My beloved alma mater, the University of Washington, turns 150 years old today! Â I spend an incredible four years at the U, and to this day maintain that it is the most beautiful campus in the country (and I’ve visited enough to justify this statement). Â In honor of this milestone, I wanted to share my must-visits for this little corner of the Emerald City.
Stay: The hotel choices in the U District are rather limited, so I recommend staying at my favorite spot in downtown Seattle, the Grand Hyatt. Â Boasting gorgeous city and water views and in the heart of downtown, it’s also a quick bus ride to the campus.
See:Â Obviously, the campus – a fusion of classical and modern architecture (with a few dated Cold War relics); the Quad in the springtime, with the cherry blossoms in bloom, is simply stunning, Drumheller Fountain on a sunny day with Mt. Rainier floating in the sky, the football stadium perched over Lake Washington…the list goes on. Â I would start at Denny Hall (the first building on the campus) and walk down towards the Fisheries building (strolling through the Quad into Red Square, and heading down to Drumheller and down towards Sylvan Grove, and onto the Burke-Gilman). Â You can kill a couple of hours wandering around the campus – a worthy use of that time.
Play: The Burke-Gilman trail loops around the campus and is a great path for a run or bikes. Â However, my favorite activity (one I did numerous times) was to rent canoes from the WAC and row around Lake Washington. Â Spending a sunny day on Lake Washington is an experience second-to-none – and a large reason why Seattlites put up with the 9 months of drizzle and overcast. Â Should the weather be on the dreary side, a beer tasting at The Ram and shopping in U-Village are great ways to spend some time as well.
Taste: Two words – Thaiger Room. Â Nestled on “the Ave” (University Way), this is some of the best Thai food you’ll ever eat (and having searched high and low for quality Thai wherever I live, I would know). Â I ate here on a weekly basis (and sometimes more) in my college days, and always make time to stop by for lunch whenever I visit. Â My must haves are – fried tofu with peanut sauce (you have to order both items separately), the pad thai, and the rama garden. Â I still dream about this peanut sauce to this day. Â Other great restaurants on the Ave are – Cedar’s, any of the teriyaki joints. Â Down by the water – Agua Verde for superb tacos. Â In U-Village, the aforementioned The Ram boasts superb tavern food, and I swore by Zoka‘s lattes to get me through physical chemistry my senior year.
Happy Birthday, UW! Â The perfect ending to this celebratory weekend would be with a win against Oregon :)
