the vancouver (wa) travel guide

Vancouver (not BC), Washington (not DC).

Vancouver (not BC), Washington (not DC).

Its been a year and 8 months of living in the couv, and its about time I share my findings. Its no secret that the first question after sharing we moved from portland to its northern neighbor is : but how do you like it? People are still very stuck in the stereotype of this region, ‘Vantucky’ is a nickname I heard shortly after we moved to Portland, and took offensively as I grew up in Kentucky. Its not anything like Kentucky, until you get to Hockinson, or further out. What’s clear to me is most pnw residents haven’t made it out to see the beauty and history of the south. But I digress!

Vancouver has come a long way during the 8 years I’ve lived in the pnw, and even in the almost 2 years we’ve been here. Yes, it has a long way to go. But look at the success of the multi million dollar waterfront investment, thats impressive. Yes, its more conservative, yes they love their trucks, and of course the food isn't ever going to compare to the bounty of Portland. But its small, its safe, its advantageous tax wise, and we got everything we needed in a home that we could never afford in Portland.

More diverse residents are moving to Vancouver all the time, so these stereotypes will evolve with time. But slowly, as is the pnw way. So I will invest my time and energy in this place, find the gems to support, and watch this place grow into something new and better. Its exciting to be a part of something becoming better before your eyes, after so many years of watching Portland decline around me. This is an exciting time for this place, and I’m happy to be here.

Ok, onto the recs. I’ve divided into categories: food, shops, movement, outdoor and events. If I missed something, please share and I’ll update!

Food

We live in west vancouver, so we primarily venture down to the downtown/waterfront areas, East Vancouver has plenty to offer food wise but we simply dont go out there as often

• little conejo - best mexican, in esther short, specifically the tortas! We’ve been going here since we lived in Ridgefield in 2020. At the time we were convinced it was the ONLY solid food option up here, but clearly we were wrong.

• dandelion teahouse- the cutest, queer owned tea shop in esther short, she has an incredible selection of teas as well as community events centering the local queer community

• hungry sasquatch- best pizza, new york style. Holy moly these are gigantic (sasquatch sized) slices, and very very good. They have a sister bar called thirsty sasquatch as well.

• ruse brewing crust collective- best pizza, detroit style. Technically this is a Portland outpost, but we are big detroit style fans, and this one is our favorite. Located on the waterfront, so beautiful views while you dine.

• short n sweet- super cute BIPOC owned boba + donut shop, they have banh mi as well but we’ve gone a few times specifically for boba. Their mochi donuts sell out every weekend so go early!

• dediko- in esther short, the best fine dining option we’ve found so far, our first time having georgian food, its exquisite. They have a salad that I will never forget, and a selection of georgian dumplings that are super tasty

• grassa - another Portland staple, also at the vancouver waterfront. Stunning homemade pastas, they’re incredible

• dosalas- waterfront, boujee latin fusion but WOW is it good. everything we’ve tried here was amazing, but its definitely spendy

• boba tree - we’ve tried a million boba places, and this is our favorite up here. BIPOC owned, and not too too sweet like some boba shops, they have a salmon creek + fourth plain location

• cecilia- best brunch! Everything is very very good, its our go to brunch spot up here, located in east van

• la provence - portland crossover in east vancouver, petite provence is probably Jess’ favorite Portland brunch, they serve lunch/dinner and incredible french pastries as well

• patras gyro- a random gyro shop that happens to be a few minutes from our home, and its delicious, in hazel dell

• angels donuts- best donuts in vancouver, portland based, theres also a voodoo up here but I’ve never been a strictly voodoo person.

• sweet touch bakery - best bakery in the area, near Vancouver mall, Ukrainian immigrant owned, they have incredible cakes, macarons, pavlova I loved, and savory options too

Shops

• chucks produce- my absolute favorite grocery store in the pnw! its like new seasons but better, to me anyways. two locations- salmon creek and mill plain

• fort vancouver library - the most impressive library I’ve been to in this area, built in 2011, its as stunning architecturally as the many services they provide. did you know you can rent board games? I didn’t.

• ratany bloom- our favorite florist, BIPOC owned, tropical vibes, in uptown

• pop local - full of local artisan brands from the vancouver/pdx area, on the waterfront

• eryngium papeterie- a stationary store in uptown

• house of vintage- I haven’t been too impressed with the selection of vintage on this side of the river, but this one is decent size and ok.

• kindred - the best store in vancouver! queer woman owned, a combo of low and zero waste products, vintage home wares, na beverages, and regular community events

• lyon and pearle- a very aesthetic children’s clothing, toys, books + home decor store in uptown

• ronald records - vintage and vibey record + music focused shop, now in esther short

• wild camp goods - aesthetically pleasing camp supply shop, in uptown

• white oak books - our favorite local bookstore! ally owned, lots of cute queer trinkets here as well as an incredible selection of books, tarot etc

• kilnfolk - locally owned all ages pottery studio in esther short

• bright indirect light social club - super cute plant shop in uptown

Movement

• yoga6- yoga studio in uptown, they have both hot and unheated options, I personally love the slow flow and power offerings

• parellel 45- yoga studio on the east side, wide variety of unheated yoga options, I go here specifically for Cary and Brierly

• life pilates - a lovely intimate pilates studio located in a historic building in fort vancouver, Lydia is an incredibly gifted and genuine instructor

Outdoor

• battleground lake - great option for kayaking, short hikes, can also camp here

• lacamas lake- another solid kayaking destination

• ridgefield national wildlife refuge - hikes, and wildlife viewing

• salmon creek greenway - our favorite local scenic paved walking path, 3 miles through protected wetland area with lots of ducks, otters and wildlife to see

• burnt bridge creek greenway trail - another great scenic 8 mile trail, biking as well, starts near vancouver lake and continues SE to mill plain area, I’ve been told there are sketchy areas in east van, but the area near us is lovely

• moulton falls- beautiful bridge and falls, with a trail system

• cape horn - columbia river gorge views on the washington side, moderate difficulty, 6.8 miles

• hamilton mountain - my favorite washington gorge side hike in beacon rock state park, 5.4 miles, considered hard on all trails

• falls creek falls- my favorite waterfall in the area, 6.1 miles, moderate difficulty

• silver star- my favorite mountain with the best views in the area, take the grouse vista route, the other driving options are washed out and extremely potholed, 6.3 miles, considered hard

Events

• farmers market - super cute market in esther short park , and its getting busier all the time! down by the waterfront every weekend april through october

• 4 days of aloha - perhaps my favorite festival in the region at esther short park, celebrating the vibrant hawaiian culture present in the pnw, takes place over 4 days in july each year

If you enjoyed this, you might also like my other pnw guides.