Seattle/Portland advise needed for college trip
 

Hi,
I plan to take my son to Seattle and Portland to visit colleges this summer.
Tentatively, we plan to fly to Seattle, visit U of Washington, University of Puget Sound, and possibly Evergreen State. Then we plan to drive to the Portland area and visit Reed, Lewis and Clark, and possibly Willamette.
Having never been to the Pacific Northwest, I'd very much appreciate advise on where to stay in the Seattle and Portland areas, must do's in when we're not visiting colleges, and ideas for day or half day side trips outside the city.
Also, he's a vegetarian, so any restaurant suggestions with vegetarian options would be appreciated.

Thanks so much!

Thank you Gardyloo.
I found that message after I posted mine and thoroughly enjoyed all the college reviews! I'm more interested in a few hotel choices, some wonderful side excursions, and some restaurant recommendations ( including non-vegetarian).
Having gone of multiple college trips with my first child, I have found that they are important but also somewhat tedious, and I'm hoping to get some suggestions from the locals on this website to make the trip more enjoyable. Sometimes, staying at a wonderful hotel or b&b can make up for a day which is filled with visiting colleges that you child rejects immediately upon setting foot on campus because they are not a fit....

Mt. Rainier is the most popular day trip from Seattle.

From Portland the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon Coast (Cannon Beach), and Mt. Hood are good options. Forced to chose, I would divide my time between the Gorge and the Coast.

If you come down to Willamette, you might visit either the Oregon Garden or Silver Creek Falls. Both are near Salem. Also, the drive from Lewis and Clark to Salem will take you by a bunch of wonderful wineries, if you are interested. In McMinnville there's the aviation museum with the famous Spruce Goose to see, too.
Do you want to stay downtown Portland? The Portland art museum has a Rembrandt exhibit now. It really depends where you will be and what you like.
My own son spent some time at Evergreen. Beautiful campus. We always stayed at the Red Lion in Olympia, and ate breakfast at this wonderful old cigar store in downtown Olympia. If you want to stay at the Red Lion, it often comes up on Priceline.
Post more specifics and we can help more.

Watertown is a hotel right near the U.W. campus. Cafe Flora is an upscale vegetarian restaurant, if you want a fancier celebratory dinner or Sunday brunch. But there are loads of choices around. I can't think of any Seattle restaurant that doesn't have a few vegetarian options.

You probably know this since you've done this before, but it is a good idea to try out the food on the campuses your son is giving serious consideration to especially if he has strong dietary preferences. We were surprised to find some campuses didn't have much beyond pizza, burgers and fried food!

I stayed at the College Inn, it's right opposite the University of Washington. It was very reasonable and a charming building.

http://www.collegeinnseattle.com/

Thanks everyone. Great ideas.

Does anyone know of any nice "suite" hotels in fun Portland or Seattle neighborhoods?

Also, any scenic places to stay outside the cities if we have an extra day or two? I'm thinking memorable hotels/inns/cabins that have a real Northwest feel or are otherwise outside the city/highwasy routes.

Thanks.

http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?...ation+Homepage

you might enjoy the Edgefield Manor in Troutdale - just outside of Portland
and close to the scenic sights of the
Columbia River Gorge

The Edgefield is a fun place to stay
with a winery, brew pub, restaurant where you can watch a movie, unique artwork, live entertainment - have stayed there several times and enjoyed it-

My daughter graduated from Reed College and my neice from Lewis & Clark. Friends and family always stayed at two hotels:
the 5th Ave. Suites which is now the Monaco Hotel in Downtown NW Portland or
The Kennedy School in NE Portland.

Another vote for Cafe Flora in Seattle! I am a vegetarian and this is my favorite restaurant in the city (it's in Madison Park, not too far from the UW campus). My sister and mother are not vegetarians, and this is also their favorite restaurant (well, probably in my sister's top five but it's my mom's fave!), so that tells you something.

As for a hotel near the UW, also another vote for the College Inn! I recommended it to a German friend of mine and she liked it for its European qualities (small, relatively cheap, quaint building, but also shared bathrooms and a pub in the basement which may or may not become too loud? Not sure if that could be a problem, it didn't bother her). Plus it's right in the heart of the U district. Oh wait though, I guess you want a suite hotel? Not sure if I can help you there.

As for things to do around Seattle, I suggest taking a trip up to Snoqualmie Pass, see the falls, then take exit 32 (32 miles from Seattle going east on I-90!) and then heading south about a mile to Rattlesnake Lake. It's beautiful up there in the summer, a mountain lake with easy access, it's very nice. Not a lot of Seattle locals know about it, but it's big with the teens (and adults, for that matter!) who live on the east side up around North Bend. Lovely and just right to swim in, mid-summer.

Then of course there are always the standards, Pike Place Market, waterfront etc etc.

Hope this helps. Go Huskies!

I have some Portland-area suggestions, although I second the Kennedy School for an atypical hotel experience and Silver Falls State Park (if you get down to Willamette U) - it's pretty amazing.

You both might enjoy one of the many farmers markets around town - you can find them on almost any day of the week, although the largest (I think) is on Saturday mornings downtown on the South Park Blocks. But there's a nice small one by Reed on Wednesday evenings. Speaking of Reed, I live 2 blocks from campus and can speak highly of a few nearby restaurants:
- Laughing Planet (laughingplanetcafe.com) is a casual place with lots and lots of veggie options - and they serve good beer.
- Papa Haydn (on SE Milwaukie Ave.) (www.papahaydn.com) is a wonderful cafe-type place with perhaps the best desserts on the planet, especially during the summer when they use lots of fresh local fruit. We often eat dinner elsewhere and head there just for dessert, which you can also order to go (helpful when the waiting list is long).
- Caprial's Bistro is a great place for a special meal, and they always have at least one veggie entree option.

As for day trips, definitely visit the Columbia River Gorge - take I-84 east from Portland for about 40 minutes. Hop on the scenic highway for waterfalls galore. Hike if you want to - lots of choices. I'd recommend Wahclelah Falls, which is at the exit for Bonneville Dam. Instead of turning left off the exit, turn right and you'll see the trailhead right there. It's an amazing range of waterfalls and climates, all in one little less-than-2-mile walk.

Do be sure to go east as far as Hood River, the windsurfing capital of the world. It's a fun atmosphere, especially for a teenager.

A trip to the coast would be nice, but it can make for a long day. Cannon Beach is probably the easiest beach town to get to from Portland. Also, depending on the weather and your son's level of interest, Mt. St. Helens is about an hour from Portland and is actually on the way between here and Seattle - it's worth a stop at the visitors' center.

Let me know if you have any more specific questions!

I agree that the Columbia River gorge is spectacular.
Mt.St. Helens is also an amazing place to visit. I would say worth more than a stop at the visitor's center but certainly at least that much.

Vttraveler - Yes, absolutely. More than just the visitors' center, but it sounded as though their time might be a bit tight.

If you're a bibliophile, Powell's in Portland is a great bookstore, arguably the biggest in the world.
Also, it's worth a stroll through Portland to see the architecture, which I found to be quite charming.

Since you'll be visiting UPS, stop in downtown Tacoma and see the Museum of Glass www.museumofglass.org. Before you leave town, be sure to drive or walk through the Proctor District (25th and Proctor - a few blocks north of campus) as this is walking distance to UPS and a neighborhood center that many students frequent.

Thank you so much for all your suggestions! Any suggestions for truly wonderful over the top hotels to stay at????

Although he won't be able to partake in the various liquid offerings, you should definitely look at the Kennedy School in Portland or the Edgefield (in Troutdale at the west end of the Columbia Gorge) - both properties owned by the McMenamin brothers - www.mcmenamins.com. Hotels with a difference - movie theaters, lots of original art, and staying in a former classroom - with the blackboard on one wall - is a total hoot. Affordable, too.