Finally the Final Day

I thought I’d be winging west this afternoon, but no, I’m not going to be on that flight until early tomorrow morning. The men’s final is scheduled for 5 PM today, so I’ll be spending one more day at the US Open.

Since this really is my final day at in NYC, I decide to take a last walk in Central Park. This is always one of my favorite ways to start the day. It’s so different from my morning walk on the beach in Southern California. I love the fact that I can experience them both.

The huge trees in the park are so beautiful, forming a shady canopy over the walkways. We don’t have trees like this in So Cal. We have Palm Trees.. tall silly things that don’t help a bit in the shade department. One thing I have noticed is that in places with outdoor dining, Angeleno’s (people who live in Los Angeles) fill up the tables in the shade first, and New Yorkers prefer the ones in the sun. I also notice that Angeleno’s wear dark glasses, and New Yorkers wear dark suits. Angeleno’s read the entertainment pages first, and New Yorkers the financial section. I could go on and on, but lets continue with my walk.

A jazz saxophone is playing, “What the World Needs Now, is Love, Sweet Love”... so nice, so true. This older jazzman is terrific... love the pink satin shirt, the shiny shoes, the tambourine attached to his ankle, the white straw hat, and the flower that’s attached to his music case, spinning in the breeze. This cat can play and he’s got it going on! He makes me smile, I love people being themselves, I love people with initiative, I love people that try to do something special. I love the effort he’s made to make a cool appearance even though he’s just playing by himself in the park. I stop and listen for awhile, drop a few dollars in his basket and continue my walk.

A very pretty girl with a slight accent asks me to take her picture with her camera. I’m happy to do this, and tell her that I’m a photographer. I chat with her a few minutes and find that she is from Barcelona, Spain. I tell her that I work on the tennis tour and that it seems like all the men from Spain are gorgeous, like Nadal, Verdasco, Moya. I joke that maybe I should move to Barcelona, but she say’s “no, I think there are many more handsome men in the US, I’m always falling in love with American men.” Well, you know the saying “the grass is always greener”.

Strolling, on, I come to the south end of Pall Mall which is also known as Poet’s Walk. Doesn’t William Shakespeare look regal, looking down at you from his pedestal in the trees?

The paving stones in this area bear the names of people who have made an endowment to care for the trees. What a nice way to remember or honor someone. The other thing you can do is adopt a bench, this cost’s around $7,500. 00 but it is your for life. Each bench carries a personal inscription on a metal plate. They commemorate, births, lives, celebrations, and have been used for wedding proposals. I love this!! I want one! When I make a lot of money, I’m going to get one!

I’ve had a lovely morning, and now it’s time to head to work. I have a feeling that I’d better be on time because I think it could be a short match.

I was SOOO right. Roger claimed the title, 1.5 million prize money and a new Lexus. Not bad for a couple of weeks hitting a little yellow ball around. He also became the first man to win five successive titles at two different Grand Slam events (the Open and Wimbledon). Murray gets $750,000.00 plus some US Open Series bonus bucks, so he’ll take home around a million. Of course a million in US currency doesn’t go very far in Great Britain, so Andy may have to forgo any huge expenditure, but I’m sure he’ll get by.

Does it seem to you that tennis is getting a little like baseball... all about stats? We’ve been hearing about this five in a row for Federer all week, there were also some stats about Nadal if he won, and of course the stat on how long it’s been since a Brit won this event…all the numbers are making my head swim.

Winning this last Slam of the year obviously meant a lot to the Swiss former number one. This is the first year since 2002 that he has not won one of the big ones… see there we go with stats again.

The third set went so fast, it was match point before I could believe it. Murray is in very bad humor. Roger went up 5-1 in record time and was serving for the match at my end of the court, when Murray came to life a broke him... NO! This is very bad, because now Roger will probably win at the other end, and I won’t have a clean shot of him… Of course this is what happen, Roger wins the next game, fall onto the court in back of the net, I run off as many photos as I can, but I have no idea if they are I focus because I don’t have time to switch the auto focus off and so the camera is probably focusing on the net instead of Roger. You see how difficult my job can be.

I do have to say however, that Roger has the trophy photo thing down pat. He poses in every possible direction, kisses the trophy multiple times... I find it odd that he closes his eyes when he does this... like it was a romantic moment... who knows maybe it was.

So the 2008 US Open has finally drawn to an end, and I’m ready to head back to the beach. Check in with me again for future adventures, and be sure to read all about it in the Drop Shots Column.

Cynthia

Sunday in NY

Today should have been the last day for the US Open, but unfortunately the men’s semi didn’t’ finish yesterday, so Nadal and Murray will finish today. The good news is that they are not scheduled until at least 4PM, so I have the morning free to check out the Washington Square Art Fair. It’s a beautiful sunny day with not a cloud in sight so I decide to walk, it’s about 3 miles from 54^th and Park to Washington Square, so I’ll work off that bagel and cream cheese I had for breakfast.

Walking along the streets surrounding the square, browsing the various art and crafts, strains of jazz coming from a alto saxophone, is a very nice way to spend some time before going to the site. I’ve been working on making collages out of my photos, and there are a few very interesting collage artists here, and some nice jewelry. I love things that are made by human hands. Something with a person’s fingerprints on it, something that someone loved making, something that is a product of someone imagination. I buy a beautiful pair of gold earrings for my sister’s birthday, and a hand made book for my little four year old cousin. Then it’s back to the hotel to get ready to go to the site.

A lot of the media people just go to the Open, and back to their hotel everyday, but I like to take in the sites, experience whatever city I’m in has to offer. What’s the use of traveling if you aren’t going to see new things, have new adventures? Meet new people.

I still have the leftovers of my great noodle salad from last night, but darn... do not have a fork and the breakfast is no longer being served so I’m going to have to be cleaver. There is an old saying that necessity is the mother of invention... ok... I’ve got it... and this is a good tip if you are ever stuck without eating utensils. Two coffee stirs make very usable chopsticks. They are a little short and thin, but I manage to eat my salad without making a mess. Of course, I’m very good with chopsticks, so you might have a little more difficulty than me, but if you’re desperate it does work.

The Brits are going mad... Sir Richard Branson is in the player box with his Mom and girlfriend watching as Andy Murray defeated world number one Rafael Nadal, to reach his first Grand Slam final. He’ll be facing Roger Federer tomorrow at 5PM. Murray is really a Scot, but the English don’t have Henman to cheer for anymore, so Andy has become their man. They are totally different players from my point of view. Henman very much the proper, well mannered Englishman, and Murray the wild Highlander.

Okay, that’s finished, now for the women. As I predicted, Serena defeated Jelena Jankovic in two sets, and with this win will also become number one in the rankings. Jankovic played a pretty good match, but was totally out powered by Serena. However,

JJ, as people call her, definitely won the fashion contest. I love her yellow dress, (I talked about this in an earlier blog) and tonight she came out with a really cute sheer little jacket over the dress, this outfit is cute enough to wear to go out, and with hemlines so short this year, it wouldn’t look out of place off the court, and the gold sparkles sprayed on her dark hair were a cool touch. Very nice Jelena.

As for Serena, her dress was a disaster in my opinion. The dark red color was not flattering and looked horrible when it got wet and stuck to her. On the plus side, she wore a BEAUTIFUL diamond bracelet on her left writs. No huge earrings, which was a surprise... these are usually won of her most prominent accessories.

Well, that’s it for tonight; I’m catching the 2AM bus back to the city.

Super Saturday

I am seriously tired today. These late nights and early mornings are killing me. Of course I don’t really have to go to parties, have drinks with friends, go out to dinner, but hey a girl has to have a little fun right? Plus a lot … too many... of these late nights have been sitting in the photo pit shooting matches at 1AM then taking the bus at 2...Not fun.

Super Saturday. This is a tradition at the US Open, the only slam that plays both the men’s semi-final and the women’s final on Saturday, then the men’s final on the following Sunday. A killer for the guys and everyone else who works here.

The humidity today is unbearable. I’ve resigned myself to having horrible hair all day long. W ish I would have remembered to wear a hat, or a pony tail.

Federer and Djokovic are on Arthur Ashe, Djokovic has won the second set, but there is little doubt in my mind that Federer is going to win the match.

Nadal/Murray has started in Armstrong stadium so I pack up my gear, umbrella and raincoat and make my way to the photo pit. Murray takes the first two sets. Hmm wonder if this is going 5 sets. Murray's play is stunning right now, but you can never count Rafa out, and the crowd love him. He changed his shirt on the changeover, and the girls sitting in the stands behind me were screaming with delight.

They’ve just shown the score from Arthur Ashe. As I expected, Roger won in four. Wonder if Djokovic’s lack of call for the trainer or injury time outs had anything to do with his loss? Maybe he needs a little rest now and then? Well, I’ve got news for you. I need a little rest; maybe I’ll call the trainer.

It is SOOO horrible hot and humid here that my lens keeps fogging up. I’ve used all my lens tissues and am now using my sleeve to try and keep it dry enough to take pix. I’m dying to get out of here, but am praying that the match finishes.

Uh Oh… just felt a drop of rain. Oh no... Another, Rafa has just gone up 3-2 in the third, and the rain is starting. The umpire is out of his chair checking the lines. It’s not raining hard yet, but the painted lines get slippery with just a few drops. Tournament Referee, Brian Earley is out on court talking on his cell phone. I’m sure they are trying to decide if they will stop the match. Now Murray is up checking the lines, and talking to Brian, I get the impression that he wants to continue. He’s up two sets to love and even though he’s down a break, I’m sure he thinks he can win it in three, or at least wants to try. No, it’s not going to happen. It’s starting to rain hard. Umbrellas go up and Rafa and Murray leave the court.

Okay, that’s it. They’ve just announced that play is cancelled. I’m sure this is the earliest (4PM) that play has ever been cancelled at the US Open. Nadal and Murray are now scheduled to finish their match at 4PM tomorrow. The women’s final will be played at 9PM. NINE PM! Are they kidding? Why 9PM? Well at least it’s the girls and Serena will probably be able to finish off Jankovic in two quick sets, so we may be able to get out of there by 12:30.

I'm going to need a few rain photos, so I go to the doorway and do a few without getting wet. It's pouring now and people are getting creative about rainwear. I love this guy wearing a large trash bag!













The men’s final will be 5PM on Monday. Nightmare. It’s going to cost $150.00 to change my flight plus one more night in the hotel. I hope it’s a great final and I sell a lot of pics. Plus, at this point, I’m really ready to go home. Why in the world they didn’t start the Nadal match at 11 AM like Federer/Djokovic I will never know. They have been expecting this storm for a couple of days. If they had started at 11 rather than 12:40 they would have had a chance to finish. Oh well, bitching is not going to change things.

Kiwi Dave has talked me into braving the rain and going out to eat. I agree only on the condition that I can stand under the awning while he gets a cab. We go to a cool Asian noodle place called Republic on Union Square. The décor is contemporary with really nice, huge, B&W photos of people eating noodles on the walls. Love it! I have a wonderful cold noodle salad and a Watermelon Cosmopolitan Martini. Perfect. Life is good.

More On Cynthia's Adventures in NYC

No matter how hard I try, I never seem to get to bed before 3AM. Just got back from the Bryan Brothers celebration party. Really fun and worth the late nite. Wayne Bryan had his band, with Bob on Keyboards and Mike on drums and guitar. Wayne conducts the band the same way he runs a kids day... lots of energy and mixing it up. “Everyone on the dance floor! Now everyone get a new partner!” Even the most reluctant can’t resist his call to boogie. They play cover tunes from the 80s which seem a little before the brother’s time, but everyone loves it, and has a great time.

Bartenders are shaking cosmopolitans with both hands, and waiters make their way through the crowds with trays of appetizers and chocolate truffles. It’s the last weekend of the Open, the first night without evening matches, and the Bryans have just won the Doubles Title, everyone is ready for a party.

I only brought my little point and shoot camera, but I take a few snaps... no problem with photos here, I’ve know the Bryan’s since they were only a little taller than me .. And that was a long time ago.

By 12:30, I’ve had 2 cosmos, chatted with everyone I know, and a few that I didn’t know, so decide it’s time to pack it in. I know I still have to write tonight, and I’d rather not be up until dawn.

They’ve been predicting heavy rain starting a around midnight all day, and sure enough when I walk outside, an occasional drop hits me. My hotel is only a few blocks away, and it’s not really raining yet, so I decide to start walking. I enjoy the warm evenings in NY, once the sun goes down in Los Angeles; it’s always cool enough to need a light jacket. When I get toTimes Square I’m tempted to stop and take some photos of the lights, but I’d like to make it back to my hotel before it starts raining hard.

I walk up 7^th Ave. and turn east on 53^rd. There is a huge crowd of people, sitting on a low marble wall surrounding an office building. They are all eating out of tin foil containers. Then I see a long line waiting at a corner food cart. I’m not really hungry, but I have to check this out. I get in line and strike up a conversation with the people in front of me. The man and his daughter are from Northern California, but the two young guys in front of them are regulars here. They come into Manhattan all the way from Long Island just to eat here. As they start explaining the food, I realize that this is one of the places I’ve been wanting to check out. Here is what the website StreetGrub.com has to say about it; “For years, masses of people have been flocking to the corner of 53rd and 6th to satisfy their hunger with the best meal in NYC. Some people call it the "Platter" while others know it as "Chicken and Rice", the "Chicken Guy" or the "Gyro Spot." Part of the secret to this delicious meal is in the white sauce. Nobody knows what it is, but everybody knows to ask for lots of it.”

I go for the Beef and rice, and the guy from Long Island squirts the famous white sauce and then some red hot sauce from plastic containers on the side of the cart. This is definitely a cult thing. There is a certain way to eat this and you need to do it right. I bid goodnight to my new friends, and start once again for my hotel with my foil tray of food in a yellow plastic bag reading “Delicious Halal Tasty Gyro and Chicken We are Different”.

The rain is starting to come down harder now. I only have 2 Avenues and one street to go, but Avenues are long, and it’s raining harder by the minute. I run between awnings, stopping to see if it is going to let up. No, it’s getting worse, so I keep going. I make it to 54^th the street where my hotel is and it is now pouring and I still have one Avenue to go. By now I’m really wet, so I just give in and reconcile myself to getting soaked. I make it back, and the doorman asks, “what happened to you?” Uh...did you notice that the sky is falling?

Well, it’s dry and nice in my room; I’ve had a hot shower, and am in one of the Hotels nice robes. The beef and rice was FABULOUS! Spicy orange colored rice with tasty ground beef, salad and pita bread for $5.00.. can’t be beat, I’ll definitely be going back, they are open until 4 AM everyday so no matter how late matches go I can still have something to look forward to.

I’ve typed my way down to the bottom of the page, so I’ll say, goodnight for now.

Cynthia

A Great Day in NYC

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I’ve had the best day!! I decided to ditch the Federer/Muller match and just go for the nite match of Roddick and Djokovic, so I had a whole day of freedom! Fabulous! What to do first? There is a photography show that I’ve wanted to see at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, so that will be my first stop. Entitled, “Photography on Photography: Reflections on the Medium since 1960”, it features images from some of the best contemporary photographers in the last 40 years.

On the way to the Met, I walk up Madison Ave, checking out the windows of shops that I can never afford to shop in. I do browse a bit in one that claims to feature designer label clothing at with discounted price tags. I find a beautiful silk blouse for the bargain price of $1,225.00. Think maybe I’ll get one in every color. Oh well, can’t wear silk tops in the photo pit anyway.

My destination is on 5^th Avenue so I cross over and look at the work displayed by artist’s who have set up stalls on the sidewalks surrounding the Met. Some nice work, and some very ordinary.

The photography show is excellent, I’m glad I went, but I wanted to get back outside and continue my wonderful free day. Walking back toward the hotel through the park, I come to the Boathouse and I notice that they have bicycle rentals. Great! I spend the next hour and a half pedaling around the park. The paths are shaded and cool, it’s fun to cruise along, and I can go a lot further than when I’m walking.

Back at the boathouse, I have a quick bite of lunch then head for Columbus Circle where they are having a huge NFL kickoff concert. I sort of assume that it’s going to be mobbed and a pain in the neck, but I want to see what it’s all about anyway. It is mobbed, but not really a pain in the neck. The music is pounding and the energy is great. Football fans in their favorite team jerseys are having a great time arguing the merits of players, and the season hasn’t even started. I hang out there for an hour or so before starting back to the hotel.

I make it back in time for the 5PM happy hour... take a plate of snacks up to my room, get cleaned up and go for the 7PM bus. The two women behind me on the ride out to the Open spend the entire half hour trip debating the merits of two different brands of caramel corn, then move on to the best cheese popcorn in NYC, from there they discuss breakfast sandwiches, deli sandwiches, and hot dogs from street vendors, they had just started on frozen yogurt when we arrived. I was dying to turn around and have a look at them but didn’t want to be too obvious, so I just waited and let them get off before me… as you might expect they were not thin.

The big match between Djokovic and Roddick proves to be disappointing. Roddick really didn’t get going until the third set, and by then it was too late. Everyone was betting on Andy, he’s been playing great tennis, dispatching Gonazles in the last round barely breaking a sweat, while Djokovic struggled with both injuries and Robredo in his last match.

The most interesting part of the match came during the on court post match interview when Djokovic slammed Roddick for Roddicks comments on Djokovic’s fitness. In an earlier press conference Andy made light of the Serbs injuries and need for a trainer saying that he Novak had about “16 injuries”. Djokovic obviously did not find this humorous; the crowd booed loudly when he said, "That's not nice anyhow to say in front of this crowd that I have 16 injuries and I am faking it.”

Well, anyone that knows Andy at all knows that he loves to joke around and shouldn’t take things like this too seriously. Djokovic loves to make fun and do imitations of everyone... and they are hilarious... He did one of Roddick on kid’s day that broke Andy up, so if you want to dish it out, you need to learn how to take it.

However Djokovic did apologize to Roddick in his post match press conference stating, "Unfortunately, Andy made a statement, and I don't think it was intentional," he added. "He made a joke and it was a misunderstanding.

"I exaggerated and I reacted bad in that moment. I apologise if I reacted like that. It was just impulsive and I had a lot of emotions in the last two days.”

I think that we sometimes forget how young these guys are and the kind of pressure they are under.

The Party's Over

The Party’s Over

Juan Martin Del Potro will be heading for JFK soon, his 24 match winning streak ended today by Andy Murray. It was a hard fought four setter but Murray is into the semi-final of a Grand Slam for the first time.

There is a little side plot that made this match interesting. Earlier in the year in Rome, a Del Potro hit a volley that Murray said was hit straight at his head. They exchanged words on the changeover, and Murray claimed that Del Potro leveled and insult at Murray’s mother, Judy. You can watch this exchange on YouTube if you’re interested.

However, they did seem to have nice words at the net when they came up to shake hands, so apparently the incident has been forgotten.

Just saw Boris Becker in the media dining room. Wow, he is still hot! Not my type at all, and not really handsome in the popular sense, but he has an air, something unique, the way he dresses, carries himself, screams, “I’m someone special”. He’s striking with that white blond hair, perfectly cut, and intense blue eyes. I’m around gorgeous men all the time, but I confess, I had to stop myself from staring at him. Sorry I can’t post a photo for you, but I didn’t think it would be cool to pull out a camera and start snapping.

Okay what else should we talk about today? Walking down Madison Ave. this morning, I was suddenly stopped cold, a big smile spreading across my face, when I saw the window of the Eden Fine Art Gallery. Crazy fanciful sculptures filled the white space. I had to go in. I LOVE this heart shaped butterfly sculpture! And oh my word … what about the giant lips made of large M&M’s... great. And how about these crazy colorful birds? I could for sure spend a lot of $$ in there. Any one of these in your house would definitely bring smiles even on your worst day.

And speaking of your worst day, this may not be the worst, but it is definitely going to be a long one. It’s 9:30 PM and the Williams sisters have not even finished their first set. Rafa and Fish are scheduled to play next so I’m thinking we are probably looking at a 10:30 to 11 PM start for what could be a five setter. Normally if I’m out until the wee hours of the morning, I like to be wearing a cute dress and have a cocktail in my hand, but that won’t be the case tonight.

Serena finally won her match against Venus 7-6, 7-6, thank heaven it was two sets. Venus was up in the second set and at one point had three match points. We were all sure they would split, but Serena rallied, and won the breaker. Some of the press thinks it was a setup with Serena slated to win because Venus won Wimbledon, but I don’t think so, and even if it was, the fans don’t know that and the girls put on a great show.

How right was I about it being a late night? It’s 12:30 AM and Rafa and Mardy are just in the second set. Fish won the first, but Rafa is up 3 love in the second. This is going to go on all night. I’m going to stay until the end of this set then head for the hotel.

Shooting in the Danger Zone

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I’m sporting a large red circle on my temple, not really attractive. Shooting from the pit at the end of the court, one of Djokovic’s forehands flew wide and came right at me... Fortunately I saw it coming and turned my head, so it wasn’t too bad, but it was a clean hit, and I have to admit, it hurt a lot. I looked up and saw Tommy Robredo looking into the pit asking if I was alright... I was stunned and couldn’t answer at first but my head cleared and except for the red mark I’m fine.

I learned to watch carefully when I shoot from this position after getting hit in the eye at the Olympics in Athens with Andy Roddick’s serve. That one was a lot worse. Had a huge black eye for a week.

But let’s start at the beginning. I arrived at the site just as the Djokovic Robredo match was starting, and went up to the Promenade. This is becoming my favorite place to shoot. As stated in an earlier blog, it’s cool and shady, and the photos are interesting. I like the clean background from up above, with the player isolated on the court. When you shoot from the photo pit on the sideline you have the back wall with all the logos, and lines people in the background. However, I do have to thank the USTA for putting the lines people in navy blue so they blend into the background as opposed to the horrible outfits they wear at Wimbledon, with cream pants, blue and white jackets, and blue and white striped shirts. Since when should the officials upstage the player’s who have to wear predominantly white at Wimbledon?

Well, anyway, let’s talk about the match. Tommy Robredo is another one of the great, nice, gorgeous Spaniard’s but truth is, I expected Djokovic to win in three. Surprise surprise, Tommy takes the first set 6-4. Very nice effort Tommy! I have nothing against Novak, but I know Tommy better and I’m always for the underdog. Robredo is seeded 15 and Djokovic 3 so it would be a good win for him. Robr taking the first set is not entirely a surprise, at 26 he’s the veteran, having 5 years on Djokovic, and is one of the most fit guys on the tour. How Pathetic is that... being a veteran at 26? I won’t even comment on that.

Djokovic is obviously hurting. He’s had the trainer out once because of a problem with his hip. He’s not moving well, and he’s starting to look tired. However, he rallied and won the next two sets pretty easily, but Robredo wasn’t done. He came on strong and won the fourth 7-5, at this point Djokovic was looking terrible. He had the trainer and Physician out again and also had to take a bathroom break. At this point, I moved down to the pit at the end of the court. All the photographers in the pit thought it was all over for the Serb, and we were all moving down to the end of the court where Robredo’s team was sitting to get his reaction when he won. Then… another surprise, Novak pulls it together, and ends up winning that fifth set 6-3.

I’m feeling bad for Tommy. He played his heart out. He looked like he had a chance. His press conference was very interesting. He was philosophical about the loss saying, “I think I did a great match, so it’s a loss, but it’s a loss with glory, you know?” He went on to talk about becoming really upset with a linesman. I saw him waving his arms around and obviously being pretty unhappy, but I was still up on the promenade, so I couldn’t hear what was going on.

He later explained, saying that if a player breaks a racquet it’s a $5,000. Fine, but is a linesman makes a mistake it’s nothing. It was a very important point and it could have changed the match. What I’m not getting in this is why he didn’t challenge the call, but that has not been explained. He also commented on Djokovic’s ailments, saying,

“Novak was doing the show, that he was – couldn’t run.” When the reporter asks him if he didn’t believe Novak’s injuries, he replied, “That’s not that I don’t believe. I have pain as well. I was running like hell and my feet were burning but I say nothing, no? I think that if you’re not fit enough then don’t play. But after every time he was asking for a trainer, he was running like hell and he was making the shot, but he does what he does a lot of times.” “So did I trust him? No. No. I think he took his time because he did it because he was a little bit more tired and that’s a part of the game. It helps him a lot.”

Robredo is not the first player to complain about Djokovic stalling on court. His habit of bouncing the ball 20 or 30 times before serving has made a lot of people unhappy. Jim Courier was doing the commentary on this and later remarked on this saying, that even though Djokovic may have been slowing the match down, he didn’t do anything that was against the rules, and you do have to give him credit for winning such a tough match when he was not in top condition.

Okay, that’s it for today, I’ll take you on more NYC adventures tomorrow.

Olaaay, Olay, Olay, Olay, Braaazil, Braaazil!!

It's Labor Day weekend, and I totally don't feel like working, so I start my day at the Brazilian Festival on 46th and 6th Ave.

The music, the drums, the dancing, the Bosa Nova, the smiles, the food. Wonderful. The streets are alive and packed, it’s crazy, and it’s fun. Lot’s of dark handsome men wearing green and yellow Renaldo shirts. Women in platform shoes and short shorts. A group of dancers wearing elaborate carnival headdress and colorful ruffled dresses. These people know how to live, know how to enjoy life. The young, and not so young samba down 43^rd street... the wonderful thing is they are all young at heart.

I stop at one of the food stands .. I have no idea what this is, but a lot of people are eating these deep fried balls with sauce and they look good so I decide to try .. they are made of mashed black eyed peas and are delicious. A little further on I see the Candy Apples .. my weakness…ok.. it’s a holiday, I go for it. Check this out .. the music is so infectious this vendor is beating out a rhythm on the cover of his catering tray!

This celebration reminds me of the first time Guga won the French Open. The fans went wild, everyone was celebrating, a large crowd of Brazilians with all kinds of drums Sambaed around the stadium. Guga, wearing a Brazilian flag around his shoulders and that great smile joined them. What other champion would do that? How much do we miss him?

What makes these people so special? I think it’s the fact that their culture is so widely diversified. The mix of Native Indigenous people, with the Portuguese, African, European, and Japanese weaves a rich tapestry of diversity. Being of mixed heritage myself, I find this wonderfully interesting. There is an obvious African influence in the music, the drumming, and a lot of the art.

The artist and poet M.C. Richards once said, “All the arts we practice are apprenticeship. The big art is our life.” It seems to me that the people of Brazil are masters in the art of life.

However, now I must practice the art of tennis, so I’m off to the site. It’s hotter than Hades on court, and I need a few pix of Roddick, so I head up to the promenade where I can stand in the shade. I like to shoot from up there anyway, late in the day the long shadows are really nice, put there’s a little breeze. Andy wins pretty easily and I need photos of Patty Schnyder, so I head over to the Grandstand.

I stay for a few games, and knock of some pix then move over to Armstrong for the end of the Tsonga Robredo match. Robredo wins in straights. I’m somewhat surprised; I thought Tsonga would give him a tougher match.

Next problem is what to eat... I check out the Press dining room and find the usual boring, fare available, so I decide to try the food court. There are a lot of choices, most of them designed to ruin your health and your waistline simultaneously. After much deliberation, I go for the Indian Vegetarian Plate. Not bad. Spicy spinach, rice and a curry with cauliflower and something else that has been cooked so long it is no longer recognizable.

The first night match features Elena Dementieva and Na Li. I am totally uninterested in this match, so I’ve got a little time to download my photos and get some editing done before Cilic and Djokovic start. I have nothing on Cilic so I want to shoot maybe just the first set and get out of here. Uh Oh... Cilic takes the first set... does this mean and I need to stay in case the Joker looses? No, I make the executive decision and catch the midnight bus… amazing how catching the midnight bus seems like you are leaving early. There is something wrong with this picture.