This year, after much planning and anticipation, we took Max and Elle to see the US Open (and NYC) over Labor Day.2013-08-30 iPhone 871132013-08-30 NYC 85838 Don’t worry that Grace, Claire and Lu need a turn for a trip because their time is coming soon enough… We have wanted to take Elle to see some real tennis for a few years since she’s pretty into it (and we want to make her even more into it) and those teenagers of mine were starting to think “suburb mentality.”  I sometimes just don’t like that suburb mentality.  I want them to have “big-world” mentality.  New York is a pretty good place to get that 🙂2013-08-30 NYC 858942013-08-30 NYC 85895 The excitement was palpable.2013-08-29 iPhone 87081 And the leg-room was miniscule (at least for all these six-foot and over folks):2013-08-29 iPhone 87082 My brother and his wife and baby live on the Upper West Side.  She is from Switzerland and they plan to move back there at some point, so we wanted to be sure to get in a trip while they were still there.  Plus my parents were going to be there, and then we found out my brother and his wife were going to drive up from D.C.  Party times in NYC. We all met up at a little Japanese restaurant for a joyful reunion.2013-08-29 iPhone 87093 We only overlapped one day with my parents who were staying in their friend’s house which happens to be incredibly amazing.2013-08-29 NYC 85723 He has a rooftop patio that takes your breath away with a gorgeous view of both the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building.2013-08-29 Eli's NYC 86358(My brother Eli took that picture BTW…that’s why it’s so good…he is an awesome photographer.  Check out his pictures of Brazil over on his blog HERE.  Wow is all I have to say about that.) 2013-08-29 NYC 85692 2013-08-29 NYC 85717 The rest of us stayed in my brother’s one-bedroom apartment which to me was even more awesome because it gave us that real NYC feel.  2013-09-01 NYC 86384He was quite the host.  We were sad his wife and daughter were in Switzerland so we didn’t get to see them, but we may not have fit if they were there! The U.S. Open 2013-08-30 NYC 858022013-08-30 NYC 85793 We got grounds tickets which I loved because we could get up close and personal for so many of the matches.  2013-08-30 NYC 85809 We all wore these little radios around so we could listen to the commentary as we went and we all got the U.S. Open aps on our phones so we could look up all the players and information.2013-08-30 NYC 85814 My lunch companion:2013-08-30 iPhone 87111 We watched from every different vantage point.2013-08-30 NYC 857552013-08-30 NYC 85757 This is the only picture I have of my Mom there before she and my Dad had to take off:2013-08-30 NYC 85785It’s a good one, right?  Ha.  See the back of her head there as she’s lovingly grilling Max about something or other? Eli and Julie had to take off earlier as well, but Tal stuck around with us til the night was through.2013-08-30 iPhone 871172013-08-30 iPhone 87116 …and even brought some apricots to share (you kinda had to be there to catch the humor of the apricots…).2013-08-30 NYC 85836 I love this series of trying to get a decent shot of all of us together: Missing someone:2013-08-30 NYC 85843 Grumpy Max:2013-08-30 NYC 85844 Even more grumpy Max:2013-08-30 NYC 85845 A little pep-talk:2013-08-30 NYC 85847 Eyes-closed Max:2013-08-30 NYC 85850 Eyes closed Elle:2013-08-30 NYC 85888 The jackpot (with or without Elle’s blurry hand):2013-08-30 NYC 85887Phew! We happened to run into some of our great friends who used to live right next to us in the desert. 2013-08-30 NYC 85866 Watched a little Martina Hingis who now plays mixed doubles.2013-08-30 NYC 85857 …and headed back to the city….2013-08-30 NYC 85889 …for a late-night city tour.  We went to Times Square first.2013-08-30 NYC 859122013-08-30 NYC 85913 From there my brother picked us up in a “zip car” and showed us the lay of the land, starting with the very important “Shake Shack.”2013-08-30 NYC 859322013-08-30 NYC 85946 …which closed ten minutes before we got there so we opted for Gray’s Papaya instead.2013-08-30 NYC 85949 We went by Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall and the awesome LDS Temple at Lincoln Center (where my brother got married a few years ago back HERE).2013-08-30 NYC 85972Then headed back to my brother’s apartment with visions of tennis and big cities in our heads and slept as soundly as could be. September 11 Memorial The next morning we headed to see the under-construction 9/11 Memorial.  We stood in line for a while which never bothers me if you have views like this to look at:2013-08-31 NYC 86039 …and you run into great people from BYU days in line 🙂 I thought is was incredible how they set up this memorial, and I was so glad we got to be there.  The twin reflecting pools make the largest manmade waterfalls in North America.2013-08-31 iPhone 87134 The names of every person who died are etched in bronze around the edges.  2013-08-31 NYC 85533 I love that they used parts of the old World Trade Center buildings to build the new one…and that it is so incredibly reinforced at the bottom:2013-08-31 NYC 855382013-08-31 NYC 85527 Although we are wearing smiles, the feeling was so somber and sacred in there.2013-08-31 NYC 85541 Broadway We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see a Broadway play right in Times Square.2013-08-31 NYC 85562 We saw Newsies which in my mind couldn’t compare to Wicked or even come close to Les Miserables, but it was a great show and I loved the message, plus the singing and dancing were pretty darn good.  Perfect for these kids.2013-08-31 NYC 85556 Here are Dave and Max from our last-row seats.2013-08-31 iPhone 87138 Oh man I love NYC.2013-08-31 NYC 85566 So does Elle who stole my camera most of the time.2013-08-31 NYC 85584 Extra great to be with these guys there, not only because we love them, but because they lived there one summer and knew right how to maneuver us around.2013-08-31 NYC 85586 Especially loved hanging with our cute little Zara.2013-08-31 NYC 860282013-08-31 NYC 855872013-08-31 NYC 85589 U.S. Open (again) We couldn’t resist going back one more night to the U.S. Open.  Especially since Federer was playing and my brother hooked us up with free tickets.  We started up here in the top of the rafters of the Arthur Ashe stadium:2013-08-31 NYC 856122013-08-31 NYC 856132013-08-31 NYC 85621 …and by the end ended up here:2013-08-31 NYC 85635 Max and I lucked out that one of the ticket ladies let us go up right on the courtside near the end.  I will always remember sitting down on the fourth row with Max next to me shaking with excitement, the hugest ever smiles ever stretched across our faces. (We had some other doubters that we could get in, but Max wasn’t deterred in the least.  Love that about that boy).  2013-08-31 NYC 85661 Here are my brother’s pictures of Federer up close and personal:2013-09-01 Eli's NYC 863642013-09-01 Eli's NYC 86365 …and here he is when he recognized us in the crowd and waved:2013-09-01 Eli's NYC 86369Ha! Not sure where Max took off to after that, but here are Elle and Dave who made it for the very last game of the match.2013-08-31 NYC 85663 We went home completely euphoric.  Best night ever. On the subway after with my brothers and Tal’s Swiss friend who came with us.2013-09-01 iPhone 87162 How I love to see my boys with my brothers.2013-08-31 NYC 85668 Tal caught me taking a picture:2013-09-01 iPhone 87159 Here it is:2013-09-01 iPhone 87158 We kinda liked the subways. And I kinda liked following these three tall people around.2013-09-01 iPhone 87167 To be continued…HERE

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11 Comments

  1. SOOO jealous. NYC is my favorite place in the whole world. That's so cool that you went to the US Open! It looks awesome. Also, that picture of Elle with the camera is breathtaking. Perfect capture right there 🙂

  2. Looks like you guys had a great time! My oldest daughter (17) and I spent this past weekend in NYC with my sister who also lives on the Upper West Side. She (my daughter) would love to go to college in the city. It is one of our favorite places in the world!!

  3. So funny- I just have to mention that Tal's Swiss friend was the bishop of our ward here in Switzerland before he moved to NYC and our great friend! He and his family are coming back sometime next February– so fun to stumble across him here!

  4. LOVE this post! And seeing what happened after we left! Nothing quite like the US Open, especially when you can share it with so many people you love. That was FUN!

    LOL on the wave from the Fed!

  5. Hi there! I enjoy reading your blog! It looks like you had a fantastic trip!
    I got chills while scrolling through your pics of the 911 memorial. One picture is the very corner where our cousin's name is inscribed. Chills. There was a reason I "checked in" tonight. Thank you. 🙂

  6. Fun fact: my uncle is a sculptor and was on the top 20 sculptors to design to World Trade Center memorial! (They did a "contest" type thing where sculptors everywhere were invited to send in a design then they selected from that pool.) He had a huge gorgeous bronze abstract, but gorgeously so, angel he designed. It would have had all names inscribed on the circular base. I have the smaller version in my house and love it so.

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