Directions, Maps, & Lodging
Whether you plan to visit campus for a single campus tour, or for a special visit event, we want to help you get the most out of your trip! Here are some tips for getting to campus and exploring Seattle:
Getting to Seattle
Seattle Pacific University is located at 3307 Third Avenue West, Seattle, WA 98119.
Find airline tickets, hotels, car rentals, and travel deals at Expedia.com, Travelocity.com, or Orbitz.com.
To get here by train, visit Amtrak. If traveling by bus, visit Greyhound. For local Seattle travel, you may want to arrange for a Taxi, Uber, or Lyft.
For prospective students attending Falcon Night, SPU offers complimentary transportation to and from Sea-Tac Airport, King Street Station, the Greyhoud bus station, or the Seattle ferry terminal at designated times (see below). Transportation requests must be made with at least two weeks’ notice. We regret that we are unable to provide transportation for guests.
Falcon Night pick-up times: Thursdays at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.
Falcon Night departure times from SPU: Fridays at 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Directions to SPU
From North I-5 or South I-5:
- Take the Mercer St. exit (exit number 167).
- Coming off the exit ramp, get into the right-hand lanes.
- Turn right onto Fairview St.
- Continue to the stoplight and turn left onto Valley St.
- At the next stoplight, turn right onto Westlake Ave.
- Follow Westlake Ave. around Lake Union until it becomes Nickerson St.
- Continue straight on Nickerson St. and turn left onto 3rd Ave. W. You are now on campus!
Remain on 3rd Ave. W. for three blocks, then turn right onto W. Dravus St. and right again into the tiered parking lot (building no. 45 on the campus map). Feel free to park in any space that doesn’t have a number on it (these are student spaces).
Hotels
Lake Union Courtyard Marriott
925 Westlake Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98109
206-213-0100; 800-321-2211 (toll free)
Two miles from campus.
When calling Lake Union Courtyard Marriott, mention SPU to receive special discounted rates.
Marriott SpringHill Suites, Downtown Seattle
1800 Yale Ave., Seattle, WA 98101
206-254-0500
Three miles from campus.
When calling Marriott SpringHill Suites, mention SPU to receive special discounted rates.
Hampton Inn and Suites
700 Fifth Ave. N., Seattle WA 98109
206-282-7700
When calling Hampton Inn and Suites, mention SPU to receive 10 percent off their best available rate.
Crowne Plaza Hotel Seattle
1113 Sixth Ave., Seattle, WA 98101
206-464-1980; 800-521-2762
One mile from CenturyLink Field. Ask for special SPU rate.
EVEN Hotels
527 Fairview Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98109
Staybridge Suites South Lake Union
1119 Mercer St Seattle, WA 98109
206-596-2302 or 877-666-3243 (toll free)
Both hotels are less than 3 miles from campus.
When calling EVEN Hotels and Staybridge Suites South Lake Union, mention SPU to receive up to 15% discount off their best available rate.
Restaurants
Queen Anne/Ballard (near SPU)
- McCormick & Schmick’s: on Lake Union (206-270-9052).
- Via Tribunali: on top of Queen Anne Hill (206-264-7768).
- Chinook’s: in Fisherman’s Terminal (206-283-4665).
- Anthony’s Homeport: in Ballard (206-783-0780).
- Pasta Bella: in Ballard (206-789-4933).
- Wild Mountain Café: in Ballard (206-297-9453).
- Ray’s Boathouse (cafe and restaurant): in Ballard (206-789-3770).
- Kasbah Moroccan: in Ballard (206-788-0777).
Downtown Seattle
- Thai Ginger: in Pacific Place (206-749-9100).
- Mexico: Cantina Y Veracruz Cooking: in Pacific Place (206-405-3400).
- Gordon Biersch: in Pacific Place (206-405-4205).
- Cheesecake Factory: near the Convention Center (206-652-5400).
- Cutters Crabhouse: in the Pike Place Market (206-448-4884).
- Anthony’s Bell Street Diner: Pier 66; 2201 Alaskan Way (206-446-6688).
- Anthony’s Pier 66: Pier 66; 2201 Alaskan Way (206-448-6688).
- Ivar’s Acres of Clams: Pier 54; 1001 Alaskan Way (206-624-6852).
- Metropolitian Grill: near the Convention Center (206-624-3287).
- Dragonfish Asian Café: 722 Pine St. (206-467-7777).
- Il Fornaio Cucina Italiana: 600 Pine St. (206-264-0994).
Seattle is not just a part of our name — it’s a part of who we are as a university.
Business professors invite around 100 local guest speakers into their classrooms every year. Theology classes visit local churches, spanning a wide variety of denominations. Biology professors work with students to research some of the unique life found in the Pacific Northwest. And this only scratches the surface!
Discover Seattle
Nicknamed The Emerald City, Seattle is not only a matchless location for internships and service-learning opportunities, but it’s also a popular tourist destination with great restaurants and places to see. Here are a few suggestions from the Admissions staff to get you started exploring SPU’s neighborhood highlights.
Local Neighborhoods
Seattle is one of those cities that lives like a town. It’s full of quirky neighborhoods, and it’s small enough that you’ll usually run into someone you know on a Saturday afternoon when you are out and about.
SPU students get to live and learn at the intersection of three fantastic Seattle neighborhoods, and we think you’ll love living here as much as they do.
Queen Anne
Seattle Pacific is tucked away on the north side of Seattle’s Queen Anne Hill ― it’s quiet, residential, and friendly. Just up the hill from campus is a villagelike avenue with more coffee-shop study haunts and eateries than you’ll ever know what to do with. Further down, the hill bustles with a downtown vibe.
Our favorite Queen Anne destinations:
- Seattle Center, for a Space Needle view and gobs of photo opps
- Malena’s Taco Shop, for the real deal (and a steal)
- Storyville Coffee Company, for mochas, pastries, and hipster points
SPU students snap a photo outside of the Museum of Popular Culture at Seattle Center.
Ballard
Once a Scandinavian fishing village, Ballard is home to longtime locals, young professionals, families, and plenty of SPU professors. It’s full of great food, coffee shops, and the places you’ll probably head to for groceries and light bulbs (Fred Meyer, we’re looking at you).
Ballard is famous for:
- Majestic Bay Theatres, where movie-watching feels old-school
- Larsen’s Danish Bakery, where the kringle is crisp
- Golden Gardens Park, where SPU beach bonfires are a weekend staple in the fall and spring
Fremont
You won’t get through orientation at SPU without at least one invitation to walk to Fremont along the ship canal. It’s a gorgeous 10-minute stroll in every season, but especially in the fall. Once you arrive, it’s public art, local boutiques, and peaceful protesters with clipboards galore.
SPUers love a lot about Fremont:
The Fremont Troll is the largest of many quirky sights present in Fremont and Ballard.