Showing 1-10 of 10 results
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BC Place Stadium
Home of the BC Lions Canadian Football League team, this 60,000-seat Teflon-domed sports stadium was rumored to be on its last legs until it was named as a 2010 Winter Olympics venue and resuscitated with a makeover. The dome's quilted appearance is due to the crisscrossing steel wires holding down the air-supported roof - it deflated spectacularly in 2007 and had to be given the kiss of life by engineers.
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Canada Place
Built for Expo '86, this iconic, postcard-friendly landmark is shaped like a series of sails that jut into the sky over the harbor. Now a cruise-ship terminal and convention center (a large convention-center expansion will open on the building's west side before the Olympics), it's also a pier where you can stroll out over the waterfront, watch the splashing floatplanes and catch some spectacular sea-to-mountain views.
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Capilano Suspension Bridge
As you walk gingerly out on to the world's longest (140m) and highest (70m) suspension bridge, swaying gently over the roiling waters of tree-lined Capilano Canyon, remember that the thick steel cables you are gripping are safely embedded in huge concrete blocks on either side. That should steady your feet - unless the teenagers are stamping across to scare the oldsters.
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Christ Church Cathedral
Completed in 1895 and designated as a cathedral in 1929, the biggest and best Gothic-style church in the city is nestled incongruously among Vancouver's looming glass towers. Undergoing extensive renovations in recent years, it's a busy site and is home to a wide range of cultural events, including regular choir and chamber music recitals and the occasional Shakespeare reading.
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International Buddhist Temple
Reflecting the classical architecture of Beijing's Forbidden City, a highlight of this fascinating, two-tiered temple complex (also known as Kuan Yin Temple) is its sumptuous Gracious Hall, complete with deep-red exterior walls and a gently flaring orange porcelain roof.
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Marine Building
Vancouver's most romantic old-school tower block is an evocative reminder of what skyscrapers used to look like before bland concrete and faceless glass caught the eye of area developers. A graceful, 22-story, Art Deco tribute to the city's maritime past, its grand entranceway resembles a ship's prow while a salty frieze of waves, marine flora and sea horses wraps around the building's exterior.
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Sam Kee Building
This structure near the corner of Carrall St made it into Guinness World Records as the world's narrowest office building. It's easy to miss because it looks like the front of the larger building behind, to which it is attached. It's currently an insurance company office and there isn't much to see inside, but it's still a nifty stop if you're passing this way.
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Steam Clock
The much ballyhooed steam clock halfway along Water St is a silly little landmark, though its charm is that it's the only one of its kind in the world. Misleadingly historic looking, it was built in 1977 to resemble London's Big Ben.
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Vancouver Lookout
Expect your lurching stomach to make a bid for freedom as one of the two glass elevators here whisks you 169m to the apex of this needle-like viewing area. Once up top, there's not much to do but wander around and check out the truly awesome 360-degree vistas of city, sea and mountain panoramas unfurling around you.
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Waterfront Station
Opened in 1915, this handsome, multicolumned heritage building was originally the old Canadian Pacific Railway station and the western terminus for transcontinental passenger trains. These days it houses an array of offices, cafes and shops, and acts as the main link between SkyTrain and SeaBus transit services (the West Coast Express commuter train also rolls into town here).
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Showing 1-10 of 10 results
