You could drive over the Cambie Bridge a thousand times and never have an inkling of the four-acre, waterfront park underneath. Coopers' Park, the latest of five parks to be opened in the Concord neighbourhood, remains undiscovered by most of Vancouver, a real secret of the city. Until now. Those in the know give Coopers' Park high ratings. According to Sam Mack, NBA Vancouver Grizzlies star, the regulation basketball court at Coopers' Park is one of his top three picks for outdoor hoops in the city. "The whole place is covered so you can play when it's raining," says Mack. He can even bring his son along to the playground and let Sam Jr. test the thrill factor of the park's five slides. But the real secret of Coopers' Park is its vivid history. Named for the coopers or barrel makers who worked at the Sweeney cooperage on the park's site, Coopers' Park is a key piece of Vancouver's industrial past. The company's founder, Michael Sweeney, established the business in Victoria in 1889 and moved it to False Creek in 1921. It grew to become one of the largest cooperages in the British Commonwealth before rolling out its last barrel in 1982 as Vancouver prepared to stage EXPO 86 along False Creek. "What a change in just 15 years! I'm thrilled that the site of the old cooperage is now a waterfront park. It's amazing to see kayaks on False Creek instead of log booms and mud flats," reflected Jake Sweeney, the grandson of the original owner.

	With hyper-stylish Yaletown on one side and the Concord neighbourhood on the other, Davie@Pacific is about to burst with shops, services and urban life. The intersection claims the first neighbourhood grocery store, two major banks and the Roundhouse, Vancouver's only community centre to focus on the arts. This is a restaurateur's dream come true with sidewalks wide enough for patios, people and people watchers. Whatever you call it - the high street or the crossroads , Davie@Pacific is emerging as the hub of the new Concord neighbourhood.

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