Seattle, Vancouver, etc.

Parent Cafe
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<p>You “guys” are great! (“you guys” is a Midwest thing?)
We’re hoping to fly into the Seattle / Vancouver area this summer. We visited Seattle 4 years ago to do the “tourist” things, but only spent about 3 days on our last trip. We never made it to Vancouver, and have the opportunity to see it this time. We may also make it to Portland / Salem area, primarily to visit a few of the colleges there ( Willamette, Lewis&Clark, possibly Reed). Our college tours will primarily be a quick drive-through, and possible campus tour. It is a little too early to focus on a particular one, as my d. is currently a sophomore, but we probably won’t be back to this area for another visit later. Plus we just don’t have the time to see as much of the colleges as we should since this is also our family trip. </p>

<li>I’m not as familiar with LAC’s in the Seattle area. Any colleges we should not miss while we’re there?</li>
<li>Suggestions for lodging and dining in the Seattle and Vancouver areas? (Inexpensive, but very clean accommodations preferred – we do nothing but sleep there, so I’d rather spend any vacation dollars elsewhere.)</li>
<li>Any non-traditional tourist things we should not miss the second time around? </li>
</ol>

<p>Thanks Archermom…I also just read your description of Portland. Very informative!</p>

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<p>You might want to look at Seattle U- very nice and the chapel is gorgeous
Not really any LACs in Seattle area unless you count Northwest University where Ashcroft just gave the commencement speech. It is in Kirkland not far from where I grew up ( at least it used to be) but it is fairly evangelical I think.
Oh UPS & PLU are in Tacoma, haven’t looked at them.
SPU is bottom of queen anne just south of ship canal- Methodist university.
lodging- hmm Seattle seems to be fairly expensive compared to Portland anyway- I would try PRiceline they gave me a decent room at the waterfront marriot. What part of town do you want to stay in? If you are away from downtown probably cheaper.
what kind of food do you like? also what is cheap?
There is India Bistro in Ballard- wonderful indian food, cloth table cloths and about $7 for entree
Ezells fried chicken made famous by Oprah is across the street from D high school, no dining area, get the spicy and don’t forget the rolls.
LOts of thai resturants most very good and inexpensive
My daughters also really like Sofrito Rico Puerto Rican food in Ballard-</p>

<p>I am assuming you did the Pike Place Market- The Ballard Locks- Pioneer Square-underground tour…MT Rainier? I would suggest a ferry ride
If you drive eastbound on 520 and look to the right of the bridge—see that clump of trees ?.. thats where the Gates compound is.
Fremont sunday market is very cool as are other outdoor markets around town.
oh for ideas what to do try these free papers
<a href=“http://www.willametteweek.com/[/url]”>http://www.willametteweek.com/&lt;/a&gt; ( portland)
<a href=“http://www.seattleweekly.com/[/url]”>http://www.seattleweekly.com/&lt;/a&gt; ( seattle)
I would suggest a game at safeco field if you like baseball at all. and if your team isn’t playing you will enjoy it even more!</p>

<p>Can’t give any suggestions about vancouver but if you narrow down to when you are coming and what you like to do I can give more suggestions about Seattle</p>

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<p>There are a few possible hotels in the Seattle area that meet your description–but they’re in the suburbs. Will you have a car? How do you feel about driving in rush-hour traffic? </p>

<p>As for LACs in Seattle area, there are two in Tacoma: Univ of Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran U, then several in Seattle: Seattle Pacific U, Seattle U. Mini will know if there are schols worth considering in Olympia. UW really dominates Seattle’s educational “scene.”</p>

<p>You may also want to check out U of Portland while you’re there. </p>

<p>I think Reed is a wonderful college for the right student, but I’m not sure you’d get a good feel for it with no students there.</p>

<p>Tourist-y things: in Portland, Powell’s books; in Seattle, my D adores Snoqualmie Falls (she heads there as soon as she comes home); in Vancouver, the Cafe de Paris is a fabulously French reasonably priced restaurant.</p>

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<p>There is a Best Western in downtown Seattle which is supposed to be great - same star rating as the Sheraton on Fifth or Sixth Avenue but about half the price.</p>

<p>Try a ferry ride - and couple it with dinner (although expensive). See the Space Needle. Even walking around the downtown can be fun.</p>

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<p>Ferry to Bremerton, pretty sweet. Take the monorail and visit Pike’s Place Market. (watch the way they give people fish) The only thing that is different aboot Seattle is there are a ton of street performers.
I would say see a Mariner’s game at the Kingdome, but that has since been torn down. I don’t know how SafeCo Field is, but I am sure you cannot smoke anywhere in there, unlike the Kingdome, where you could smoke on the main concourse. Mt Rainer is totally sweet, but my favorite place in that area has got to be Mt St Helens.</p>

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<p>The big touristy things to do in Vancouver are Granville Island (same sort of thing as Pike Place Market), Stanley Park and the Vancouver Aquarium, the Capilano Suspension Bridge, the tram up Grouse mountain, and the Vancouver Art Gallery.</p>

<p>There’s a big brand-new museum, all underground, called Storyeum. It uses theatrical presentation to tell the history of BC.</p>

<p>If you’re into theatre, there’s Bard on the Beach in Kitsilano, and Theatre under the Stars at Stanley Park. There’s also Theatresports at Granville Island. It’s an improv league where a couple of Whose Line is It Anyway actors got their start, among others.</p>

<p>If you’re in Vancouver at the end of July/beginning of August, there’s the Celebration of Light, an international fireworks show that attracts over a million spectators on the beaches of English Bay and Kits Point. </p>

<p>More off-the-beaten-path is La Casa Gelato on Venables Street. It has over 100 flavours of gelato/sorbet, including really wacky flavours like wasabi, salmon, and garlic. Sample the crazy flavours, then get yourself a more traditional one. Last time I was there I had tiramisu-flavoured ice cream.</p>

<p>Taking the ferry to Victoria for a day is always a good option. It’s a city that’s got a really British feel about it. </p>

<p>Dining: Romano’s Macaroni Grill, Cactus Club, Earl’s, and White Spot.</p>

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<p>steph
I am not sure if kjofkw is talking about Vancouver Wa or BC.
We are going to BC in the fall however so this is helpful thanks.</p>

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<p>Anyone headed to BC over the summer- be sure you have proof of citizenship for the border crossing- no longer is a driver’s license enough, now you need your passport or birth cert., too.</p>

<p>Also, the border can be crazy 1-2-3 hours to cross or it can take 5 minutes, just depending. Listen to 1130AM radio station for border reports every ten minutes. There are 3 crossings- Peace Arch is on I5, the most touristy one, the “truck crossing” is generally better and can be accessed by tkaing exit 275 and go straight through 2 lights. If you hear on the radio that those two are bad and that “Aldergrove” is good, it is 15 minutes east…exit 275, go to the second light (H street) and follow it until it ends (a lovely country drive) then turn left and go directly to the Aldergrove crossing, once accross, do the same thing back west (another 15 minites) on 0 street or 8th or 16th, get back on highway 99 and all is well.</p>

<p>For the ferry, you can hear the same ferry wait reports- plan about $30CD each way on the ferry and $10CD per person each way. The big ferries go on the odd hours and are much nicer than the smaller boats so try for that and try for the buffet. Victoria/Vancouver Island is gorgeous…go a bit up island on highway 1 and hike Mt Finlayson at the Gold Stream Park…walk around down town. If you have a dog, stop at the dog park at the very southern tip of Victoria (Beacon Hill Park area.)</p>

<p>In Vancouver, it is fun to walk around the downtown area, Robson Street, etc. Steph covered many of the highlights of Vancouver. They have great parks and great places to walk around, great dog parks all over-- if you are up by the Capilano Bridge & Grouse Mountain, check out Ambleside Beach Park- places for people and for dogs- walk around West Van shops right there.</p>

<p>There are lots of fun sports things going on in the summer. If you like Rugby, the “Japan Cup” happens around July 8-10, and there are many other sporty things to see.</p>

<p>I would put Earl’s way above White Spot (Maybe I’ve never had good white spot, but that is one popular place which does nto impress me), and also add Milestones to the list. For low price lunches and coffee, try Tim Hortons, it is so big in Canada. They have donuts which are no where near as good as Winchell’s, but they are very very popular in BC! They have decent soup & sandwhich stuff for lunch.</p>

<p>If you are into yoga gear, sheck out Lululemon, the totally hip/cool/comfy yoga gear which “every one” wears! On Robson Street or Park Royal in West Van. or even in Victoria :)</p>

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<p>kjofkw: As others have said, the smaller schools in/around Seattle are SPU (Seattle Pacific U), SU (Seattle U), Northwest College (in suburb - Kirkland), UPS (U of Puget Sound in Tacoma) and PLU (Pacific Lutheran U - also in Tacoma), Evergreen State College (in Olympia). Take a tour of the UW, it’s a beautiful campus. If driving to Vancouver, BC, stop in Bellingham, WA for a drive-by of Western Washington U. For a change of pace going to Portland, you can take the roundabout way by driving east over the Cascade Mountains to see the “dry” side of the state and head over to Walla Walla to check out Whitman College (if you have the time to fit it in, you won’t regret it!). It’s about 4 hours SE of Seattle and 4 hours NE of Portland. From Walla Walla to Portland you’ll follow the Columbia River through the gorge.</p>

<p>Weather is terrific from about the second week of July through September. 75-85 everyday. Another beautiful drive is to Mt. Ranier and Paradise Lodge. Definitely take in an M’s game at Safeco Field (even if they are playing crummy right now…). The less expensive lodgings are in the burbs, but the traffic is practically unbearable, so you might want to find something downtown and take advantage of the free bus service within the downtown boundaries. The Seattle Art Museum and a performance at the Benaroya Concert Hall may interest you.</p>

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<p>We really enjoyed Science World in Vancouver <a href=“Today - Science World”>Today - Science World. For food, there’s Foody Goody, a restaurant with a huge all-you-can-eat buffet. Other interesting stops in Washington State is Whidbey Island with Deception Pass and Fort Casey State Park with a coast artillery post that features two historic guns on display. There are also some wineries on the island; I still remember getting a very nice loganberry wine at the Whidbey Island Winery. The Hoh Rain Forest on the Olympic Peninsula is great, and so is Sol Duc Hot Springs.</p>

<p>Have fun!</p>

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<p>I didn’t want to bump…but I did want to say thanks! Very helpful…and useful ideas.</p>