San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
ONE DAY, ONE PLACE
VANCOUVER’S BUSTLING SEAPORT
Defined by the water that surrounds it and ensconced in the Pacific Northwest, this anglophone capital of culture can instill a spot of deja visite — that sensation of knowing a place you’ve never visited before. It’s like Seattle, but without the milieu of grunge, or San Francisco, sans street feces and self-loathing. It’s at once familiar and new.
But in this Bizarro America, where everyone really is friendly and the health care is universal, there are plenty of fresh discoveries. Vancouver’s 150-year-old history of immigration, its recent culinary boom, its wildly accessible natural beauty — all make for an ideal day in the beautiful British Columbia.
Morning
Vancouver is an outdoor playground. Depending on the season, you can hit the slopes, kayak with whales, swim in the sea or hike a mountain — all within a few minutes of town. But before any of that: Coffee.
Vancouver has been on the crest of coffee’s “third wave” — that’s the tattooed, mustachioed version of the coffee shop that’s elbowed Starbucks and Peets out of the cool kids’ hearts — for a decade. 49th Parallel has several shops throughout town, but if Kits or Jericho beaches are on your morning agenda — and if the sun’s out, they should be — make sure to stop by the roastery’s airy Fourth Avenue shop for an expertly pulled espresso and a decadent Lucky’s doughnut.
Once you have your morning fix, the outdoors beckon.
Grouse Mountain is just a 20-minute drive from downtown and offers sweeping views of the city and nearby Vancouver Island. If the snow has melted, the mountain provides an excellent morning workout: The popular Grouse Grind Trail will take you up almost 3,000 feet in under two miles —an ideal way to burn off breakfast. If you’d like to experience a little of British Columbia’s storied forestland without the effort, head over to the Capilano Suspension Bridge, a famed 130-year-old, 400-foot-long span that takes you along the treetops just 10 minutes out of town.
If you prefer a wetter morning, whale watching cruises leave from Richmond — a five or 10-minute drive from downtown’s hotels — and promise orca sightings; both Prince and Whales and Wild Whales Vancouver offer half-day jaunts. Or if you’re tough enough to brave the Pacific this far north, paddleboard and kayak rentals are available at Kits Beach.
Midday
Just south of downtown is Vancouver’s answer to San Francisco’s Ferry Building. Except here, the bounty takes up a whole island. Granville Island is technically a peninsula, located just across False Creek from downtown. Once home to factories, since 1979 the landmass has held the Granville Island Public Market, a smorgasbord of fresh produce, flowers and food stalls. Yes, it’s touristy — so is the Ferry Building — but sometimes the tourists aren’t wrong. Try Go Fish, in an old fishing container, for fish and chips; Sen Pad Thai for notyour-grandma’s Thai food; and, if it’s cold out, the Stock Market specializes in soups and broths.
Afternoon
The Museum of Anthropology, on the University of British Columbia’s stunning seaside campus, sounds like the kind of local attraction you’d lie about visiting, like the kind of highbrow travel tip your insufferable friend would extol while you nod vigorously and zone out.
But here’s the thing: Vancouver’s premier museum isn’t a staid collection of altarpieces that look as though they were painted by monks with depth perception issues. Here, you’ll find the largest collection of coastal First Nations art in the world — think hulking cedar totem poles, beautifully adorned canoes and wood carvings that will make you forget all about Michelangelo. And if that’s not enough, the building features wall-to-ceiling ocean views.
If that still sounds a little educational for you, head over to Gastown, the oldest corner of the city and one that now houses some of Vancouver’s coolest shops. Try Haven for hard-to-find Japanese designers and oh-so-cool streetwear or Parliament Interiors and Örling and Wu for hip and tasteful home goods. Ply the cobblestone until your dogs start barking, then take a load off at Alibi Room, Vancouver’s OG craft beer bar in a historic building.
Evening
Vancouver is among Canada’s most diverse cities — more than 45 percent of the town’s residents are foreignborn. (San Francisco, for comparison, sits around 34 percent.) Vancouver’s diversity is reflected most satisfyingly in its myriad restaurants. Sure, you can sample the bounty of the Pacific and dine on oysters and Dungeness crab (try Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House or Hook Seabar, if you’re after those delicacies), but you’d be remiss if you didn’t try some of Vancouver’s more worldly cuisine.
At Mak n Ming, Japan meets France in a refined, small venue; the menu changes often, but the wine is always excellent. Vij’s is said to have some of the continent’s best Indian food. And hipster Bao Bei, in Chinatown, is the most exciting Chinese restaurant you’re going to visit this year.
After dinner, you’ll need a nightcap — hey, it’s vacation. If you’re feeling young and edgy, follow the off-duty chefs to Upstairs at Campagnolo for interesting wines and poutine in a shaggy space. If you’re after a capital C, capital E Cocktail Experience, the Keefer Bar — which is routinely rated one of Canada’s best — has a herbaceous drinks menu inspired by traditional Chinese medicine. Take your medicine out by the bar’s firepit and soak up the night.