Marya Charles Alexander

A former long-time resident of South Pasadena, California, Marya is a fervent booster of Carlsbad, California — known for wonderful people and fabulous attractions — her home for the past 10 years. And although Marya has developed a reputation as a rabid fan of the Carlsbad High School Volleyball program, she is better known as the editor/director of the website, SoloDining.com™ (www.solodining.com). SoloDining.com is edited and published by Marya Charles Alexander, the "first & foremost" solo dining maven, according to Nation's Restaurant News, who "works both sides of the street" -- counseling both restaurateurs and the public on all aspects of solo dining. A contributor to ThriftyTraveling.com newsletter, she has written pieces on solo dining for publications like WHERE New York Magazine, World Traveler (Northwest Airlines), Esquire, AARP's Modern Maturity, Sky (Delta Airlines), Frequent Flyer, JourneyWoman.com and Business Traveler International. She has three restaurant industry trade handbooks to her credit: 150-Plus Tips on How to Attract & Keep Solo Diners, 2nd Edition -- 2009; 150-Plus Tips on How to Attract & Keep Solo Diners -- 1996; Pod Press (no longer in print), and Solo Diners: The Untapped Mega-Market -- 1990; Rockbridge Publishing (no longer in print). "One thing that has surprised me throughout the years I've studied the solo dining phenomenon," said Alexander, "is how few people know how to cope with D.D.S., or 'dread of dining solo.' When people call to discuss solo-friendly restaurants, the conversation invariably turns to other questions. How can you avoid being seated in an uncomfortable location? Is it proper to read in a fine dining restaurant? How should a woman handle unwanted attention when eating out alone?" Considering that solo dining has long been seen as "business traveler" or "single" stuff, someone might wonder why many people would be interested in solo dining savvy. "It's quite simple," says Alexander, "sooner or later, EVERYONE faces the challenge of dining out alone. Even the very-marrieds are affected. Erma Bombeck, the late humor writer, devoted an entire column to her gripes about being left alone to dine when her husband was out of town.