US Open Tennis Advice?

[BadgerBeer]

I just booked 3 nights in NY during the first three days of The Open for my wife's 50th birthday. Neither of us have ever done a tennis touney before but we have always loved watching every year. I have one goal, eating a hot fudge sundae in a very messy fashion and have my pic taken. Other than that lofty goal, does anyone have any advice for how to enjoy a day/night at the Open? What's the best way to get tickets, what type of ticket (would love to see a night match at Ashe) etc. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[heyabbott]

Practice

 

[Key]

We had a blast a few years ago. Stayed in Manhattan and took the train out each afternoon. We had twilight tickets, which gave us entry to the grounds at 4 pm and a seat in Ashe for the 7 pm double-header. Try to take in some tennis on some of the outer courts. You're a lot closer to the action.

 

[cjericho]

Lot of chop shops in Flushing.

You can go to Astoria for Singlecut Beersmiths and several good diners.

 

[BTExpress]

Outside courts. Outside courts. Outside courts. If you're sitting in Ashe, you might as well be sitting in the International Space Station.

They post the schedule for the next day at around 6 p.m. the night before. Decide what players you most want to see (who are NOT playing on Ashe), find out what court has the day's best matchups, and park yourself there early ---- try to find a shady spot, or at least sit on the West side (so the late afternoon sun will be at your back).

 

[cjericho]

Good point BT. Not sure what the allure with Ashe is, do people think because it's named after him it has to be the best court?

 

[Azrael]

Practice courts, yes.

Leave time to walk the grounds of the old Worlds' Fair, including the Queens Museum and it's incredible diorama of the city of New York.

The Mets are usually out of town for the Open, but depending on your visit you might catch them the day before it starts, or the day after it ends.

Once we figure where you're staying, we'll figure out where you can eat.

 

[BTExpress]

Good point BT. Not sure what the allure with Ashe is, do people think because it's named after him it has to be the best court?

Because if you REALLY want to see Federer or Serena, Ashe likely is the only place they'll play (although the saving grace about combined WTA-ATP events is that the schedule is so packed the first few days that even superstars sometimes will go on an outside court). And I don't believe much of anything is scheduled on outside courts at night --- if a match is being played at night on an outside court, it's likely because the day session simply ran long or there was a backlog due to weather. That can happen with best-of-5 men's matches.

 

[The Big Ragu]

There are a bunch of ways to go about it. They announce when tickets go on sale (through Ticketmaster) and do a presale for AMEX card holders (a sponsor) that begins a week early -- I can't remember if it is May or June. That morning, I think it is 9 am. You have to hit the site with a plan -- what days you want and just go for the tickets as quickly as possible.

This is an issue for me, because we do Labor Day weekend every year (preferably Saturday which is a round earlier than Sunday, so more good players on the outer courts), and we prefer doing it with a grounds pass (which gives you access to pretty good matches still on Armstrong, if you don't absolutely have to see Federer, who if it is his day will be on Ashe, which you don't have access to).

But that Saturday and Sunday are the most popular tickets, so they sell out quickly. If you have a plan like that, you can't miss that AMEX presale and getting in line for tickets quickly. They actually used to give access even earlier to USTA members, but did away with that last year.

I have never bought Ashe tickets when they go on sale. I usually buy them from people I know who have bought the plan (tickets for every session) and buy for a session they are trying to unload. If you are having trouble and want to be in Ashe on a particular day, PM me, and I'll see if I know anyone looking to unload their tickets for any of the sessions you want.

This is just my perspective: A lot of people will disagree, so ask others what they think. ... 1) Re: Ashe tickets. I hate having tickets that are more than half way up the stadium. It's just too far away to watch a tennis match. But tickets down low are harder to get for most sessions and can get expensive on the aftermarket. At the same time, I also prefer the grounds pass if it is early in the tournament (late in the tournament it is a waste), because you still have great matches in Armstrong and the Grandtstand, and if you plan well, you can get in and sit really close. You also can wander the outer courts and be really close to some very good tennis -- often things like two ranked players in a doubles or mixed doubles match. It makes for a nice change of pace for a half hour.

I know you want your hot fudge sundae, but I find the food so overrated and at some of the food area, actually kind of disgusting to me -- and it goes without saying it is overpriced. But it is what it is. Every year, we walk in, immediately buy our two Evians for a crazy amount of money (I think it was $8 for a bottle of water last year), and I embarrass Ms. Ragu by asking if there a gold flakes in the water for that price. It went over well 2 years ago when I told them I didn't pay that much for Ms. Ragu.

EDIT: As for your photo. ... yeah. I have a photo of Ms. Ragu from every year going back a decade, standing close to the court in Armstrong. Same kind of photo, year after year after year. Last year, I made a collage. Also, AMEX gives out a free ear radio that gives you access to the broadcast if you show them your card. I like having it. It hangs around your neck and you can listen in occasionally to get updates from the other courts, or hear what McEnroe is saying about the match you are watching.

 

[BadgerBeer]

Thanks so much for the info everybody. If I understand correctly a grounds pass gets you everywhere except Ashe. We have always wanted to see a night match and it sounds like a twilight grounds pass will allow this? BTW, we are staying in Midtown on West 40th street so I assume the subway is the way to go.

 

[The Big Ragu]

Thanks so much for the info everybody. If I understand correctly a grounds pass gets you everywhere except Ashe. We have always wanted to see a night match and it sounds like a twilight grounds pass will allow this? BTW, we are staying in Midtown on West 40th street so I assume the subway is the way to go.

If you want to see a night match, you'll be in Ashe (assigned seating). I have never heard of a twilight grounds pass. The grounds pass gets you in for the day; from 11 am until. You can hang around into the evening (they show the matches in Ashe on a giant jumbotron and people hang out by the fountains), but the only actual matches are in Ashe in the evening. It's a lot of fun, and depending on the matches, the atmosphere can be electric. So have fun with it!

As for getting back and forth, yeah, from 40th Street in midtown, you'll walk to closet stop for the 7 train on 42nd Street. Depending on where you are staying, it will be either Times Square, 5th Ave. @ Bryant Park or at Grand Central Station near Lexington Ave. Get on the 7 heading toward Queens, and it's a straight shot. ... the second to last stop -- you'll see Citi Field on one side, the Tennis Center on the other.

 

[BadgerBeer]

Thanks again for the advice everyone. We are landing at LaGuardia at 9:00 am. What is best way to get into town, west 40th street? Is it the 7 train? Do you get it at airport? We are just taking backpacks so no bilky luggage.

 

[cjericho]

mta.info | Services to LaGuardia and Kennedy Airports

 

[Fly]

Thanks again for the advice everyone. We are landing at LaGuardia at 9:00 am. What is best way to get into town, west 40th street? Is it the 7 train? Do you get it at airport? We are just taking backpacks so no bilky luggage.

Oh no...

 

[BadgerBeer]

Oh no...

?

 

[Dyno]

There’s no subway service at LGA. You can take a city bus to get to the subway and/or into Manhattan, including the 7, but check to make sure what track work is going on. The 7 sometimes has limited service on weekends. There are also a couple of private bus/van services from LGA into the city. The names are escaping me right now. You might be better off just taking an Uber or a cab, depending on how many of you there are.

 

[BadgerBeer]

Is there a difference/preference between the 7Train and R train?

 

[The Big Ragu]

Is there a difference/preference between the 7Train and R train?

They are just two different lines. Why are you asking?

If you are worried about service changes (and the NY subways have been **** b/c they are fiscally strapped and there is constant weekend work), look at this site: www.mta.info | The Weekender.

Day of. .. just click on any station and it will tell you if there are any service changes.

 

[BadgerBeer]

They are just two different lines. Why are you asking?

If you are worried about service changes (and the NY subways have been **** b/c they are fiscally strapped and there is constant weekend work), look at this site: www.mta.info | The Weekender.

Day of. .. just click on any station and it will tell you if there are any service changes.

On the 7 as we speak. Thanks for all the advice as we just had an amazing day at The Open. It was brutally hot but well worth it to see my wife smiling all day as we watched Djoka win in 4 on Ashe. Happy 50th Katie!!!

 

[Cosmo]

Be sure to enjoy a sundae while at Flushing Meadows.