My Rambles: Trip #2

Mom called me a couple weeks ago and asked me if I could take a day or two off to go to New York with her for Day 1 of the US Open. Of COURSE! I'm the biggest sports fanatic ever. A major tennis tournament, i'll be there! I flew out on Saturday the 25th and met Mom in Atlanta. We flew to NY and found our hotel. I had gotten some recommendations for food from a friend and we headed out to find one of them. By the time we got there it was 5p and the place didn't open until 6p...so we found plan B. Some little bar and grill in the Village. It was descent. Although, later I found out that Cameron Diaz ate at the place we were supposed to be going a week earlier. Oh well... So we went back to the hotel to make our plan for Sunday. Get up early, go see the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, hit a pizza place (John's Pizzeria, good) and head up to FAO Schwartz and Central Park. We walked around Central Park until we were tired and headed back to the hotel. We sat for 45 minutes, got on our shoes and headed to Grand Central to catch the 7 train to Queens to see the Mets game. I felt like a traitor the entire time. The Mets are in the same division as the Braves (my favorite team of all time). They are, now, 6.5 games ahead of the Braves. So they needed to lose. How on earth is a person supposed to cheer for the opposing team to the Mets? I could've been killed. I was sneaky and the Dodgers (didn't want them to win either because they're ahead of the Braves in the Wild Card race) ended up winning.

Monday we got up and headed back out to Queens on the 7. The tennis center is directly across the street from Shea Stadium, where the Mets play. It was hot. The sun was out and we took a beating. I saw Baghdatis, Federer, Bartoli, and more players I can't remember. That was the morning session. The night session was the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena. Aretha Franklin sang "Respect" and there were many women there that were the firsts in their field of specialty. It was pretty cool. The Williams sisters ended up winning their matches and we got back on the train to go home.

I got up at 5a to catch my flight home to get to work...needless to say, I was wiped. I had a great time with my mom and it was the very first time since i've been a grown up that we spent any time alone together. I was glad that I took the time off and was able to go with her. She's a trooper and i'm pretty sure she outlasted me. She did, afterall, stay until Friday with her friends that flew in the day I left...