Letters: Reactions to readers’ photos; tips on traveling alone

What readers saw in other readers’ photos

Some random thoughts about the excellent photo presentation in the Sept. 20 issue [“See. Snap. Wow.”].

— That alligator looks like it is covered in something I can only think of as “pond scum,” a descriptive I first heard on an episode of “Cheers” when characters Sam and Diane were going at it.

— Campobello Island is where Franklin Delano Roosevelt often vacationed; later on, the stays were the subject of a Broadway play.

— Might not “wayward driftwood” be just a tad into the redundancy zone?

Warren Cereghino

Pacific Palisades

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Each photograph was but one more prod to get up and go to see what the world offers.

In particular I liked the photo of Guanajuato, Mexico, because only a few days earlier I was introduced to this town in the film “Eisenstein in Guanajuato.”

Sergei Eisenstein was a famous Russian film director who lived there, and the recent movie about him shows it off splendidly.

Kurt Sipolski

Palm Desert

More tips for solo travelers

Regarding “Solo Traveler Needn’t Pair Up,” by Ed Perkins [More for Your Money, Sept. 13]: None of my friends likes cruising. I’m a retiree. I’ve traveled solo economically on cruise ships several times. I always use this company: www.vacationstogo.com. It even has a separate category for solo travelers. Many lines don’t mark up their prices for solo travelers. The majority mark them up only 25%.

I’ve traveled from Tiajin, China, to Anchorage, Alaska; Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Southampton, England; Buenos Aires to Antarctica and back.

I took my first cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Panama. It was a short cruise just to see if I liked it. I waited until the last minute to go and got a solo cabin for about $100 — total price.

I learned on the trip to Antarctica to buy excursions on websites other than the cruise lines’. We generally traveled in small vans with fewer than 15 people in the van, along with a guide and driver. The cruise lines’ excursions packed huge buses with loads of tourists who soon overwhelmed the parks we visited.

It’s easy to meet other solo travelers if you feel like doing something with others. Or you can go alone.

I always eat in the buffet because I find it easier to meet and talk with fellow travelers that way. The dining room seems to be filled with people who travel in groups.

Connie Moreno

Lynwood