Where Golden Bears prowl

No trip to a college town would be complete without a stop at the local football stadium. Accompanying us were fellow LSU alums Rod and Greg - old New Orleans friends of mine who moved to S.F. a year and a half ago.

As we approached California Memorial Stadium, we spoke unkindly of USC in a sign of solidarity with our fellow Trojan-hating brothers and sisters at Cal.
The stadium is set in the hills overlooking the Berkeley campus. It opened in 1923, and currently seats 75,662. Its neoclassical exterior reminded me of Tiger Stadium's grand coliseum facade.
But the structure's impressiveness and sentimental charm evaporated once we walked inside. Everywhere we looked we found rotting wooden bleachers, faded paint and clumps of weeds shooting up from under the seats.

Memorial Stadium was my second PAC 10 football venue to visit, and once again I was surprised by the dumpy conditions that I found.
I'm starting to wonder if they're all similarly neglected.