I've never done the New York Times Crossword and I'm not American...

If you’re interested in trying one, Bridget, here’s the link to the NYT crossword puzzle online:

http://www.nytimes.com/pages/crosswords/

You have to register to access the current puzzle (or any other part of the online articles, etc.), but it appears to be free.

Beginning with the Monday puzzle, the puzzles get harder as the week progresses – (probably fairly standard, regardless of the publisher). The Saturday and Sunday puzzles are a bit harder, though, primarily due to their size. I was able to finish the one Saturday puzzle I tried, but the Sunday puzzle I tried eventually just sucked the enthusiasm out of me. I don’t think I wanted to work another puzzle for at least a month.