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Old 09-08-2013, 10:54 AM
 
Location: East Coast of the United States
27,217 posts, read 28,295,642 times
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Thought I'd post a few OC pics for kicks:




















Last edited by BigCityDreamer; 09-08-2013 at 11:18 AM..
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Old 09-08-2013, 05:18 PM
 
150 posts, read 296,797 times
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I love your photos.
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Old 09-08-2013, 05:36 PM
 
Location: SF Bay Area
14,317 posts, read 22,285,866 times
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Default OC never appealed to me either

Quote:
Originally Posted by I'm Retired Now View Post
I went out to Ocean City MD to check it out over the Labor Day Weekend.

I don't understand the appeal. Please help me understand why people spend hundreds of dollars for a tacky motel room per night in one of the most tacky towns in America!

Miles of gas stations, Taco Bells, Strip Centers, on the main road without any attempt at landscaping or environmental or architectural controls. It might have been pretty forty years ago but now it is commercialism gone wild.

To me, if I want to see the ocean I want to go to a beach in a place like Hawaii, The beautiful Oregon Coast, Big Sur in California, or the rocky shore of Maine.

Ocean City is the worst beach town ever. What is it's appeal?
The first time I saw it, after sitting in traffic to get there and back, I thought so too. It's why I never went back and don't plan to ever go again. Tacky, is an understatement. It's the reason why I don't like Vegas or any cheap, tacky-looking strip mall venues.

I don't care for the beach culture or the surfer culture. Not interested in being on a crowded beach any more than I'm interested in spending time in a crowded park in the middle of a city, with only a 6x6ft patch to savor.
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Old 09-08-2013, 05:47 PM
 
Location: On the Chesapeake
44,875 posts, read 59,846,876 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by I'm Retired Now View Post
I went out to Ocean City MD to check it out over the Labor Day Weekend.

I don't understand the appeal. Please help me understand why people spend hundreds of dollars for a tacky motel room per night in one of the most tacky towns in America!

Miles of gas stations, Taco Bells, Strip Centers, on the main road without any attempt at landscaping or environmental or architectural controls. It might have been pretty forty years ago but now it is commercialism gone wild.

To me, if I want to see the ocean I want to go to a beach in a place like Hawaii, The beautiful Oregon Coast, Big Sur in California, or the rocky shore of Maine.

Ocean City is the worst beach town ever. What is it's appeal?

I think what you're missing is that most people don't go to the beach for landscaping or architectural and environmental controls (and you'd be surprised at what you don't see for the last), they go to the beach....................for the beach. Those miles of strip centers support that.

Do I think that part is unattractive? Yes. But when I go to Ocean City I don't spend much time at them, I'm either at the Convention Center working, back where I stay, or on the beach (less and less of that, anymore).

Choice of where to stay is your own. There are good places in Ocean City and there are places I wouldn't stay, either. And I don't.

What you're also missing is that the State of Maryland, and Ocean City itself, have worked very hard over the last 20 years to make it a year-round destination. They've been somewhat successful (was down in early April and most places I go to in June were still closed).
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Old 09-08-2013, 05:55 PM
 
814 posts, read 1,142,686 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveinMtAiry View Post
Come on now, be fair. Again comparing Ocean City to beaches in France, Spain or Portugal is not a lot different than complaining about the traffic on Labor Day or saying a hamburger is not as good as a lobster.

It's 2.5 hours away from 2 major cities and a room can be had for under $100. As I said I totally understand it's lack of charm, and I get it that it's ugly. But as you have seen from other posters there is still a lot to offer even if it's not your thing. Again you have to evaluate it for what it is. And what it is is an inexpensive opportunity to go to the beach, a place you can get to before lunch even with a late start. France is neither of these things.
Ignoring the fact that I only even listed those places in response to the previous poster's specific question, I don't see what's "unfair" about bringing them up as examples of beach towns that I find much more appealing than Ocean City. Citing their charm and walkability as their pros is every bit as "fair" as you citing OC's convenience (to you, as someone living in the greater Baltimore area, I might add; that part is very subjective) and greater ability to do on a budget (which I freely acknowledged in my first post in this thread) as its pros.
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Old 09-08-2013, 08:41 PM
 
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
4,640 posts, read 11,867,325 times
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I feel compelled to add that inasmuch as I do enjoy OC, I'm a huge beach person. I know where/when to go to enjoy the actual beach. I also love, love, love Assateague---and that is not developed at all and I've got the insect bite scars to prove it. Soooo....that being said, I absolutely get what people don't like about Ocean City. I agree that the cost is ridiculous. Like I said, I don't go on weekends or holidays and I think that makes a difference. If I do stay overnight, it's for one night.

Just for fun, I once priced a a week-long vacation in Ocean City during high-season. Ridiculous! I've paid less to spend a week in Disney World (staying on property and flying). I've spent less on a trip to the Rockies. Don't get me started on the hotel rates. I think there's a Hyatt that charges something insane like $500/night. Really?!
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Old 09-09-2013, 04:36 AM
 
Location: Mount Airy, Maryland
16,086 posts, read 10,238,871 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by that412 View Post
Ignoring the fact that I only even listed those places in response to the previous poster's specific question, I don't see what's "unfair" about bringing them up as examples of beach towns that I find much more appealing than Ocean City. Citing their charm and walkability as their pros is every bit as "fair" as you citing OC's convenience (to you, as someone living in the greater Baltimore area, I might add; that part is very subjective) and greater ability to do on a budget (which I freely acknowledged in my first post in this thread) as its pros.


Wait now that412 (interesting name, love to hear the story), you started your criticism of OC with the following comment:

"The thing is, though, you can do all of those things in much more walkable, less sprawly-feeling beach towns".

When asked to elaborate you proceeded to rattle off beach towns in exotic locations. So you most definitely were comparing (unfairly) Ocean City, MD to beach towns in Europe and that is why I said it was an unfair comparison. While I totally agree with you that charming beach towns such as St. Joseph, Michigan, blow away Ocean City I can't get to Michigan, or Oregon, in a few hours. So it's not an apples to oranges comparison, it's more like apples to lawn furniture.
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Old 09-09-2013, 05:27 AM
 
Location: MD's Eastern Shore
3,631 posts, read 4,764,579 times
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One thing I find ironic is the cost of OC. Yes, it's expensive as I (and others) have noted before. However I have spent a lot of time in Costa Rica, practically living there while working on a boat some. One statement I remember saying when I was there last in 2010 was that I was glad to be getting back home to OC where it is cheaper to live and do things. And Costa Rica has a reputation as being a cheap and affordable place to go.

I guess when you live in assorted places you spend differently then when there as a tourist. In OC I have learned how to live more affordable. In those years I was renting which can be done inexpensively with a full year lease. I have since bought and the surrounding areas are among the cheapest in MD.

I have spent plenty of time in assorted other beach towns up and down the coast as well as in the Caribbean, South. America and Mexico and Ocean City holds its own. I personally am not a "beach Person" but what I do takes me to those places. True, it doesn't have the green clear water of South FL, the pink or white sand beaches of the Bahamas out islands or Mexicos Riviera. It doesn't have the palm lined beaches of the Caribbean or the 6000 ft mountains as a backdrop on Venezuelas coast. There is much more that it can't compare to as well.

But what it does have is convenience to millions of people who live in the Mid-Atlantic area. the Jersey shore can be dirty in some areas and can be quite sketchy in AC, plus a lot of places you have to pay to get on the beach. Delaware beach towns are all sprawled out and over a large area. VA has an Eastern shore with a couple small fishing towns, many inaccessible islands and Chincoteage is another hour south of OC. VA beach used to have a sketchy reputation but It is cleaning up. It's also in it's own metropolitan area with the traffic of a large urban area to deal with. Then there are the Outer Banks in NC which are great to go to as well, but some towns close up early and don't have much to offer, which can be good for those who like it. Nags head/Kill devil hills area is somewhat sprawled out.

So that leaves Ocean City, convenient to millions of people and safe for the whole family. It has something to offer (no matter how tacky) for everyone. From young kids to teens. Young people in their 20's and 30's who like to go clubbing and bar hopping have several "beachy" night clubs to go too---though not exactly on the cheap side. Ones in their 40's and 50's who like happy hours, fishing, and just general relaxing on the beach can find plenty to do. Even retirees who love to take walks up and down the boardwalk enjoy it here, especially in the off season. Someone mentioned the need for a car there. Unless you want to take day trips to Assateque or go up to DE to shop there really is no need for a car other then to get there. Perhaps that's what he meant. I have always said that you need to be really stupid ( or extremely drunk beyond all judgement) to get a DWI in this town because I haven't seen any coastal beach town with more taxi's then right hear. And then there is the bus which runs up and down coastal highway at all hours of the day and night, all season and even goes across the bridge into West OC. The town itself is only several hundred yards wide between bay and ocean and is one long strip about 10 miles long. Very walk able and pedestrian friendly as well. I live here and whenever I venture across that bridge during busy times such as the air show, sunfest, or bike week, I park in west OC and either take the bus or walk across the bridge into town so I don't have to worry about parking. No need for my car over there and I am one who really can't (don't want to) go many places without it. When going out at night I always take a taxi if I intend to have a few drinks.

Last edited by marlinfshr; 09-09-2013 at 05:36 AM..
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Old 09-09-2013, 06:35 AM
 
Location: Maryland's 6th District.
8,358 posts, read 25,146,515 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by I'm Retired Now View Post
I went out to Ocean City MD to check it out over the Labor Day Weekend.

I don't understand the appeal. Please help me understand why people spend hundreds of dollars for a tacky motel room per night in one of the most tacky towns in America!

Miles of gas stations, Taco Bells, Strip Centers, on the main road without any attempt at landscaping or environmental or architectural controls. It might have been pretty forty years ago but now it is commercialism gone wild.

To me, if I want to see the ocean I want to go to a beach in a place like Hawaii, The beautiful Oregon Coast, Big Sur in California, or the rocky shore of Maine.

Ocean City is the worst beach town ever. What is it's appeal?
I grew up in Southern California. Venice, to be exact. Back then, I lived roughly 1/2 mile from Venice Beach (across the street from Marina Del Rey). I spent a lot of time between Santa Monica, Venice, and Redondo Beach. The appeal to me at the time were the piers/boardwalks where I wasted money and time at the arcades, fishing, tide pools, boogie boarding-then surfing, and the ocean itself. When I got older I got into La Jolla (San Diego). It wasn't until I began to revisit these places after I had moved away that I saw them for what they really were; tourist traps with the same overpriced tourist junk you find everywhere, same pescado stands, and everything else else trying to convince newcomers that this is what SoCal is all about. And you want to talk about crowded...try staking a claim at Venice Beach.

La Jolla was different. People partied on the beach all night long; bonfires, kegs, bottles of booze and "other stuff" flowing freely, friendly strangers, etc. I imagine to many OC at that age holds the same appeal.

Last time I was in OC was roughly a month and half ago. I was there during the week, Monday-Friday, and the crowds were not that bad. Despite what seemed to be every single hotel being booked solid, the place seemed rather dead in my opinion. I personally like towns like OC, as they seem to be a throw-back to the 40s/50s. There is not much Americana left in our Country, yet OC has quite a bit of it. Drove up to Rehobeth during this trip and it seemed much more modern and packed.

Big Sur is awesome but that awesomeness is almost entirely nature. It is beautifully stunning, yet, there are only a few small beaches seeing as the ocean almost directly meets the cliffs in most places. Not to mention that there is a lot of fog and even in the heat of summer the air and water temps are colder than they are in OC. And then there are the trees that grow up to waters edge...lots of logs and rocky beaches.

I also spent some years in Maine prior to moving to Maryland (via Boston). I'll take OC over Old Orchard Beach any day.



Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveinMtAiry View Post
I think we've seen some pretty good answers here. I totally understand the OP's position. I visited OC with friends who grew up in other parts of the country and they saw what he did, a tacky town of endless strip malls. It's hard to explain the appeal unless you grew up going there I guess.

On the plus side it is much less expensive than the nicer beach towns such as Rehobeth. Complaining about the traffic on Labor Day weekend, or saying it is not as nice as Hawaii or Big Sur, is hardly a fair criticism. Hamburger is not as good as lobster but it's cheap and available and pretty damn good in it's own way. If you don't want traffic you may want to try another weekend.
Well, OC is way hyped up in my opinion. Long before I even moved to the East Coast I would hear OC from time to time and had
built up the idea in my head that it would be like Atlantic City. It turned out to be nothing like I had imagined (thanks to personal stories, media, etc.) and when I saw it for the first time I swore I was on some stretch of New England coastline.

Speaking of lobster...you can get it for as little as $2 a pound straight from a fisherman if he is willing to sell up in Maine. Other than that, I never saw it for more than $10 a pound in the dead of winter. Typical prices from a monger or grocery store were $3-$5 a pound depending on store and season. I never really liked lobster and don't understand why people are so hot to pay up to and over $20 a pound for it. It's rather bland imo, and unless you eat everything, tamale and all, you are only going to get a few ounces of meat from a one pound lobster.

By the way, unless you are consuming lobster bisque, you are not eating a lobster's tail. You are eating its abdomen.
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Old 09-09-2013, 09:32 AM
 
109 posts, read 201,007 times
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With all the traffic and cost, would you rather drive to Outer Banks? It's about 5 hours drive too..but less traffic?
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