‘In Paris (or anywhere else, really) a desk for one could be a most wonderful place.’ –Alone Period, as seen in The New York Times

A smart, passionate account from the pleasures of traveling solo

In our increasingly frantic daily lives, many folks are genuinely fearful of the chance of solitude, but time alone could be both rich and restorative, particularly when travelling. Through on-the-ground confirming and recounting the experiences of artists, writers, and innovators who valued solitude, about By itself Time: Four Months, Four Cities, as well as the Pleasures of Solitude Stephanie Rosenbloom considers how becoming alone being a traveller–and even in one’s personal city–is conducive to becoming acutely aware of the sensual details of the world–patterns, textures, colours, tastes, sounds–in ways that are difficult to accomplish together with others.

Alone Period is divided into four parts, each set in a different city, in a different time of year, within a 12 months. The destinations–Paris, Istanbul, Florence, New York–are all pedestrian-friendly, allowing travelers to decelerate and appreciate informal pleasures instead of hurtling through museums and publishing photos to Instagram. Each section spotlights a different theme from the joys and great things about time alone and how it could enable people to enrich their lives–facilitating creativeness, learning, self-reliance, as well as the ability to test and switch. Rosenbloom incorporates insights from psychologists and sociologists who have researched solitude and joy, and explores such topics as eating alone, learning to savor, finding interests and passions, and obtaining or creating silent areas. Her participating and elegant prose makes Alone Period as warmly intimate a merchant account as the facts of a vacation shared by a beloved friend–and will have its many visitors eager to head out on their own solo adventures.