Tightwad Hill overlooks the Memorial Stadium behind the UC campus, and is one of Berkeley's most famous landmarks. Poor students and other cheapskates have been crowding onto this hill to watch Cal football games for free for over 80 years (it is tradition that Cal students must watch at least one game from Tightwad Hill during their matriculation). Getting here is easy enough - just go to the left of the main gate and walk up the dusty hill. You'll be sharing the view with others (MANY others if it's a big game), but the price sure is right, and the views of the Bay Area are incredible.
One annoyance is, of course, the cannon. It blasts off after every Cal score and at the end of the game when (not if, but when) they win. The cannon is also located on Tightwad Hill, about 20 feet from where you'll be sitting. The cannon itself has a rich history; it was given to the University by the Class of 1964 as their Senior gift, and was first fired at the 1963 Big Game. In 1972, the PAC-8 banned all cannons from University stadiums, so the stubborn Cal students just moved it to the hill right above it!
Berkeley's most famous rock band - Green Day - even has a song called "Tightwad Hill" on one of their albums!
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Website: http://savethecannon.com/
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on Jan 11, 2007
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