By Tracy Zwick

Are you ready for the best two weeks of the tennis year? Feeling pumped about politics now that the conventions are over and “it’s the fourth quarter” of the 2024 election cycle? Hankering for delicious sushi in chic surroundings on the UWS?

Let’s Weekend! 

August 23 – 25, 2024

Get Ready to Watch World-Class Tennis at The US Open: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens

Tennis is not just a sport; it’s a spell. Don’t worry if you missed Fan Week and the qualies. That was the amuse-bouche. There’s a smorgasbord of world-class tennis starting this Monday just a subway ride away from the UWS. (Click on the link for directions.) Fall under the spell of the 2024 US Open Tennis Championships! Whether you have an afternoon, an evening, a weekend, or the entire two weeks free, whether money’s no object or you’re looking to economize, the Rag’s got you covered. I’ve been to all four grand slams (Wimbledon, the French Open, the Australian Open, and the US Open), logging many visits to our home tourney. So I hope you’ll trust me when you peruse the Upper West Sider’s Guide to the Open I put together, which ought to set you up for an awesome time at Flushing Meadows.  The link is — HERE.

But for now, I’ll tell you what I’m excited about and recommend: Rounds 1 & 2 on Monday through Thursday. Buy a Grounds Pass (retail $80), which gets you access to every court in the complex, except Arthur Ashe Stadium, all day and night. All 256 men and women in the draw will play their first match Monday and Tuesday. This gives you dozens of exciting matches to check out, and a lot of bang for your buck! I’ll be there all week, and I hope you’ll join me in cheering on Aleksander Kovacevic, an Upper West Sider currently ranked #75 in the world. Aleks is 25-years-old & a proud graduate of PS9 on West 84th Street and Beacon High School. 

I love tennis, but you don’t need to know much about the sport to have a blast, enjoy the glorious end-of-summer weather, and spend time with family and friends, or meet new ones at the Open. There’s food from UWS chefs and restaurants, like Kwame Onwuachi of Tatiana at Lincoln Center, and NYC food trucks, like King Souvlaki, and plenty more: Carnegie Deli, Red Hook Lobster Pound, Crown Shy, tacos, pizza, burgers, poke, salads, smoothies, ice cream, Champagne, Aperol Spritz, and the signature cocktail of the US Open: the Honey Deuce. There’s music, shopping and sponsored experiences. Go! 

Keep the Political Momentum Flowing at The New-York Historical Society: 170 Central Park West at 77th Street; Tue. – Thurs. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sat. – Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Even if you’re not fired up about tennis, you must be enthused about politics after the conclusion of the conventions last night. Whoever you hope will occupy the Oval Office starting this January, you can visualize them behind a model of the Resolute Desk, and sit there for a selfie yourself (I did!), in New-York Historical Society’s “Meet the Presidents and the Oval Office” exhibition. It includes a Reagan-era re-creation of the White House Oval Office, where presidents have undertaken their duties since 1909. Adjacent galleries chart the evolution of the presidency and include official portraits of each leader, the actual bible used by George Washington at his inauguration, and an interactive game, “Playing the President”, where visitors make the same decisions FDR faced in his first hundred days. My 12-year-old nephew went 4/6.

Enjoy the UWS’s Newest Sushi Haven, Sugarfish: 207 West 75th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam

It’s only been open for a couple of weeks, but my daughter’s already been twice and she flagged this oasis on the UWS, asking my sister and me there for lunch last week. Sugarfish doesn’t take reservations, but we had no trouble getting a table immediately for lunch on a weekday. The decor is modern and minimal, the noise-level’s ideal for conversation and the service was excellent. Sugarfish makes it easy for decision-averse diners with its $39 “Trust Me” and $29 “Trust Me Lite” options, which include edamame (served cold), along with various sashimi, sushi, and hand roll courses. If you’re hungrier, there’s “The Nozawa Trust Me” ($50) and the “Don’t Think Just Eat” ($76) combos. Gratuity is included in the price; there’s no tipping allowed. We all enjoyed the salmon nigiri with sesame seeds and my sister and daughter dug the hand rolls in their combos, one of them saying the salmon and rice “melted” in her mouth. 

See you next week!

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