US Open 2013 – Update #2
Brasil!
Canada!
France!
Korea!
Germany!
Israel!
Norway!
Singapore! (16 of them! So awesome! Check out the Asia Open coming up in April!)
South Africa!
Spain!
England!
And 24 states of the USA, including first-timers Montana and Utah!
All competing on the 2013 US Open floor!
Between the Singapore contingent up in their Sky Box, Australian mob down on the floor, French army waving flags, the roaring Russians, balloon-waving Brasilians ( “please stop waving balloons you’re hitting judges on the head and blocking their view”) – with these countries and all the rest the ballroom this year will be nuts! – an international, cheering, carnival of color and languages.
And where better than Hollywood?
Are you getting in a few days early or staying after the event?
It’s Hollywood! Epicenter of excess! There’s SO much to do!
In-N-Out Burger! An American icon! With fans among famous chefs including Julia Child (who had their burgers delivered to her in the hospital,) Anthony Bourdain, Gordon Ramsay, Thomas Keller, and Mario Batali. Famous for using natural ingredients and for caring for their employees regarding pay and benefits.
Indoor Skydiving at Universal Studios!No experience necessary – anyone, even children, can do it – get a bunch of friends together and you get special rates.
Rodeo Drive! Beverly Hills luxury shopping and celebrity sighting – with 100 famous boutiques and restaurants.
Disneyland! The most visited park in the world! 16 million visitors last year. And this is their most special season of the year, with decorations, fireworks, and shows the holidays.
Hollywood Boulevard! The must-see if you’re visiting for the first time! The place to take pictures! Hollywood Walk of Fame, Grauman’s Chinese Theater, the Wax Museum, the Dolby (formerly Kodak) Theatre – home of the Academy Awards, and the famous Hollywood Sign.
For spectacular art and architecture, the freeGetty Museum
The mind-blowingly enormous mall – the Hollywood and Highland Center
The famous Venice Beach (“Muscle Beach”) …
… and 2 miles north the elegant, historic Santa Monica Pier (beautiful beach, amusement park (five-story West Coaster roller coaster, nine-story “Pacific Plunge” tower ride, the only over-water miniature golf course in the world, and a nine-story over-the-water solar-powered ferris wheel), aquarium, and boardwalk.
If you love ships you’ll love touring the majestic Queen Mary, the “Grandest Ocean Liner in the World” with it’s unique history (later painted gray and used as a WWII troopship, famously known as “The Grey Ghost.”)
All this … and the Open, too!
And wait till you hear about Jack and Jills this year! And Strictlys!
And this year’s new emcees!