Last night, mistakenly believing the mayor was holding a public meeting on Nickelsville at the Showbox (it's tonight), a friend and I found ourselves wandering through SoDo with nothing to do.

Setting out for the SoDo light rail station after a stop at Hooverville (free peanuts!), we wandered through the freezing wind past the stadium, over railroad tracks, and down what looked like a freeway on-ramp, finally stumbling across the SoDo Grocery Outlet. (The company---which sells discontinued and off-brand products as well as perfectly adequate produce, highly questionable meat, and dubious dietary supplements---is apparently benefiting from the recession.)

Seven dollars' worth of no-name soap, cheese, and veggies later, we were warm and ready to renew our quest. The SoDo station isn't far from First Avenue South, but it's easy to hit dead ends in the vast, largely unmarked industrial landscape. (Signage, Sound Transit?)

The train pulled up just as we reached the station. On a whim, we got off at the next stop in the International District, where Maneki and its amazing sushi (sweet surf clams, perfectly tender salmon) and steaming soup noodles awaited.