My photograph of the facade of the new Louis Armstrong Stadium, which has been a big hit with fans.

Telling the stories of the US Open

September 8, 2018

Imagine a room with banks upon banks of cubicles, each of which contains a monitor, a laptop and a headset.

No, it’s not a telemarketing business but part of the Media Center at the US Open, which ends Sunday, Sept. 9 with the men’s final. While fans have been raving about the new “Louie,” as in the Louis Armstrong Stadium, or taking in the action at Arthur Ashe or the Grandstand or one of the other courts, members of the press have been hard at work at their designated cubicles, banging out stories for publications and media websites all over the world….

Being at the US Open

September 1, 2017

“Getting there is half the fun.” So they say.

Not so if you’re going to the US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens. Miss that left off Exit 13 D on Grand Central Parkway, and you’ll have to circle around after dallying in LaGuardia Airport renovation Hades.

Even if you make the left, the surly officer will deflect you from the drop-off at Lot 3. Finally, a more sensible officer will take pity on you and your driver and you’ll find yourself in the park before the center’s entrance. ...

Tennis, everyone

August 24, 2017

The qualifying rounds of the US Open are underway at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens. The actual tournament – the last of the four Slams – begins with first-round play Monday, Aug. 28. In the meantime, enjoy the game’s stars in a lighter mood at Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day on Saturday, Aug. 26.

On the tournament’s infrastructure front, the big news is the temporary Louie (as in Louis Armstrong Stadium) while the United States Tennis Association readies the new Louie for its Big Apple Bow next year. On the personnel front, a number of big names will be missing this year. ...