38 The Courier SUN • SEPTEMBER 10, 2015 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com victoria’s secrets VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS vschneps@gmail.com tweet me @vschneps Our international borough Juliana Terian and me watching Roger Federer at US Open Summer dinner with hosts Victor and Gail Gartenstein (left) Peter Meyer, Julie Ratner, Mary Ann Mattone, Denise Arbesu and Georgiana Reese-Benatti (seated, from left) Sam Eskenazi, Joe Mattone and Vinny Riso Dynamic $1500 off Lumineers $500 off Invisalign DENTAL WORK Free Whitening included the inViSiBle WAy to Some excluSionS Apply StrAighten teeth third generation dentist 175-15 Jamaica avenue, Jamaica 718-297-4100 • 718-297-4106 welcomes the world Each end of August, our beautiful Flushing Meadows Corona Park welcomes the world to our doorstep to enjoy and participate in the U.S. Open. How lucky we are to have them here but there were and probably still are people who don’t like their world invaded. When the USTA opened discussions of bringing their event from the small, intimate West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills to a proposed location in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, I was an immediate supporter. As a tennis player myself, I saw the benefit of bringing a world-class event to our borough. The plan was to build stadiums and enable the public to have access to the courts after the two-week run of the U.S. Open – one of the most important sports events in the world. Part of the deal with the USTA, accomplished by Mayor Dinkins, who still can be seen every day of the Open at courtside, was a multiple million dollar fund set up for improvements in the park. Thanks to our then-Borough President Claire Shulman, that money ultimately made it possible to build the Olympic-size pool in the park and help to move the ice skating rink to allow the Queens Museum to double its size where once the rink had been in the space. Perhaps my support has been appreciated by the USTA, so for many years I have been lucky enough to be invited to the President’s Suite to see the matches. It’s an invitation I cherish and have accepted with great joy. The suite invitation includes a luscious lunch buffet prepared by the Levy Brothers restaurant group. This year, the buffet included three different salads, lobster salad rolls with huge chunks of lobster and cod crusted with a delicious covering, turning me into a fan of cod, a dish I ordinarily wouldn’t order. The buffet also offered a scrumptious ratatouille, pork loin offered with three unique sauces, wine and drinks, and a devilishly delicious dessert table with make-your-own sundaes including 10 different toppings for four different ice cream flavors. That ended the meal with a flourish. I couldn’t resist my favorite chocolate ice cream with hot fudge and rich whipped cream. After lunch, I made my way down to the living room area where there was a bar offering any drink your heart desires. Since it was so hot, I decided to stick to water and proceeded to open the glass doors leading to the ringside seats. Lucky me, I got to watch Venus Williams power her way to a straight set win over Belinda Bencic. And, then the next match was with No. 1 player Novak Djokovic. What a double header to relish! As I walked back to my car (and got lost looking for the right gate to exit), I enjoyed people-watching as the thick crowds filled the many tables surrounding the fast food offerings around the grounds. At lunch, I had sat with people from San Diego and a couple from Savannah, Georgia, but the many faces of the people on the grounds spoke to the international scene right here in our park. It’s not too late to buy a grounds ticket and watch the many matches around the complex. Many of the hundreds of players practice and have their matches on those courts. You don’t need a reserve seat to relish the lushly landscaped grounds planted by our local Keil Brothers/Garden World who do most of the sumptuous, colorful plants. The President’s Suite is in the Arthur Ashe Stadium that is getting a roof built to allow for matches to play in any weather. It’s half done and that side has a huge shade already in place that’s good protection from the sun! On Monday night, my friend Juliana Terian of Rallye Auto Group invited me to see two memorable matches. My favorite was the crowd-pleasing Roger Federer, ranked No. 2 in the world. He got constant cheers from the crowd even though he beat John Isner, No. 13 worldwide, the last American man left playing. What a wonderful week! Crowd-pleaser Roger Federer A night with friends Having an extra day to end the summer, I was delighted to spend time with friends at a dinner party given by the Gartensteins, friends of the Mattones. It’s always a special meal when Mary Ann Mattone makes her sumptuous and tasty meatball/sausage sauce. Great food and great friends equal a memorable night to cherish. Back to school So it began again – the school year. It made me cry to watch Jonah, who lives with me, get on the school bus to begin his first grade career. So many hopes and prayers go with him for a year of great learning and adventure. Jonah, right, with his sister sending him off to first grade with our neighbors
SC09102015
To see the actual publication please follow the link above