Thursday, August 28, 2008

CATCHING MY BREATH.....

This week has been a whirlwind of activity, with the reopening of the bar, re-establishing ties with the neighborhood (yes it's only been two weeks, but that's an eternity for the bar business), tying up loose ends, etc. etc. etc. It's been great to see the response to the work we did on the place, especially with the downstairs area. Good stuff.

Yesterday I spent a rare afternoon away from Murray Hill by going to the U.S. Open. In the twenty-plus years that I've lived in New York, I'd never attended the Open. I've always meant to go, but every year, something would come up and I'd end up not going.

This year, however, I got an offer I couldn't refuse. A day of tennis in the Heineken Suite. Now when I got offered these tickets, I wasn't sure what "Club Suite" meant. Boy did I find out quickly. When I arrived, I was immediately impressed by the size and the beauty of the venue.




I walked around the venue and was impressed by the sheer number of people who were there to see some tennis. I knew it was a big deal, but damn! The USTA really knows how to market this event. With food kiosks filled with expensive foods/drinks at every turn, there is money to be made and they (USTA) sure are raking it in.

I'm a lost puppy here because I'd never been here before, so trying to locate the Heineken Suite was a bit of an adventure. But with a bit of assistance, I finally made my way to "the Promised Land". And soon as I walked in, I was blown away. The Heineken Suite looked like a living room, filled with plushy couches, great food and of course, tons of Heineken products. The front end of the living room was a wall of glass, facing out onto a small patio of tables and chairs.... looking out onto CENTRE COURT!


The pictures don't do the distance from the court to my seats any justice, but trust me, it was impressive.

I spent a few hours at the U.S. Open before trekking back to Murray Hill to get ready for the evening's activities. It was Game Night at Third and Long and we hooked up the Nintendo Wii for some Wii Sports. We also finally mounted the AOL "Best Sports Bar in NYC" plaque and the regulars got a kick out of that.

*note the '70's style moustaches that the Swanfather and Fire Marshall Ed were sporting...

T-BILL, AFRIKA BAMBATTA and NAPOLEON DYNAMITE catching up after a long, hot summer...

*BLONDE CHATTERBOX holding court on her last night in NYC...

* a couple of cute Nintendo Wii participants....

The night itself was pretty laid back and eventually got busy, so overall it was a good night.


TONIGHT:

"Bucket o Lights" (5pm-10pm), with Buckets of Miller Lite, Michelob Light, Coors Light, 5/15.00 and $4.00 pints of Heineken, Brooklyn Pennant Ale and Sly Fox Royal Weisse!



Nuff Said