| 100% | CAEN | 4 | Columnist who wrote "Baghdad by the Bay" |
| 59% | FRISCO | 6 | So-called Baghdad by the Bay |
| 52% | SANFRAN | 7 | City also called "Baghdad by the Bay" |
| 51% | GEORGEWILL | 10 | Newspaper columnist who wrote the book "Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball" |
| 50% | EADIE | 5 | Betty, who wrote NY Times bestseller "Embraced by the Light" |
| 48% | ELLE | 4 | Novelist Kennedy who writes the Briar U and Avalon Bay romance series |
| 48% | CAEN | 4 | Bay Area columnist who coined the word "beatnik" |
| 48% | NORAROBERTS | 11 | Romance novelist who wrote the Chesapeake Bay series, among many others: 2 wds. |
| 47% | POE | 3 | Who wrote "It was many and many a year ago, / In a kingdom by the sea ..." |
| 45% | HOMER | 5 | Who wrote "By their own follies they perished, the fools" |
| 45% | SAM | 3 | ___ the Eagle, Muppet who once thought "The Sound of Music" was written by Shakespeare |
| 45% | OVER | 4 | "The Song is ___," song by The Who that was written by Pete Townshend |
| 45% | NEIGH | 5 | Sound by the bay |
| 44% | SANFRAN | 7 | City by the Bay, informally |
| 44% | REDDING | 7 | R & B legend Otis who wrote "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" |
| 43% | SFO | 3 | "City by the Bay" airport code |
| 43% | CAEN | 4 | Columnist who wrote "Don't Call It Frisco," 1953 |
| 42% | HELOISE | 7 | Popular newspaper columnist who writes for Good Housekeeping |
| 42% | MANILOW | 7 | Barry who sings "I Write the Songs" (which was written by Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys) |
| 42% | ROBREINER | 9 | Director of 33-Across who will write a foreword for the book by 15-Across: 2 wds. |
| 42% | ARP | 3 | Surrealist Jean who dodged the draft by writing his birthdate in every space on his induction form |
| 41% | DOWD | 4 | Columnist Maureen who wrote "The Year of Voting Dangerously" |
| 41% | ARP | 3 | Surrealist who avoided the draft by writing the day's date in every space on his induction paperwork |
| 41% | SATIRE | 6 | Writing published by the Onion, e.g. |
| 41% | PLATO | 5 | Philosopher who wrote the "Republic" |
| 41% | BOCCACCIO | 9 | Italian who wrote The Decameron |
| 41% | VIRGIL | 6 | Poet who wrote the Aeneid |
| 41% | LOIS | 4 | Lowry who wrote The Giver |
| 41% | AYN | 3 | Rand who wrote The Fountainhead |
| 41% | EUCLID | 6 | Mathematician who wrote the "Elements" |