Photo above of JP McGlynn

Glass and steel skyscrapers rise between the Pacific Ocean and the snow-capped peaks. In 2016, Vancouver, the largest city in British Columbia (Canada), was once again ranked among the ten most pleasant cities to live. But this laboratory of urban ecology, which looks to the future right in the eyes, is also reinvesting its roots. To the north-east of the city center, the cobbled lanes of historic Gastown, where the town was born less than a century and a half ago, come back to life, gentrification helping.

The beautiful Victorian brick buildings, which survived the policy of urbanization of the 60s and 70s, are home to the bobos in their lofts but also more and more good addresses. Pointed restaurants, neo-industrial-style bars, beer pubs and designer boutiques are adjacent to production studios, music labels and food-trucks. A cool bohemian blast resolutely West Coast.

Kklaw / press

Gastown: bars and restaurants

• Settlement Building

Two blocks east of Gastown, this former warehouse along the railway line houses a collective of three brands - the Vancouver Urban Winery, the Postmark Brewing beer brewery and the Belgard Kitchen locavore restaurant. In this decor of copper and wood, we taste and peck: British Columbia wines (and even excellent champagne), brewed beers on site and delicious West Coast tapas (oysters, scallops with bacon ). A highlight of the new cool.

55 Dunlevy Ave. www.settlementbuilding.com

• The slaughterhouse

Strolling through Blood Alley, one of the historic lanes of the slaughterhouse district, you will be tempted by a delicious perfume of grilled meat. Through the glass of a veranda, the volley of erected tables makes you the eye. On the site of the city's first prison built in the 19th century, this chic industrial restaurant is packed lunch and dinner. French cuisine customized West Coast and selected wines on the menu.

217 Carrall St. www.labattoir.ca

• Tacofino

Tacofino's idea was born on a car park in Tofino, the surf spot on Canada's west coast. The food-truck for surfers gave birth to a small chain of restaurants in Vancouver, more
two trucks in the city center. The regalade under the influence of Southern California and West Coast, or tacos and burritos revisited.

15W Cordova St. www.tacofino.com

• The Diamond

He was elected by the digital magazine Culture Trip as one of the top ten bars in Vancouver. On the first floor of an old building, the large room with red brick walls pulsates to the rhythm of the shaker, handled masterfully by Giancarlo Jesus, the barman author of detonating cocktails. The Asian-accented menu features eight varieties of ultra-fresh nigiri sushi. As the bar does not take reservations, the first arrivals will be the first (well) placed, in front of the windows dominating Gassy Jack Square, the pretty square of Gastown.

6 Powell St. www.di6mond.com

Gastown: the shops

• Hey Jude

Lindsey Chow and Lauren Clark have been vintage clothing for years. They redraw and reshape them, giving them a second pop and elegant life. With their beautiful materials (flannel, wool, cotton) and their clean lines, their pieces are highly desirable. A very safe style, which is found in the selection of ceramics, jewelry or accessories designed by designers, as well as in ecofriendly care products.

315 Abbott St. www.heyjudeshop.com

Kklaw / press

• Neighbor Women

This small minimalist space offers the pieces of European designers sharp as Acne Studios, Eytys, 1205 or Lemaire. Clothes, shoes, accessories ... everything is expensive and beautiful.

45 Powell St. www.shopneighbour.com

Kklaw / press

• M0851

Honestly, we do not like everything in this shop, but the silky leather jackets of this 100% Canadian brand are cult. Perfectly cut, they are hand-drawn and hand-made in the Montreal family workshop and then shipped to stores in Cana da, New York and Tokyo.

44 Water St. www.m0851.com

Gastown: the hotel

• The Burrard

It is twenty minutes from Gastown, but it is one of our favorite hotels in Vancouver, with its pop colors and design furniture. The rooms of this old motel with modernist architecture are spread along the circular galleries on three floors, around a patio with a table tennis table, tables for drinks and palm trees in great shape. Free bicycles, machines
Nespresso in every room, delicious home. Rooms starting from 92 €.

1100 Burrard St. www.theburrard.com

Kklaw / press