<p>^ Agree. Hood River is gorgeous! You could stay right on the river.</p>
<p>Excellent suggestion. We will head out of Salem and break up the long drive that way, thanks.</p>
<p>So, any hotel suggestions?
Should I go with something close to Lewis and Clark, or maybe a boutique hotel in downtown Portland, so we can see some of that area? Also, Powells and Voodoo are still on the intinerary.</p>
<p>Any suggestions for hotels or B and Bs heading towards Whitman/Hood River area?</p>
<p>Any alternatives to the Marcus Whitman in Walla Walla?</p>
<p>All input and must-sees appreciated, including dining options around UPS, in Portland, and Salem. I think we have Walla Walla covered with a favorite pizza place and a burger joint – kind of a drive in IRC.</p>
<p>The Best Western Plus on East Oak Street in Walla Walla is just a few blocks from campus and is a good alternative to the Marcus Whitman. It’s less expensive but clean, and comfortable. I like to stay within walking distance of the school, I like walking through downtown Walla Walla. There are also lots of recommendations for good eating to be found here: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/whitman-college/1363389-best-walla-walla.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/whitman-college/1363389-best-walla-walla.html</a>. Have a great trip!</p>
<p>Any chance of spending an overnight on the Willamette University campus? One poster said Willamette was an “up and coming school,” which is true. US News & World Reports’ 2012 ranking ties it with Reed – making these two schools the top liberal arts colleges in Oregon. The Washington Monthly rankings place it 23rd in the country: [Willamette</a> University | Washington Monthly recognizes Willamette’s commitment to civic engagement](<a href=“http://www.willamette.edu/news/library/2012/08/washington_monthly.html]Willamette”>http://www.willamette.edu/news/library/2012/08/washington_monthly.html). My son is a junior there and has been having an amazing experience. If you have a chance to spend the night, be sure to have the fresh-made scones at the student-run Bistro the next morning.</p>
<p>CJaneRead–all these schools are really great. We visited most of them, and truly, it comes down to that nebulous factor of “feel”. It will be interesting to see what you think of the different schools! S ended up applying to and being accepted at Whitman, Willamette, and Western Washington University, although he ended up somewhere else completely different.</p>
<p>Back from the Road Trip.
With a few adjustments all went according to plan. Weather was fabulous the whole time, so all the campuses looked great.
Day 1
Headed to Tacoma from the Seattle area, bright and early.
Toured University of Puget Sound at 9 with a great guide and a guide-in-training. Tourguide took us to some additional areas of interest after the “official tour” on her own time and we got some further insights into some unique programs.
Drove to Portland and Lewis and Clark, took an afternoon tour. Late afternoon/early evening headed into downtown Portland, and the Hotel Monaco. Great L&C rate for a fantastic hotel. Walked around Portland, ate at Kenny and Zuke’s, “did” Powell’s and didn’t leave empty-handed, ditto for Voodoo Donuts, where we had, what we were told was an uncharacteristically short wait.</p>
<p>Day 2 Next morning, drove to Salem and Willamette. Met for an info session, which was just us and the admissions officer, so asked a lot of questions that were specific to our situation/my kid’s interests. Took a morning tour. Again, great guide and guide in training. Lunch at Willamette.</p>
<p>Late afternoon headed out. Stayed at the Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, WA. Absolutely gorgeous. Still had time for a sunny evening stroll at the lodge and dinner.</p>
<p>Day 3 Early morning departure for Walla Walla. Tour at Whitman. Kid did lunch with students, while I had a coffee in town. Was going to stay the night in Walla Walla, but trip felt complete so drove back to the Seattle area.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone’s help on this thread-- trip was well worthwhile, all the colleges were interesting to see and much food for thought was gathered.</p>
<p>You were so lucky with the weather!
Glad you had a good trip!</p>
<p>Yay!! A good PacNW trip-- and your weather WAS gorgeous. Kind of hot today, but we love that sun. Will look forward to hearing your thoughts on almost the exact PacNW tour we did!</p>
<p>^</p>
<p>jaylynn wrote</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Ditto for mine. I couldn’t get a sense of what the objections were, but kiddo is pretty intuitive, so there must have been some “vibe” that did not equate to a fit.</p>
<p>I know exactly why mine didn’t finish the L&C app…the kids in the ravine smoking weed at 10AM on a weekday. Plus there was no student interaction in the student union building/dining commons . You would think that at 10 or 11 AM kids would be getting coffee, meeting up, etc.
But that was 2006, so maybe things have changed…</p>
<p>Compared to the L and C visit, Willamette visit had several groups meeting in the school coffee shop and loudly working on projects. I didn’t like the number of cigarette smokers or tattoos, but then I wasn’t the one looking.</p>
<p>And then there was Whitman, where she found what she was looking for.<br>
Laid back without being too “NW granola”
Intensely academic without being overly competitive
Lots of outdoor opportunities
Huge sense of community due to small town environment.</p>
<p>None of the smokers were out in the beautiful sunshine on our visit.
We didn’t see any smokers at any of the campuses and none of the dorms smelled of cigarette smoke, either. No one was in the designated smoker areas, either. </p>
<p>Quite possibly a fluke, because there was a bong (or possibly hookah) prominently displayed in one of the L&C’s dorm windows.</p>
<p>Yes, Whitman made a favorable impression on this end, as well.
I am not sure the kid, who managed to sleep for hours on the drive, had a sense of how in the middle of nowhere it is, though.</p>
<p>Our visits were 6 years ago, I’m only chiming in because this area of the country doesn’t get a lot of mention on CC. Things may have changed.
When ours was looking at Whitman, someone said “well, if it were close to Seattle, it would be perfect”. The admissions person’s answer was, if it were close to Seattle it wouldn’t be Whitman. Location fosters community, both on campus and with the town.</p>
<p>I agree, dragonmom.
And I should clarify my “middle of nowhere” remark. I really liked the town of Walla Walla and, of course, that is by no means “nowhere”.
What I meant to say, was that while kiddo was snoozing, hundreds of miles were being driven, so I don’t think that there was a sense of the location at all. For all I know, there was an assumption, that we WERE close to Seattle ;)</p>
<p>My daughter is a freshman at Whitman this year and she hasn’t had one bad thing to say. in fact, we hardly hear from her! The transition has been beyond all of our expectations.</p>
<p>We know a lot of Whitman kids and Whitman alum and to a person they love love love their school. My D just thought it was too in the middle of nowhere. I have no doubt she would have been fine there, but it’s a matter of getting each student to actually agree to go wherever. Now she’s in an insular campus but in a big city= perfect for her.</p>