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When a meeting I was to attend was scheduled in New York City during the second week of the US Open Tennis Championships, my initial thought was whether I could fit in a visit to the tourney amidst the logistics of getting around the greater New York area. I had a dinner meeting in Jersey City, and it seemed a logistical nightmare to get from LaGuardia to the hotel in Jersey City to check in, get back to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to watch some tennis, and then back to Jersey City for dinner.

What I found, after visiting the tournament website and a quick confirming call to their customer service number, was that they have a solution for people with my predicament: a bag check. Armed with that information, my plan came together easily.

I arranged a flight that arrived at LaGuardia at around noon, took a cab – 10 minutes – to the National Tennis Center and checked my bags for $5 each just outside the gates. And to provide extra comfort, smaller briefcase type bags can be kept in a locker so I had no worries about my laptop floating around with the other bags.

With a ticket I had purchased a ticket for a very reasonable $25 from our partner SeatGeek the day before and my bags checked, I was ready to watch some tennis, and what a great afternoon it was.

I spent a perfect – albeit warm – early fall Thursday afternoon at the National Tennis Center. Within minutes of plopping down on a bench in the south plaza under the shadows of Arthur Ashe Stadium, I saw a familiar face walking towards me: it was tennis legend Bud Collins, with his trademark wild pink plaid pants, selling his new book, The Bud Collins History of Tennis. I couldn’t pass up that opportunity, so after a quick conversation – Bud’s mom is from Cincinnati – and a picture, I had an autographed copy (which I promptly deposited at the US Open Bookstore for safekeeping until I left later that afternoon; it was way too big a book to lug around) of Bud’s new book.

In addition to a plethora of food options – I had a great cheeseburger, with fries and a drink for a New York-esque $19 – the plaza features plenty of shopping options and hosts no less than four sets for live TV (ESPN, CBS, The Tennis Channel and EUROSPORT all have broadcast sets). Among the tennis dignitaries spotted on the sets that day were Tracy Austin and Jimmy Arias.

When the time came to watch tennis, I started in Armstrong Stadium (seats just over 10,000) and watched the Bryans win their semifinal match. I then moved next door to Arthur Ashe Stadium to watch a women’s quarterfinal match between Vera Zvonareva & Kaia Kanepi. Although I knew in advance that Arthur Ashe Stadium is the largest tennis stadium in the world, it still was an amazing experience to walk in for the first time. Put simply, it’s huge. Think Rupp Arena without the roof and the blue clad fans screaming “Go UK!” Surprisingly, although I sat in the upper deck (there are five levels), the seats were good and the tennis was easy to follow.
After a great afternoon of tennis and people watching it was time to go. I reclaimed my bags, caught a cab just outside the gates, and made it to a meeting in SoHo in 25 minutes. Perfect!