Nope... we weren't there to see the Mets at all! We were there to watch a very different sport together. Apparently, lots of other NYers had the same idea we did- so we all marched across the LONG boardwalk towards our collective destination.
Welcome to the US Open 2009!
I don't know about you, but the weeks surrounding Labor Day are prime tennis watching times in my family. When I moved to NYC a few years ago, the idea that I could attend the US Open in person was unreal!This year was my third time attending the Open- but it was SFS' first. Since we both have day jobs, we purchased tickets to the night matches. When we arrived at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center, things were pretty crowded... so we used the South Gate.
Does that structure look familiar to you? How about a hint: have you seen Men in Black? Or the television show "King of Queens"? It's one of the structures that was constructed for the 1963 World's Fair... and it's definitely a landmark in Queens!
By entering through the South gate, SFS and I got to walk through the Court of Champions. We stopped for a quick photo op...
Come on- how could I not stop for Johnny Mac?
Once we made it through the gates, we were at the base of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The sun was starting to set, and the weather was cool... a perfect night for tennis!
There are several mini "TV studios" on the grounds- when we were walking by this one, Brad Gilbert was chatting it up!
Since SFS and I had just left work, we were hungry for dinner. Unlike normal stadiums and sports events, the US Open has some pretty yummy food choices. Take my dinner, for example:
Yep- that's Chicken tikka masala with naan and a diet coke. I was in heaven. The cookies and yogurt on the left were freebies- they sure came in handy for snacks later on in the evening. We snagged a seat outside the Armstrong stadium and watched the match finish on the big screen.
After dinner, we made our way up to our seats. One perk of sitting in the higher seats is the view. Here's a shot of the gate we entered through.
See all those bright lights in the back of the picture? Those are all the satellite courts- and this early in the tournament, they're in use all day long.
Just as we were about to grab our seats, the usher told us that we were missing quite a show... check out the sunset over the city!
On the left you can see the Chrysler Building- and on the very right, you can see an airplane right before it dips below the skyline!
When we found our seats, we settled in to watch Sharapova play Pironkova.
I've gotta tell you- it's an eerie feeling being in a stadium that big with so many people- once the play begins, things are SILENT!
After Sharapova's win, she was interviewed on court... and the first questions the reporter asked her were about her dress!
This is Sharapova laughing on the big screen about the question about her fashion.
While the court was being cleared for the next match, SFS took a quick shot of us hanging out in the stands.
Eventually the second match began- Murray vs. Gulbis.
The match was very entertaining- one of the ball boys took a nose dive into the press pit at one point. I'm not sure what made it home to the television audiences, but the NY crowd was going crazy over that poor kid!
Murray went on to beat Gulbis, though there were some pretty exciting points won on both sides.
After the final match, SFS and a few thousand of our closest friends made our way to the single subway station... it was crazy at times, but we eventually got on a train headed in the right direction.
So there you have it- an inside look at the US Open. If you are ever in NY during this time of year, I highly recommend a quick trip to Flushing Meadows for the US Open... it's quite an event! Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have a great Thursday!
