r/ducks • u/djsassan • 2d ago
Buckeye fan traveling to Washington next year. I'd like the know the perspective of VISITORS where to stay, what to see, etc. Football
Hello all,
I am NOT going to bring up this past season's games as there are better threads and discussions for that, other than to say I enjoyed Eugene and the hospitality - I am hoping to experience the same next year at Washington.
I come to peacefully ask for advice on a trip to Washington to see OSU vs the Huskies in 2025. I can read what the locals suggest, but I am more interested in feedback from frequent visitors.
Places to stay that wont break the bank? I dont need more than a clean room and shower, as I plan to explore instead of enjoying hotel amenities. I am already booked at a Marriott that is 40 mins away, but would like something closer without paying $400/night - if such a thing even exists
Parking suggestions?
Visiting team tailgates?
Best view of the game from visiting side?
Places to eat thay locals would overlook? Places to avoid due to local hype?
Appreciate your advice in advance.
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u/Sweet-Lady-H 1d ago
As a local, I’ll let others give you references for places to stay/eat/etc.
But I will give you a couple words of warning.
Prepare for UW fans to be assholes to you. DO NOT wear any article of clothing that you’ll be upset if it gets dirty/ruined. I’ve had numerous beer cans thrown at me, shoved down in the rain, etc. I’m born and bred Washington but hate the huskies so I’m a duck fan and I’ve been treated HORRIBLY by UW fans both at home and away.
Husky stadium is BRUTAL. The angle of the stairs/bleachers is literally a death wish. Lower seats have less chance of falling and breaking your neck, but aren’t covered so if it’s raining you’re miserable. Pick your lesser of two evils but if you get seats higher up, I highly recommend staying at least moderately sober so you don’t fall to your death.
All that said, I - as a Washingtonian - hope you enjoy your trip here and have a great time. This is a cool ass state in general and has so much to offer!!
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u/SwimmingWaterdog11 1d ago
Oh god yes I second the warning about the stadium. Last time I went I could only afford nose bleeds and had MAJOR vertigo. Spent most of the game walking around concourse areas. Next time will def buy much lower seats.
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u/hannahas1 1d ago edited 1d ago
Fellow Buckeye fan who moved to Seattle in 2016. My biggest suggestion, if you can swing it, is to take an extra couple days to explore WA outside Seattle. If you’re inclined to hike, then fall in the PNW is hard to beat. Rent a car and take a day to get into the mountains, or visit the peninsula if you’d rather see beaches or rainforest.
An Airbnb near the university (Ravenna, Wedgewood) will put you closer to campus, farther from downtown, but may save you money.
If you’re strapped for time, a walk through the arboretum or around lake union are both nice. I’ll recommend pike place market (chowder and/or smoked salmon), it’s a tourist destination but is actually full of great local food and culture.
Sailgating is unique, but I personally enjoy the parking lot scene more.
Xi’an noodles is prob my fave food near the university. People will recommend din tai fung. It’s tasty but you’ll have to wait and it’s a little more expensive. Teriyaki is not my thing but Seattle has a lot of it.
I’m more of a coffee nerd so could give suggestions if you want.
Hit me up if you have specific questions or want to connect for the tailgate!
Edit: yes, def take advantage of the light rail! It’ll open your options for accommodation, and gameday on the link is fun!
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u/Sweet-Lady-H 1d ago
Sounds like you’ve fallen in love with my beautiful state. So glad you seem to be enjoying it here and apologies for all the “Seattle freeze” folks and UW fans.
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u/ThePhamNuwen 1d ago
Or if you really wanna save money on hotel you can stay south of the city in like Tukwila and take light rail to the stadium
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u/djsassan 1d ago
Light rail to the stadium? Do tell more......
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u/ThePhamNuwen 1d ago
The light rail only goes north-south but it stops directly at the stadium so its basically the best way to get to and from games. Ubers are super expensive
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u/djsassan 1d ago
Awesome and thank you. Somehow no one ever mentioned this option before, if you catch my drift.
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u/BDC_67 1d ago
I’ve lived in Seattle, and have attended a number of Duck games at Husky Stadium both as a resident of Seattle and as a visitor from out of state.
Light rail should be your first priority. Driving/parking is a nightmare after the game. Forget setting up a tailgate, it’s not going to happen as a visitor. You may end up finding one with a few “friendlies” that you can stop by and visit, but again—light rail. You’ll save yourself a ton of headache.
On gameday, if you’re staying in Seattle proper, you’ll see many visiting fans around town. I bet there’s a Buckeye bar that will be hosting something.
AirBnBs can be had. But I might suggest trying to find an accommodation/Hotel in either South Lake Union or Cap Hill to give you ease of access to the light rail, as well as other amenities of the city. Straying further out from that introduces a lot of travel time to the equation and takes away the ability to see some of what Seattle has to offer.
I don’t know why someone is digging you for asking and insinuating that duck fans don’t travel to Seattle, there’s a good contingent that lives there and make the trip up to Seattle from Oregon every time it’s up there.
If you like beer: Ballard and Fremont neighborhoods are where you should go. High concentration of breweries. Sounds silly, but for simple takeaway, any number of Teriyaki joints are gonna be quality, kind of like an understated dish of the city. Personally, I happen to think the food in the other large cities of the PNW is better, but there’s good food to be had for sure. Coffee is good of course.
Pro Tip: Leave your umbrella at home. You’re just going to piss people off if you use one. Then again it’ll be late September you should be fine.
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u/CitizenCue 1d ago edited 1d ago
Sorry, you’re asking Oregonians what you should do in Washington? You may grossly overestimating how many of us travel regularly for away games.
Some people do, but it’s a very small minority.
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u/djsassan 1d ago
If I ask a home team fan, they gave the homer answers, their personal faves, the things that favor THEIR team's side, etc. They dont share the same perspective as visitors who have been there.
When you ask a visiting fan about a third party stadium, I have found you get a more realistic view of the situation.
If you dont travel often, I hope that changes you get to see more places if you choose to. If you ever come to Columbus, first beer is on me no questions.
Thanks!
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u/mynameizmyname 1d ago
The modern art museum down by the space needle is really cool. There is a bar down there that serves really good chicken fried steak but I forgot it's name.
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u/CitizenCue 1d ago edited 1d ago
I understand the idea, but there is a lot less away game travel on the west coast than there is in the Midwest. There are likely more Oregonians who have never been to Seattle at all than there are who go regularly. I don’t know how valuable advice would be from someone who went to one game fifteen years ago.
Furthermore, if I were in your shoes I would wait more than a few days after the rose bowl to ask an opposing fan base for advice. Considering that your trip isn’t for over 9 months, your choice to do it now is questionable at best. Our fans want to be magnanimous and welcoming, but you’ll get a better response in the spring or summer.
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u/princessprity 1d ago
Ok. He asked a question though. There's no need to be antagonistic about it.
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u/CitizenCue 1d ago
Surely an OSU fan could’ve waited more than a week after the last game to ask about a trip that’s 9 months from now. Strange choice all around here.
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u/princessprity 1d ago
He's being polite. He's asking a fair question. You wouldn't know this, but he first tried to post this weeks ago but auto-moderator caught it. It's one thing to have trolls, but OP is being perfectly fine. Acting hostile like this doesn't make our fanbase look good, especially when someone is looking for relevant info. People have to plan these things in advance.
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u/CitizenCue 1d ago edited 1d ago
No hostility is intended, it’s just strange to ask this days after our game when OP’s trip is 9 months away. They’ll get a much more helpful response if they wait a few weeks or months.
I also don’t think it’s hostile to explain to them that there isn’t the same away game travel culture here as there is in the Midwest. OSU fans caravan in droves to the Big House for Michigan games, but that travel culture isn’t the same out west because our states are bigger and our football history is less developed. So this question won’t elicit as much help as it would elsewhere.
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u/djsassan 1d ago
Actually, I asked this three weeks ago, but took it down because of the game. The mods are aware
I'm just trying to book a trip and not wait for higher prices. If it's that big a deal, take it down. I prefaced with I have zero in discussing any of the games here.
Thanks.
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u/CitizenCue 1d ago
Prices aren’t going to change in a few weeks. Posting days after the end of our season was tone deaf and not going to elicit the response either you or we would prefer to give.
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u/djsassan 1d ago edited 1d ago
Seems like you are one of the few with an issue and keep bringing it up. The majority have been helpful.
I wish you the best.
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u/CitizenCue 1d ago
Look again. Many comments feel the same and your downvote count says the rest.
Next season isn’t for nine months, it’s incredibly weird that you felt the need to post this right now.
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u/downey_jayr 1d ago
If you like sushi go to Mushashi, close to the U district and really good chirashi bowls.
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u/SwimmingWaterdog11 1d ago
Eugene local who skips Portland and goes to Seattle quite frequently. Also an Ohio native. I travel a lot and Seattle is my favorite place in the world. You’ll love it. Stadium has a killer view. Make sure to have a couple extra days to explore the city. Seattle has tons of super reasonably priced hotels. Since it’s a large city something like a UW game won’t impact hotel prices. Stay downtown or on Capitol Hill. Uber to the game. Half the time I visit I don’t bother with a car. Everything to see is relatively compact.
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u/vostheboss 23h ago edited 22h ago
- 40 mins away is probably too far away to get the full experience. I've been to every UW/Oregon game for the last 11 matchups, home/away/neutral, and when I'm in Seattle, I'm the most glad to be somewhere in the campus area and walking through campus to the game. Green Lake, Ravenna, University District, Wallingford neighborhoods being the best for this.
- If Ohio's travel to Eugene is any indication, your clan will have multiple big tailgates in the main parking lots, but my favorite spot is over by the "Rock Walls" on the south side of the stadium. Lot E19 or "Husky Climbing Rock" on google map. You will find red over there. It's also very close to their boat house and the "sailgating" docks which is a sight to behold as a visitor.
- The game is on Sept 27th, so it'll be warm, but still, the third deck ain't half bad since it's covered and you'd stay dry on a rainy day. I also personally think it keeps you closer to your visiting fans, and gives you a great view of the water and the forests across the Montlake Cut from the North Side.
- Places to eat: Locals won't ignore it, but I recommend Portage Bay in University District for breakfast/brunch. You might arrive and think it's way too busy, but they don't take reservations and I've arrived with groups of 10+ before and got in and out with ease without having to wait longer than 30 mins. They're built for gameday.
Later in the day, I've enjoyed getting a bit outside of campus area for food in Green Lake like Zeeks Pizza or Wooden City Tavern. Bonus points for one of my favorite parks and run/walk spots, Green Lake Park.
This trip is pretty much my super bowl every other year at this point. It's Autzen North. I hate purple but I love my trips to Seattle. Good luck.
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u/UOfasho 1d ago edited 1d ago
You are not welcome here at this moment in time. Come back in 6 months.
You probably want to stay in Fremont to get a little space from the purple people. If you want to play it safe maybe head up to Northgate.
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u/princessprity 1d ago
Don't be an asshole to someone being polite, please. OP is asking for a perfectly legitimate question in a civil manner.
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u/Chaserrr38 1d ago
Not trying to sound like a dick, but why not just ask the guys over in r/huskies? I’m sure if you’re respectful you’ll get some sincere people who would be willing to help.