Tinseltown is a relatively new (and still sparsely occupied) shopping mall with a large movie theatre complex located on the border between downtown Vancouver and the downtown East Side / Chinatown area. This is an area of town that is in transition, with many fancy new condos being constructed, but still is one of Vancouver’s more graphic parts of town (88 W Pender, Vancouver 604-806-0799). Tinseltown and its food court are easily accessible by Skytrain, just steps away from the Stadium station and GM Place Stadium. The food court is cash only and some really good deals can be found here, such as a heaping plate of Thai fast food for only $5.00 (pictured below). Also check out the salad rolls made fresh to order from the Vina Vietnamese restaurant (served with peanut sauce – yum!).

Vancouver’s Chinatown (web site: http://vancouverchinatown.ca) is located within walking distance just east of downtown Vancouver and is a great place to taste delicious dim-sum and pastries from one of the many bakeries, or stock up on fresh, very affordable vegetables such as those from the market pictured below (on Powell Street). A nice place to spend a few hours in tranquility is the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden (web site) which is a Ming-Dynasty style garden that is famous for its stunning architecture.

Canada Place (web site, 780-999 Canada Place, Vancouver, (604) 775-7200) is Vancouver’s trade and convention centre, located on the waterfront in Vancouver’s downtown business district. Home of the very fancy Pan Pacific Hotel (which is where many celebrities and hockey players stay while they are in town), Canada Place is well known as a Vancouver landmark for its rooftop sails. The same building contains Vancouver’s cruise ship terminal and attractions such as the CN Imax Theatre, food court, and fine restaurants. The modern architecture of the building (pictured below) is worth a visit in itself.