For those who haven’t motored up Interstate 5 to Vancouver, Wash., lately, our neighbor to the north has spent $1.5 billion on developing its waterfront over the past few years. A cable-stayed pier over the Columbia River provides the focal point of an impressive collection of restaurants, condos, hotels and bars.

That fancy development is nice, but it’s more for the tourists. To get a local taste of the splendor of The Couve (from a local), spend Saturday downtown, strolling these places as you wander. Keep in mind, this list isn’t exhaustive—feel free to stray.

Brunch at Bleu Door Bakery

This French-themed space, with its sunflower-filled murals of Provence, is a local brunch favorite on weekends. Here, owner Bonnie Brasure offers her popular breakfast dishes like beignets ($8) and Benedicts ($17–$18) or shrimp and grits in a tomato, leek and bacon cream, topped with two eggs ($22). For the vegans out there, Bleu Door offers plant-based specialties like mushroom gravy and biscuits ($12), a flaky biscuit smothered in a luscious crimini, portobello and sweet onion gravy. If you’re lucky, you might catch the raspberry baked French toast on special, made with layers of croissants soaked in vanilla custard, baked and topped with whipped cream and fresh berries—a delectable dish.

Uptown Village Shopping and Vancouver Farmers Market

After brunch, take a stroll through The Couve’s Uptown Village shopping area. Start by checking out the newly opened White Oak Books, where you can browse anything from classics to poetry or manga selections. Not big on books? Head over to Bright Indirect Light Social Club, a cozy brick-and-wood-beamed shop that offers your choice of a new cacti to pull from the TV (you’ll see when you get there) or unfurling philodendron plant babies to take home.

Wherever you land on your Vancouver adventure, you must—we repeat, must—walk through the Vancouver Farmers Market (VFM), centrally located off Esther Short Park. This locally loved newly year-round market gets very busy, but vendors are still happy to hand you a sample as you weave through the crowds.

Star vendors include Silagy Sauce. Its cilantro lime serrano sauce brightens up tacos or scrambled eggs, while its fire-roasted Calabrian sauce adds an essential kick to tomato sauces. Portlanders still mourning the closure of Tiffin Asha’s brick-and-mortar location can catch owners Elizabeth Golay and Sheila Bommakanti at the market, as they’ve shifted to selling South Indian condiments. Their current offerings include a jammy red tomato ginger pickle and a piquant mustard-seed-studded green tomato pickle.

Hungry again with all this sauce talk? VFM has some stellar food stalls, like Taiwanese street food from Small Eats, Filipino favorites from Kali Kantina, and freshly griddled Mexican food made with farmers market produce from Razo’s Tacos.

Sweet Treat and Downtown Shopping

So you’ve been on the street for a couple of hours, and you’ve had your fill of savory bites. It’s time for a quick sweet stop. Head to Treat, where Stephanie McNees and Mitchell Flies serve ice cream, like their signature Ooey Gooey Butter Cake, in freshly baked waffle cones.

With your ice cream in hand, take on downtown’s growing list of boutiques (but don’t drip on the goods, OK?). Start at Wild Fern, an airy hip space where you’ll find casual chic loungewear, candles, crystals and more. Then make your way over to Ronald Records, where you can find new and used vinyl, some CDs if you’ve still got your boombox, and some unique Couve merch, with the slogan “The Couvee. It Ain’t Portland,” as a souvenir.

If you’re looking for a few more souvenirs from the day (maybe a vintage piece), pop into Most Everything or the newly opened Eras. Both these shops are stacked with treasures ranging from costume pearls to vintage luggage and other decades-old finds.

Dinner, Film and a Nightcap

Evening already? The adventure isn’t over. First, it’s time for dinner, and the go-to restaurant is Elements.

Chef and owner Miguel Sosa sources everything locally, with seasonally shifting dishes like a cocoa and chile rub beef tenderloin bathed in a red wine reduction with onion and mushroom marmalade ($40) and vegan creations like tamarind and miso roasted celery root layered with tomatillos, cauliflower mousseline and radish ($16). The locals often say that if Sosa had opened his restaurant across the river, he would’ve been nominated for a James Beard Award by now. His dishes are exquisitely prepared and plated, and the warmth of the space feels intimate without a hint of pretension.

Not quite ready to eat? Head over to Kiggins Theatre, the nearly 90-year-old single-screen destination with its original silver chandeliers still intact, dangling from the hand-painted ceiling by R.B. Robert (who also worked on a multiyear painting project at Windsor Castle). Here you can catch classic films like Singin’ in the Rain and Spaceballs, and live local comedy events. Pick up a MoonPie from the concessions stand and settle in.

If you’re skipping the theater but looking for an extra treat, grab a nightcap from The Grocery Cocktail & Social, where you can get a Captain’s Smoked Old Fashioned (on the expensive side at $25) or a lighter High Honey ($17) made with honeydew juice and Adrift gin. There’s food, too, if you’re interested.

Overnight Stay

Have you fallen in love with The Couve? It happens. You’ve got options on hotels: Hilton Vancouver or the new AC Hotel Vancouver Waterfront (it has its moments!) with its sleek modern rooms. Stay at one, and then wake up and start your Couve adventure again.