Gift ideas for college freshman bound for Seattle

Parent Cafe
1

<p>Can you help? It is a young woman that will be studying in Seattle starting this fall.
She is not a close family member, just a daughter of friends.
I was thinking about a gift card to a trendy Seattle cafe? Something I could buy online?
I know, I can always get her an umbrella :wink:
I need it by May 26th.
Thanks!</p>

2

<p>No umbrellas! People in Seattle hardly ever use them. A gift card to REI is always handy to buy the GoreTex or similar rainwear she’ll probably want. Plus the REI home store is a great place to visit, do some rock climbing, ride a bike on their bike path… It’s a Seattle institution.</p>

3

<p>How about a gift card to Agua Verde (can be purchased over the phone according to the website)? It’s casual, fun and very popular, delicious Mexican food; located right behind the campus on the water. (Montlake Cut, connecting Lake Washington with Lake Union). </p>

<p>Another possibility would be a gift card to University Village, the upscale open-air mall located just a couple of blocks from campus. It has several restaurants and many stores ranging from Apple and Microsoft stores to Anthropologie, J Crew and Sephora.</p>

<p>[Agua</a> Verde Cafe & Paddle Club Seattle](<a href=“http://www.aguaverde.com/]Agua”>http://www.aguaverde.com/)</p>

<p>[University</a> Village](<a href=“http://www.uvillage.com/]University”>http://www.uvillage.com/)</p>

4

<p>NO UMBRELLA! However, as you did not say the amount of $$ I would agree with any of the above or just an Itunes card.</p>

5

<p>I don’t know what your price range is- you might also consider a gift card to university bookstore. They have one on the ave, as well as campus locations - plus their coffee is pretty good.[Home</a> - University Book Store](<a href=“http://www.bookstore.washington.edu/home/home.taf?]Home”>http://www.bookstore.washington.edu/home/home.taf?)
Or if you want her to explore the city, get her a gift card to Elliot Bay books ( which is actually now on Capitol Hill)
Even if she isn’t attending the UW, their bookstore is one of the better ones in the city.</p>

<p>Or an easy street records tshirt- all the cool kids have one.
[Easy</a> Street Records](<a href=“Store | Easy Street Records”>http://easystreetonline.com/)
<a href=“http://blogs.ocweekly.com/heardmentality/flight_to_mars-observatory_ACY9438_opt.jpg[/url]”>http://blogs.ocweekly.com/heardmentality/flight_to_mars-observatory_ACY9438_opt.jpg&lt;/a&gt;
^^^^ok, so he is a little older than a kid, but he is still a rock star;)</p>

6

<p>I have a great idea for you. There is a series of small pop-out maps available at Barnes and Noble (oddly, Amazon doesn’t have it), and there is one for Seattle. It’s only $6.25. It’s a small, sturdy map that opens up (sort of popping out to be larger). It’s easy to store in your purse and easy to put away. I gave one for London to a friend who was moving there and she loved it.</p>

<p>[BARNES</a> & NOBLE | Seattle, Washington PopOut Map by LTD. COMPASS MAPS, LTD., Map Easy | Other Format](<a href=“http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seattle-washington-popout-map/1029744225?ean=9781845877552]BARNES”>http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seattle-washington-popout-map/1029744225?ean=9781845877552)</p>

7

<p>Definitely not an umbrella. If we ever use them, we lose them. Doesn’t generally rain hard enough to use them anyways. I would vote for the REI gift certificate, but REI is pretty pricey. Maybe a store in the University Village. Everybody goes to Starbucks, but that’s probably not too memorable of a gift card. Definitely the University Bookstore (that is, if she’s a Husky), that way she can buy UW shirts, sweatshirts and the like.</p>

8

<p>I realize I wasn’t clear about U Village. If you purchase a U Village gift card it can be used at any of their dozens of restaurants/stores. Lots of college students stroll around U Village. It’s an open-air mall and very attractive, with fabulous plantings and plenty of outdoor seating. Oh, and tables with umbrellas. And U Village loaner golf umbrellas in bins outside stores.</p>

9

<p>To go with the original restaurant idea, Seattle chef Tom Douglas recently won the James Beard award for outstanding American restauranteur. His original Seattle restaurant and still my favorite is the Dahlia Lounge. Gift cards are available on the Tom Douglas website.</p>

<p>If you are feeling extra generous, he is also the chef for the 5-course meal at Teatro ZinZanni, a unique dinner theater experience (described as “the KitKat Club on steroids”).</p>

10

<p>Magnetron, my favorite is Seastar. But I haven’t been to dahlia lounge for a long time.
Still waiting for Tom to open one in Ballard.</p>

<p>You could get her a membership to REI. I agree it is pricey, but they have great sales, give dividends and I think they have a sale coming up
.
<a href=“http://www.rei.com/membership.html[/url]”>http://www.rei.com/membership.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Another co-op that sells memberships is PCC, a natural foods grocery store.
<a href=“http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/join/now/[/url]”>http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/join/now/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

11

<p>If she’s studying at Seattle Pacific University in Fremont, SimplyDesserts has the best cakes in town. They sell by the slice. Not sure if they have gift cards or not.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.simplydesserts.com%5B/url%5D”>http://www.simplydesserts.com</a></p>

<p>Espresso Vivace has two locations and has arguably the best coffee in town.
[Welcome</a> to Espresso Vivace](<a href=“http://www.espressovivace.com%5DWelcome”>http://www.espressovivace.com)</p>

12

<p>When my D went off to grad school last fall, my good friend gave her a gift card for Trader Joe’s. She was quite pleased. TJ’s carries a great selection of items that would appeal to many.</p>