Vancouver and Clark County

[maccoinnich]

Vancouver puts best foot forward as waterfront opening nears



Earlier this year, Vancouver's tourism bureau dropped $300,000 on an ad campaign right across the Columbia River, in Portland.

Visit Vancouver USA wouldn't usually spend so much effort on prospective visitors from a bordering city that's -- at least on weekends, if not during the weekday rush hour -- just minutes away.

But this year's different, because Vancouver thinks it has something new that Portlanders are going to want to see: its new waterfront district, which has its grand opening next week. The ads featured the landmark V-shaped Grant Street Pier, dramatically suspended 90 feet over the Columbia river.

The development includes a waterfront park, with the pier as its centerpiece. Nearby, three restaurants are set to open within weeks, and high-rise developments are underway just beyond.

...continues at the Oregonian.