The Grand Slam Tour: US Open

Labor Day weekend spent in the city that never sleeps.

Friday afternoon, I headed to DFW for a flight to LGA. New York City is all of the magic and wonder of a concrete jungle. This weekend in particular, my 2nd tournament within the goal of the Tennis Grand Slam tour was to be achieved.

Hello Rafael Nadal!

After meeting up with friends from around the world, we walked to Seaport from our hotel in the Financial District for dinner at Sunday in Brooklyn. We spent time walking along the East River with unparalleled views of the city's iconic skyline.

Saturday morning was spent at an Aussie cafe…

flat white and avo toast, of course!

Then Ground Zero. 911 memorial & museum. This place will never cease to shift perspective and honor every human, near & far, affected that day. I found myself emotional as we walked through the extraordinary, underground museum. Every message left by the passengers, crew, firefighters, and all team members alike were never ones of hate - instead, they were all messages of love. The life-changing reality that love actually is everywhere. The note to self to tell them you love them. & never take a single moment on this journey for granted.

A must visit when in New York City.

Next Stop: Penn Station train to Queens - US Open here we come!

I suggest getting there hours before your match time: With countless food vendors, shopping, and miles of different courts around the grounds, there is much to explore. Our journey from Manhattan to Queens took around an hour and the Rafael Nadal match was to start at 7pm. We caught the Subway to Penn Station at 4:45pm, arrived to the Metts- Willets Point stop just in time for a quick dinner + look around the shops before running to our seats. There is so much to enjoy around the grounds so I highly suggest more time to take in all the excitement. So much fun to be had!

With a Honey Deuce in hand, we watched Rafael Nadal dominate over Richard Gasquet in the Arthur Ashe Statium. A once in a lifetime type of match.

The evening was rounded out with exploring the lit up grounds while laughing with people I love. A very quick trip that I wish could have lasted longer.

Up next: Roland Garros or Australian Open?