U.S. Open!!

2 Years of Marriage!!

An Early Morning in Manhattan

New York and New Jersey met us with a few busy weeks of work; however, we were still able to see Luke's parents, Anneliza and Adam, my dear friend Lauren AND go to the U.S. Open where I met up with two tennis teammates from college!  The few weeks went by quickly and now we have a couple of days to breathe before driving for four days to get back to San Antonio and Austin where we will end the tour.  I just had to write about the U.S. Open while it is a fresh and wonderful memory.

A few days ago, Lucas and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary.  Although we have been in close quarters and working together 24/7 for the past three months, I can honestly say I love him more and more everyday and still can't get enough of his wonderfulness! Unfortunately, we were working on the day of  our anniversary, so we decided to do something special to celebrate during our off day.  Hence, why we decided to go to the U.S. Open.

Best Seats Ever!  Ferrer playing in the Grandstand

Neither of us had been to a Grand Slam, and while I had been to a few professional tennis tournaments, I was excited to be in NY at the same time as the Open.  Lucas has always enjoyed watching tennis, and with my background in tennis it seemed like a great splurge.  So we went on a Saturday and got tickets in the nosebleed section of Arthur Ashe Stadium for the day session.  This way the tickets weren't outrageously priced but we would still have access to all stadiums and courts on the grounds, and had a better chance of seeing the greats regardless of which court they played on that day.

From the top of Arthur Ashe Stadium

We rented a car for the day, we thought the truck could cause some issues, and woke up extra early to drive from Islip, NY in central Long Island, to Flushing Meadows.  Everywhere I looked I had heard there can be traffic and to use public transportation if at all possible due to congestion, so I insisted we leave at 7am even though gates don't open until 10 and matches start at 11.  I just didn't want to wait in any lines...

Well, we arrived before the parking lot even opened, and busied ourselves with a crossword while we waited in our car.  Twenty minutes later we paid for parking (we were about the tenth car in the lot)  and walked over to the Billie Jean King Tennis Center.  I was so excited, I must have looked like a wide-eyed toddler tasting candy for the first time.  Anywho, we walked up to the main gates at about 8:30 and still had some time to kill.  Not wanting to lose our amazing spot in line, the crosswords came out again and Lucas gave me a hard time about not wanting to wait in lines....yet we had to wait an hour atleast to even get in!  I still didn't care, we would be one of the first in the gates and would likely get great seats for one of the stadiums that are seated on a first come, first serve basis.  AND it was just our luck that number four ranked Ferrer from Spain was scheduled to play the first match of the day on one of those courts.  That was our chosen morning match.

At 9:30, the gates opened and I felt like all of a sudden we had been transported to Spain and were participating in the running of the bulls.  First come, first serve - like airplane travel - brings out the worst in people.  Elbows started being thrown left and right and people sprinted and shoved their way through the gates.  People truly looked absurd as they sprinted to get the best seats.   SERIOUSLY?!?!?!  Lucas and I calmly, and while judging everyone else, went to the Grandstand for the Ferrer match.  As people shoved past I may or may not have muttered, "people, it is a tennis match, control yourselves..."

Patiently Waiting at the Front Gates of the U.S. Open 2013

So we walk up the steps into the Grandstand, hoping to score some seats behind the baseline, and sure enough, three rows up from the court and just to the right of the centerline are seats with our names on it.  We also snagged two more for our friends that were also near the front of the gate and attending with their family that day.  SCORE.  My first grand slam experience and I am so close I can smell the sweat of the players, and may just be one of the awkward people in the background on national TV.

We waited another 1.5 hours before the matches started, but we watched some warm ups, did some more crossword puzzles and just took in our surroundings.  At 11am, Ferrer stepped on the court and it was a great match.  It is truly amazing to watch professional tennis in person.  The athletes are in such good shape, and make their incredibly strategic points look effortless.  I was inspired by the talent surrounding me all day long, and it was a truly wonderful experience.

Louis Armstrong Stadium

After Ferrer won in 4 sets, we ventured over to find our friend Ginny and watch Isner play in the Louis Armstrong Stadium (where Federer would lose a few days later).  Our seats were not as close to the court, but you could see just as well AND I was sitting with my wonderful friend Ginny which made it that much better.  With her on the East Coast, we often do not get to see one another, and so this was a treat and a highlight of the day.

The One and Only Ginny Wortham!

Watching Isner in Louis Armstrong

Catherine visits us in Manhattan

I also was able to see my old doubles partner and wonderful friend Catherine who was there with her Mama and husband.  We weren't able to spend as much time with them given our chosen matches to watch were in different stadiums, but it was fun to see them nevertheless.  Plus, Catherine had been a doll and had met up with the truck bright and early the previous week when we were doing a morning show shoot in Manhattan.  We had already had a fair amount of time to catch up and she had received some sweet banana treats!

Williams Sisters

As Isner began to lose (and he did lose in a close 4 set match), Lucas and I decided to get to Arthur Ashe before the day session ended.  We had tickets to get in, so we may as well use them!  The Williams Sisters were playing doubles and it was worth the walk over just to see the stadium and get a feel for the atmosphere of the main court at the U.S. Open.  It was a beautiful stadium, and even though we had to make our way to the very top to find our seats, it was still a treat.  We were able to see the NY skyline, and finally relax some in the shade.  Plus, Ashe Stadium plays some sweet tunes during changeovers, and cameras zoom in on fans in the stands which is always comical and entertaining at any sporting event.

Lucas with a small NY Skyline

Towards the end of the Williams' match, we headed back to potentially catch the end of the Isner match, and to decide how to spend the rest of the evening.  We couldn't go back into Ashe due to the transition from day tickets to night tickets, but all other matches going on were fair game.  After wandering around the grounds, and catching a glimpse of Federer on the practice courts, we headed back to the Grandstand.  We caught the third set of a Men's Doubles Match - one of my favorite matches to watch that day - and were able to sit four rows up from the baseline.

Austin and Dennis of the U.S.

 We then moved to the second row from the court to watch two Italian women battle it our before moving on to watch the fifth set in a mens third round match - Robredo vs. Evans.  You may recognize the name Robredo since this is the player that went on to defeat Federer in the next round.

I can only sum up the day in one word - perfect.  We had a wonderful experience and it was such an amazing way to celebrate two years of being married to my best friend and co-banana ninja.

I suppose I need to get back into tennis as soon as I get back to Boulder...