BiggestAUfan said:

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Hello Bear fans!

I'm a rabid Auburn fan, a college football junkie and I'm stoked my Tigers are playing y'all next season! I'm planning on being there to scream, "WAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR EAGLE! and, hopefully, see us beat a great program like Cal to kick off our '23 season. I'm also pretty sure we don't align politically on anything, but if you're on this board you probably love CFB, and that means in some weird way, I luv ya to!!! So, I'll stay focused on football and fun!!!!

I would love to get suggestions from you on:

- Tailgating and things I absolutely must do while on campus

- Best local surf breaks for a below average rider (I only SUP surf now)

- Best local wine vineyards to visit while in town

- Best local great white tour operator (I'm thinking about the Farallon Islands) but am interested in BIG specimens in the 17' or greater size, not the 10-15's that 99.99999% of the world think are "big" (and yes, I know you never know what you're going to see)

- Best local places to play beach volleyball (I play 2s and am a solid AA player)

Oh, and I'd love to talk about the game between now and then with y'all to but I'll start another thread about that! Thank you in advance!

BUCK FAMA!
War Damn Eagle!!!

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Welcome and looking forward to playing y'all as well! We had a very nice home and away with Tennessee several years back and there were a few Vols who remained in touch with our board afterwards.

I'm all-in on the Buck Fama of it all!!!

I'll leave it to my Bay Area brethren to give you some pointers on local visits. As a starting off point, try and carve out 4-5 days for your visit if possible. There's so much to see and do and of course world-class eating including Chez Panisse in Berkeley itself, although you must have a hot dog at Top Dog on Durant Avenue either on game day or before. Are you planning on staying in SF or the East Bay?

Thank you!

My plan is to fly in Sunday before the game and fly out Sunday after so I should have 1 full day for each of the things I want to do plus a little time for R&Rt. I'll probably try to stay closer to the coast for the first couple days then move closer to campus mid-late week,,,, but that depends on prices.

Whooo, wee! Awesome to have a visitor. Welcome!

- Tailgating and things I absolutely must do while on campus

There's no central tailgate lot at Cal, but many smaller lots sprinkled around campus. Walk around and be friendly and I'm sure you'll get some invites to join. I'd say watch the Cal Band do their pregame show at Sproul Plaza and walk up the hill. Walk around campus to take it in. Maybe go into Le Conte Hall on Oppenheimer Way to see the room where the cyclotron was invented. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/fc9149d3-192f-487c-97cf-2622f4be72b0

- Best local surf breaks for a below average rider (I only SUP surf now)

You can launch a SUP for $7 (I think) from A Dock or FF Dock in Santa Cruz Harbor. Short paddle out the channel past the jetty and lighthouse and you're in the Pacific Ocean. Also head over to the main lighthouse to watch the break at Steamer Lane.

https://paddling.com/paddle/locations/santa-cruz-harbor



- Best local wine vineyards to visit while in town

Napa Valley and north. Others can fill in details I'm sure. My favorites are the pinots from Williams Selyem in Healdsburg.

- Best local great white tour operator (I'm thinking about the Farallon Islands) but am interested in BIG specimens in the 17' or greater size, not the 10-15's that 99.99999% of the world think are "big" (and yes, I know you never know what you're going to see)

Don't know, sorry. But you can usually free swim with the juveniles at the ghost ship in Aptos if you're crazy.

- Best local places to play beach volleyball (I play 2s and am a solid AA player)

Main Beach at Santa Cruz Boardwalk between the arcade and Ideal Bar.

WalterSobchak said:

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Whooo, wee! Awesome to have a visitor. Welcome!

- Tailgating and things I absolutely must do while on campus

There's no central tailgate lot at Cal, but many smaller lots sprinkled around campus. Walk around and be friendly and I'm sure you'll get some invites to join. I'd say watch the Cal Band do their pregame show at Sproul Plaza and walk up the hill. Walk around campus to take it in. Maybe go into Le Conte Hall on Oppenheimer Way to see the room where the cyclotron was invented. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/fc9149d3-192f-487c-97cf-2622f4be72b0

- Best local surf breaks for a below average rider (I only SUP surf now)

You can launch a SUP for $7 (I think) from A Dock or FF Dock in Santa Cruz Harbor. Short paddle out the channel past the jetty and lighthouse and you're in the Pacific Ocean. Also head over to the main lighthouse to watch the break at Steamer Lane.

https://paddling.com/paddle/locations/santa-cruz-harbor



- Best local wine vineyards to visit while in town

Napa Valley and north. Others can fill in details I'm sure. My favorites are the pinots from Williams Selyem in Healdsburg.

- Best local great white tour operator (I'm thinking about the Farallon Islands) but am interested in BIG specimens in the 17' or greater size, not the 10-15's that 99.99999% of the world think are "big" (and yes, I know you never know what you're going to see)

Don't know, sorry. But you can usually free swim with the juveniles at the ghost ship in Aptos if you're crazy.

- Best local places to play beach volleyball (I play 2s and am a solid AA player)

Main Beach at Santa Cruz Boardwalk between the arcade and Ideal Bar.

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great info here but heads up that Santa Cruz is like a 1.5-2 hour drive each way

Playing Auburn is one thing, but definitely checking out the plains next year.

tequila4kapp said:

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great info here but heads up that Santa Cruz is like a 1.5-2 hour drive each way

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It's still Bear Territory!

Welcome our Auburn friend!

Already great suggestions by the board. You'll find us Bears are a friendly and (surprising to most other college fb fans) passionate bunch. There is a Tailgate Town that you can pay for next to the stadium. It's ok at times, other times very good. But yeah i'm sure you'll get invited to a few tailgates if you keep checking in.

Flying into Oakland still might be cheaper and usually has more flights than SJ.

SF for all its troubles is still a lovely city to be in. Stick to the tourist places and you'll see it for its beauty.

There is plenty of good fishing by the Farallon Islands. The water can get very choppy and be sure to bring a sweatshirt or two. Even during our long summer it can get very cold out there on the Pacific.

FB-wise we definitely need to shore our OL and DL. But there is plenty of talent so we'll see how things shake out portal-wise.

People's Park is a must see! Make sure you bring your whole family. Lots of history there.

Oakland Airport/Coliseum BART station has a lot of shops, farmer's market type atmosphere and things to do around it, especially at night (that's when it comes alive). Again, bring your whole family, check out an A's game, then plan on staying around there the whole day.

Too bad Berkel Berkel is not around. It was hands down the best Korean place east of Seoul itself.

Welcome, and see you in September!

CALiforniALUM said:

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You might be surprised on the politiCAL alignment you might find on this board.

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There is surprisingly little political discord on this board. Some jabs and counters, but nothing defamatory.

Now, you will get some social opinion that might sting, but you're used to that. Don't be afraid to give it right back.

Of curiosity here is Auburn itself. Few understand what makes it tick. How the personality of the team has changed since Shug Jerdan, when it was known as a rough and tough program. I think you've lost that swagger and are left with what?

Anyway, welcome War Eagle.

KoreAmBear said:

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People's Park is a must see! Make sure you bring your whole family. Lots of history there.

Oakland Airport/Coliseum BART station has a lot of shops, farmer's market type atmosphere and things to do around it, especially at night (that's when it comes alive). Again, bring your whole family, check out an A's game, then plan on staying around there the whole day.

Too bad Berkel Berkel is not around. It was hands down the best Korean place east of Seoul itself.

Welcome, and see you in September!

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lol

BiggestAUfan said:

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- Best local surf breaks for a below average rider (I only SUP surf now)

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Linda Mar in Pacifica is the closest beginner friendly break. Mid-high tide and mornings (before winds blow it out) are best. It's like 45 minutes-1 hour away from Berkeley. Santa Cruz has the best surf in the continental U.S. About 1.5 hours away. Capitola or 38th Ave (around Jack O'Neill's house) probably your best bet on a SUP. Cowell's is great when it's on, but it needs a massive swell and super low tide to work. If you can handle yourself in a lineup, 2nd peak Pleasure Point or Indicators at Steamer Lane (basically the inside reef) are fantastic waves. But if you hog waves, snake or drop in on someone, ditch your SUP, etc. you will get yelled at. Every spot in town works best on low-medium tide; winds are generally good all-day because Santa Cruz faces south and has good wind protection. Don't surf the Pleasure Point breaks over 4.5 ft tide... you might not be able to get back to land.

CALiforniALUM said:

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You might be surprised on the politiCAL alignment you might find on this board.

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The biggest surprise was seeing the stereotypes some members on this board were open to share towards people in Kentucky

Thanks for posting here, BiggestAUfan!

I hope other AU fans will stop by here and that a bunch of you will come to the game. There is a decent chance (sort of) that we might be better next season and give you guys a good game, maybe even win.

Our beautiful university actually has "tailgaters"; it's just that folks usually have to pack all of their stuff in because they can't bring cars on campus (some but very few exceptions), so the set-ups aren't anything fancy.

Go Bears!

Welcome, Auburn fan.
Go Bears !

I'd definitely recommend going to Napa for wineries. An endless number there. Keep in mind that the city of Napa is just one city in Napa Valley. A lot of the good wineries in my opinion are north of the city along Highway 29. Definitely worth driving up that road and checking everything out. Better yet, if you can afford it, hire a driver to take you around to the wineries so you can taste as much as you'd like.

A few specific wineries:

I visited Del Dotto recently and the wine cave there is amazing.

Grgich Hills has great wine.

Frank Family Vineyard is a smaller place but really good wine.

Cakebread Cellars is also good.

Sterling Vineyards is good to visit for the gondola and views.

For food in the area, there are also lots of places. My recommendations:

French Laundry in Yountville. See if you can book now. Their related restaurant Bouchon down the street is a favorite of mine. The CIA (lol) at Greystone in St Helena has had a great restaurant in the past but it looks like they've changed it up a bit. The building is something to see.

Hopefully others will add more winery and restaurant recommendation.

Welcome! We're pretty pysched to be playing another SEC school. We had great exchanges with Ole Miss and the Tennessee crowd (the TN people were especially nice and amazing) in the past.

1. Politics. The hippy stuff was a relative blip in the school's history. The school is full of mostly suburban nerds that just want to study (and ruthlessly compete with each other) and graduate. When I was undergrad Berkeley College Republicans was the largest student group. The *town* of Berkeley attracts nutjobs from all over the planet that like to go on campus and protest something so they can get on TV. Most Cal grads, and especially us football fans, are fed up with the City of Berkeley and the relationship between the school and City is strained.

2. Good surfing suggestions above, esp. Santa Cruz, but it's a road trip and San Jose traffic can make it worse, esp. on a weekday. DON'T try Ocean Beach / SF unless you know what you're doing. Another option is to head to Marin County which is beautiful and captures a lot of what NorCal is known for. You can do light surfing at Rodeo or Stinson Beach depending on swells. And peaceful SUP with herons and others seabirds is good around coves in Sausalito / Tiburon inside the Bay and also out around Point Reyes inlets between Dillon Beach and Hog Island.

2b. Marin has plenty of great whites. If you really want to see one for lower cost, rent a kayak and go to Bolinas bay with a camera you can stick underwater on a pole. 38% of all US shark attacks and 11% of the world's have happened there. Sometimes they'll breach there so you can see them from the shore on calmer days. I bodyboarded there once and something bumped me. Never been back.

3. Tailgating. A plug-n-play option is Faculty Club which is in a beautiful glade, has a cafeteria / food shop and 2-3 bars and several national / Pac12 games going on big screen TVs. It's also classic Berkeley / NorCal craftsman-esque architecture.

4. Wine. Napa is a bit tourist-oriented and prices are higher for evertyhing, better to drive the extra 20 - 45 minutes into Sonoma Country wineries. There are more boutique winemakers and bigger pours for lower tasting fees.

5. The football. Next year is anyone's guess. We expect an improved offense but the Wilcox era has been fairly continuous disappointment and inconsistency. The general feeling is that Wilcox is doing something to hold back our offense and play ball control. We're hoping he's desperate enough, since he's on OC #3, that the reins are off. Usually, we do well in early season OOC games (especially at home) when the team is healthy and then the injuries start and the wheels come off. So this will be one we have circled as the season highlight like Notre Dame last year.

DoubtfulBear said:

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CALiforniALUM said:

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You might be surprised on the politiCAL alignment you might find on this board.

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The biggest surprise was seeing the stereotypes some members on this board were open to share towards people in Kentucky

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Stereotypes? Those were upgrades.

tequila4kapp said:

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Welcome!

The bad news - we don't really have tailgating at all, much less to an SEC level. Next closest thing would be going to a sports bar like Henry's or hitting Greek row

More bad news - Northern CA is not So Cal. Maybe folks can turn you on to something but generally I would expect surfing to be a tough one, at least without a healthy drive.

Spend a day in SF. I was just there for a long weekend. The horrors of the city were WAY overblown, IMO. There is so much to do here.

From a football perspective you are catching us at a low point. We are all disgusted with our AD, Chancelor and head coach. We've just fired the most incompetent OC in the history of college football. Our D was unusually soft thanks to DL injuries that had us into our 3rd string people across the board. Similar story with the DBs. However, beware because the team actually does have talent. If the OL can be even just average and we are otherwise healthy expect a battle.

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Tequila4Kapp does NOT speak for us all. We are not disgusted with our Chancellor or head coach. There is a mix of opinion about our AD. I can agree with the remainder of T4K's opinion.

BiggestAUfan said:

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Hello Bear fans!

I'm a rabid Auburn fan, a college football junkie and I'm stoked my Tigers are playing y'all next season! I'm planning on being there to scream, "WAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR EAGLE! and, hopefully, see us beat a great program like Cal to kick off our '23 season. I'm also pretty sure we don't align politically on anything, but if you're on this board you probably love CFB, and that means in some weird way, I luv ya to!!! So, I'll stay focused on football and fun!!!!

I would love to get suggestions from you on:

- Tailgating and things I absolutely must do while on campus

- Best local surf breaks for a below average rider (I only SUP surf now)

- Best local wine vineyards to visit while in town

- Best local great white tour operator (I'm thinking about the Farallon Islands) but am interested in BIG specimens in the 17' or greater size, not the 10-15's that 99.99999% of the world think are "big" (and yes, I know you never know what you're going to see)

- Best local places to play beach volleyball (I play 2s and am a solid AA player)

Oh, and I'd love to talk about the game between now and then with y'all to but I'll start another thread about that! Thank you in advance!

BUCK FAMA!
War Damn Eagle!!!

Welcome!

Quite frankly you lost me at "great program like Cal". It's a great university, but the football program sucks big time.

Napa Valley is the first place people think of when wine comes up, but you might also want to consider the Sonoma Valley and Healdsburg in particular. It's about an hour north of SF, it's less crowded than the Napa Valley, and it has wonderful hotels, restaurants and wineries.

You'll have a great time.

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Napa Valley Wines are Best!

NapaValleyBear78

KoreAmBear said:

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People's Park is a must see! Make sure you bring your whole family. Lots of history there.

Oakland Airport/Coliseum BART station has a lot of shops, farmer's market type atmosphere and things to do around it, especially at night (that's when it comes alive). Again, bring your whole family, check out an A's game, then plan on staying around there the whole day.

Too bad Berkel Berkel is not around. It was hands down the best Korean place east of Seoul itself.

Welcome, and see you in September!

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Just to tag on to this post, if you're interested in surfing, bring your board to Mavericks, a little north of Half Moon Bay. If the waves look big from the shore, it's a unique optical illusion, found only in Northern California. Just paddle out and catch a wave!

Big C said:

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KoreAmBear said:

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People's Park is a must see! Make sure you bring your whole family. Lots of history there.

Oakland Airport/Coliseum BART station has a lot of shops, farmer's market type atmosphere and things to do around it, especially at night (that's when it comes alive). Again, bring your whole family, check out an A's game, then plan on staying around there the whole day.

Too bad Berkel Berkel is not around. It was hands down the best Korean place east of Seoul itself.

Welcome, and see you in September!

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Just to tag on to this post, if you're interested in surfing, bring your board to Mavericks, a little north of Half Moon Bay. If the waves look big from the shore, it's a unique optical illusion, found only in Northern California. Just paddle out and catch a wave!

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Yes, Napa wine is excellent, but I've gotten turned off by the experience. Expensive, often need reservations just for tasting, a lot of ….attitude. Best kept secret in Bay Area is South Livermore. 30 min from Berkeley. Super friendly, good wine. Besides the big wineries like Wente and Concannon, a lot of great small ones. My favorites are Tenuta and Dante Robere.

*This stuff is either adding or subtracting years from my life. I don't care.

There's a great spot to SUP in Alameda. You can launch in the marina next to Encinal High School.

You can take shark tours here but 17 feet! I don't think
so.

https://www.santacruzwhalewatching.com/great-white-shark-encounters-santa-cruz

Based on your interests- sharks, surfing, volleyball, wine - center your trip in Monterey/Santa Cruz where all abides, plus Big Sur and Redwoods and a great aquarium in
Monterey you can kayak around with otters. .

Napa is not worth visiting if you're interested in water sports- boring, landlocked pretentious dump.

I live walking distance of several Livermore wineries and I'm a member of a few. They're not the best wines, but fairly decent, and I much prefer the overall experience over Napa. Super friendly folks, big pours, and inexpensive.