“10s Whenever” Newsletter Vol. 143

Written by: Lovey on 4th March 2014

"10s Whenever" Newsletter Vol. 143 |

Indian Wells BNP Paribas Tennis

It’s all about Indian Wells, California! I’ve been coming to this fan friendly event for 40 years. Almost, maybe… My first time I arrived by bus to Palm Springs and made my way down to Mission Hills resort. That was an adventure…

By the next year it moved to the beautiful and magical La Quinta resort. Boy was that fun. I’d drive my 65 mustang convertible (I’d worked hard teaching tennis and was moving up in the world) those days were fun in the sun. Many of us wore bathing suits under our tennis clothes so we could hop in the pool to cool off. I loved the main stadium. But it was the clubhouse court that I camped out on. I’d set up my spot early. Stay all day. Swim. Hit on the grass courts and have a beer in the bar there and discuss the day with the gang in the clubhouse.

Next came the Hyatt. Charlie just kept thinking bigger and bigger. Most of us really loved the “Grand Champions” You could walk to the site from so many hotels, some even right there. No HWY. 111 traffic or traffic jams or parking headaches. The hotels were super,the players loved them. Some guys bought condos right there. (Becker, Noah) The Hyatt was bigger and the stadium was nice but poorly designed to get in and out. But the clubhouse court was again my favorite. The stadium did feature a great terrace area that was the north end of the court. It was all covered in a shade cloth and you had the freedom to socialize and table hop. It was great tennis and a party everyday.

Next came the Indian Wells Tennis Gardens. I still think stadium 1 is the worst design as well as the whole building. Bad access and the whole top level should be removed. The players look like ants. I was there as they layed the court. You could barely see the workmen putting the rebar in place. Watch a tennis ball? See a players face?

OK now we come to Mr. Oracle’s time at the Gardens. The new stadium 2 that he built in 10 months and 10 days is MAGNIFICENT! Truly a great design. Easy access. Restaurants built in. Including the world famous Nobu. The entire site has been upgraded and it’s really “amazeballs.”

10sballs is here in full force. We love Indian Wells and the whole Coachella Valley. Thank you Larry Ellison for not only keeping tennis in Southern California but also for designing and committing to such a huge undertaking. We applaud you. We love what you’ve accomplished. And we love the BNP Paribas Open. Tickets are still available and the event is the U.S. Open of the West. If you can hop a plane, car or bus like I did you’ll fall in love with it too.

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Topics: 10sballs, BNP Paribas Open, Coachella Valley, Indian Wells, Indian Wells Tennis Garden, Larry Ellison, Nobu, Tennis, U.S. Open

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10sBalls_com says:

March 4, 2014 at 1:57 pm

“10s Whenever” Newsletter Vol. 143- http://t.co/QhB5MZu3sz #BNPParibasOpen #IndianWells #tennis #Newsletter