so close to perfection \09.05\

so close to perfection \09.05\

Posted by Lauren at 11:32 PM ✪ No comment yet

 I was so close to a dream come true, my idea of an ideal night and a possible perfect ending.

When Andy Roddick won his third round match, I was just excited by the prospect of being in the stadium for the next round.  As I kept my eye on the weather reports each day, it wasn't promising.  But after work today, it looked like the front would pass and maybe we'd sneak in some tennis before another one arrived.  Worst case scenario, I'd waste some time trekking out to Queens.

Here's where things got interesting.  I took the 1 up to Times Square, where I was supposed to transfer to the 7 Express.  I got a little perplexed by the signage telling me that 7 trains were coming on both tracks.  Not wanting to end up opposite of my destination (I later realized that Times Square was the beginning of the route and there was only one direction to go), I engaged in an activity that I spurn - asking directions, essentially.  There was a woman next to me who seemed like a good candidate, but it turned out she was about as knowledgable as me.

I finally figured out that a diamond signified "express" and a circle meant "local".  So I ushered us both onto the subway.  For some reason, I decided to play out of character again and started small talk with this woman.  Maybe it was just because I was bubbling over with enthusiasm about the US Open.

When we were a few stops away from our destination, my new transit partner called her friends to let them know she was almost there.  I immediately discerned from her response that her friends had decided not to go.  After telling them not to worry multiple times, she hung up and gave me the rundown.

She wasn't interested in going alone, tennis was their passion and she was just along for the ride.  But she had tickets waiting at will call.  And after asking me if I had good seats (clearly the answer was no), she volunteered hers to me.  In the blink of an eye, I was bequeathed two tickets in courtside reserved seating.

Honestly, I could barely stand or think straight.  I wandered aimlessly into the tennis center, unable to focus.  So I set myself on a mission to eat something and snap to it.  Then I made my way into Arthur Ashe Stadium, nine rows up from the court, and it was more amazing than anything I ever dreamed of.  I had a seat next to a guy who would become another small talk buddy and later buy me a drink during the rain suspension.

I could already wax nostalgic about how amazing every detail was, except for one, the fact that the match got canceled at the start of the first set tiebreak.  My perfection was only destined to last 35 minutes.  So, it was a partial dream come true.

After the match was canceled, I was still hesitant to leave the stadium.  It went by too quickly.  Then a worker started chatting with me, and as the center court lights shut off, we exited together.  He let me in on a secret about getting back to the city in twenty minutes instead of an hour and a half: the employee shuttle bus.  I just had to board with him and act like I knew what I was doing.  And it was free.  Sold.  So I headed back into Manhattan, chatting with Mohamed on an employee-sanctioned charter bus.

Despite the fact that nothing really went as planned, I can't be completely upset about my night.  Sure, I'll most likely miss the remainder of the Roddick/Del Potro match, and even if it starts late enough for me to watch it won't be live.  But I made it to the US Open, I sat in the most amazing seats, I saw my favorite player in person during his final days, and I had some unique experiences thanks to random people.  Plus, the match was canceled soon enough that I can trade in my ticket for one of equal value for the 2013 US Open.