Boldly Go Solo

Heart-shaped tubs for Valentine's Day

In the tradition of Erma Bombeck and Ann Landers, I am rerunning a fave story for Valentine's Day, (though by no means comparing my skills to theirs!) Here you go:

A recent visit to Niagara Falls, where dozens of motels beckon with the promise of a soak in a bubbling red heart, left me strangely drawn to the outlandish kitsch of the heart-shaped-tub scene. And so one night, on my way home from a visit to friends in Massachusetts, I found myself checking into Caesars Pocono Resorts' Cove Haven in Lakeville, Pa., a k a "The Land of Love."

The champagne glass tub was the first thing I saw when I got to my room. It was next to a fireplace in the living room. Behind a glass wall to the left was the heart-shaped swimming pool, four feet deep. Next to that was the in-suite sauna.

Any piano players out there with a yen for solo travel?

Piano players! Come quick to New York City.

As of today, 60 painted and decorated free public pianos are set up in 50 places throughout the Big Apple, from the Metropolitan Museum to the Coney Island boardwalk, according to a blog post with a great headline: "New York City plunks 50 free public pianos."

Does anyone else see how great a solo trip this is for the musically talented? One, you have a goal: Get to NYC to show off. Two, you start playing and there's no way in the world people aren't going to gather and talk with you.

City guides and videos by hostelworld offer a trip preview

Hosteling sure has changed since the days I was bumming my way around Europe. I carried a ratty little book listing where the hostels were and counted on outdated information that was printed probably once a year at most.

You'd have to write letters to make reservations at a hostel, or just show up and potentially be shut out for the night for lack of space.

Now, at hostelworld.com you can find videos and podcasts, and ratings and prices of hostels in particular cities. You can book online. Short videos take you around the bedrooms, bathrooms and exterior of the hostel. See Athens below, for example.

Getting a little familiar with a place via video might help a solo traveler get more comfortable about going someplace new.

A hostelworld guy named Colm Hanratty also has produced six "city guides" titled "10 Things You Need To Know About (X city)" and he's done them for Paris, London, New York, Prague, Rome and Dublin. Sure, you can find all the same information, and in much more detail, from guidebooks or at other places on the Web.

But there's something charming about his take. And, again, the visuals provide a "you are there" feel that you don't get from books and still photos.

Fair warning: If off-kilter French pronunciation bothers you steer clear of his guide to Paris, in which he mangles all the French words he utters. (I haven't watched all the videos so I can't gauge his facility with Czech or Italian. And I'm sure I'd do the same in pronouncing Czech locations!)

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Top 10 most exciting ferries in the world

Travel writers of the U.S. and Canada have come up with a list of the world's top 10 ferry rides, and you don't necessarily want to argue with people who travel for a living. (But of course you can, if you want.)

Can't say I've ever seen a poll ranking ferries. But I like this list. And, I was glad I'd ridden two out of the 10: the British Columbia ferry system and the Staten Island ferry (I grew up in New York). Seems, however, I've got a ways to go.

The number one ferry, by vote of the Society of American Travel Writers members, is the Star Ferry in Hong Kong, "crammed with views and people to create the cheapest multi-cultural, multi-sensory cruise experience in the world," writes travel journalist Chris McBeath.

Number two are the ferries from Sausalito to San Francisco, California.

I loved the sound of this one: "The Alaska State Ferry system's 'blue canoes' allow overnight passengers to pitch their tents on deck, surely one of the most unusual camping experiences," according to journalist Janet Fullwood.

I want to do this! Tell me, solo travelers, you wouldn't end up talking to people "camped" around you? Of course, you would. (But how do you bang your tent pegs into the deck??)

Interestingly, ferries ply the waters of the most urban landscapes and the seemingly most out of the way places. They can be high speed or lumbering giants. And they can be a great, often inexpensive and sometimes downright dirt cheap way to tour cities and vast and beautiful wilderness areas.

My most memorable ferry ride was somewhere in the waters of the Inside Passage on the northern tip of Vancouver Island. I'd finished a sea kayaking trip that I'd joined as a solo traveler (had a fantastic time and a great tent mate) and had a couple of days to explore the area on my own.

I took the ferry that plied the vast waters up there, to an island famous for its totem poles. On the way back, I dozed off and awoke to someone pulling gently on my sleeve. "Is this your stop?" Oh lordy, thank goodness she'd heard me ask someone if I was on the right boat back to Vancouver Island. She did me a real favor waking me up.

I had visions of ending up on some outer island with no way to get back until morning. But you know what? That could have been the adventure of a lifetime and a great story to tell. I don't go anywhere without a credit card, so someone, somewhere would have put me up.

Still, I was grateful for her watchful eye and it once again reminded me that in general, people watch out for one another. Especially when they see you're on your own.

Photo: Ellen Perlman. The clipper ferry from Seattle to Vancouver Island.

Last minute solo adventure trips

I heard on the radio the other morning that hotels in New York are offering terrific deals on rooms. One such deal was a rate reduction to $100 from $500. In that case, I won't complain about the fact that two people pay the same rate as one. Sorry I don't have more specifics about the hotels, but if the idea of treating yourself to a trip to New York is appealing, call around. And negotiate!

Or how about a last minute deal on a trip to South Africa or Vietnam or the Amazon? G.A.P. Adventures has a page of last-minute deals. I need to look at these last minute sites more often.

Because G.A.P.'s trips are inexpensive, I'm guessing their customers skew young. These are not your luxury trips. But that's fine by me. Just get me on the river or the hiking trail.

I particularly like this line in the description of a 15-day trip to Costa Rica: "Hitting some of Costa Rica's best natural highlights, this 15-day tour provides ample opportunities for hiking, horseback riding and swimming."

Wish I could go! But there are only so many vacation weeks in a year...

 

A Times Square moment

New York City is in a class of its own. And while it is someplace I like to go with others (I grew up just outside the city and often visited my grandmother, who lived on the Lower East Side), it's the kind of place that will wrap itself around you even if you visit alone.

In fact, it can be difficult to stick with your friends or family because the sidewalks can get so crowded. And yet it's a great place to walk and gawk and shop and buy hot pretzels on the street and people watch and just stare in awe at what city planners have wrought.

Today I had a few minutes on my own in Times Square, where the ball will drop on New Year's Eve, as always. From a flagpole at One Times Square. I took these photos in just a one-and-a-half block area. It's hard to convey the sensory bounty of it all via still photos, when practically every billboard has moving parts or flashing lights!

Find a city's markets: farmer's, arts and crafts, holiday and more.

'Tis the season of the holiday markets, known in Europe as Christmas markets. They can be found in cities all over the world. 

I was just in New York City for Thanksgiving with family and stopped off at the Grand Central Terminal Holiday Fair for a quick peek before catching a train upstate. This is the fourth year out of the past 10 that I've made it to one or another of New York's holiday markets.

Score! A velvety black scarf with a colorful, artistic pattern and a gold necklace, choker length. What do you mean, who am I buying them for? Me, of course.

The two other great holiday markets I've been to are the Holiday Shops at Bryant Park and the Union Square Holiday Market. There's one at Columbus Circle I've yet to explore.

We're talking hundreds of artisans and vendors. New York's markets are fashioned after the Northern European holiday markets that set up in public squares and piazzas. (Bring your scarf and mittens, even if you plan to buy more. It's usually cold out there.)

Markets of all kinds appeal to me as a solo traveler. They're good for people watching, buying unique local gifts and getting a sense of the locale and its residents.

I've sought them out in Saquisili and Otavalo, Ecuador, where I didn't recognize half the exotic fruits. (More on Ecuador here and here.) There was El Rastro, the flea market in Madrid. Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem in Pennsylvania. The leather stalls in Florence, Italy. And so many more. I'm itching to go shopping as we speak!

And right here in Washington, D.C., we have Eastern Market, the last of Washington's 19th century markets to remain in continuous operation. It has a flea market, a food market and arts and crafts and jewelry galore.

Hot spots for dining solo in New York City

 The New York Observer has issued its top 10 list of best restaurants for dining alone. The reviews don't describe what makes the establishments comfortable, or fabulous, for solo diners. Although the write-ups are most drool-worthy.

We'll have to hope they chose them for good reasons.

A reader added his own critique of a restaurant not on the list. Joe's Shanghai at 9 Pell Street. "They have tables for 10 and a single diner can be seated at any one of them and feel very comfortable." He says you may be alone but you won't be lonely.

Having grown up just north of NYC, my family toured and dined a lot in "the Big Apple." And visited grandma on the Lower East Side. New York is one of those cities where you can do just about anything - including play the guitar on the streets half naked or have hair died in a range of primary colors, and few people will blink.

More than just about any place, New York seems an easy city in which to dine alone because of that anything goes attitude. Plus, there's just so much to gape at! For those of you who worry the whole world's watching, my guess is the fact that you are eating alone won't even register with other diners.

And New Yorkers being the outspoken people they often are, you might find that more people strike up conversations with you there than in most other cities. I can't say that for certain, but it's such a bustling place that I think you'll find going solo a snap.

Photos: Veselka; Cafe LULUc

Traveling alone? Phone for a friend in Chicago, Houston or New York

Traveling alone in Chicago? You literally can order a "friend." Pick up the phone and call Chicago Greeter and you'll be reserving a local resident to show you around town for a few hours. For free.

The Chicago Office of Tourism matches visitors with residents knowledgeable about their city. They'll take you along the famous Chicago lakefront or to the city's parks, museums, boutiques or ethnic neighborhoods. You choose.

They're not professional tour guides. They're people who love their town and want to share it. They give you a personalized orientation, depending on your interests. And will spend two to four hours walking around, pointing things out. Or explaining things you'd like to know about the city.

I plan to take the city up on this the next time I'm in Chicago, despite the fact that I already HAVE a Chicago friend who's given me a tour of the very cool Millennium Park downtown and some ethnic neighborhoods. But she's not always around to give me personalized tours!

Houston and New York

Call Houston Greeters and have a volunteer take you to a Houston Astros baseball game. Or a walk around the neighborhood. Or on a pub crawl.

New York was the first city to have a volunteer welcome program for visitors. Big Apple Greeters have been taking people around their city's diverse neighborhoods since 1992. About 300 volunteers are ready and waiting. And they speak 22 languages. Book your airline ticket, submit your request for a greeter and have a grand time!

Any other cities out there that offer a greeter service?

Photo: Big Apple Greeter in a subway station, courtesy of the Big Apple Greeters Web site.