Vancouver WA

Washington

June 2019

Vancouver, WA

Whenever we visited family in Seattle, we drove by Vancouver, Washington, just across the Columbia River. We never planned to visit, but after reading an article in the AAA magazine, our curiosity was piqued. Vancouver started in 1824, it is the oldest city in Washington State, and is therefore steeped with history!

From The Oldest Square In Washington ...

We started our walk in downtown Vancouver, and walked over the Farmers Market before entering the oldest public square in the state of Washington, the charming Esther Short Park. Not surprisingly , this beautiful well-maintained park is popular by locals who seem to like to hang out near the beautiful clock tower. We continued walking along the Waterfront Renaissance Trail which follows the river east and allows for amazing views of the Columbia River. On our way back, we followed the Discovery Historic Trial Loop to see Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. We should have looked at the opening times because the fort was closed! However, the Vancouver Land Bridge was a nice surprise. This curved bridge crosses, and at the same time hides the busy State Highway 14. The bridge depicts local wild flora and Vancouver’s history, and gives a great view of the Columbia River, the Pearson airfield, and Fort Vancouver.

... to The Newest Developments

Next, we continued the trail west and admired one of the new developments, the Grant Street Pier. This cable held bridge offers spectacular views of the river and the beautiful old-steel Interstate bridge. Vancouver downtown is currently making the Columbia River accessible again for the first time in about 150 years! This $1.5 billion makeover is still a work in progress, but it is clear the former industrial riverfront will be changed into a welcoming area for Vancouver’s visitors and citizens. After our walk, we had a late lunch at restaurant … . Their food was great, the service was friendly, and the outside seats were perfect. It allowed us to soak in the environment while sipping the restaurant’s own brand white wine. We enjoyed watching the boats sailing by, the planes from Portland Airport flying over, and families, couples and elderly walking and cycling on the trail. A great way to end a relaxing Sunday!

Date

Sunday, June 2, 2019