From a queuing perspective, the second day of the US Open at Flushing Meadows proved to be a little more stress-free.
5) Travel problems? Sorted!
We arrived at Flushing Meadows with the slight fear that we would be queuing for another two hours to get into the arena. After all, that had been our experience on Monday. Well, it was not the case. First of all, we got better parking (more by luck than design), which cut out the need for a bus, and secondly, there was NO-ONE in the line. And as you joined the sea of people coming off public transport towards Flushing Meadows, there was a man in a megaphone directing traffic. It was all, er, easier.
6) Capacity?
We'll be honest, it would have been nicer to see everything a little bit fuller at the US Open this year. We reckon capacity was around 75%.
Not bad for a weekday - and certainly made it easier to get to see the matches we wanted to see over the course of the two days - but it shows that Americans have less money to spend on tickets (in economic terms it's known as 'discretionary spending').
If you're a tourist and you're in New York and reading this, get over to the US Open! It'll be a fantastic experience!
7) New York, New York
Funnily enough, we never heard Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" at Flushing Meadows over the last couple of days - and by God, was I waiting for it.
Of course, we got to hear a bit of Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen, as well as some 'Electronic Dance Music' (America's currently in love with bad dance music) reverberating from the Food Village (cue middle-aged country club woman boogying along to Aviici's 'Levels'), and there was a band playing some 60s ballads.
Our favourite bit was in the Arthur Ashes, when the song lyrics were put on the screen to different songs. In other words, get there early, and get into the karaoke.
8) Don't worry about the money
The US Open might not be terribly expensive tickets-wise, but paying $14 for a salad, $5 for a soft drink, $8(ish) for a beer definitely adds up.
As someone said to me: "Bring $200 with you for the US Open, and it's like Vegas: Be happy if you come away with anything after." With those prices, it's funny how sober you remain.
But one thing: If you're going to buy a cocktail, make sure you buy one that also has souvenir glass with the names of all the US Open winners over the years. There's a name to make you proud, British tennis fans.
