Alone Time

A wise, passionate account of the pleasures of travelling soloIn our increasingly frantic daily lives, many people are genuinely fearful of the prospect of solitude, but time alone can be both rich and restorative, especially when travelling. Through on-the-ground reporting and recounting the experiences of artists, writers, and explorers who cherished solitude, Stephanie Rosenbloom considers how being alone as a traveller—or even in one's own city—is conducive to becoming acutely aware of the sensual details of the world—patterns, textures, colors, tastes, sounds—in ways that are impossible to do when you're in the company of others. Alone Time is divided into four parts, each set in a different city, in a different season, in a single year. The destinations—Paris, Istanbul, Florence, New York—are all pedestrian-friendly, which enables travelers to slow down and appreciate casual pleasures instead of hurtling through...