Inaugural Spec-a-thon Local Accommodations

The site of the Inaugural JML Spec-a-thon is the University of Washington Tacoma campus in downtown Tacoma, Washington (Google Maps, Campus Map). The main meeting room will be Cherry Parkes 331.

Air Travel

The nearest commercial airport is Seattle/Tacoma International Airport (IATA Code: SEA), which is serviced by all major U.S. airlines and several international airlines. Flights are scheduled throughout the day, every day.

Ground Transportation

It is possible (and even easy!) to attend the Spec-a-thon using only public transportation (or hotel transportation). If one or more attendees chooses to rent a car, the mobility of the group will be increased (which gives options aside from those in downtown Tacoma for dinners, etc.). All major car rental agencies are represented at Seattle/Tacoma International Airport.

Depending on your hotel, a free shuttle may be available to and from the airport. If no shuttle is available, Sound Transit runs express bus service (Line 574) from the airport to Tacoma Dome Station (Google Maps) approximately twice an hour from 04:30 to 23:00. The express bus costs $2.50 each way, and the trip lasts approximately 45 minutes.

If you stay at the recommended hotel, you will be able to take the free Tacoma Link Light Rail, which runs at varying frequencies (10-20 minutes) throughout the day from 05:30 to 22:00, between campus and your hotel. If you choose to stay further from campus and rent a car, you can park for free at Tacoma Dome Station and take the light rail to and from campus; parking on campus is both constrained and expensive.

Lodging

There are multiple hotels in downtown Tacoma that are practically on campus (Hotel Murano, Courtyard by Marriott), but they are expensive (unless you find an Internet special). Therefore, we have reserved a block of rooms at the Best Western Tacoma Dome Hotel under the name “Institute of Technology”. These rooms are $99.00 per night, and reservations can be made in this block until 30 April. You may be able to get better rates on Best Western’s website (the best rate was approximately $84.00 per night as of 20 March); since Best Western’s Internet rate can be canceled until you are within 7 days of your stay, we recommend you do this instead of booking a room in the block unless you need the extra flexibility or better rates are no longer available. The Best Western Tacoma Dome Hotel is one block from Tacoma Dome Station, making it easy to catch the light rail to campus and back, and to go to Seattle by train or express bus should you wish to spend some extra time in the area for tourism either before or after the Spec-a-thon.