Friday

1) Noon. Urban Jungle

Stanley Park is the oldest and largest of the more than 230 parks in Vancouver: 1,000 acres of forest, wetlands and beaches (and a few manmade attractions — among them, an aquarium and a handful of restaurants). On mild weekends, some areas are more hectic than bucolic; by mid-morning, swarms of bicyclists and skaters race around the park’s peripheral trail (the views, like the one near Siwash Rock, are spectacular). But most of the park is quiet, threaded with trails. On a recent guided walk (adult, 35 Canadian dollars, or about $28), Candace Campo, a First Nations co-owner of Talaysay Tours, identified salmon berry bushes, skunk cabbage and other plants, noting that taking “only what is needed” — for food, clothing, medicine and shelter — has long been a given in indigenous cultures.

2) 2 P.M. On the Water

On the opposite end of the park spectrum is tiny Cardero Park, with its views across the harbor to the mountains beyond. Stroll east, past lawns where people hunch over books or picnics. Not far away, on West Pender Street, the Heritage Asian Eatery offers communal tables and a concise, pleasing menu. A plump bao stuffed with sautéed shiitake mushrooms and green and crispy onions (7 dollars) will hold you over until dinner.

The crispy prawn causa at Ancora Waterfront Dining and Patio. Credit Robert Leon for The New York Times



3) 3:30 P.M. Chinatown and Beyond

West Pender changes as you head east into an area that itself wavers, block by block, from trendy to seedy to touristy. Eventually, you’ll reach Chinatown, which has its gritty areas, but is also home to food markets, the serene Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, and (if you are in the neighborhood later) notable dinner restaurants like the Japanese-Italian Kissa Tanto and the equally stylish, perpetually crowded Bao Bei. Not far from the flaring tiled roofs of the Millennium Gate, a totem rises above Skwachays Lodge, an indigenous artists’ residence and boutique hotel. In the beautifully lit gallery, contemporary works draw on ancient images and beliefs — including sculpted pieces by Alex Mountain and Chris Sparrow.

4) 4:45 P.M. Literary Chaos

MacLeod’s Books is a vintage bookstore par excellence. Inside, pure, lovely, literary chaos awaits: precarious stacks and overstuffed shelves of history books, novels, rare editions of Kipling and Wilde, pamphlets on Chinook jargon and endless art tomes. Then wander into the nearby Gastown neighborhood, its narrow streets thick with shoppers, restaurant-seekers and the occasional panhandler. Yes, it’s touristy, but this is also the historic heart of the city, a place where loggers and seafaring types once communed. Amid the current frenzy, Purebread, a Whistler import, offers irresistible treats, like a thick slice of buttermilk coconut cake, which can be wrapped up for later.

5) 7:30 P.M. Ice Wine and Sablefish

Watch the sky fade above False Creek from the quiet terrace at Ancora Waterfront Dining and Patio. The Japanese-Peruvian menu recently included crispy prawn causa with gold Yukon potatoes and swirls of avocado mousse; and sablefish in an aji panca glaze, with broccoli, charred eggplant and roasted pineapple and tomatillo salsa. Regional ice wines may be paired with desserts, like coconut panna cotta. Dinner is about 100 dollars, with drinks.