VANCOUVER - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 51

Park, along this route, English Bay, Stanley Park, and Kitsilano Beach are laid out
in all their glory from Point Atkinson.
UPTOWN
South of downtown, the Kitsilano foreshore provides that well-known view of the
city skyline backed by the Coast Mountains. The south side of the city is relatively
flat. The high point is 152-meter (500-foot) Little Mountain, in Queen Elizabeth
Park, where the city skyline and abruptly rising mountains contrast starkly with the
residential sprawl of Vancouver.
Chinese Cultural Centre
The Chinese Cultural Centre (50 E. Pender St., 604/658-8850) is the epicenter of com-
munity programs for the local Chinese population, but holds interest to outsiders. Around
the corner from the main entrance, the distinctive museum and archives building (555
Columbia St., 604/658-8880, 11am-5pm daily, adult $6, senior $4) catalogs the history of
Chinese-Canadians in Vancouver.
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
Gardening enthusiasts won't want to miss this peaceful and harmoniously designed garden
behind the Cultural Centre, the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden (578 Carrall
St., 604/662-3207, 9:30am-7pm daily in summer, 10am-4:30pm daily the rest of the year,
adult $14, senior $11, student $10). The garden features limestone rockeries, a waterfall and
tranquil pools, and beautiful trees and plants hidden away behind tall walls. The buildings
and other artificially constructed elements, including wood carvings and sculptures, were
shipped from China. This was the first authentic classical Chinese garden built outside Ch-
ina, and it remains to this day the largest. Well worthwhile are the tours (free with admis-
sion) conducted up to eight times daily.
Adjacent to the gardens is Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Park, where admission is free.
Sam Kee Building
Chinatown grew around the intersection of Pender and Carrall Streets, and although time
has seen the heart of the neighborhood move eastward, it's worth wandering down the hill
and around the original area. Opposite the entrance to Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese
Garden is the Sam Kee Building (8 W. Pender St., corner of Carrall St.), best known as the
world's narrowest office building. When city developers widened surrounding streets in