Vancouver’s Waterfront Renaissance Trail

If I had to make a choice between Oregon and Washington, I’d choose to live in Washington, hands down.

I say this because Washington (Vancouver, specifically) seemed more open and friendly with people of color. Oregon (think Portland) on the other hand was not so tolerant of people of color and it was pretty obvious. (You basically could just see it in the looks that locals give you. Not cool, I tell you.)

The interesting thing about Portland is that if you go to the northernmost part of it, you actually encounter locals that are actually nice and normal around people of color. I’m talking about the Jantzen Beach Center area where there are a bunch of stores and restaurants.

Anyway, I was thrilled to be able to visit the state of Washington without having to get on a plane. Crossed the Oregon-Washington border via bus and headed off towards the Port of Vancouver USA where there happens to be a trail.

The Waterfront Renaissance Trail was not all that long but it was nice as it was along the water for the most part.

The trail allows you to take in the beauty of the bridge, water as well as art sculptures.

I found the Interstate Bridge rather fascinating but I can see how some people would not care for the architecture of the bridge. (The person that I was with did not give a flying F about the bridge, for example. But the bridge was what enabled us to get into Washington state in the first place… It deserves respect.)

Near the end of the trail, we decided to dine in at Beaches Restaurant & Bar. I’ll save the details of my restaurant experience for another blog entry. However, in summation, it was alright. It was better than what I was expecting so I guess that’s a good thing.

The issue with the waterfront area is that restaurants open rather late. I believe there was some type of seafood restaurant near the beginning of the trail that was open early but I’m not too sure. It did look a bit more upscale though so don’t be surprised if the food costs a lot.

Honestly, the food at Beaches wasn’t all that cheap either, but for a restaurant by the water, it was more than reasonable.

I do recall seeing a coffee joint of some sort not far from Beaches that I believe was open early, though.

Overall, my day in Vancouver was rather chill.

Now, if only I can have my life feeling like that everyday!