Posts Tagged ‘solo travel’

Neal Stephenson has a beautiful mind, one that roams both the highways and back roads of human knowledge with equal ease.  As a writer, he is willing to grab you by the hand and take you along, pointing out new concepts, and asking you to follow a different route when revisiting the familiar.

In his book Anathem, he talks about the “story” and the way in which organizational work life has sucked most of the individual stories out of people’s everyday lives.  Their stories have become those of the institution, rather than those of their own making. People who find it difficult to sacrifice their personal storytelling to the constraints of economy and efficiency may strike out in a different direction, choosing a more entrepreneurial or adventurous way of life. 

Could it be that this is why the idea of travel seems so much more like a necessity than a luxury?  Perhaps it’s not just that people feel they “deserve a reward for working hard all year.”  Perhaps travel fulfills a very basic need that we all have to tell a tale; to have an experience with a beginning, a middle, and an end; one that is unique to us; one we can cherish in our memories and in the retelling; a story of our own.

Christmas night and my friends are unable to meet me as planned for our annual holiday dinner.  It’s a festive day, and I’m festively dressed, so I’m going anyway!  Our reservation is for Bistro de Paris, the small and elegant restaurant located in France at Epcot’s World Showcase. 

This venue is on the second floor above Chefs de France; a bit of an effort to find the entrance which is somewhat hidden away at the back.  The young woman at the podium had a somewhat reserved manner and I did begin to have concerns that the service might not be as pleasant as I was hoping for.  As most of you who have dined alone know, if anyone is going to be kicked to the curb during a busy night at a restaurant, it’s bound to be the single diner!  My worries proved to be unfounded; I have seldom encountered more polished and attentive service.  Read the rest of this entry »