If you've never been to Vancouver, this is a good place to orient yourself and see some of what makes B.C.'s largest city so special. (Or you may arrive here on a cruise ship, in which case this will be your first introduction to Vancouver.) With its five tall Teflon sails and bowsprit jutting out into Burrard Inlet, Canada Place is meant to resemble a giant sailing ship. Inside it's a convention center on one level and a giant cruise-ship terminal below, with the Pan Pacific Hotel perched on top. Around the perimeter is a promenade with plaques at regular intervals explaining the sights and providing historical tidbits. A huge expansion to add more convention space and additional docking facilities is currently underway. You can walk all the way around on a pedestrian promenade that offers wonderful views across Burrard Inlet to the North Shore peaks and toward nearby Stanley Park. Continue around the promenade, and you'll get great city views and be able to see the older, low-rise buildings of Gastown, where Vancouver began. Bus sightseeing tours begin here, there's a giant-screen Imax Theatre (tel. 604/682-IMAX), and the Tourism Vancouver Touristinfo Centre is right across the street. Walking Tour 2 in chapter 8 begins at Canada Place and takes you into nearby Gastown and Chinatown.