A refuge in the urban core

I work in Vancouver’s downtown business core, an urban environment filled with noisy buses, trucks and cars. And the din is only getting louder. There’s nothing redeeming about the noise, and it exists in stark contrast to the pleasing natural sounds found in the mountains of the North Shore that are within my view, only minutes away across Burrard Inlet.

Luckily, there are a few outdoor urban niches where you can escape the downtown rush and find a sonic refuge. One of these is the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden – a short walk from my office.

Click the photo above to see my slideshow (14 images) of the Sun Yat-Sen Garden.

I visited the Sun Yat-Sen garden this week on a sunny Monday afternoon. The garden’s surrounding walls and central waterfall feature provide the ideal ambience for muffling the drone and din of the city while you reflect and dream in a tranquil setting.

Inlaid pebble-tile footpaths and bridges connect the garden spaces – cool white rooms filled with pots and bonsai, carved screens and impressive wooden doorways. One outer wall of the garden offers a series of round portals to seating areas and benches that look across a quiet pond to a park beyond.

The garden is my urban refuge.

But…

It’s all over way too soon -

3-2-1, you’re back in the room.