It should be no secret by now that I love my hometown of Vancouver, WA. I love everything about Clark County, WA (yes, I also love Clark Co, NV. Viva Las Vegas!).

As I was nearing the “end” of 365 Things To Do In Vancouver, WA I decided I should figure out how to expand what I spent a year doing. I wanted to do something that would allow me to continue highlighting great things to do all over town and also re-share all the things I wrote about last year. I want to continue promoting our local businesses, events, parks, trails and activities. I also want to share details about the neighborhoods these wonderful places and events “live” in.

So, today I introduce my next “project”. Beginning on Monday, March 7, 2011 I’ll begin spotlighting a Clark County, WA Neighborhood of the Week. Each week I’ll focus on one particular neighborhood. I’ll share general information, demographic data, school data, etc. about that neighborhood. I’ll highlight local parks, restaurants and activities. I’ll likely share a “Home of the Week” as I preview homes for sale in the neighborhood. I’ll also be creating a map of all the homes for sale in each neighborhood. This map will also include the “365 Things To Do In Vancouver, WA” posts I’ve written over the last year. My hope is to create a complete Clark County, WA neighborhood resource guide for those who already live there plus share it with others who might like to make that neighborhood home.

Having listed and sold single family and multi-family real estate in Clark County since 1994, I’ve learned that people buy neighborhoods. This guide will help share the great things about each neighborhood as well as continue to promote supporting our local businesses. We all must work together to help keep our local economy strong and thriving.

This newest “project” will be a constant work in progress. I’m sure as it begins I’ll tweak and modify it as necessary to hopefully make it better each week. Of course, there is also a Clark County WA Neighborhood of the Week Facebook page where each post will be shared with a larger audience. Please feel free to “Like” it.

If you have neighborhood information to share please send me a message through the “Meet Up With Dale” box on the sidebar. I’d love to hear from you. Let’s all work together to make this the best site possible.

See you all 3-7-11!

The Mission: February 17th, 2010 through February 16th, 2011 write one blog post each and every day highlighting something to do in Vancouver, WA (& surrounding cities).

Status: Task completed on schedule. Every single day one blog post was written. Almost every post included a video from on location as well as photos from each location.

All blog posts lived here on the Clark County Real Estate Guide. The permalink to each post was then placed on the 365 Things To Do In Vancouver, WA Facebook Page. Over the course of the year the Facebook page grew at a very steady pace. At the end of the 365th day there were over 14,000 “likes”. I’ve been so thankful for the wonderful reception this page got.

67% of the fans are women. The fan base spans over 19 countries all over the world. Approximately 75% of the fan base is from the Vancouver/Clark County/Portland area. The next largest group represented is in Seattle. 83% of the fans are between the age of 18 and 54.

Over the course of the 365 days 8,281,995 post views occurred on Facebook! A post view is defined by Facebook as “the number of times people (Fans and non-Fans) have viewed a News Feed story posted by your page”. This blows my mind!

Approximately 100,000 visitors stopped here at the Clark County Real Estate Guide throughout the year. The most viewed post of the year was Day 295: Magical Lights On 63rd Street with almost 1,200 visitors!

As I mentioned on Day 365, this “project” is not done! There are still lots of wonderful things to share about Vancouver and Clark County, WA. I will not continue daily but will continue regularly. I’ll also be adding content to the site that I believe will enhance and improve upon what is already here.

I’ll be announcing these changes on 3-1-11. Please stop in then to see what is coming and I hope you’ll either subscribe to get these posts via email or via an RSS feed.

If you have any stories of new places you’ve discovered or enjoyed during the first 365 days I’d love to hear about them. I’d love it if you’d leave a comment below. Please share this site with your friends and family who may not be aware of it. It’s a great resource from a native Vancouver guy whose family has been in Clark County since 1893. Remember, you can type anything into the search box on the top right side of the site and it’ll find all posts with whatever keywords you desire (i.e. pizza, wine, hike, theater, etc.)

Day 365 of 365!!!

Can you believe it? Today is Day 365! Yes, this is the 365th day in a row I’ve written a blog post about my hometown, Vancouver, WA. I’ve shared parks, trails, events, activities, restaurants, coffee houses, venues, wineries and countless other great things. It’s been a most amazing year. The business owners I’ve met. The wonderful people who call Vancouver and Clark County home. The people who used to live here and are enjoying reminiscing about Vancouver. Those who are considering relocating here. Everyone is wonderful.

If anyone would have told me what today looked like on February 17th, 2010 I’d have never believed it. I’ve had the opportunity to not only help encourage locals to “Get Out, Explore & Enjoy Our Community” but I’ve been able to help lots of small business owners set up and tweak their Facebook pages. I’ve also had the opportunity to share my experiences locally and nationally. I’ve taught classes, webinars, been on panels and loved sharing what I’ve done with the Clark County Real Estate Guide and the Facebook page 365 Things To Do In Vancouver, WA.

Everyone has been dying to know what the big finale is. What is Day 365? I’ve contemplated this for quite some time. As I pondered my different choices I kept coming back to the same conclusion. There really is no “finale”. There are 364 blog posts about great things to do in Vancouver plus TONS of things I didn’t get to these first 364 days. So, today I encourage you to keep exploring this site. Keep exploring Vancouver (& surrounding cities). The things to do in Vancouver, WA never ends. Even if you don’t agree with something I suggest, find the places you love and keep going back. All our small (and large) businesses need each of us. It takes us, the entire community to make our local economy grow.

The other thing I get asked all the time is “what’s next”? What happens after 365? I’ll not fully disclose this yet. Stay tuned for some changes here at the Clark County Real Estate Guide. Will I keep sharing the things to do? Absolutely! I’ll not be posting 7 days a week any longer. I’m thankful I committed to it and saw it through to its completion. I’m very proud of this accomplishment. It still amazes me I have completed it. I joked that I’d go to Disney World when I hit Day 365. I’m happy to say, I spent today at Walt Disney World Animal Kingdom all day today! What a great time it was. I’ll be taking the next week-ish off from here. I hope you’ll browse the site and go exploring some old posts. You know, on the top right is a search box. You may use it just like if you were searching Google. Type in any keyword or phrase and it’ll find anything I’ve covered over the last year. Have no fear, I WILL be back!

I hope you’ll keep coming back and I hope all of Clark County, WA (& beyond) love what is coming next. Thank you all again from the bottom of my heart for your support and love. I really do appreciate you all!

Special thanks to my wonderful friend Brian Copeland for the awesome Goofy photo! Thank you for sharing in the journey I’ve taken over the last 365 days. Also, thanks for spending Day 365 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom with me! If anyone ever needs Nashville real estate service Brian is your man!

Day 363 of 365…

I’ve been hearing about how great Lapellah Restaurant is for quite some time. I decided it was finally time to “check it out” myself. I’m glad I did.

They have a very hip decor to the place. I loved seeing the huge wood stove as I entered. I’m sure they cook lots of tasty foods in there. I’ll look forward to going back to explore more. I decided to sample some of the Happy Hour menu tonight. I chose to have the Wedge Salad and an order of their Calamari. Both were excellent. A typical Wedge Salad comes with Blue Cheese and crumbled blue cheese but I’m not a huge fan. They were kind enough to dress up one with some Thousand Island for me. The salad and calamari were both excellent. The calamari were lightly battered and very tender. There were also huge chunks of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese shaved on top of the sauce and calamari. I found this to be a very nice addition to this item.

Lapellah Restaurant is located at 2520 Columbia House Blvd., Suite 108, Vancouver, WA, 98661 and can be reached at 360-828-7911. You can also connect with Lapellah Restaurant on Facebook.

Day 362 of 365…

Looking for a wonderful meal with a great lodge like atmosphere? Look no further than Hudson’s Bar & Grill inside The Heathman Lodge. This place has the coolest vibe about it. Complete relaxing, rustic flair with some wonderful gourmet food.

From the moment you enter you feel a relaxing calm. The pace is slower and the memories deeper. I’ve eaten here several times and never been disappointed. They prepare everything with the freshest ingredients and do a marvelous job of integrating the specialties of the Pacific Northwest alive on their menus.

You’ll also find daily their Hudson’s Hour specials. It’s their version of Happy Hour and it runs from 4pm to 6pm daily. It’s a great way to sample a variety of their food and drinks.

Hudson’s Bar & Grill is located in The Heathman Lodge at 7801 NE Greenwood Drive, Vancouver WA 98662 and can be reached at 360-816-6100. You can also connect with Hudson’s Bar & Grill on Facebook.

Day 361 of 365…

We are so fortunate to have the Columbia River running along our entire southern border. It provides a beautiful scenery, great playground and wonderful opportunity to grab some fabulous fresh seafood. Thankfully we have some terrific locations to enjoy the beauty of the Columbia River from inside.

One such place that has been providing this opportunity since 1960 is the Quay Bar at the Red Lion Hotel along the Columbia River at the I-5 bridge. This place is just cool. I love the nautical theme of the inside. It makes you feel like you are on an old pirate ship. I remember going here all the time years ago with a bunch of fellow co-workers. We would enjoy their awesome Happy Hour menu, great atmosphere and wide variety of drinks. Nothing’s changed. They still offer all those things plus awesome views of the river. Amazingly, the Quay Bar Happy Hour is 7 days a week from 4pm to 7pm.

You’ll also find a wide variety of live music playing throughout the week. Make sure to check the Quay Bar calendar to see who’s coming up.

The Quay Bar at the Red Lion Hotel is located at 100 Columbia Street, Vancouver, WA, 98660 and can be reached at
360-750-7941. You can also connect with The Quay Bar on Facebook.

Day 358 of 365…

Pizza and teriyaki! These are two of the main food groups in my world. I love them both and am always looking to discover new places to enjoy both. Today I found a new teriyaki place that is worth stopping for.

Ichi 18 Teriyaki serves up some pretty wonderful food. I’ve driven by a couple times recently and finally decided to stop in tonight. They serve up all sorts of wonderful looking dishes. I had the opportunity to see many of them served and chose the Shrimp Yakisoba for myself. Let me start by saying, the portion was huge. In addition to it being large, it was excellent! The shrimp were very good as was the rest of the dish. In addition to the yakisoba noodles they serve a scoop of white rice.

Ichi 18 Teriyaki is located at 925 NE 136th Avenue, Suite #108, Vancouver, WA, 98684 and can be reached at 360-891-8989. You can also connect with Ichi 18 Teriyaki on Facebook.

Day 354 of 365…

Finding the pearl is always a treat and I discovered another one here in downtown Vancouver. I’ve driven past it hundreds of times and never stopped in. The Village Pearl Bakeshop sits right on Mill Plain across from the downtown Burgerville. If you blink you’ll miss it, so pay close attention because it’s worth the stop.

While there I had a Pear Galette and it was awesome! I’d never had one before. Basically it is a full pear sliced up and wrapped up in a tender, flaky crust. It was so sweet and good. All the things baked here are from as many local vendors as possible. Everything is homestyle and baked in their kitchen on-site. My client had the cinnamon roll and it was awesome too (yes, I was given a taste).

The Village Pearl Bakeshop also serves up some breakfast fare, lunch, custom cakes and catering too. Stop in and check them out.

The Village Pearl Bakeshop is located at 316 E Mill Plain Blvd, Vancouver, WA and you can call them at 360-750-6670. You can connect with The Village Pearl Bakeshop on Facebook too.

Day 353 of 365…

Downtown Vancouver has a great new(er) sports grill and you should definitely check it out. On the corner of Main Street and 8th Street is Main Event Sports Grill.

As I entered I was greeted with a cool flame feature and some awesome cobalt blue circles on the ceiling over the bar. I assumed it was just a sports bar when I entered but quickly realized this is a family establishment. Until 9pm they are open for the whole family. They even have a kid friendly menu.

Main Event Sports Grill is well set up for the sports fans out there. You’ll find 10 plasma screens of varying sizes well positioned to be able to see from all over the restaurant and bar. The bar itself is something you never see. It’s a white marble with black veins in it. It really pops! Even in the dark you really notice it.

I enjoyed a bowl of their clam chowder off the Happy Hour menu. It was excellent. They have a wonderful Happy Hour menu with all sorts of things you don’t usually see. Make an effort to see for yourself. The full menu looks wonderful too.

Main Event Sports Grill is located at 800 Main Street, Vancouver, WA, 98660 and can be reached at 360-448-7146. You can connect with Main Event Sports Grill on Facebook too!

Day 352 of 365…

Super Bowl XLV is coming right up. The Steelers and Packers will face off for THE sporting event of the year. I thought it would be fun to cover a local place to go enjoy a Super Bowl party. According to the sign out front, this will be a pretty darn good party.

Go Pack Go!

I decided to have myself some dinner here and opted for the Chicken Sliders with tots. I was shocked to find that for only $4.95 you get THREE sliders plus a huge pile of tasty tots. The sliders were great, they were also quite filling. I’d certainly do this meal again.

I believe there must have been some sort of pool league happening while I was there. The pool/game area of the bar was packed with a huge group of friends. It was fun to watch. The bar itself was packed and the dining area was beginning to get busy as people were arriving for the evenings “Jam Night”. It seems that almost every night of the week is filled with some activity for Vancouver to enjoy. Local musicians, karaoke, jam nights, pool events and it sounds like you might even find the occasional poker tournament.

Cascade Bar & Grill is located at 15000 SE Mill Plain Boulevard, Vancouver, WA 98684 and you can reach them at 360-254-0749. You can also connect to Cascade Bar & Grill on Facebook.

Day 351 of 365…

We have had some amazing days here in the beginning of February. The sun has been shining down, the sky is such a beautiful blue. If we had some birds chirping you could call it spring. Today felt like a great day for a cold treat. As I finished up an appointment downtown Vancouver I decided to stop in and get a cone at Dolce Gelato.

I’m not even sure what gelato is but I know it sure tastes good. I like it. Several of the flavors looked really good but I ended up choosing the chocolate and peanut butter with fudge in a waffle cone. How can you go wrong with that combination? Mmmm…

Dolce Gelato not only serves some great gelato but they offer all sorts of breakfast and lunch options if you need something savory before you have your sweets. Salads, panini’s, sandwiches, soups and more. Stop in to this great restaurant and explore their options.

Dolce Gelato is located directly West of Esther Short Park at 535 W 8th Street, Vancouver, WA 98660 and you can reach them at 360-567-1011.