Over Labor Day weekend I took a trip with my two brothers and SIL to New York City for the US Open tennis tournament. It was such a fun and special trip to be with my big brothers and experience the US Open again since I had not been in 16 years. The last time I went was in 2007 and 2008 with my Dad, who has since passed. This was one of his very favorite events to attend. My brothers have been back many times since, but it was my first time back and it brought back so many wonderful memories. We had the best time.
These are photos from us at the 2007 US Open. Djokovic was playing and he was just a youngster.
We flew into NYC on Friday afternoon and were greeted with the most adorable US Open table which of course included Honey Deuces! We rented a two bedroom apartment in the city and I stayed with Bryan and Erin and my oldest brother, Brandon, was in the city for a couple of weeks, so he was staying at a nearby hotel.
We showed up to NYC with absolutely zero US Open tickets even though our plan was to attend the Open a couple of times during our stay! We were waiting until the last minute to search for tickets and yes, we were able to get all the tickets we wanted; but I do think we paid a pretty hefty price for them. I think there is a sweet spot for waiting until maybe an hour before the session starts and you can get some good deals; but we didn’t get any great deals by waiting. Tickets were expensive this year. I would say they ranged from about $400 to over $1k easily but I am sure you could find some less if you were patient or bought seats pretty close to the top.
Anyway, let’s say we arrived to our apartment around 4pm; we were thirsty and ready to hit the Open night session. So we grabbed a quick cocktail and bite to eat and then grabbed an Uber to Flushing Meadows.
We made it! We didn’t have time to change or shower from our travels, but we made it to the Open.
Excited to be back!
We watched the Djokovic vs Popyrin match which was totally incredible and sad to watch Djok lose, but this guy played out of his mind great!
We had decent seats, not great; but we had a ton of fun watching.
Then for the Sabalenka match, we got to watch it from the box of one of my brothers best friend. The boxes are cool. They have nice views and your own personal bartender and restroom. You have walk around space inside and then seats outside to watch the match.
Sabalenka won her match and she was incredible to watch. She puts so much energy and strength into every single shot. She plays with a ton of passion. This match did not end until 1:51am in the morning!! We didn’t get home until almost 3am.
On Saturday, we slept in, grabbed some quick coffee and then got dressed to enjoy another day at the US Open.
We had great seats for the Saturday day session and again, bought the tickets last minute. We watched the Pegula match that she won and also the Sinner match. Both were pretty easy wins and finished quickly. We then walked around a bit and headed to court 17 which is a cool stadium. We watched an incredible match against Nuno Borges vs Jakub Mensik. Mensik is a young guy and will certainly be a force to reckon with! I can’t wait to watch him play again.
We had to head home after to get ready for a reservation at Le Bernardin. This was a restaurant that Brandon recommended and was incredible.
We all went for this Chef’s tasting menu that like 9 small courses and it was incredible!! The restaurant is heavy on the seafood and every thing is delicate and delicious.
We celebrated Bryan’s birthday!! Of course I caught the birthday boy with his eyes closed!
After dinner, we headed to the Aman Jazz club. This spot was pretty cool lounge area. They had a dj here that night instead of Jazz music. I guess it just depends on the night.
Sunday we planned to spend the day walking the city and not going to the US Open. We walked up and down Madison and 5th avenue, window shopping, grabbing lunch and walking in a few stores.
We had an early dinner reservation on Sunday night at Massara Italian restaurant. A friend of ours that we grew up with in Gulf Breeze, FL, opened this restaurant this Summer and we were so excited to try. It was an awesome spot that’s great for adults, but you can also bring kids.
We ordered tons of different pasta dishes which are small and meant to be shareable. They also have the cutest and most delicious mini pizzas that we tried and loved.
After dinner, we went to the Nubeluz Rooftop Bar at Ritz Carlton NoMad. It’s a cool spot with indoor and outdoor space that was really nice. The drinks were fun and delicious too.
We really had such a special trip and to take a trip with my brothers (&SIL!) was so much fun! We don’t get to do that too often and I think it’s so important. I hope we get to do this whole trip again soon.
:: NYC RECAP ::
Where We Stayed
Park Avenue Place on 55rd St. between Park and Madison
Where We Ate
Le Bernardin
Massara
Where We Drank
Aman Jazz Club
Nubeluz Rooftop Bar at Ritz Carlton NoMad
What We Did
US Open Night Session
US Open Day Session
Walk and Window Shop Park and 5th Ave
