US Open

My second year at the US Open thanks to an endowment from the Friend Ron Foundation. My pal Ron gave me a ticket for my birthday and we went for a whole day of delightful tennis. As my friend Sue said, "It is the happiest place on Earth." Wait, did she say that? Well even if she didn't, it is!

Once you get past the security check (A terrorist attack at an international tennis event seems only out of a Saturday morning action/adventure cartoon the like the ones I used to work on, but who am I?) and into the actual center you are taken away to a place where there is no war, no unrest, no unemployment, no poverty or broken nails or homework or bad breath. Just tennis. Amazing, amazing tennis. Everyone is so happy to be there and shares the love of the game and has a passion for the players. It is truly an international event with different languages spoken all around.

We got to see so many great matches, but the most fun was Juan Martin del Porto (ARG) vs the very charismatic and charming Daniel Koellerer (AUT). Juan won, but Daniel really won over the crowd and made it work for him.



And it was a thrill to watch the Williams sisters play a doubles match. I had never seen them in person and there they were! Great athletes.


And being a New Yorker and taking the subway straight there was just amazing. You leave the great island of Manhattan and enter this world where this is nothing but tennis joy and you forget there is a whole world and Monday morning ahead.