If there is someone you absolutely have to see (aka Federer), the it is for sure worth it to shell out the money for Arthur Ashe. But if you just want to spend a day sitting outside, watching good tennis, get the grounds pass! It's the best value for your money and is really a great way to spend your labor day weekend.
The best part about the grounds pass are the random games that you end up going to. My favorite part of the day wasn't watching Roddick or Sharapova on the big screen...nope it was cheering on my new favorite American sibling duo, the Harrison brothers (who literally look as if they have come straight out of an Abercrombie ad)! Court 17 was the find of the day, as its one of the bigger outer courts, but it still is small enough you feel like you are right on top of the players and has the challenge system in place, so you get the suspense of challenges throughout the match. Even better? It has its on bar right outside the stadium! So you can go out, grab a beer and watch the match on the TV's at the bar while waiting for three games to pass before you are allowed back into the stadium.
When you go, find the doubles matches that involved Americans as they crowd will get WAY into it. I mean Bethanie Mattek? The only thing I knew about her prior to watching her doubles match was that she wore those crazy outfits at the open. Yesterday though, I was a huge Mattek fan! And i wasn't the only one. We left after the 1st set to go watch the aforementioned Harrison brothers, but we knew exactly what was happening as you could hear the cheers coming from the Mattek court throughout the grounds. As well as the American pride going on, being on the outer courts means you get to be close enough that you notice funny things about the athletes. For example, my bf became obsessed with one of the Italian doubles players as she had the most intense look on her face ever when serving! When he pointed it out, I literally laughed out loud upon seeing her open mouth..which really wasn't appropriate as she could for sure hear me, but o well. 
As we spent the entire day there, we had the opportunity to sample most of the different drinks options there. What I discovered was that beer, wine and champagne are your best bets. The cocktails? Really not worth the money. Our mojito felt a little watered down and the US Open Signature cocktail had absolutely no alcohol. So my advice, stick to the beer. And for sure check out the bar overlooking the big screen outside Arthur Ashe stadium. It's a great place to grab some food and some big-cupped beers while soaking in the atmosphere of the Open. Seeing Ashe empty after Roddick won his match was pretty sweet as you saw exactly how many people were there watching it with you. Get there early though! We were lucky to grab a table on the outer part of the bar, as the tables without the view overlooking the grounds really don't give you the same feel.
If you are in NYC for Labor Day, make some time to go see some tennis. Even if you don't know anything about the sport, I promise you'll have a great time. The crowds are great, the tennis is amazing and the alcohol is flowing.
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