Tacoma - Seattle
 

We are spending a few days college touring - Univ of Washington, Univ. of Puget Sound, Seattle Univ, and Gonzaga. We want to get a good feel of the sourrounding area where the colleges are. Do you recommend staying in Tacoma for the night to see Puget Sound, and then a hotel in Seattle for Univ of Washington? Not sure of the distance between them and what there is in the area. Hotel recommendations for these places?

Thank you!
Elaine

If you have the time I would stay in Tacoma for UofPS because driving in that traffic from Seattle depending on the time of day can be a nightmare! The museum of glass in Tacoma is worth a look while you are there.

In Seattle you can stay by the U if you like- there are a few good hotels in the area- Hotel Decca is one I like.

There was just a thread recently on places to stay in Tacoma for a UPS visit--if you do a search on "Tacoma" it comes up.

The two cities are about 40 minutes apart in "normal" traffic but it can take much longer at times. Plus if you want to get a feel for the area, it's probably not a bad idea to stay overnight in each place.

The Watertown is another hotel in the U District in Seattle that gets good reviews. For Seattle U, there's a Silver Cloud nearby on Broadway.

I drive to Tacoma frequently. It is exactly 35 minutes from my home in Seattle if I don't go during rush hour.

It is not snobbish to tell you that it is much more interesting to stay in Seattle than in Tacoma, which is a great place to raise a family but has little to offer visitors.

Puget Sound in Seattle is more attractive than in Tacoma.

If, despite this warning, you decide to spend the night in Tacoma, stay at Hotel Murano (if you want to stay downtown) or at Silver Cloud (if you don't).

In Seattle stay at a hotel near the heart of the retail, restaurant, and entertainment core--5th and Pine. There are many options, including The Mayflower, the Andra, the Sheraton, and the Westin.

In Spokane, historic Davenport Hotel, downtown, in a nice place to stay. Of the many other options, Holiday Inn Express, downtown, is a good choice.

Spokane is 280 miles (4 hours) from Seattle. The first half of the trip over Snoqualmie Pass and through the Columbia River Gorge is beautiful and interesting. The second half isn't.

with due respect I think that staying at a hotel in the U Dist will give a much better feel for the area than staying downtown. Most college students spend 80% of their time around the Ave and the University Village shopping mall (an outdoor mall that is quite nice).

but has little to offer visitors

Museum of Glass
Tacoma Art Museum
Washington State History Museum
Fort Nisqually
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
Lakewold Gardens

I agree with stormygirl that it's best to spend as much time as possible in the areas surrounding the universities you're considering.

Here is the link to the thread NW Wanderer referred to:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35116393

Thank you for the responses. Since this trip is for my daughter to get the feel of the college area with the colleges I think it is best we stay in Tacoma, and right around the U area for Seattle. We did set aside an extra day for sightseeing, so we will spend that in Seattle seeing what we can for one day. Thanks for the past link, very helpful also.

Any idea about the weather from Spokane to Seattle? Will a small rental car be ok? I am from Southern Calif. no snow or rain here for driving!

Elaine

When's the trip? I missed it if you mentioned what month you're coming (as far as the weather question).

30-40 mins. Tacoma to Seattle on the I-5 freeway sounds right to me.

All of the foregoing notwithstanding, when you have the opportunity to compare Tacoma and Seattle for yourself you will understand why I gave the advice I did and why Seattle is one of the 30 most visited cities in the US and Tacoma isn't:

1.Las Vegas 38.9 million.
2.Los Angeles 58.6 million
3.Orlando 47.8 million visitors
4.New York City 44 million visitors
5.Chicago 41.3 million
6.Washington D.C. 36.9 million
7.Atlanta 37 million visitors
8.San Diego 32.2 million visitors
9.Houston 31 million vistors
10.Dallas 22.3 million visitors
11.Philadephia 27.7 million
12.Phoenix-Scottsdale 21.7 million
13.Anaheim,CA 18.4 million visitors
14.San Francisco 15.8 million visitors
15.Miami 15.8 million visitors
16.Boston 17.6 million vistors
17.San Antonio 20 million visitors.(21.7 according to SACVB)
18.St.Louis 20.3 million visitors.
19.Tampa/St.Petersburg 16.9 million visitors
20.Minneapolis/St.Paul 18.3 million visitors
21.Seattle-Tacoma 15.7 million vistors.
22.Indianapolis 21.7 million visitors
23.Detroit 15.9 million visitors
24.Austin 19 million visitors
25.Denver 14.5 million
26.Charlotte 16.6 million visitors
27.Nashville 13.5 million
28.Kansas City 16.5 million visitors
29.Ft.lauderdale 12.3 million
30.Baltimore 12 million vistors

We are going up there April 6 - 10.
I decided we should stay one night in Tacoma to get the full feeling of the area so I booked a room at the Hotel Murano (great grand opening specials). We will also spend one night at the University Inn for Univ of Washington, for the college life around there. We have one full extra day for sightseeing Seattle, so any suggestions what we should squeeze in for the day?

Elaine

One day in Seattle I would definitely include:
Pike Place Market
Pioneer Square historic district
the Waterfront

Plus pick a couple from my optional list of:
ferry ride to Bainbridge
Chinatown
Seattle Art Museum
Seattle Public Library
Seattle Center/Space Needle

SAM has an amazing exhibit right now of Roman sculptures from the Louvre- the first time they have ever toured and Seattle is the first stop.

Friends of mine have also really enjoyed the Duck Tours if you want to see a lot in a short period of time.

I also love the ferry ride to Bainbridge

Got my curiosity going - what is a duck tour?

Elaine