At one time the smallest park in the city, Major Matthews Park is named for the city’s first archivist, who probably did more to preserve artifacts and documents from Vancouver’s first century after being settled than anyone else.  

The park occupies a former single-family lot on Manitoba just off 11th Avenue, and has a small modern playground good for 3 to 6-year olds. There’s also a cute gazebo in the corner that can fit one or two people, and a decent sized lawn in between.

A modest park, in other words, yet one that feels cozy enough for a fair number of demographics.