Jamie Hale / The Oregonian
We Portlanders have an odd relationship with Vancouver. The hip, thriving metropolis is true on the Columbia River, however so many people on the Oregon aspect have an odd reluctance to go there.
Is it a stale “Vantucky” stigma? Is it the night rush hour? The Worth Added Tax VAT? Is there some mystical power that forbids folks to cross the river to go to one of many largest cities in our closest neighbor?
Regardless of the case, you’re doing your self a disservice by persevering with to sleep on The Couve. Final month Vancouver was named America’s Hipster Metropolis, and whereas these web rankings are hardly ever good indicators of something aside from intelligent clickbaits, this one really hits the bull’s eye.
Downtown Vancouver is filled with nice eating places and bars. There are miles of paved inexperienced paths and sandy seashores. It’s house to probably the most well-liked nationwide parks within the Pacific Northwest. Public artwork and murals are considerable. Microbreweries are a dozen.
For this record, we have centered on downtown Vancouver and some locations which can be accessible from downtown. There’s much more occurring in East Vancouver that we’ll skip – these locations could also be price persevering with – however one of many nice issues in regards to the metropolis is what number of nice locations are housed in a comparatively small space.
I am positive I haven’t got to inform the locals in regards to the goodnesses of their hometown, however my Portlanders, who’re nonetheless cautious about crossing the bridge, don’t have anything to lose once you go to Vancouver and a lot extra to realize .
Jamie Hale / The Oregonian
TO EAT AND DRINK
1. The mighty bowl
A brick-and-mortar meals truck, The Mighty Bowl is a brilliant, health-conscious place that provides fast, informal bowls at nice costs. It is well-liked for lunch, however the smoothie bowls are additionally an excellent breakfast choice, which value between $ 8 and $ 9. Or, if you wish to expertise actual millennials, you possibly can order the Primary Toast (sure, with avocado) for $ 5 a slice.
Jamie Hale / The Oregonian
2. Compass espresso
One among Vancouver’s greatest espresso roasters, Compass Espresso, has opened probably the greatest cafes on the town. Their comparatively new downtown house has nice aesthetics with glorious espresso and pastries from the native Baron Patisserie bakery.
Michael Russell / The Oregonian
3. Nonavo pizza
Capturing the downtown Vancouver pizza scene, Nonavo serves up wood-fired muffins in an off-the-cuff environment. Their 10 to 12 inch pizzas vary from $ 9 to $ 19, with most geared in the direction of easy substances and recent flavors. It additionally has a wonderful glad hour, the place a margherita cake and beer are solely $ 10.
Michael Russell / The Oregonian
4. Small conejo
One among Vancouver’s most enjoyable new eating places, Little Conejo Taqueria, opened in 2017 and is run by two fixtures on the Portland eating scene. Ben Waterhouse, a contributor to The Oregonian / OregonLive, raved, “The kitchen grinds its personal recent masa for easy tortillas and fills it with gentle items of braised beef tongue, intensely flavorful lamb barbacoa, and crispy bits of pork al pastor pulled from a vertical rotisserie . “
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / The Oregonian
5. Breweries
Vancouver is quick turning into one of many hippest beer scenes within the area. Downtown, you possibly can cease at Lure Door, Loowit, Heathen, Doomsday, Trusty, Beerded Brothers, and Outdated Ivy. That does not embrace close by Mt. Tabor Brewing and Fortside Brewing (positioned on the town, amongst others), in addition to the various craft breweries alongside Washington State Route 14 within the Columbia River Gorge.
Jamie Hale / The Oregonian
6. The meals cocktail & social
Each hip trendy metropolis wants a hip trendy cocktail bar, and in Vancouver that is The Grocery Cocktail & Social. Wonderful cocktails, ample seating and a wide array of native Washington whiskey make ingesting there an actual pleasure. The bar additionally gives non-public tastings at their Washington Whisk (e) y Parlor if that is your factor.
Jamie Hale / The Oregonian
7. Faucet Union Freehouse
Faucet Union Freehouse is a humble institution that focuses on making a stable faucet record and serving up a superb number of sandwiches – plus a few “small plates or no matter”. Pints are $ 6 every and sandwiches are between $ 9 and $ 10, whereas the comfy pub environment may simply entice you for just a few rounds.
Jamie Hale / The Oregonian
8. The thirsty Sasquatch
The Thirsty Sasquatch is a wood-paneled tavern north of central Vancouver and gives each an intensive collection of faucets and a very good collection of native Washington whiskey. Think about grabbing a beer and whiskey and taking it exterior on the fenced-in patio.
Jamie Hale / The Oregonian
ATTRACTIONS
9. Fort Vancouver
Greater than 1 million folks go to Fort Vancouver annually, making it probably the most well-liked nationwide parks within the Pacific Northwest. Fort Vancouver is a duplicate of a close-by fortress from the nineteenth century. The park space additionally contains massive inexperienced areas, barracks and the historic officers’ row.
Jamie Hale / The Oregonian
10. Pearson Air Museum
Technically, the Pearson Air Museum is a part of Fort Vancouver and gives a small however fascinating glimpse into the beginnings of aviation. The museum is house to a number of vintage airplanes surrounded by displays highlighting native tales, such because the time when Vancouver served because the touchdown pad for the primary transpolar flight.
Jamie Hale / The Oregonian
11. Land bridge
Connecting Fort Vancouver to the Columbia River boardwalk and downtown Vancouver, the Land Bridge is a daring, stunning construction that crosses State Route 14. The design relies closely on native Indian tribes and the bridge is lined with native crops. The Land Bridge is now a decade previous and has change into an essential hyperlink in Vancouver’s in depth community of paved pathways.
Jamie Hale / The Oregonian
12. Outdated apple tree park
In accordance with native lore, Vancouver’s Outdated Apple Tree was planted on Fort Vancouver land in 1826 and is the matriarch of Washington’s booming apple business. At present the tree remains to be alive, fenced in on a chunk of land subsequent to the motorway on the entrance to the land bridge.
Jamie Hale / The Oregonian
13. Esther Brief Park
The five-acre Esther Brief Park within the coronary heart of downtown Vancouver is the town’s premier hangout. With a fountain, gazebo, garden, and the enduring Salmon Run Bell Tower – with a carillon depicting Native American lore – the park is house to the Vancouver Farmer’s Market, Vancouver Brewfest, and a number of other different occasions yr spherical.
Jamie Hale / The Oregonian
14. Kiggins Theater
The Kiggins Theater first opened in 1936 as “probably the most trendy and splendid theaters within the Pacific Northwest”. In accordance with present homeowners, it has had an odd and storied historical past through the years, together with a struggle throughout a exhibiting of “The Karate Child” that injured a priest. It was renovated within the twenty first century and now reveals an eclectic collection of movies.
Jamie Hale / The Oregonian
15. Wall work and public artwork
You possibly can’t miss the artwork in downtown Vancouver. There are 20 public artistic endeavors within the metropolis heart, together with many murals, statues, and clocks. Stylistically, they vary from trendy to historic, some emphasize native historical past and tradition, others exist as purely inventive statements.
Jamie Hale / The Oregonian
OUTDOORS
16. Waterfront Renaissance Path
The eight-kilometer paved Waterfront Renaissance Path runs from downtown Vancouver to the Columbia River Waterfront, the place you possibly can entry sandy seashores, the Land Bridge to Fort Vancouver, Outdated Apple Tree Park, and a number of other eating places. Proceed east and you may finally attain Marine Park and Wintler Park, each of that are on the banks of the river.
Jamie Hale / The Oregonian
17. Wintler Neighborhood Park
Exterior of downtown, however accessible through the Waterfront Renaissance Path, Wintler Neighborhood Park is without doubt one of the greatest seashores in Vancouver with breathtaking views of Mount Hood upstream to the east. It is also a superb place to identify jetliners because it’s proper throughout the river from the PDX.
Thomas Boyd / The Oregonian
18. Vancouver Lake
Vancouver Lake is a big lake northwest of downtown and a well-liked spot for kayaks and canoes. A public park with an intensive sandy seashore extends over 4 km alongside the western shore of the lake for rest or recreation. From the lake, you can too take a 17 km hike to close by Frenchman’s Bar Park.
Jamie Hale / The Oregonian
19. Burnt Bridge Creek Greenway
The 8 mile lengthy Burnt Bridge Creek Greenway is nice for biking, good for operating, and in addition a good spot for strolling close to city. The path begins close to Vancouver Lake and passes by way of a number of wooded parks alongside Burnt Bridge Creek which can be additionally linked to different greenways.
Jamie Hale / The Oregonian
20. Leverich Park
Leverich Park is without doubt one of the oldest parks in Vancouver, and whereas it now has a disc golf course and is on the intersection of two paved greenways, it may do with a little bit of upkeep. In the event you ignore the rampant graffiti and the occasional piles of trash, it is an excellent place close to downtown Vancouver to calm down in relative calm on a sunny day.
Award: Brickhouse, Ellen Davis Path, Latte Da, Salmon Creek Greenway, Tommy O’s, Vancouver Neighborhood Library, Vancouver Farmer’s Market.
Courtesy Jenny Graham / Oregon Shakespeare Competition
MORE CITIES IN THE NORTHWEST TO LOVE
Ashland: The southern Oregon vacation spot has much more to supply than the Shakespeare Competition.
Newport: Newport, the funky capital of the Oregon Coast, is enjoyable, nice meals, and nice points of interest.
Bend: Spend your days on the excessive desert trails, then head to downtown Bend for all the good food and drinks within the night.
–Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com | @haleJamesB
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