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Canada Place Review

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Canada Place

Address: 999 Canada Place Way, Downtown, Vancouver, BC | Map It
Phone: 604/775-7200
www.canadaplace.ca

Category: Convention Centers
Location: Downtown

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Fodor's Review:

When Vancouver hosted the Expo '86 world's fair, this former cargo pier was transformed into the Canadian pavilion. Extending four city blocks (about a mile and a half) north into Burrard Inlet, the complex mimics the style and size of a luxury ocean liner, with exterior promenades and open deck space. The Teflon-coated fiberglass roof, shaped like five sails (the material was invented by NASA and once used in astronaut space suits!), has become a Vancouver skyline landmark. Home to Vancouver's main cruise-ship terminal, Canada Place can accommodate up to four luxury liners at once. It's also home to the luxurious Pan Pacific Hotel and the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre 604/647-7390, an expansion of which is under construction next door and is due to open in 2009. You can stroll the exterior promenade and admire views of Burrard Inlet, Stanley Park, and the North Shore mountains; plaques posted at intervals offer historical information about the city and its waterfront. At the north end of the complex, at the Port Authority Interpretive Centre (604/665-9179. Free. Weekdays 9-4), you can catch a video about the workings of the port, see some historic images of Vancouver's waterfront, or try your hand at a virtual container-loading game. Also at the north end, the CN IMAX Theatre (604/682-4629. C$12, higher prices for some films) shows films on a five-story-high screen.