My then 17-year old son – my only child – was chosen to go on a missions trip to London with his church youth group. Rather than pine away and worry all the while he was gone across the pond, I decided to book a trip to Vancouver, BC, a place I’d read and even written about, but had never been to. I had enough frequent flyer miles to fly at no charge, and after checking out the city’s vast network of public transportation, I decided NOT to rent a car. Instead I invested in a pair of “summer weight” hiking shoes, bought a book on local walking tours, and another on local brewpubs, and I set out on an amazing journey. This would be the first time that I’d traveled on vacation as a single female, but I felt very safe and very comfortable the entire time while I was there. I stayed at the Granville Island Hotel which has its own brewery on the premises (honestly the beers were so-so – I found much better offerings at the numerous other places I visited), and I was able to reach pretty much any destination in the city by ferry, bus, rail or “aqua bus.” Don’t miss Stanley Park and the Vancouver Aquarium, Yaletown, and the Seawall, and be sure to walk through some of the historic neighborhoods in the area as well.