Valentine’s “Specials”:  Ocean City, Maryland

I cannot remember where my family stayed, but I do remember that night on the Boardwalk searching every face in the crowd looking for him.  It was around 6th Street that I finally ran into his parents.  They were staying at the Majestic.  After speaking with them a few minutes, I excitedly hurried back down the Boardwalk and found him, his brother and some friends sitting on a curb by the House of Mirrors, across from the Himilaya. I walked over to them to say hi. At this point my daydreams took the opposite turn.  He was cool toward me, not wanting to talk much, being “cool” with the guys.  I was crushed.  I remember walking away, then deciding to go back to him and tell him what I thought. He was still sitting on the curb and as I stood in back of him, bending over to whisper in his ear, he reached up and took my hands in his – it made my day. 

While not a very romantic story, I tend to remember that night with fondness.  We never did hang out together on that trip.  But 40 years later he and I are still good friends!”

• We piled into the gold 1966 Dodge Dart for our excursion.

• The “Tan don’t burn, get a Coppertone Tan” commercial jingle aired over and over, so eventually Pam kept remarking about returning home with a “Coppertone Tan”.

• We arrived at The Colonial Crest Motel, which I believe was somewhere around 10th St. across the street from the beach.

• Arriving at the same time was a “‘Nor-Easter,”  a weather front phenomenon that occurs in OC every few years. It’s a stubborn rain pattern that arrives from the northeast and circulates counter-clockwise over a given area, rather than just moving through from west to east. It usually persists for 3-5 days.

• A ‘Nor-Easter features periods of rain, which subside for a while and sometimes will allow for a brief spate of sunshine. It doesn’t last long. So we would grab all of our beach gear, walk across the street to “establish a beachhead,” as Mom termed it, then we’d inevitably have to make the trek back to the motel in the rain. Of course as soon as we got back, it stopped raining, so we’d go back to the beach for a few minutes of clouds, then more rain. This back and forth activity lasted several hours.

• On one trip back to the motel, when we were particularly soaked and looked like drowned rats, Mom remarked: “I hope I don’t run into anyone I know.”

• After finally giving up on the beach, we huddled in our room.  Mom had been reading a novel about JFK and since there was no TV, she provided entertainment by reading to us from the book. Being 10 years old, and probably horribly ADD before this became a commonplace clinical term, I had zero interest in the book. I did however have a perverse interest in the floor lamp light bulb which was directly over my head and was delighting in tinkering and fidgeting with the light bulb while Mom was reading. Right around the part of the novel that described the assassination, the light bulb exploded, sending small shards of glass into my skull which would have made Lee Harvey Oswald proud.

• After first-aid consisting of holding swabs of toilet paper on my head, the bleeding finally stopped and we all went to bed.  (The “Magic Bullet” was never found).

• During our trek, “Light My Fire” by The Doors had just peaked to #1 on The Billboard Top 100, where it spent three weeks at the top position.  On one occasion, after the DJ on the OC radio station had just played it, he announced that there were so many requests for this song and he liked it so much, he was going to play it again. I’ve never since heard a song played back to back. This was arguably the highlight of the weekend.

• We decided to check out the next day.

• Mom, being the honest soul that she is, offered to pay for the light bulb during the check-out transaction. The clerk was nonplussed and oblivious.

• We dolefully got back in the Dodge Dart for the trip back to 7501 23rd Avenue.

• For the next several years, we received a Christmas card from The Colonial Crest Motel.  Guess they missed us, (or at least our cash).

• Dad probably had more fun serving on Active Duty.

• Pam didn’t get her “Coppertone Tan.”

–JOZO

In love with Ocean City

Some forum posts I dug up from 2007 about why folks are in love with Ocean City itself. Hopefully they still feel this way 10 years later…

Singing with the windows down

“Just going there altogether is my favorite. This year will be the 31st year in a row that I have been going. Now, my son will be 15 months and hopefully be walking by then. I cannot wait for the years ahead.

My fav things, past and present:

Going on all the rides at Trimpers. The time just melts away going on the same rides year after year. Of course I haven’t been on them in quite a while but will again soon 

When my wife and I get there, we always unpack, relax, and then go to Dumsers for the first night of dinner. We can never remember what we like to get and always try to remember, but it never fails – we remember what we really wanted after we leave. So going back to Dumsers during the week long stay always happens.

Breakfast at Generals Kitchen. Once, maybe twice during the week. How I miss the General and the times he used to tell me jokes as a little kid. They have the best breakfast in OC.

Walking the boardwalk, both day and night. Sometimes I prefer to walk it during the day when it’s far less crowded.

Spending time at the beach. There’s nothing better than playing in the sand and going in the ocean. Actually the one thing better will be playing with my son at the beach. Taking him last year when he was 2 months wasn’t easy.

Oh and one last thing. Someone wrote how they put down the windows when they get there. I’ll top that one. We do the same and sing “we’re here because we’re here because, we’re here because we’re here” Welll, I’m sure that if you know the song and the tune, you’ll get the point.”

–RavenLunatic

Through a child’s eyes

“…I too love to see Ocean City through the eyes of my children. It is tradition in our family to eat lunch on the beach, as well as licorice, those orange marshmellow circus peanuts, and the green spearmint leaves… You get sand in your lunch when you eat on the beach, but I grew up with my father telling me that “sand is life”… So, when my kids tell me there is sand in their peanut butter & jelly, or their bologna & cheese, I just tell them, “it’s ok – sand is life”..

–Ariel.T.

So much to choose from

“This is a difficult question because there is so much I love about OC…(other than the new high rises, condos and hotels )….

First off, driving over the bridge into town and yelling with the kids “WE’RE HERE!!!!!OCEAN CITY!!!!!”….

The smell of salt water, and the cool breezes on a hot day…..

Fishers Carmel Pop Corn, always a MUST!!!!!

Trimpers rides, I have been going there since I was a baby and now my kids have been going there since they were a baby! Ahhhh traditions!

Eating. I mean, come on….all the great restaurants, and buffets (I know, I know )

The boardwalk….just spending time on it!!!!

There is so much more!!!!!!!!!!!!”

–Krislynell

Ocean City is a great place to fall in love, be in love, feel the love, however you want to put it–love is always in the air. 

This post was edited on 2/8/18 to add another story –ed.