Sodo

..if you’re into the aesthetic of a rusty warehouse district.

This past summer I dedicated a Saturday to taking photos along the bus-only road that exists between 4th & 6th Ave South or so. It’s filled with commissioned murals—and uncommissioned graffiti—and all sorts of unused railroad track and decaying shacks in between. It’s kaleidoscopic in a very disjunct way.

Of course, it will never equal the stunning graffiti of the outer bouroughs in NYC nor California’s East Bay, East L.A., nor South Bay… but the combination of the half-hearted happy-happy on top of the crumbling buildings that make up the canvases is unique, even if slightly cheesy. I still get a kick out of seeing all of this, rain or shine, whenever I bus back and forth between Seattle and Sea-Tac airport.

There are a lot of major outlet stores in Sodo, though.. Home Depot, Costco, Sears, etc. Oh yeah, and that one coffeehouse chain.. Starsomething? The HQ. Yeah, that’s it. A lot of cool used antique stores/goods exist here.. even some very out-of-the-way restaurants that are underrated. Oh yeah, and Safeco and Qwest fields… minor details.

As for nightlife? Well, there are a few clubs that operate in Sodo, but almost all of them aren’t worth promoting here, to be frank.

I wouldn’t call Sodo unsafe, really; but I’d be iffy about walking around Sodo alone at night, mainly because there isn’t any walking traffic at all south of the two big sports stadiums—which is a reason alone to not walk anywhere alone at night, however urban, suburban, “dangerous”, or “safe” the area is.

I’d certainly grab a friend, or vice versa, and go on a photography mission one night if there was a motion for it, though.