Hey All,
My buddies and I are big college football fans, and we love traveling to new places for games. We're working on a blog that gives tips to other football fans when they travel to away stadiums for games. I'm trying to hit all the Pac 12 schools, and I was hoping you'd indulge me on some questions about Cal football games. Basically, what I am asking is that if you and I met randomly on an airplane and I told you all about my trip to Berkeley for a football game, you wouldn't have to say, "You did it all wrong, next time you should "
Since you guys are the experts on a perfect trip to Berkeley, I wanted to see if you would answer a few questions. Feel free to answer any or all of them that you'd like, and if you can think of any other info I've overlooked feel free to throw that in there too!
TRAVEL
1. What's the most convenient/cheapest airport to fly into? Is there a specific airline that is best/cheapest to fly on?
2. Suppose some travelers are a little more adventurous and don't mind flying into an airport that's a 3-4 hour drive away from the game if it would make for a cool drive or takes them by some cool sites/attractions anything like that people should know about when they're booking flights?
3. Is a rental car necessary? How is the public transportation system/Uber in Berkeley?
HOTEL
4. What's the hotel situation like over the weekend of a game? How good is airbnb, vrbo, etc. in Berkeley? Are there any great resort towns nearby to stay at for a day?
FOOD
5. What are your favorite places to eat around Berkeley during the college football season? How is the food in the stadium (anything a one-time visitor can't leave the stadium without eating)?
TICKETS
6. What is the best option for visiting fans to buy game tickets? School Ticket office? StubHub? Local Classifieds?
TAILGATING
7. Any general tailgating advice for a first-timer at a Cal game? Specific areas for visiting fans?
TRADITIONS
8. Some schools have unique game day traditions do you guys do anything that'd be worth a visitor planning their schedule around? Are there any buildings or sites near campus or the stadium that visitors should check out?
OTHER ATTRACTIONS
9. If fans decide to make this more of a family vacation, are there any local sites/attractions that they would need to make room for on their schedule? Any can't-miss Historical/Educational or Fun/Entertainment sites?
SAFETY
10. Are there any general safety issues fans should be aware of? Any areas visitors should avoid for parking, walking, etc? I know every fan base has its share of bad apples, but would you classify your general fan base as hospitable/neutral/in-hospitable?
OTHER PAC 12 SCHOOLS
11. Lastly, since I'm trying to do this for all the teams in the Pac 12, I thought I'd ask if you have any experience traveling to other schools in the conference? Favorite/Least Favorite Pac 12 school to visit for games? Any horror or success stories or general advice you'd give from your experiences?
As mentioned, feel free to answer any/all/none of the questions, and throw on any extra info that I may have overlooked. I'll be sure to report back when our blog is posted so that you can see the finished product!

Tenderloin in San Francisco is always pleasant...

I would say CU and Oregon fans are the worst...SC fans follow because of rich smugness...never really had an issue with other fan bases...

SAFETY
10. Are there any general safety issues fans should be aware of? Any areas visitors should avoid for parking, walking, etc? I know every fan base has its share of bad apples, but would you classify your general fan base as hospitable/neutral/in-hospitable?

Every once in awhile those commie hippies act up on Telegraph Avenue. Stay away from those freaks.



Heck, we've had to call the Army out to put'em down a couple of times:

11. NO one in their right mind wants to travel to WSU. Utah has the most polite fan base. Stanfurd has the smallest fan base. SC has the most arrogant fans whether traveling or in the Coliseum. That said, they can be fun to tailgate with.

Oakland is closest/most convenient airport. SFO has the most flights. San Jose or Sacramento don't add much.

SF's a world class city. Wine Country, Yosemite, Carmel, Tahoe, Big Sur are all awesome.

Durant Hotel is closest most convenient on game day. Claremont Hotel is a hoof, but nicer. SF is a BART ride away.

Water polo, Cal band in Sproul Plaza, view from the Campanile, and drinks at the Faculty Club are all awesome on game days.

Top Dog is a terrific spot for hot dogs, people watching, and libertarian politics. Cafe Strada is where Steve Jobs' sister (Cal '79) told him about meeting their biological father. Two doors down from the frat house (Heisman runner up Chuck Muncie's house) from "The Graduate".

Buy tickets from Cal for a Sept/Oct game. Weather will be perfect. OOC games are easier tickets, but PAC games are more interesting.

'SC and UCLA play in historic venues, but 'SC fans are assholes and UCLA game days are blah. Oregon is rowdy and fun, but students leave a lot to be desired. Washington's spectacular when it isn't raining. Stanford's really boring.

Somebody's writing an "insider" blog. Don't come, we don't have any liking for strangers.

If somebody on Telegraph offers you a brownie or a sip of wine from a jug, go for it.

collegefootballfan;842678676 said:

---

Hey All,
My buddies and I are big college football fans, and we love traveling to new places for games. We're working on a blog that gives tips to other football fans when they travel to away stadiums for games. I'm trying to hit all the Pac 12 schools, and I was hoping you'd indulge me on some questions about Cal football games. Basically, what I am asking is that if you and I met randomly on an airplane and I told you all about my trip to Berkeley for a football game, you wouldn't have to say, "You did it all wrong, next time you should "
Since you guys are the experts on a perfect trip to Berkeley, I wanted to see if you would answer a few questions. Feel free to answer any or all of them that you'd like, and if you can think of any other info I've overlooked feel free to throw that in there too!
TRAVEL
1. What's the most convenient/cheapest airport to fly into? Is there a specific airline that is best/cheapest to fly on?
2. Suppose some travelers are a little more adventurous and don't mind flying into an airport that's a 3-4 hour drive away from the game if it would make for a cool drive or takes them by some cool sites/attractions anything like that people should know about when they're booking flights?
3. Is a rental car necessary? How is the public transportation system/Uber in Berkeley?
HOTEL
4. What's the hotel situation like over the weekend of a game? How good is airbnb, vrbo, etc. in Berkeley? Are there any great resort towns nearby to stay at for a day?
FOOD
5. What are your favorite places to eat around Berkeley during the college football season? How is the food in the stadium (anything a one-time visitor can't leave the stadium without eating)?
TICKETS
6. What is the best option for visiting fans to buy game tickets? School Ticket office? StubHub? Local Classifieds?
TAILGATING
7. Any general tailgating advice for a first-timer at a Cal game? Specific areas for visiting fans?
TRADITIONS
8. Some schools have unique game day traditions do you guys do anything that'd be worth a visitor planning their schedule around? Are there any buildings or sites near campus or the stadium that visitors should check out?
OTHER ATTRACTIONS
9. If fans decide to make this more of a family vacation, are there any local sites/attractions that they would need to make room for on their schedule? Any can't-miss Historical/Educational or Fun/Entertainment sites?
SAFETY
10. Are there any general safety issues fans should be aware of? Any areas visitors should avoid for parking, walking, etc? I know every fan base has its share of bad apples, but would you classify your general fan base as hospitable/neutral/in-hospitable?
OTHER PAC 12 SCHOOLS
11. Lastly, since I'm trying to do this for all the teams in the Pac 12, I thought I'd ask if you have any experience traveling to other schools in the conference? Favorite/Least Favorite Pac 12 school to visit for games? Any horror or success stories or general advice you'd give from your experiences?
As mentioned, feel free to answer any/all/none of the questions, and throw on any extra info that I may have overlooked. I'll be sure to report back when our blog is posted so that you can see the finished product!

---

1) Oakland is slightly more convenient, SFO is usually cheaper and offers more flight choices.
2) Not really
3) Not if you stay in San Francisco. BART takes you right to the base of campus and the Stadium is a 15 minute walk from there.
4) Stay in San Francisco (see answer 3)
5) Spenger's, Top Dog, Chez Panisse.
6) StubHub
7) Not much Tail Gating action due to parking lot situation
8) The parade of fans from the BART station, through campus, past the Campagnile to the Stadium is about it.
9) San Francisco, Napa/Sonoma, AT&T Park for a ballgame, a drive down PCH to Santa Cruz & the Boardwalk/
10) Yell 'GOBEARS' frequently and all will be well.
11) The rest of the PAC12 is a desolate wasteland. Avoid at all costs.

Re traditions: if you bring your hot girl friend, she must wear a red shirt.

Yall are touched

Come with a very detailed map because if you ask for directions to Memorial Stadium for the Football Game, few will have any idea what you are talking about

If you wish to converse with actual students, learn a foreign language, preferably Mandarin Chinese.

The sunny side seats on the fifty yard line are always empty for the first quarter, so take your pick.

Drink liqquids heavily BEFORE the game because bottled water is $16 a bottle.

7) Very limited. Most people just go to a bar or restaurant before/after, many choices. Some people stop at the Faculty Club, it's close the the stadium. There's also the limited access (donor class) clubs at the stadium.

8) If you're lucky you might catch a protest on campus, a true Berkeley tradition...like outside the stadium in '08-ish...complete with poo-flinging hippie. Otherwise, stop by People's Park to smoke a joint with the homeless. You might meet your spirit guide.

9) SF is usually near the top of world travel destinations...do a search.

11) U$C is in South Central...nuff said. I do like UCLA games, Pasadena has some culture. UW and Seattle are nice..but the fans are a-holes if they're winning. Stanfurd - the only D1 P5 conference school to REDUCE the size of their stadium.

Here's a FAQ a bunch of us put together back in 2007 for newbies. As far as other PAC-12 venues - USC may be the worst since visitors seats are so far from the field.

This is too long to post in one message, so I'll split it between two.

PART I

I. Airports
Oakland International is closest, and without traffic jams is about a 20-25 minute drive from campus. But give yourself 45 minutes to be on the safe side, or even longer if it is commute time. There is also a shuttle from the airport to the Coliseum/Airport BART Station (see below for a link to the BART website).
San Francisco International (5 miles south of San Francisco), and has more airlines, but driving time to Berkeley is an hour, MINIMUM, but at commute time figure 2 hours. BART service extends to the airport. If you stay in San Francisco, this is the most convenient, and there are lots of options available for traveling from the airport to downtown SF. San Francisco is separated from Berkeley by the San Francisco Bay, which can be crossed by auto (Bay Bridge toll is $4-6 going west into SF, free going east towards Berkeley), BART (see below), or ferry (set up to handle commuters, thus weekend service is much reduced).
Third alternative is San Jose International, about 50 miles south of Berkeley a good 1-2 hours driving time. From San Jose, only realistic alternative to get to Berkeley is driving.
Sacramento Airport is about 60-70 miles northeast of Berkeley. Again, you'll need to rent a car (1.5-2 hours).

II. Ground transportation
Parking and traffic in Berkeley is a BITCH on gamedays, so we recommend BART (http://www.bart.gov). There are two stations you can use: on the Richmond line, exit at the Main Berkeley Station (on Shattuck between Center & Allston), and walk east (towards the hills). You can walk through the campus to the stadium a good landmark is the Campanile, Cal's belltower, situated almost in the middle of the campus. But if you want to ride, you can pick up a free shuttle to the stadium 1.5 blocks east of the BART station, on West Crescent (just east of Oxford Street), which goes through the campus. Other shuttles travel around the perimeter of the campus. The other BART stop is Rockridge Station on College Avenue, on the Concord/Pittsburg line. The Stadium is about a 25 minute (level) walk from here, but you can take a bus as well: AC transit (http://www.actransit.org/) adds extra buses (not free, but normal fare) on game day between the Rockridge Station and the corner of Bancroft Avenue. If you are in Contra Costa County, check out the County Connection (http://www.cccta.org/wb/pages/posts/county-connection92s-cal-express-kicks-off-september-9th33.php) for shuttles that run from the Lafayette and Concord BART stations.
If you absolutely must drive, UC Berkeley has a website with driving instructions (http://www.berkeley.edu/visitors/traveling.html), and there are several parking lots in downtown Berkeley, near the BART station (). If you are really frugal, you may be able to park for free in residential areas which are a good 25-30 minute walk from the stadium (south of Ashby Avenue, west of Martin Luther Junior King, Jr. Way, or north of Cedar Street). By all means try to avoid driving on College Avenue and Ashby Avenue, before and after games. Some residents (typically frats/sororities) offer game day parking on their premises for $20 (and up), but having to battle the pedestrians and traffic makes this a dubious alternative.

III. Game day details
There is a map of campus available through the UC Berkeley site at: (http://www.berkeley.edu/map/).
It almost never rains in Berkeley from August through November. But it is not unusual to have a morning fog cover that doesn't burn off until 10am-noon, only to come back about 4 pm (or doesn't burn off at all). So be prepared for weather that ranges from quite warm to chilly (ie.wear layers). Check out the website (http://scienceview.berkeley.edu/view/index.html), which shows the current weather at the Lawrence Hall of Science. BUT, what you see at 9 am ain't necessarily what you'll get at noon. Note: the visitor's section at Memorial Stadium faces west, so consider bringing a hat or sunglasses for afternoon games.
There is no single area designated for tail-gate parties for visitors. The one exception is the Big Game (vs Stanford) , when the campus is overrun with tailgaters.
The Fun Zone opens to the public 2.5 hours before game time on Maxwell Family Field, just north of Memorial Stadium. It is free and caters to kids and adults alike. There is a March to Victory 2 hours and 20 minutes before kickoff time, when the fans have a chance to greet the home team as they enter through the north entrance of the Stadium.
There is a rally featuring the Marching Band at Sproul Plaza, 1.5 hours prior to kickoff. You may wish to follow the band afterward as it marches up to the stadium.
Here's a link (http://calbears.ocsn.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/081103aaa.html) to the Game Day Information and Memorial Stadium Guide, listing all the dos and donts. Some of the key points:

- Bags are allowed, but no larger than 14"x14"x6", and will be searched. You can check
items at the Bag Check area, by the north entrance at Gate 1.
- The Will Call booth is also at the north entrance to the stadium.
- Reentry to the stadium is not allowed.

If you are attending a "big game" (Stanford/USC/UCLA/ranked OOC school, etc.), it may take you AT LEAST 20 minutes to get to your seat once you hand in your ticket. Plan your arrival time accordingly.
Local radio game coverage is provided by two stations: U.C. Berkeley's own KALX, 90.7 FM, and KGO 810 AM. The Stanford game can also be heard (with a Cardinal bias) on KNBR 1050AM.
The area just to the south of Memorial Stadium (bounded by the stadium, College Avenue, Dwight Way and Warring Street), is the heart of Berkeley's Greek community - this is the area where visitors are most likely to encounter drinking Cal fans, so beware.

IV. Food and drink
(* indicates within 20-25 minute walk of the stadium)
Berkeley has a wide variety of restaurants, near to the satdium are Top Dog (several locations, including 2534 Durant Avenue*, 2503 Hearst Avenue* and 2160 Center Street*), Flint's Bar-B-Q (6609 Shattuck Avenue), Fat Apple's (1346 Martin Luther King Jr. Way), and Fenton's Creamery (4226 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland). You can get pizza by the slice at several places on Telegraph Avenue*, but many folks swear by Zachary's Pizza, with locations at 1853 Solano Avenue and 5801 College Avenue, Oakland. For additional restaurants, check out: (http://dine.com/p/dine/search_restaurants.cgi), or (http://calparents.berkeley.edu//letterhome/1999/summer/guide_eat.html).

PART II

Local bars and pubs include:

On campus:
- Bear's Lair (downstairs of Martin L. King, Jr. Student Union Bldg., 2475
Bancroft between upper and lower Sproul Plaza)*
- Men's Faculty Club (east of Faculty Glade)*

South of campus:
- Blakes on Telegraph (2367 Telegraph Avenue)*
- Henry's Publick House & Grille (in Durant Hotel, 2600 Durant Avenue)*
- Raleighs (2438 Telegraph Avenue)*

West of campus:
- Becketts of Berkeley (2271 Shattuck Avenue)*
- Jupiter (2181 Shattuck Avenue)*
- Triple Rock (1920 Shattuck Avenue)*

North of campus:
- LaVal's Pizza (1834 Euclid Avenue)*
- Pyramid Brewery & Alehouse (901 Gilman Street)

V. Hotels
Three of the nicer hotels near campus are the Durant Hotel, the Shattuck Hotel and the Berkeley City Club (the latter designed by Julia Morgan). On campus, the Men's Faculty club is a picturesque place to stay, but you'll probably need to make reservations WELL in advance. There are several moderately-priced motels and hotels along University Avenue (which runs from Highway 80 east towards campus), and some pricier places on the Berkeley Marina (go west along University Avenue instead of east). Some folks recommend staying in San Francisco, a virtual tourist's mecca (travel from downtown SF to downtown Berkeley only takes about 25 minutes on BART). Emeryville may be a nice compromise location to stay this city has little to offer by itself (except a couple of large shopping malls), but there are several hotels right off Highway 80 at Powell Street these have relatively easy access from airports, and are only a 10-20 minute drive to Berkeley (not BART accessible, but AC Transit should be able to get you to campus). Relatively cheaper motels are found in north Berkeley (on San Pablo Avenue), and further north (El Cerrito) or to the south (Oakland).

VI. Other attractions
Nearby campus sites include:

- Click on (http://www.berkeley.edu/tour/) for a virtual tour of the campus, or (http://www.berkeley.edu/visitors/) for more information about physical tours.
- Cal has many rustic corners on campus, including Faculty Glade (a nice place to have a pre-game picnic), the Eucalyptus Grove and several sites along Strawberry Creek.
- If you are on campus Monday-Friday, you can ride to the top of the Campanile from 10am to 4pm ($2 general admission) and get a great view of the area (http://www.berkeley.edu/visitors/campanile.html).
- Architecturally, some of the more interesting sites include the lobby of the Hearst Mining Building (in the NE quadrant of the campus), the passageway through Stephens Hall (west of Faculty Glade), the Greek Theater (east of Gayley Road), Hearst Gym, and the Doe and Biosciences Libraries.
- The Free Speech movement got its start in (Upper) Sproul Plaza, and now you can get a latte in the FSM caf, located in the Moffit Library.
- Campus museums open to the public include the Berkeley Art Museum (http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu), and several Natural History Museums (http://bnhm.berkeley.museum/).
- There are upwards of 40 separate libraries on campus (http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/AboutLibrary/libraries_collections.html), but the biggest are the Doe, Moffit and Biosciences Libraries.

Within walking distance of the Stadium:

- Telegraph Avenue, between Dwight Way and Bancroft Way: a never-ending street fair. However, it would behoove you to have a modicum of care when on the street. Panhandlers abound, and non-violent crime seems to be on the rise. And if you are the adventurous sort
- the "semi-historic" People's Park, is located in the quadrangle formed by Telegraph Avenue, Dwight Way, Bowditch Street & Haste Street. This has become a homeless hangout and (heavens-to-Betsy) drug usage may occur there. Aggressive confrontations are much more likely to occur in this area, so its definitely NOT family friendly. It is not picturesque either, but if you want to say that you've seen it, it doesn't take long to walk by it. And if you've gone that far, check out the interesting architecture of the First Church of Christ Scientist (across the street from People's Park at the corner of Dwight at Bowditch) designed by Bernard Maybeck.

Have a car? Drive up the Berkeley hills for a great view of the Bay. From the east side of Memorial Stadium, drive east up the canyon on Centennial Drive (closed to traffic on or near game time). About 0.5 mile up on the right is the University's Botanical Gardens (http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/).
A little further on is the Lawrence Hall of Science (http://www.lawrencehallofscience.org) a great place to take kids, or just enjoy the vista. Drive a little further still, and you hit Grizzly Peak Blvd. If you cross Grizzly Peak, you'll enter Tilden Park (http://www.ebparks.org), and if you turn right and go south along Grizzly Park Blvd, you'll get some more great vistas, and come across several more EBRPD parks: Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve, Huckleberry Botanic Regional Reserve, Redwood Regional Park and Anthony Chabot Regional Park.
Within a day's ride of Berkeley are several nice places to visit. San Francisco, the Wine Country (Napa & Sonoma Counties, about 1-2 hours north of Berkeley), Lake Tahoe & Yosemite (each about 3-4 hours drive to the east in the Sierra Nevadas), and Monterey/Big Sur (2-3 hour drive to the south).
Nearby professional teams include the Oakland A's, Raiders and Warriors play at the Oakland Coliseum (easily accessible by BART's Coliseum/Oakland Airport station), off Highway 880, between 66th Avenue and Hegenberger Road. The San Francisco Giants play at AT&T Park in downtown San Francisco (accessible via any of BART's downtown San Francisco stations with a transfer to San Francisco Muni's N train), and the San Francisco 49ers play down in Santa Clara.

Popular local shopping districts are:

South Berkeley
- Elmwood District (College Avenue near Ashby Avenue)
- Rockridge area (actually in Oakland: College Avenue between Alcatraz Avenue and Broadway)

Central Berkeley
- Downtown Berkeley, around Shattuck Avenue and University Avenue

West Berkeley
- 4th Street (between University Avenue and Cedar Street)

North Berkeley
- Shattuck Avenue (from Hearst Avenue north to Rose Street) aka "Gourmet Ghetto", includes Walnut Square (Walnut Street at Rose Street)
- Solano Avenue (running from Berkeley west through Albany)

wifeisafurd;842678713 said:

---

Re traditions: if you bring your hot girl friend, she must wear a red shirt.

---

Because what is better than a hot chick in a red shirt?

Bobodeluxe;842678717 said:

---

Come with a very detailed map because if you ask for directions to Memorial Stadium for the Football Game, few will have any idea what you are talking about

If you wish to converse with actual students, learn a foreign language, preferably Mandarin Chinese.

The sunny side seats on the fifty yard line are always empty for the first quarter, so take your pick.

Drink liqquids heavily BEFORE the game because bottled water is $16 a bottle.

---

You can get the domestic sh$t for $10 a bottle

Bobo, you kidder you.

collegefootballfan;842678676 said:

---

Hey All,
My buddies and I are big college football fans, and we love traveling to new places for games. We’re working on a blog that gives tips to other football fans when they travel to away stadiums for games. I’m trying to hit all the Pac 12 schools, and I was hoping you’d indulge me on some questions about Cal football games. Basically, what I am asking is that if you and I met randomly on an airplane and I told you all about my trip to Berkeley for a football game, you wouldn’t have to say, “You did it all wrong, next time you should …”
Since you guys are the experts on a perfect trip to Berkeley, I wanted to see if you would answer a few questions. Feel free to answer any or all of them that you’d like, and if you can think of any other info I’ve overlooked feel free to throw that in there too!
TRAVEL
1. What’s the most convenient/cheapest airport to fly into? Is there a specific airline that is best/cheapest to fly on?
2. Suppose some travelers are a little more adventurous and don’t mind flying into an airport that’s a 3-4 hour drive away from the game if it would make for a cool drive or takes them by some cool sites/attractions – anything like that people should know about when they’re booking flights?
3. Is a rental car necessary? How is the public transportation system/Uber in Berkeley?
HOTEL
4. What’s the hotel situation like over the weekend of a game? How good is airbnb, vrbo, etc. in Berkeley? Are there any great resort towns nearby to stay at for a day?
FOOD
5. What are your favorite places to eat around Berkeley during the college football season? How is the food in the stadium (anything a one-time visitor can’t leave the stadium without eating)?
TICKETS
6. What is the best option for visiting fans to buy game tickets? School Ticket office? StubHub? Local Classifieds?
TAILGATING
7. Any general tailgating advice for a first-timer at a Cal game? Specific areas for visiting fans?
TRADITIONS
8. Some schools have unique game day traditions – do you guys do anything that’d be worth a visitor planning their schedule around? Are there any buildings or sites near campus or the stadium that visitors should check out?
OTHER ATTRACTIONS
9. If fans decide to make this more of a family vacation, are there any local sites/attractions that they would need to make room for on their schedule? Any can’t-miss Historical/Educational or Fun/Entertainment sites?
SAFETY
10. Are there any general safety issues fans should be aware of? Any areas visitors should avoid for parking, walking, etc? I know every fan base has its share of bad apples, but would you classify your general fan base as hospitable/neutral/in-hospitable?
OTHER PAC 12 SCHOOLS
11. Lastly, since I'm trying to do this for all the teams in the Pac 12, I thought I'd ask if you have any experience traveling to other schools in the conference? Favorite/Least Favorite Pac 12 school to visit for games? Any horror or success stories or general advice you'd give from your experiences?
As mentioned, feel free to answer any/all/none of the questions, and throw on any extra info that I may have overlooked. I’ll be sure to report back when our blog is posted so that you can see the finished product!

---

I will answer your first two questions.
1. Oakland is the closest and via BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit).
You can ride to Downtown Berkeley which is a 15-20 minute walk to stadium.
You may want to stop at a number of the fine restaurants on the walk from the BART station to the West Gate of the Campus. From West Gate, it is beautiful walk through Campus.
Print a map of campus on line and you can take any number of great walks (all a gradual uphill walk toward the Stadium)
On the way take a ride up the campanile (315 foot tall, 100 year old iconic bell tower modeled after the Campanile in Venice), for a phenomenal view of Campus, SF, the Bay and the Golden Gate.

2. If you have 3-4 hours and a rental car, fly to San Francisco; Drive to Half Moon Bay and from their up the Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1 Fantastic Views of the Pacific) to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. From there you have two choices:

a. you can continue North on highway 1 over the Golden Gate Bridge; stop in Sausalito or stop at Muir Woods (Huge Redwoods tucked away into a fantastic but small State park); drive East over the San Rafael/Richmond Bridge on Highway 580 toward Berkeley.

b. You can drive to the Presidio, then to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39, Coit Tower, then to the SF-Oakland Bay Bridge and on to Berkeley.

NewYorkCityBear;842678707 said:

---

5) Spenger's, Top Dog, Chez Panisse.

---

Not a fan of Spenger's. I'm not sure anyone is.

Better recommendations would be Zachary's Pizza in Oakland or in the Solano area of Berkeley for the deep dish pizza. Cheese Board Pizza, too, on Shattuck on the north side of Berkeley. Also, Fenton's Creamery in Oakland/Piedmont for the ice cream. Barney's Burgers very close to Zachary's Pizza in Oakland for burgers. There is also a Barney's on the north side of Berkeley.

Yes, and also Top Dog on Durant Avenue and Chez Panisse (both the restaurant and the upstairs cafe) across the street from Cheese Board Pizza.

Spenger's is "okay"...just order conservatively. The reason to go is the bartenders are really good in an old school way.

Otherwise, Berkeley? Look out for the naked people. They swarm during early fall when the weather is good. Always a fun experience seeing normal rational humans RUNNING for their lives!!!

Bear_Elegance;842679061 said:

---

Not a fan of Spenger's. I'm not sure anyone is.

---

It was pretty shoddy back in the day under the old management but I went this season after the WSU game and the drinks were great and the food was as well. I guess I'm not anyone.

beelzebear;842679063 said:

---

Spenger's is "okay"...just order conservatively. The reason to go is the bartenders are really good in an old school way.

---

Totally agree. Hung out at the bar and ordered from what is a pretty decent raw bar menu.

beelzebear;842679063 said:

---

---

This is made of no.

Throwing a flag 15 yards penalty

chalcidbear;842678721 said:

---

PART II

Local bars and pubs include:

On campus:
- Bear's Lair (downstairs of Martin L. King, Jr. Student Union Bldg., 2475
Bancroft between upper and lower Sproul Plaza)*
- Men's Faculty Club (east of Faculty Glade)*

South of campus:
- Blakes on Telegraph (2367 Telegraph Avenue)*
- Henry's Publick House & Grille (in Durant Hotel, 2600 Durant Avenue)*
- Raleighs (2438 Telegraph Avenue)*

West of campus:
- Becketts of Berkeley (2271 Shattuck Avenue)*
- Jupiter (2181 Shattuck Avenue)*
- Triple Rock (1920 Shattuck Avenue)*

North of campus:
- LaVal's Pizza (1834 Euclid Avenue)*
- Pyramid Brewery & Alehouse (901 Gilman Street)

I believe Blakes, Raleigh's, Beckett's and Pyramid are all closed. Lots of other options, especially on Shattuck (e.g., Angeline's for Cajun and Comal for Mexican).

Bear_Elegance;842679061 said:

---

Not a fan of Spenger's. I'm not sure anyone is.

Better recommendations would be Zachary's Pizza in Oakland or in the Solano area of Berkeley for the deep dish pizza. Cheese Board Pizza, too, on Shattuck on the north side of Berkeley. Also, Fenton's Creamery in Oakland/Piedmont for the ice cream. Barney's Burgers very close to Zachary's Pizza in Oakland for burgers. There is also a Barney's on the north side of Berkeley.

Yes, and also Top Dog on Durant Avenue and Chez Panisse (both the restaurant and the upstairs cafe) across the street from Cheese Board Pizza.

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Near Downtown Berkeley BART: Jupiter, Angeline's, Eureka, Triple Rock, Sliver, Bongo Burger, Top Dog. Near Rockridge BART: Ben & Nick's, Zachary's, Barclay's. 51 bus from Rockridge BART stops across from Free House, two blocks from the Stadium. International House is next to the Stadium.

I have no idea why some members are being jackal opens with their flippant responses. Here you go:

There's no tailgating to speak of. Most hit bars or fraternity row.

Do NOT wear red.

Expect some stupidity from young drunk people when walking through fraternity row.

Berkeley hotels are not great, IMO. I'd stay in SF and take BART (public transpo/train) over instead, as that gives you a better overall weekend by staying in the city.

Try for tickets on the east side of the stadium so you can appreciate the view out across SF and the bay. It makes the game experience unique.

Henry's is the most popular pre/post game bar. Other spots to hit include Bears Lair, Top Dog, Telegraph Ave, one of the pizza by the slice spots.

Spengers was bought by the Seattle based seafood chain McCormick & Schmick (I think that's right) quite a number of years back. Really cleaned it up and yet kept the very same look and feel. It would be akin to a higher end Italian restaurant taking over Bertola's ... Same place but not the same old place.

BearDevil;842679136 said:

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Near Downtown Berkeley BART: Jupiter, Angeline's, Eureka, Triple Rock, Sliver, Bongo Burger, Top Dog. Near Rockridge BART: Ben & Nick's, Zachary's, Barclay's. 51 bus from Rockridge BART stops across from Free House, two blocks from the Stadium. International House is next to the Stadium.

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Bus 51B

My favorite pre-game tradition is the Cal Band concert 90 minutes before kickoff on Sproul Plaza. Then you walk up through the campus with the band and a discreet beer in your fist. Sounds goofy (and it is), but it's really fun.

That's the trouble with relying upon data put together 9 years ago. Thanks for the correction.

Don't forget to stop by La Burrita, a favorite of people on this board with excellent taste in food. It's considered some of the best Mexican food north of the border.

NewYorkCityBear;842679077 said:

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Totally agree. Hung out at the bar and ordered from what is a pretty decent raw bar menu.

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Ah the raw bar, good move, will remember that. That's simple as it gets and if it's not fresh, it will make you sick which no seafood place can afford that.

Not sure but I think they kept the bartenders from the old union days. Those guys really know their stuff.

petalumabear;842679140 said:

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Spengers was bought by the Seattle based seafood chain McCormick & Schmick (I think that's right) quite a number of years back. Really cleaned it up and yet kept the very same look and feel. It would be akin to a higher end Italian restaurant taking over Bertola's ... Same place but not the same old place.

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The story I heard was old man Spenger got cheap later in life and figured frozen seafood would be okay...and the place took a major dive. I think it was in the late 80s or early 90s and Mc&Sch took it over in the late 90s? Any way, the way I found out it was okay again was moving to Berkeley from SF in 2003 and needing an easy decent, quiet place to have a lunch meeting. Very convenient from SF and validated parking right across the street saved a bunch of time parking, never crowded.

tequila4kapp;842679138 said:

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I have no idea why some members are being jackal opens with their flippant responses.

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We're Cal...king of the smartasses. Ask Furd. Also, you do your own home work or paid work at Cal.

I think some of the game day specific and travel stuff is fair round up from fans but asking about SF and tourism in the Bay Area? It's a perennial top 10 international travel destination...do a search, it's all been covered.