San Jose, California will host 2018 U.S. Nationals (Dec. 29, 2017 - Jan. 7, 2018)

[Anita18]

Which is lame because they've been in the arena since Monday and could have tested this out well before the competition started.

Story of this comp pretty much.

 

[jkl]

I just passed Evan Lysacek and Vera Wang walking the
Concourse.

 

[UMBS Go Blue]

A lot of the concessions at SAP are typical overpriced arena food, but one of them, Ike's Place, isn't bad relative to regular Ike's Place venues here in the Bay Area. Ike's has a cult following in San Francisco and on college campuses throughout the Bay Area for its goopy, oversized sandwiches, many available in vegan or halal versions. The pricing might look at bit much, at $11 per sandwich, but these are such huge sandwiches that you could easily split them among two people for a perfectly reasonable meal.

 

[moebius]

A lot of the concessions at SAP are typical overpriced arena food, but one of them, Ike's Place, isn't bad relative to regular Ike's Place venues here in the Bay Area. Ike's has a cult following in San Francisco and on college campuses throughout the Bay Area for its goopy, oversized sandwiches, many available in vegan or halal versions. The pricing might look at bit much, at $11 per sandwich, but these are such huge sandwiches that you could easily split them among two people for a perfectly reasonable meal.

I had Ikes sandwiches twice, both vegetarian for $8 each. It was overpriced and mostly bread. I wasn't that full. Plus they charge you an extra 50 cents each sandwich to make up for low wages. Never want to eat their sandwiches again.
The cheapest sandwich that can get you 90% full is from Sprouts Market. $3.99 for chicken rotisserie sandwich. Yum! Of course pay extra for cheese, guacamole, etc. But that's a good price for a basic sandwich. Vietnamese sandwiches are also a good deal, but they are a bit smaller than the standard sandwich, so maybe two would be needed for big eaters. Those are usually around $3 each.

 

[Willin]

I parked at SAP again today due to the rain. I should check the forecast further ahead. I also didn't end up going for lunch due to the rain. Maybe tomorrow if there's enough time after pairs...

 

[tylersf]

Ike's is much better anywhere else. The ones where I live in the East Bay are fabulous and full of meat or vegetables (whatever you bought).

I had Ikes sandwiches twice, both vegetarian for $8 each. It was overpriced and mostly bread. I wasn't that full. Plus they charge you an extra 50 cents each sandwich to make up for low wages. Never want to eat their sandwiches again.
The cheapest sandwich that can get you 90% full is from Sprouts Market. $3.99 for chicken rotisserie sandwich. Yum! Of course pay extra for cheese, guacamole, etc. But that's a good price for a basic sandwich. Vietnamese sandwiches are also a good deal, but they are a bit smaller than the standard sandwich, so maybe two would be needed for big eaters. Those are usually around $3 each.

 

[UMBS Go Blue]

Plus they charge you an extra 50 cents each sandwich to make up for low wages.

Not at SAP Center. Have you evaluated Ike’s versus the other options at SAP Center? You might be even more disappointed with what else is available.

The cheapest sandwich that can get you 90% full is from Sprouts Market. $3.99 for chicken rotisserie sandwich. Yum! Of course pay extra for cheese, guacamole, etc.

Good for you in finding sandwiches that you like. Hope you enjoy bringing them with you when you visit SAP Center.

 

[Willin]

TBH compared to Oracle, football stadiums, the Colisseum, and AT&T park, I am very impressed with the food options and prices. Iguanas burrito is one of my favorite burrito joints in San Jose, although the menu at SAP is much more limited.

I think the big problem with the food places at SAP is the same as at any arena - they are staffed by arena staff, made with arena ingredients at the arena, and have prices set by the arena. That generally means the food will taste different and be more limited in options than at an actual restaurant.

My big complaint is that they list calories. Let me eat my disgusting and unhealthy arena food instead of guilting me into eating healthy, menus! (I should ignore my urge to eat healthy, but I could not tonight...)

 

[moebius]

Can someone tell what kind of swag the Toyota Prius booth were giving out besides tote bags on Sunday? I didn't have time to stand in line as I was waiting in line to take a pic with Nancy Kerrigan and I was also waiting in line at the photo booth that was giving away JIF granola bars.

 

[skateycat]

Just the slightly customizable tote bags. I stood in the line for about five minutes before deciding I didn’t want one.

 

[Carolla5501]

I enjoyed the SAP center. Free Wifi and the ability to bring in anything you wanted to eat. Pretty good arrangement. Plus you can walk to the hotels and the weather wasn't horrid! (See Boston!)

 

[crzesk8dad]

SAP Center, not enough handicapped seating or parking which I find amazing considering both the clientele watching figure skating and being located in the Bay Area.

Why the Bay Area? It is a very progressive place and usually things such as handicapped accessibility is a big issue.

My Costco in Orange County does a better job.

But, I did find the SAP staff to be very helpful and accommodating. Kudos to them.

 

[skatesindreams]

crzesk8dad, I'm sorry that I couldn't find a reasonable airline ticket from FL.
I would have loved to see the two of you, again.

 

[Debbie S]

I liked being able to bring in food and beverages from outside. But the temps were freezing. Maybe it was my seat location, but there was cold air blowing the whole time. I can understand early in the week or during practices when there aren't a lot of people, but even when the arena was full on Fri and Sat nights, it was still freezing.

 

[skatfan]

SAP Arena was pretty good, although I did find they kept the temperatures down - here's to layers and wool! Their ladies' room was big enough for a women-majority audience, letting us bring in food was a mercy for the week, and the staff were well-trained and helpful.

But it makes me sad that there wasn't enough handicapped seating and parking - that should be easy. I did see a woman with a cane and not very stable go down my aisle - it was a little scary.

 

[crzesk8dad]

crzesk8dad, I'm sorry that I couldn't find a reasonable airline ticket from FL.
I would have loved to see the two of you, again.

Maybe next time!

 

[HeatherC]

I very much enjoyed being able to bring my own food and drinks into the arena all week. That saved me SO much money (especially since our hotel came with free breakfast) and I think I only bought three meals at SAP the entire week. I agree that Iguanas was really good (I was able to customize a burrito bowl that was very good and plenty of food for me) and I actually had a hot dog one day (they were out of salads ) that was pretty good too. The ice cream sandwich from Rita's was SO GOOD. That was my reward for surviving the pairs event (I was extra nervous for Tarah & Danny), LOL

The arena was definitely on the cold side for most of my time there. I had to wear layers, some sort of scarf, and my boots the entire week just to stay somewhat warm. My mom was even cold and she NEVER gets cold unless it's really bad.

I'm sorry that I didn't get to meet up with more FSUers in San Jose. I was thinking of all of you though (I actually saw @jkl and @mtnskater across the arena but never got the chance to say hi to either of them) and I hope that you all had a good time despite all the dramatics in the competition!