University Club

Wow! You walk in and immediately notice spectacular views. To one side you have the game and to the other is a view of the bay. The seats are very comfy. The food and drink is definitely upgraded from your typical game. There is plenty of food variety; Mexican, sushi, salad bar, hot dogs, desserts galore (blue and yellow M’M’s) and a top shelf open bar. It makes watching the game a whole different experience.

I recently attended a statistics workshop at the University Club in Berkeley.
We passed through fraternity row on our way through the back streets of Berkeley. Reminded me of the movie Animal House, but didn’t see any trees with toilet paper! Now the day after Halloween would have been another matter!
If you can afford the big bucks to reserve the University Club, you get your own reserved parking lot, right next to the stadium concourse, at $ 12 per car for the entire day. A bargain in Berkeley where parking spaces are like gold –the metal, not the bear!
We went around the stadium concourse, to the elevator, to the 8^th and top floor. Huge place, don’t want anyone to get lost here, so the escort by security everywhere.
On the top floor we see a spectacular 7000 square room, two bars, lined with continuous floor to ceiling windows on both sides. Luxury bucket seating for season ticket holders on one side, and a 6000 foot outdoor semi-​circular patio on the other side! View of the campanile in your face! Now you know why this is called the penthouse of Memorial Stadium!
The workshop had a number of speakers presenting topics in public health statistics. The heavy duty presentations, involving exponential notations and statistical equations reminded me of classes I took here two generations ago – in the stone age as far as you young Unilocalers are concerned!
Lunch time, we got 50 Boudin SF salad-​sandwich kits: beef, turkey avocado, chicken salad, and vegetarian. I’m first in line and grab a beef, and join others sitting outside on the promenade, admiring the 180 degree view of the campus and the Bay. One hour later, there are 9 sandwiches left: a few chicken salad, but the bulk vegetarian –even in radical Berkeley, they prefer meat over vegetarian!
After lunch, a fire alarm sounded, with an announcement to clear the building. All Stanford alumni were accounted for! Down 8 flights of stairs we went, with me at 62, tweaked tennis knee and all, flying down the stairs past other guests using canes. Going down no problem, but going back up would have been a workout!
Returning to the University Club, we sat down for another series of lectures, These were enlightening even to a guy with statistics as rusty as my own, with animated speakers, audience participation, and the usual mishaps pushing the wrong button while presenting slides on a windows computer. Ok, we are not as nerdy with powerpoint presentations, as you young whippersnappers right out of college!
Afterwards we were treated to a wine and cheese appetizers, among them the usual mushroom and chicken sliders, but also cooked sugary bacon, which I had never seen before.
Only 5 urinals in the mens bathroom. And 400 season ticket holders will be drinking beer on game day. You know that the women will not be the only ones waiting in a line out the bathroom door during halftime!
I would like to thank the hosts for this symposium, the speakers, and the people who attended, traveling across the world. And I’m sure I could never afford season tickets to the Bear games to get into the University Club on my own!