Vancouver, WA

It reminded me of Gonzaga University where I roomed with a Vietnamese girl. One day I was invited to join her and a bunch of her friends for a memorable Vietnamese meal at the home of one of their sponsors. It was unlike anything I had ever tasted before or since, until today.

I have not been in the downtown area since before they moved the bus transit station, when the area was filled with homeless men harassing you for money. Not only is that gone, Vancouver has received a face-lift with an infusion of new business. So even if you are not interested in art, give yourself a treat and visit the new downtown Vancouver.

…they brought huge platters with open-face hamburgers and large sides of French fries AND onion rings.

There is something romantic about walking on a balmy evening, seeing others dining out of doors, and though a parking lot could be distracting, the trees which were planted throughout, gave it an air of tranquility. I felt as though I had been transported to a different area or time, seeing the sunset through different lenses.

Later, a short drive or streetcar-ride away the Portland Aerial Tram whisks you up to the top of Marquam hill, treating you to a picturesque view spanning from downtown, across the river and all the way to Mt. Hood.

I was born and sort of raised just west of Astoria, Oregon. I have family who live there still and frequently pass through the town of Astoria but seldom stop. My whole life the town didn’t have a lot to offer passersby so it was not in my “places to stop and hang out” paradigm. Until now.

So after scouring the Web for something different and interesting, my husband suggested Wild Abandon Restaurant and the Red Velvet Lounge for dinner, followed by a movie at Portland’s uniquely own Living Room Theaters.

Esther Short Park is 155 years old and over the decades has served as the town square, hosted a wading pool and skating rink and has come to be considered Vancouver’s centerpiece, its hub of community, culture and history. The park is host to the open air Vancouver Farmer’s Market on the weekends and is bordered by a variety of shops, cafes, and boutiques. It is a great place to ensure a Saturday afternoon is well spent.

Instead we donned our shoes and sweaters and headed out to Café Sip-N-Play, a kid-centered coffeehouse and play place, and most importantly somewhere I could get a big cup of caffeine and she could play to her heart’s content. It wasn’t raining today, so I could have taken my daughter Avery to a park, but I woke up feeling a little under the weather and the park simply sounded like too much effort. If I’d stayed home, I’d have been tempted to sit on the couch all morning, wishing I could just climb back into bed. Instead we donned our shoes and sweaters and headed out to Café Sip-N-Play, a kid-centered coffeehouse and play place, and most importantly somewhere I could get a big cup of caffeine and she could play to her heart’s content.

You don’t necessarily have to be a writer to add your own posts to OneThousandThingsToDo.com! We are currently looking for people to write about the things that you do in your local area. Do you do a lot of hiking? Biking? Swiming? Do you tear up the town a lot? Are you a quilter, actor [...]