It’s safe to say that San Jose is not very popular. In fact, besides being known as The Heart of the Silicon Valley and the home turf of the San Jose Sharks, it is known as America’s Most Forgettable City.
This doesn’t come as much surprise to most. Like most big cities, we have a few excellent museums, a somewhat happening arts scene, and some pretty parks and walks. And even though San Jose has one of the most authentic food scenes in the country, the things we get recognized for, are rather superfluous to most of the population and bare little resonance, which perhaps why we are so forgetable.
Take for example the Levi’s Stadium. Home of Super Bowl 50 and the San Francisco 49ers. Now technically the stadium is in Santa Clara, but as the most forgetable city we’ve laid claim to it.
Last night, Levi’s Stadium hosted the Copa America as Uruguay took on Jamaica. It was my first time at the stadium, so I take plenty of pictures and tried to figure out what makes $1.3 billion concrete giant so unforgetable in these very forgetable parts.
The first thing that struck me was the sheer size of the stadium. It was by far the biggest building I’ve ever been inside. Below the three tiers of stands lie clubhouses, as well as the south west side of the stadium. The clubhouses glisten and shine, they face the “cheap seats” and the cheap seats, of course are built to face the sun, that during earlier games blinds anyone that looks in the direction of the elite Club side.
I had the privilege of visiting one of the clubs. This one was on the ground floor, level with the field. It was rich and lustrous in ever respect. From art instalations of footballs to large drawings of the golden gate bridge. Even the walls were gilded with copper designs.
The Clubs doors directly face the field were Jamaica’s and Uruguay’s teams were taking each other on.
Walking around the stadium it was hard to tell if people were in it for the game or to enjoy the magnitude of the splendor that is Levi’s Stadium. The floors were clean. The food was gormet by stadium standards, and the drinks were over priced as always.
Sure, there’s plenty of worthy events at the stadium, but to many it’s the place itself that needs to be seen.
Penned by Alina K. A. 