Orlando City travels to the west coast for the first time this season to take on the San Jose Earthquakes. When you think of SJ the only thing that may come to mind is Silicon Valley, but there’s more to the tenth largest city than just Google and Facebook.
The Venue
San Jose plays all their home matches in Avaya Stadium, one of the newest stadiums in the league. This will be Orlando City’s first time playing at Avaya (The two teams played in Levi Stadium back in 2015), but it’s not the first time for Cyle Larin and Kaka who played there in last years MLS All-Star Game. With seating up to 18,000
The stadium can seat up to 18,000 features a canopy roof and the steep-raked seating to provide a better view. Additionally, the area behind the northeast goal houses the largest outdoor bar in North America, a two-acre fan zone and a double-sided video scoreboard.
General Direction to Avaya Stadium: Coming from Highway 101 and taking the De La Cruz Blvd. exit is the advised route to avoid congestion. This will allow you to turn right, directly into the parking lots, instead of a more time-consuming left turn coming from I-880 and taking Coleman Ave.
Things To Do
San Pedro Square MarketSan Pedro Square Market is a San Jose favorite for both locals and tourists. All the food is literally from farm to table, and it could not be any fresher. Live music is always playing, making the ambience fun and lively.
Heritage Rose Garden
Established in 1995, the Heritage Rose Garden is one of the most beautiful San Jose attractions. The garden has more than 3,500 roses of almost 3,000 varieties, more than any rose garden in the Western Hemisphere. The garden is a joint venture of the City of San Jose, the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy and the South Bay Heritage Rose Group.
Willow Glen
A historic neighborhood of San Jose, Willow Glen is known for its walkable tree-lined streets, its numerous restaurants and shops, and its appealing architecture, all of which give the area a small town atmosphere. Specialty boutiques and vintage shops, children’s shops, sidewalk cafes, and coffee shops line the streets.
Bars and Restaurants
SP2SP2 is the latest communal bar and restaurant located near the renovated San Pedro Square Market in downtown San Jose. The food is American bistro cuisine, enjoy delectable fare such as the House made Italian Sausage Flatbread with Pickled Cherry Peppers, the Pecorino and Tomato Sauce, or the celebrated and award-winning Half or Full Rack of Ginger Soy Glazed Baby Back Ribs with Red Apple Ginger Slaw.
In-N-Out
Any time you visit the west coast this is an absolute must. There is one right next to Avaya Stadium, go there before and after the game if you really want to do it right. Eat a double-double animal style for me.
ISO Beers
ISO Beers (“In Search Of Beers”) is a sleek and industrial-looking beer bar and bottle shop. It has 40 taps, including a handful on nitro, and hundreds of craft beers to-go in their large retail section. ISO Beers has more than 25 varieties. You won’t find food here, but you're welcome to bring your own and eat it in the bar or on the large outdoor beer garden.
