New York City
Visit on the US Open Tennis Package
New York in late summer is the city at its most electric — and for two weeks every August and September, the greatest tennis players on earth descend on Flushing Meadows to compete in the last and loudest Grand Slam of the year.
History & Culture
New York City is the cultural capital of the world in the way that very few cities ever manage to be — not merely influential, but genuinely generative. From the immigrant waves that shaped its neighbourhoods to the artists, writers, and architects who made those neighbourhoods famous, New York has been producing culture at an extraordinary rate for four centuries. Beneath the skyscrapers and the noise lies a city of immense historical depth, neighbourhood identity, and institutional greatness that rewards the curious visitor at every turn.
New York is not a city. It is a world — and arriving in it for the first time, or the fiftieth, feels like the same thing.
The enduring truth about Manhattan
Must Visit
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Met is one of the great museums of the world — two million square feet of art spanning five thousand years of human civilisation, from Egyptian temples to Picasso. Its Fifth Avenue facade and the Great Hall are architectural statements in themselves. For US Open visitors spending time in Manhattan, a morning at the Met before heading to Flushing Meadows for an afternoon session is one of New York’s finest itinerary combinations. The rooftop garden, open seasonally, offers one of the city’s best panoramas of Central Park.
Neighbourhood
The High Line & West Chelsea
Opened in 2009 on a disused elevated railway, the High Line is one of the great urban regeneration success stories of the 21st century — a 1.45-mile linear park threading through West Chelsea with curated planting, public art installations, and views across the Hudson River. The neighbourhood below has transformed alongside it into New York’s premier gallery district, with over 200 art galleries concentrated within a few blocks. Hudson Yards, at its northern end, adds dramatic contemporary architecture to the mix.
Landmark
The Brooklyn Bridge & DUMBO
Completed in 1883 and still breathtaking, the Brooklyn Bridge remains one of the greatest feats of 19th-century engineering and one of New York’s most rewarding walks. Crossing it on foot from Manhattan to Brooklyn takes around 30 minutes and delivers extraordinary views of the skyline in both directions. The DUMBO neighbourhood at the Brooklyn end — Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass — has evolved into one of New York’s most creative districts, with independent restaurants, galleries, and waterfront parks.
Architecture
Midtown Manhattan’s Skyline Icons
The Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building, Grand Central Terminal, the Flatiron Building — Midtown Manhattan is a concentrated exhibition of American ambition rendered in steel and stone. The Experience Sport US Open hotels are based in Midtown, placing guests within walking distance of the most iconic urban landscape in the world. Grand Central Terminal alone — with its star-mapped ceiling and the beam of afternoon light through its clerestory windows — is worth an hour of anyone’s time.
Cultural Quarter
Harlem & the Apollo Theater
Harlem’s contribution to American culture — through jazz, gospel, the Harlem Renaissance, and decades of artistic innovation — is immeasurable. The Apollo Theater on 125th Street has launched more legendary careers than any venue in American music history. A neighbourhood walk taking in the Studio Museum, the brownstone architecture of Strivers’ Row, and the food scene along Frederick Douglass Boulevard gives a dimension of New York that the tourist itineraries too often overlook.
Lifestyle & Fame
New York’s energy in late summer is distinct — the heat softens toward evening, the outdoor terraces fill, and the city operates at the particular pitch that only New York can sustain. For visitors arriving for the US Open, the city offers a lifestyle backdrop that amplifies every aspect of the trip: world-class restaurants within walking distance of the hotel, cocktail bars that have set the global standard, neighbourhoods that each carry their own distinct identity, and a retail landscape that ranges from heritage department stores to independent boutiques that exist nowhere else.
Nobody goes to New York just for the tennis. But nobody who goes to New York for the tennis ever wishes they had gone somewhere else.
The US Open Experience
Iconic Experience
Central Park
Eight hundred and forty acres of designed landscape in the heart of Manhattan, Central Park is one of the great urban achievements of the modern world. In late August and early September — the exact window of the US Open — the park is at its most beautiful: the heat of summer easing, the trees beginning their seasonal turn, the Bethesda Fountain and the Reservoir reflecting a sky that seems impossibly wide for a city this dense. The park is five minutes from the Ritz-Carlton Central Park and walking distance from all Experience Sport partner hotels.
Dining
Midtown & the New York Dining Scene
New York’s restaurant landscape is simply incomparable. Midtown and the Upper East Side, where Experience Sport’s partner hotels are based, offer extraordinary dining density — from Per Se’s French tasting menus overlooking Columbus Circle, to Le Bernardin’s legendary seafood on West 51st Street, to the more casual pleasures of the Theatre District’s pre-show dining scene. The city’s Michelin Guide lists 70+ starred restaurants, and the competition between them keeps standards at a level matched only in Paris and Tokyo.
Cocktail Culture
New York’s Bar Scene — From Rooftops to Speakeasies
New York invented the cocktail bar as we know it, and it has never stopped refining the concept. The Dead Rabbit in the Financial District has been named the world’s best bar; Please Don’t Tell (PDT) on St. Marks Place pioneered the speakeasy revival; the rooftop bar at 230 Fifth offers the city skyline as its primary cocktail ingredient. For US Open visitors settling into Manhattan after a day at Flushing Meadows, the city’s evening bar culture is the ideal decompression.
Shopping
Fifth Avenue & SoHo
Fifth Avenue between 49th and 60th Streets remains the world’s most famous shopping corridor — Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Tiffany & Co., and the flagships of virtually every major luxury house occupy the blocks surrounding the Experience Sport hotel zone. SoHo, a short cab ride south, offers a completely different register: independent boutiques, streetwear pioneers, design stores, and the kind of browsing that turns a half-hour detour into an afternoon. The US Open is held during New York’s best shopping season.
Hotel Icon
New York Marriott Marquis — Times Square
The Marriott Marquis on Broadway sits at the heart of Times Square and is one of Manhattan’s landmark hotels — 54 floors of rooms with the energy of the city’s most famous intersection at its door. The revolving rooftop restaurant offers 360-degree views across Manhattan that justify the trip in themselves. For US Open visitors who want to be in the thick of New York’s most concentrated energy — and within a short subway or cab ride of Flushing Meadows — this is the hotel that delivers the full city experience.
Sporting Life
New York has always been a sporting city of the first order — but the US Open occupies a singular place in its sporting calendar. For two weeks from late August, the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows becomes the loudest, most atmospheric Grand Slam venue on earth. The New York crowd is knowledgeable, passionate, and unreservedly partisan — and the atmosphere at Arthur Ashe Stadium on a night session, under the lights, with a tight match and a partisan crowd, is unlike anything else in tennis. This is the Grand Slam that roars.
Everywhere else in tennis, the crowd watches the match. At the US Open, the crowd is part of the match. That is the difference, and it changes everything.
The Spirit of Arthur Ashe Stadium
The Main Event
Arthur Ashe Stadium & the US Open
The US Open is the final Grand Slam of the tennis calendar, held annually from late August at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, Queens. Arthur Ashe Stadium — the world’s largest tennis arena at 23,200 capacity — is the centrepiece: a vast open bowl that generates an atmosphere no other Grand Slam venue can replicate. The 2026 US Open runs from 30 August to 13 September. Experience Sport packages include reserved seats across a range of sessions and rounds, from early-round play featuring the full draw to the electric atmosphere of the semi-finals and finals.
The Night Sessions
US Open Night Sessions — Tennis Under the Lights
The US Open’s night sessions are among the most coveted tickets in sport. Arthur Ashe Stadium’s retractable roof — completed in 2016 — means matches continue regardless of weather, and the intensity of a night session under the lights, with a capacity crowd and the Manhattan skyline glowing in the distance, creates a sporting atmosphere that visitors consistently describe as one of the great experiences of their lives. Experience Sport’s package options include the choice of day or night sessions to suit your preference.
Hospitality
US Open Premium Hospitality & Luxury Suites
Experience Sport’s US Open packages can be upgraded to include premium on-site hospitality: an exclusive venue with indoor air-conditioned lounge, contemporary outdoor rooftop space, chef-curated buffet, all-inclusive drinks, and loge corner seating with early access to the grounds. For the ultimate experience, luxury suites in Arthur Ashe Stadium — located just above the Courtside Boxes with prime sightlines — accommodate up to 20 guests with catered menus and full bar service. These upgrades transform a brilliant day out into a genuinely extraordinary corporate or private occasion.
Beyond the Tennis
Flushing Meadows–Corona Park
The US Open campus sits within Flushing Meadows–Corona Park — one of New York’s largest public parks and the site of two World’s Fairs in 1939 and 1964. The Unisphere, the 12-storey steel globe built for the 1964 fair, stands at the park’s heart and is one of New York’s most distinctive landmarks. The Queens Museum, the New York Hall of Science, and Citi Field — home of the New York Mets — are all within the park. Arriving early for a US Open session gives visitors time to explore one of the city’s most historically layered public spaces.
New York’s Wider Sports Scene
A City of Champions — New York Sport Beyond the Open
New York’s sporting identity extends well beyond the US Open fortnight. The New York Yankees, baseball’s most storied franchise, play at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx throughout August and September. Madison Square Garden — the world’s most famous arena, as it unabashedly calls itself — hosts events year-round. For visitors extending their stay beyond the tennis, Experience Sport can advise on adding a Yankees game, an NBA pre-season fixture, or other live events to complete a sporting itinerary worthy of the city that hosts it.
New York in Late August & September — US Open Weather Guide
US Open runs late August to mid-September
🌡️ Temperature
Late August: highs of 28–31°C (82–88°F) with high humidity — the hottest, stickiest period of the tournament. Early September: temperatures ease to 23–26°C (73–79°F) with lower humidity, making later-round matches significantly more comfortable for both players and spectators. Evenings: 18–22°C (64–72°F) — night sessions under the Arthur Ashe lights feel considerably cooler than afternoon play.
☀️ Sun & Rain
Generally sunny with occasional afternoon thunderstorms typical of the New York summer. The US Open’s retractable roofs on Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong mean rain rarely causes significant disruption to schedules. Humidity is the defining weather feature in late August — heat index values can reach 35°C+ (95°F+) during afternoon sessions on exposed outer courts. September brings cleaner, drier air and some of the finest weather in the New York calendar.
👗 What to Wear
Light, breathable clothing is essential — linen, moisture-wicking fabrics, or light cotton. For late August sessions, prioritise shade on outer courts; the sun is direct and the humidity unforgiving. A light layer for evening sessions — the stadium air conditioning combined with cooling temperatures can feel chilly by the third set. Comfortable walking shoes essential; the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center grounds are large and heavily walked. Cap or hat for day sessions; sunglasses throughout.
💡 General Tips
Hydration is critical during late August sessions — the combination of heat, humidity, and outdoor walking can be draining. The stadium concourse offers water stations; use them. Night sessions (starting 7pm) are the most comfortable ticket option in August heat and offer the best atmosphere. If attending early rounds, the outer courts in late August morning sessions are shaded in parts — worth planning your session timing accordingly. September session weather is reliably excellent; if you have flexibility in your booking, aim for the second week.
Ready to Experience the US Open?
Experience Sport’s 2026 US Open packages put you inside Arthur Ashe Stadium for the Grand Slam’s most electric fortnight — with first-class Manhattan hotels, reserved seats, premium hospitality options, and expert pre-travel support from our tennis specialists.
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