Here is the source I settled on:
http://www.indo.com/distance/
or click here
for the exact query about Stanford and Berkeley.
It uses US Census data to derive distance and direction, and bounces the coordinates to the Xerox-PARC map server to generate maps. It's not pretty but it works. When I type it in I get the following answer:
Distance between Berkeley, California, United States and Stanford, California, United States, as the crow flies:
31 miles (51 km) (27 nautical miles)
Initial heading from Berkeley to Stanford:
south-southeast (166.6 degrees)
Initial heading from Stanford to Berkeley:
north-northwest (346.7 degrees)
I assume the coordinates for Berkeley are for downtown Berkeley, which
is a little bit west of the campus, but only by a block or 3. The Stanford
coordinates may well be the campus itself, or they may be on the main
drive by the campus - Camino Real. In either case, the east-west difference
is not substantial. I think we can be pretty sure that the Cal bell tower
is west of the Stanford bell tower.