Alone Time by Stephanie Rosenbloom
August 31, 2021at Mary Lib's house
By Mary Lib
One reason I chose this book is because I anticipated it would precipitate some interesting discussion amongst this group of well-traveled, widely-experienced women, and that’s exactly how the afternoon unfolded. Our conversations pointed out how much we still have to look forward to learning about each other. Margie, Paige, Annie, Libby, Saran, Lucie, Joan, and I met at my home.
Stephanie Rosenbloom’s Alone Time reports her experiences as a solo traveler in four cities: Paris, Istanbul, Florence, and New York. She built her stories around food, people, and places. In each location, she celebrated opportunities she attributed to being alone: savoring random moments, being spontaneous, and enjoying the benefits of solitude. The chapter on Paris seemed to be the overall favorite of the group because of its evocative details.
Our responses to the book varied quite a bit. While most of us basically enjoyed the book, our initial expectations influenced our opinions. Margie specifically felt like what she observed as shortcomings stemmed from her own preconceived expectations. One common observation was that the book insufficiently explored the concept of alone time. Paige, who has traveled alone extensively, said, “There’s so much more to say about alone time.” She added that when she has traveled alone, she hasn’t felt alone, because people seem to be more comfortable extending offers such as home visits to solo travelers than to groups of two or more. Mary Lib related to the concept of savoring and the description of the joys of anticipation. Saran thought more could have been said about how people communicate when they don’t speak the language, and we all agreed that based on our own experiences of not knowing the language of the places we were in, this would have been a fun addition to the book. Everyone appreciated the discussion about how unique a museum or art gallery experience is when alone vs. with others.
Many people wanted to hear more about other aspects of solo travel. Annie wondered if the experience would be different for introverts than for extroverts. Libby wanted more stories showcasing the overall humanity observed and experienced by solo travelers. Through her own rich experiences from extensive travels, she was sure that much more could have been said. Saran enjoyed the description of sounds and smells in Istanbul. Lucie appreciated Rosenbloom’s comparison of taking pictures vs. truly looking and observing. Paige added that if she takes a picture now, it’s done with reverence. Those who had traveled alone, before the era of selfies, commented on how few photos were taken during those travels.
We heard stories about solo travel from each other. Saran traveled across South Africa and spent time stranded at a border because at an earlier crossing the agent neglected to stamp her document. She also traveled in Malawi, Venezuela, Norway & New Zealand for her Ph.D. research. Paige has traveled across Algeria and India & other places, and described some harrowing stories about jumping out of cars! Mostly, though, her stories were heartwarming. Libby spent two weeks in West Berlin waiting for a new passport after hers was stolen in East Berlin. Mary Lib traveled alone in Western Europe but suffered a setback after her wallet (with her Eurail Pass) was stolen on a train between Bratislava and Vienna. However, she did feel like the solo trip was an important experience after growing up in the 50s & 60s when women generally assumed dependent roles. Joan described a solo train ride with a 3-week old baby and the challenges that arose along with help given by other passengers.
The discussion unfolded as I hoped it would when selecting this book, because in the end, we learned many interesting stories from each other’s past travels and enjoyed new glimpses of what makes each of us tick.
