Tightwad Hill

You can watch football for free here!
Go BEARS! Save Tightwad Hill!

I made it back. With my girl in kindergarten and my wife no longer at her retail job (and thrilled about it!), I’m able to go to some Cal games now. But something happened a month ago that gave me a good comparison to Tightwad Hill:
I got a free ticket to go to a game INSIDE Memorial Stadium. It was the second game since the major refurbishment. I got the pic of me in the stadium, along with the commemorative t-​shirt and glass. It felt like a big-​time college game. And I found myself becoming investigative reporter and photojournalist, walking around the stadium and checking it out and seeing what photo ops were available. Oh yeah, there’s a game going on…
Then I went to the Big Game. (Well, it was big for Stanfurd…) Back to Tightwad Hill. And here’s what I realized: The Hill has a few things that you just don’t get sitting inside Memorial Stadium. The sense of community. The colorful fans that make the experience memorable. You feel like you’re part of the game, instead of just a spectator. And, of course, «TAKE OFF THAT RED SHIRT!!!»
Bottom line: If I ended up with a thousand or more dollars a month to blow after expenses and putting my girl into a Christian school and buying a BMW, so now I could have season tickets to Cal games. .. I’d still rather go to Tightwad Hill.

I used to come here a lot when I was a freshman because I missed out on free football tickets. But yeah I would have to come early enough to get a good seat. And when I define good seat, I mean a comfortable place on dirt. It would suck when there was a tree or bush covering your view of the game. But what can I say, it was a free alternative.

I heard so many things about this place. I see it all the time while watching Cal football, but have never been here. My goal is to be up here during this year Big Game.

Even this place has a review now?
Jeezeum crow!
Yeah it rocks-I’ve seen many a show that I have promptly forgotten here.

How the hell do you get to this place? That was the question of the day. It seemed that everyone we asked couldn’t really give us a definative answer — «uh, I’m not sure», or «It’s up on the hill behind the stadium», «I think you just keep going up that hill», and the best one «It’s far away». Yeah, I think that person was high already.
Anyway, we did walk up some hill until we were near the back stadium entrance, where security was checking people in. So, being a wanna-​be-​rebel, AND idiot, I ingnored the security lady and started to climb this damn hill along with all of the other idiots. Well, I began to think that this was not such a good idea as the old big dude above me started sliding down the hill, holding onto a broken tree branch NOT attached to any kind of tree, right towards me. .. so, there I go sliding down the hill too.. .with friend at the bottom laughing his ass off at me. And another friend, working on his spidey skills, was almost at the top of the hill, when I finally talked to the security lady who said that if we wait right here, she would escort us to Tightwad Hill — D’oh!
So, folks — take the easy way. Security will escort you to the cyclone fence, where you will walk through the broken part and up an already-​blazed trail to your final cheapskate party destination. Once there, you will find lots of people, some getting drunk, some already drunk, some high, some getting their grill on, some sitting in trees, some sitting on broken plastic chairs — turned into a lazyboy, for the high to relax on. Oh, and if you get there early enough you will see some beautiful views, and may be able to find a good spot to SEE the game. Yeah, so we tried to see what we could of CAL kicking UCLA’s collective ass, but no luck. So, off we went to a comfy, indoor spot where we could SEE the game on a big projection screen! Yep, I’m too old for that falling down and hiking up hills to get drunk in the woods kinda shit.

I love Tightwad Hill. Though I never watched a football game here, I saw many sunrises during my years at CAL. There is nowhere more majestic and serene to witness the entire San Francisco Bay Area coming to life on a clear morning. Spend enough time here and you’ll grow a third eye with which you can make self-​fulfilling prophecies. Either that or you’ll fall off a tree limb and break an arm. As one of my fellow students did. LOL

Tightwad is like a ghettofabulous skybox. Youre way up top, you can drink, smoke, wander around a bit and still catch some football if you feel like it.
And its free.

Are you cheap?
Do you like Cal football?
This is a no brainer. That stadium sucks. I don’t even like football… I would go here any day of the week…
…errr… except the cold ones. And the rainy ones. Okay there aren’t many days I might go… but it is still badass.

What more can one say. Here is my Tightwad Hill photo journal:

The Top Ten Benefits of Watching a Cal Football game at Tightwad Hill.
10). Dude, it’s free. Tightwad and proud of it!
9.) Spectacular view of the bay and the field action
8.) Get some much needed exercise by climbing the hill and digging some grooves to fit your lawn chairs.
7.) Heckling never works from the bottom up.
6.) Get to know some diehards who «could throw a football over them mountains.»
5.) Great chance to be on T.V.
4.) Connect with some treehuggers who’ve claimed residence there for decades
3.) Rocks are perfect weapons against the enemy FURDS.
2.) You never lose with booze… or other «things» you wish to bring.
1.) Avoid getting trampled by the field rush, and risking severe injury from a goal post being torn down.

I didn’t know you could rate a patch of grass.but.ok. The views are amazing (any view from Strawberry Canyon is, really). And of course, free football – you can’t beat that. Plus the folks here have their own flag. How cool is that?

Only in Berkeley can you enjoy something like Tightwad Hill.
Perched on the slope of Tightwad Hill overlooking California Memorial Stadium one can enjoy spectacular views of the rest of the UC Berkeley campus, San Francisco, the Golden Gate and last but definitely not least; the California Golden Bears.
The denizens of the Hill are a colorful band of characters who will generally accept and tolerate anybody as long as they are not causing trouble and not wearing red. From the Hill you can enjoy an excellent view of the game and alcohol (BYOB) at the same time and the price of admission is zero dollars and zero cents. Did I mention that this great view is free? I can pay a lot more money for a crappier view of the Raiders on Mount Davis.
Tightwad hill is one of the more unique fan experience in sports, let alone College Football. I won’t protest the oaks, they were planted after the stadium was built in the 1930’s. However, I will protest my heart out if they ever plan to block the view from the Hill.
Where else can you catch NCAA Division I-​A football and enjoy the natural beauty of the Bay Area? Sometimes, the best things in life really are free.