Hotel Seattle/SanJose?

November 17, 2006 12:20 PM

Cheap (<$120, ideally much less) hotel in Downtown Seattle and in San Jose. Must have internet access. Cheapo car rental in San Jose - and places to look to live?

I'll be in Seattle and then San Jose over the weekend of 2/3 December. I'll be preparing for an academic interview in San Jose and will need a room that is quiet (to practice talk and for last minute studying), has good internet access and is cheap. Any suggestions?

Bonus points: my interview's in San Jose: potential relocation there next year. Is there a car rental place like hire-a-heap so I can drive around and check the place out? Are their neighborhoods within commute distance to look around or mustn't misses to see and get a gut feeling if I like San Jose as a place to live? Do you know of any links about the San Jose area that give me an idea of what's good and what's not?

posted by lalochezia to travel & transportation (9 comments total)

I was in Seattle this past weekend and stayed at the Hotel Max. Right downtown. Was $134 a night (AAA rate). Nice, funky, and a great restaurant and bar.
posted by Panther at 12:45 PM on November 17, 2006

Seattle's best downtown bargain is the Moore Hotel - check out Travel Advisor's reviews on it. For a single it was $70 / night, 2 blocks to Pike Place Market, and best of all, located in the middle of the free downtown bus zone. You can take a bus from the airport to about a block away from the hotel for $1.25! Can't beat that with a stick. Caveat - it is not fancy, it doesn't have shampoo, hairdryer, etc. It's basic, but clean and safe. Location, location, location. Have stayed here twice and it's fine if you want to save some bucks and spend it on Seattle's amazing restaurants instead. Oh, just noticed your note on internet access - Free wifi in the lobby, but not in the room.
posted by HeyAllie at 1:09 PM on November 17, 2006

I don't know about a place to practice, but perhaps I can make up for it by being cheap: I've stayed the Green Tortise hostel in Seattle, for like $20. Free Internet, breakfast, et c.

They had a cheap bus-line down to San Francisco, where they had another hostel, iirc.

As a hostel, it caters to the vaguely hippy-ish, backpacker crowd.

http://www.greentortoise.com/
posted by cmiller at 1:22 PM on November 17, 2006

Hmmm. What to say about San Jose? I live in Santa Cruz, half an hour out on the coast, but I think I might have a more balanced opinion of it than a native. It's a sprawl, but an extraordinarily diverse one. If I lived there, I would find the cultural access and exploration possibilities one of it's greatest assets. I drive over the hill for the Asian and Middle Eastern grocery stores as it is.

There's cheap enough housing to be had there, and many of the cities surrounding San Jose have unique personalities, and it's not even what I'd call a "commute" to downtown from Campbell, Cupertino, Santa Clara, (more of a commute though), from Los Gatos and Gilroy.

Downtown San Jose I find really fascinating. It's half ghost town and half beautiful modern metropolis. The scars of the dotcom bust are very visible there, although if you're coming from anywhere in the rust belt or the south or other place with shrinking economies, it's nothing you aren't used to.

Of course, it's also less than an hour from SF and Oakland, two other great cities, and driving distance from Tahoe, and all the other great norcal stuff.

How to tell if you like San Jose? I'd say go eat some Phở.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 2:10 PM on November 17, 2006

Taken a private room at the green tortoise, with wifi and all for $62. Should be able to practice in there. Thanks!
posted by lalochezia at 2:26 PM on November 17, 2006

Wait, do you still need something in San Jose? Or did you just do the Green Tortoise thing in both Seattle and then San Francisco?

you ask for San Jose but stay in San Francisco? :P
posted by drstein at 3:26 PM on November 17, 2006

Are their neighborhoods within commute distance to look around or mustn't misses to see and get a gut feeling if I like San Jose as a place to live?

What are the parameters on your commute? There are people commuting two hours each around here...

There *are* nice neighborhoods in San Jose, and if you're looking to rent you can probably find something near the downtown. The biggest problem you'll have is paying for it: unless you want to live in the student housing near SJSU, rents are just plain high around here.

There's really no "bad part" of San Jose. There are bad streets, but just as often as not the next street over is a picture of suburban bliss. You pretty much have to go to a particular street to find out what you're getting into.

Rather than just driving around randomly, I'd suggest doing a quick apartment/house search, and building up an itinerary around that. At least you'll have some idea of what you'll be getting for your money...
posted by tkolar at 10:07 PM on November 17, 2006

So, I'll be staying in Seattle for sat/sun at the green tortoise. The advice on San Jose is well appreciated.....keep it coming!

My parameters on commute is: as small as possible. Happy to sacrifice living space/size for lone occupant not having to spend time in car all the time....
posted by lalochezia at 1:02 PM on November 18, 2006

As foir where you want to live in San Jose, it all depends on where your employer is. You can find an apartment easily enough but whether or not it is in your price range is another story. You know how that goes.
posted by drstein at 1:27 PM on November 25, 2006