Canada Place can't be missed. It's got the white sails that you can see from the sky on your way into Vancouver. It's home to the IMAX theater, cruise-ship terminals, Pan Pacific Hotel, convention center, and other businesses.

The July 1st celebration of Canada Day at Canada Place was a lot of fun for solo travellers like myself, and for families, the young, the old... simply everybody. It had all types of venues selling food, stages for musical performances, and even a ceremony of citizenship. It was interesting to see the different cultural exhibitions, children's activities, and entertainment acts.

Canada Place is another site that we saw on our tour with Landsea. In fact, we saw this three times, once by sitting in front of it, another time by seeing it in the The Lookout at Harbour Centre, and the last time at Stanley Park. We took pictures of it at all these places.

Canada Place is a building located on the Burrard Inlet waterfront of Vancouver, British Columbia. This place houses the city’s Convention Centre, the Pan Pacific Hotel, and an IMAX 3-D theater, the first in the world. Our guide also told us that it is the main cruise ship terminal. This is where most of Vancouver’s well-known cruises to Alaska started. It was built for Expo 86 as the pavilion for Canada. Being built here made it the only venue for the fair that was not at the main site on the north shore of False Creek.

The stunning white sails of this building are a main landmark for Vancouver. Some people even compare it to the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia. What we liked about it is that it is so noticeable, whether you are viewing from The Lookout or viewing it at Stanley Park.

In 2001, Canada Place was expanded to accommodate another cruise ship berth. And now, the Convention Center is currently being expanded by the Vancouver Convention Center Expansion Project. It is being constructed on the waterfront beside Canada Place. This expansion will triple the capacity of the Convention Centre. The new structure will possess a living rooftop and will host many venues in the Winter Olympics in 2010

Landsea Tours include this attraction in their city highlights tour of Vancouver. This tour is 3 1/2 hours long. The tour current charges are the following in American dollars: $48 for adults, $45 for seniors, and $30 for children. Their phone number is 800/558-4955. Their website is tours@vancouvertours.com.

Vancouver has the busiest harbor in Canada, and walking beside its scenic shores is one of the marvelous pleasures of this city. While the southern coast is burdened by numerous high-rises that are gray and anonymous, it does feature Canada Place, now the signature building of Vancouver. Designed by the architectural firm Zeidler Roberts Partnership, it is nearly 2,000 feet in length.

Expo86 brought Vancouver to a worldwide audience and was the catalyst of several notable buildings, one of which is now known as Canada Place (it originally was called the Canada Pavilion during the Expo in 1986). The mixed-use complex is the home to the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre, the posh Pan Pacific Hotel, terminals for cruise ships and buses, and an IMAX theater.

It is a beautiful entity that is capped by a sectional roof of white, Teflon-coated fabric. These tent-like structures appear like shimmering sails. This nautical reference is quite appropriate when you see the plethora of boats large and small scurrying about in Vancouver Harbour. Sometimes large cruise ships are anchored adjacent to the complex, offering an interesting contrast of ocean liner and building mimicking an ocean liner. The roof fabrics are well anchored and quite safe, so indeed they do not sail away. Walk along the perimeter promenade for picturesque views of the city and follow along while reading informative plaques about the history of the city.

The SeaBus terminal is east of Canada Place, offering fast and convenient access to Lonsdale Quay on the shore of North Vancouver. Unfortunately the terminal is quite utilitarian in appearance, as it merges with the transportation network of the SkyTrain Waterfront Station and other various tunnels and passages. Walking to or from the SeaBus terminal, try to catch glimpses of Canada Place.

A terrific way to experience the flowing waterline is to walk between Canada Place and Stanley Park. It is definitely not a dull straight-line walk, as you meander around the piers and urban landscapes. You will be enthralled by the casual stream of small seaplanes and helicopters buzzing above and around you. Look to the North Shore and you will also be mesmerized by the stretch of lush mountains that appear almost tropical in the summertime.

To the west of Canada Place, Harbour Green is an attractive urban park with pavement waterworks fountains that kids can frolic in, at least during the warmer months. It is conceptually similar to the popular Fountain of Rings in Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park. Fortunately, the design of newer high-rises along the shore are becoming more and more handsome, even though they still display a uniform style that does not come close to challenging the undisputed aesthetic anchor of the local skyline, Canada Place.

This interesting architectural wonder was erected for the 1986 World Exposition, but it now serves as the city's main convention center and the dock for large cruise ships. The huge roof looks sort of like the Opera House in Sydney, but the inside is less enthralling in design. The building also houses the chic Pan Pacific hotel and an IMAX theater, but the average tourist will find Canada Place to be a fairly quick visit.