It seems we have the same choice in common. I live a hair south of you, and work near Northgate. The most straightforward route is basically to take Roosevelt, although it's never the one I take. But one of my most common detours is to do a loop around (most of) Lake Union. I might take Stone south from Green Lake, catch the Burke until the Fremont Bridge, and then hug the shore until I get home. It's a nice little bit of scenery, and might add somewhere in the ballpark of 15 minutes, so a pretty "cheap" "thrill."