Though I wrote this email many years ago, I still get excited about the two weeks of the US Tennis Open in Flushing Meadow, NY. This year will allow fans, and the crazy roar of the fans during long rallies. And I will root again for Naomi Osaka. But if you are a tennis fan, you will someday want to make your way to NY in the late summer for this tournament. Just picture George Costanza eating an ice cream on camera, the laughing stock of New York. Who remembers that scene on Seinfeld? Or Jerry wanting to date the deaf lineswoman? My guess, if you are a player who depends on the crowd to pump you up, this years tournament will be a refreshening return to normal. And I must tell you, walking the grounds at the US Tennis Center is a thrill of its own. The day I spent there was magical. I attended the famous U.S. Open at Flushing Meadow in 1982. If you play tennis or are a big fan, you must go someday. It is an even bigger spectacle today. Watching the matches on TV brings back wonderful memories of my trip there. It is a
much bigger event than the U.S. Open for golf. This story is from my trip there in 1982.Having been a very avid tennis player and fan for most of my adult life, I jumped at the chance to attend the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadow, New York during the 80s. I was going to Chicago and Atlanta on business anyway, so it fit right in. I got the tickets from the Northern California Tennis Association, for which I was volunteer. During a meeting, the Director asked if anyone wanted the tickets, and I said YES. Do you remember who won the Mens title in 1982? Chicago and Atlanta were just a couple of stops on the way to the big event. A friend from Chicago was planning to meet me at the Open. That did not work out, but I decided to go anyway. I landed at LaGuardia Airport around midafternoon, and found a hotel room at a nearby Marriott. If you have never flown over the New York skyline, the Empire State Building, and the Statue of Liberty, it is a fabulous, and inspiring sight.<br
antialiased; /> I called my cousin to see if he wanted to have dinner and go to the Open the next day with me. He and his parents picked me up, took me to a Long Island sushi bar, and showed me their home on Long Island, right across the street from the Bethpage Golf Course. They also showed me the sushi bar they were planning to open very soon. Chet, the Jet (he was a hockey player), who later became a physician, said he would meet me after work the next day. I gave him one of my tickets, and hoped for the best. At this point, I must tell you that New York cab drivers are in a league of their own, for good or bad. A good one is invaluable, a bad one is the biggest jerk you have ever met. I got a good one to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadow, site of a former Worlds Fair, and just a train track crossing from the Mets Shea Stadium. The Open has been held here since 1978, and actually began in 1881 in Newport, R.I. The tickets that I had were good for both the day session, as well as the hard to get evening session in the Stadium court. The thrill of the day session was that matches were held on multiple courts, so that you could always find a good match. And I could get a front row view of all the men and women players. The grounds also had several hospitality and merchandise tents, as if New York was not expensive already. I did buy T shirts, caps, and towels for my friends back home. I wandered the many courts, looking for a good match. I found some people I knew, believe it or not. The first was one of the referees from California, who I knew through my own and volunteer work. The second was a player, Ann Kiyomura from San Mateo. She played a great match against Kathy Jordan from Stanford, and upset her in 3 sets. She offered tickets for the next day, but I told her I would be on my way home by then. Most people do not know that Annie, at the time, had won more Junior tennis titles than anyone in history.
