us open 2005: i was this close to rafael nadal

at the us open last night. our "ticketed" seats were way up there where the air is clear and you get a little dizzy. (i'm not kidding. we were in row Z.) but even from "the Zs," the view of the court is great. the jumbo-trons, help add an up-close-and-personal touch. heck, i was just so excited to be there, on a night when nadal was playing, it didn't matter where i sat.
but thanks to a rain delay, and to the many folks who were too tuckered to brave it, everyone was invited to move down, and fill in the prime courtside seats, to enjoy what would be the third and final set. it resulted in the biggest game of musical chairs you can imagine. people pushed and scampered between points, games, hopping from one seat to a closer one. we got pretty lucky. we were behind and to the side of the service line, right above the player's entrance to the court!

my photos aren't great (i wish i'd brought my "real" camera) but these will serve as a nice memento of how near to nadal i had the chance to be...