Goodbye summer

"September is glorious in Manhattan, and this year was no exception. The temperature was a perfect seventy-five degrees, the humidity low, and the sky a cloudless blue. Coming back to the city from a restless summer, the weather is always a reminder that spectacular things can happen and that greatness is just around the corner. The air buzzes with excitement, and in one day, the city goes from sleepy to frenzied."
Candace Bushnell, Lipstick Jungle


Although September 22 will mark the official last day of summer this year, it is a truth universally acknowledged that Labor Day is the start of fall. After Labor Day, school starts back, pools close, the air begins to chill, and white becomes passé (or does it? I suppose this is up for debate, especially in New York, where anything goes as long as you strut down the sidewalk with confidence). More importantly, though, the vibe in the city begins to shift. Gone are the days of Summer Fridays, trips to the beach, and afternoons lounging in the park with Mister Softee in one hand and US Weekly in the other. Instead, the eternally-lingering Back to School mindset kicks in – new calendars are purchased, schedules become more routine, and we start counting down the days until Thanksgiving break.

Knowing that my days of summer fun were numbered, I decided to go out with a bang this week and leave nothing to be desired for my second summer in the city. I started with Opening Night of the US Open on Monday evening. Courtesy of the UGA Alumni Association, some pals and I purchased nosebleed seats and headed out to Flushing Meadows. Although I was excited, I had no idea how much fun we would have. We saw a great Opening Ceremony, complete with a performance by Aretha Franklin and a speech by Phylicia Rashad, aka Claire Huxtable. We also had many star sightings via the Jumbotron, including Star Jones, Christie Brinkley, and Janet Jackson. Of course, the tennis was spectacular, too, with back-to-back matches with Venus and then Serena Williams.

Tuesday night, Lauren and I resourcefully boarded a bus at Port Authority and headed out to the Continental Airlines Arena to see the American Idol Tour. How did we get the tickets, you may ask? It went something like this:
(scene: in our boardroom at work)
Megan: “Does anyone like American Idol?”
Jamie and Lauren (immediately jumping up): “WE DO!”
Megan: “TV Guide has two tickets for the show on Tuesday. First come, first served.”
Jamie (picking up the phone): “What’s the number?”
…and about five seconds later, we were in.
The show was great, minus the obvious disaster that was Sanjaya. Chris Richardson and Blake Lewis were total dreamboats, Jordin Sparks and Melinda Doolittle sang like rock stars, and Lauren and I had the pleasure of being the only people in the arena who were over the age of nine.

On Thursday, this time courtesy of CMT, some work friends and I got tickets to the Kenny Chesney, Sugarland and Pat Green concert at the Garden. Although I’ve seen both Kenny and Pat several times each, I must say that this was one of their best shows yet. We stood and sang at the top of our lungs for almost four hours straight, loving every minute of a sold out Southern country concert in the middle of Manhattan. Being on row J didn’t hurt either… :)

My office was closed for the holiday on Friday, and once again, thanks to the wonderful folks I work with, I was able to head back out to the US Open all day. It was a gorgeous day, and we saw some great matches…and I may or may not be in love with Mardy Fish. We wandered around the tennis center, spent, like, a gazillion dollars on sandwiches, and made friends with a tennis coach while watching “Knowlsie and Nestie.” Unfortunately, though, we did not run into Andy Roddick coming off the Practice Courts, but hey, c’est la vie.

Friday night I had the pleasure of spending time with two wonderful sets of people. First, I met up with Angie and her little (by age, but certainly not by stature) brother and sister, who were visiting for the weekend. After hearing so many stories, it was really a blast to hang out with the infamous Hodgie and Quijibo...and fit in a little karaoke, too. Afterwards, I met up with my Aunt Nita and her friends who were in town for the Open. We had a wonderful dinner at Joe Allen’s, and I think I may have finally met my greatest blog fans! We had a great time catching up and talking all about life in the city. It really was a treat to have family and new friends in New York, bringing a taste of home to the city.

Saturday was (drum roll, please) the first game of the UGA football season. I headed down to the Village Pourhouse, where all the Georgia fans in NYC watch the games. We donned our red and black, called the Dawgs, yelled and screamed, and even met an ex-football player in town for the weekend. It’s always tough not being in Athens on game day, but I have to believe that the Village Pourhouse is the second-most spirited group of fans anywhere outside of Sanford Stadium itself.

And, the next thing I know, I’m sitting here on Labor Day Monday, looking ahead to a busy September work week. No more concerts or trips to the Open for me…after all, summer’s over now. It’s been a great one, though, and I can’t complain. Time to start looking ahead to a new month, a new season, and a new year.

And maybe if I’m lucky, I’ll round up some tickets to Fashion Week. After all, who says the fun has to end now?




p.s. I will most certainly not round up any tickets to Fashion Week. My job has perks, but let’s be real! :)