventually I think you have to let go of this idea that you can be precious about everything, and let it be the abstract mess that it is.

Submit final puzzle answers to answers@missionstreetpuzzles.com with your team name!

Stuck? Email help@missionstreetpuzzles.com, or check out our Beginner’s Guide.

Once again, we’re offering T-shirts for the winning teams (Fastest Solver, First Photo, Best Photo) and a randomly chosen team! If you’ve already won a T-shirt, you’ll receive another color after five wins.

And the correct answer to the Mixing Drinks puzzle was…

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