<p>Blue Star Cafe ? Go early. Looking for parking on side streets will also give him experience with those little round-a-bouts that slow traffic on residential streets if he hasn’t done much of that.</p>
<p>Is Blue Star that one on Stone Way just the Greenlake side of 45th or am I thinking of some place different? Running to google again.</p>
<p>cool - it is I’ve had lunch there but never breakfast. DS knows Archie McPhee as a landmark so he will be able to find it. He is good with 45th, 50th and Stone Way as landmark streets as well but hasn’t had to cope with parking.</p>
<p>Yep. </p>
<p>There’s a cool outdoor museum and pike’s market. Sorry, can’t remember the name of the museum. </p>
<p>The Olympic Sculpture Park?</p>
<p>Shows how often I go to either Capitol Hill or Lower Queen Anne. Totally slipped my mind that there are Dick’s there.
My mom got ticketed for going nose in instead of backing into a parking spot in Madison Park.
You also have to beware of the 8pm paid parking that’s popping up all over. </p>
<p>After 50+ years here, I am still challenged to get from the Arboretum to Golden Gardens, past Gasworks, through Fremont and Ballard, without making at least one wrong turn. </p>
<p>I once had to get from Madison Valley to Roosevelt area and back fast (stupid kid forgot something). The problem was it was opening day and the Montlake Bridge was still closed. I took that back way over Boyer past the Greek Orthodox church and up through the neighborhood to that funny little I5 on-ramp by Roanoke the I5 to 65th. I took ROosevelt back across the University bridge then that little cut off from Eastlake by where the Red Robin used to be. I made amazing time!</p>
<p>It messed me up when they change the routing around the Fremont Bridge as you approach from the East. Now I take 35th across so as not to get stuck in the lanes that have to turn left.</p>
<p>A delicious breakfast place in the U district, and they also have one at South Lake Union is the Portage Bay Café. They are soooo good. love that breakfast bar for your pancakes.</p>
<p>When driving through Fremont, stop and say hi to the creature that lives under the Autora Bridge, the Rocket and Mr. Lenin. And do not forget that Theos is giving out free samples of various chocolates they make. I used to pop into their shop after lunch for a mini dessert of sorts (I would buy a bar every 3rd or so visit so I would not be viewed as a complete freeloader. 
).</p>
<p>I can not remember what it was like driving in the area and I doubt it’s inexpensive, but it does seem like a good fit for a teen boy. Stone Gardens? I’m pretty sure that’s where we went that one time for rock climbing.</p>
<p>If you’re going to go out to Alki you could choose a low tide time and check out the tidepools.</p>
<p>Marination Mobile is now parked by the foot ferry in Alki. Great finger licking food truck tacos! </p>
<p>Stone Gardens is an indoor climbing gym. There are a couple locations and he got a membership for his birthday. It doesn’t get activated until AFTER apps are in, though, on the principle that he really doesn’t have that much free time right no. Mean mommy!</p>
<p>To clarify. We live in the Seattle area but in the burbs. The kid got his license late. We do a lot of trips back and forth to a few areas so he is very comfortable in those and random trips to others, but now that he is a driver and a senior it seems fun to have him know the ins and outs of the city. Many of my own youth haunts are closed, so I’m looking for new ideas of cheap places for an 18 yr old to go with friends or GF to hang out, get a cup of coffee, share a sandwich, see a view, swing on a swing etc. that are of the suburban beaten path so fun and adventurous on a dime. He’s been to Ballard a lot but never driven there, he’s been through Fremont but never gotten out and milled around. He’s been to Gasworks a lot but never paid attention to the many ways to get there because I was driving. I want him to have a comfortable set of places that he can go for fun and knows how to safely navigate there and park, etc.</p>
<p>Yeah, it was Stone Gardens. I’ll bow out 'cause I have a daughter, and when we were going into Seattle it wasn’t usually for quick stop on the way places, it was more destination, spend a while there. The eating places I know are sit down rather than grab and go.</p>
<p>It wouldn’t hurt to do the 520/405/90 loop at some point, too. Paying tolls is a skill too.</p>
<p>for places to eat, you could try the various PCCs.
They all have places to sit ( although not many at the greenlake store) and the Fremont location often has pretty good pizza by the slice. ( also West Seattle, View Ridge, Ravenna & Seward park, locations in the city)</p>
<p>Just a warning, there have been muggings at Golden Gardens after dark, when people are going to the restroom which is in the north end of the park.
The victims are often teenagers, and I don’t know if they are being targeted by people they know.
The muggers probably aren’t as active since summer has ended.</p>
<p>I’ve never had a problem at Golden Gardens however and I go there often.</p>
<p>No more searching for cash or stopping at a toll booth - that toll gets either deducted from the parents’ Goodtogo account or mailed to the home address as a bill. </p>
<p>We take usually take 90</p>
<p>We are avoiding 520 and 405N right now (with the kid driving) until the construction is further along. They’ve had road grading and “abrupt lane edges” on 405N that make experienced drivers cringe. For now I am focusing on 90 to 5 on and off ramps and all exits/entrances for I5 in the city</p>