If Ocean City is as it should be, everything will be a little hectic around town this holiday weekend.
To locals, it may be a bit of an annoyance and leave many with mixed emotions. However, a little perspective shows the Fourth of July around these parts is an exciting and unique experience that epitomizes living along the shore.
As any resident of the Ocean City area understands well, resort living in any season, but particularly summer, is unusual. During the busy season, we encounter, seemingly at every turn, crowds, noise and craziness, all of which combine to serve as tests of patience at times.
Traffic is a nightmare at nearly every turn. Demand far outstrips the supply of parking spots. Grocery stores are frightening. The waits at restaurants are long. Service is not always at its finest. It’s nearly impossible to belly up at any of your favorite watering holes. The amusement parks are slammed. The list goes on and on, and, to be certain, the holiday weekend is not for everyone.
But, for hundreds of thousands of visitors, this is the place to be, and we think that’s a good thing. Locals, who get frustrated by all that comes with a busy summer weekend, need to remember for nine months the resort area is there’s to enjoy however they wish. It’s okay that for three months, sometimes even less, of the year the resort town is filled with tourists because we are a destination.
Some people save all year to come here for a week or less in some cases. Rather than complain and whine about all the people here and stress over the annoyances that come with a packed Ocean City, look at the big picture. When people come here, they contribute to our economy in numerous ways, keeping people employed, allowing taxes to be paid, allowing workers to save for college expenses, funneling revenue to businesses and fueling economic development in more ways than one.
This weekend represents a unique time for Ocean City. It brings back the town’s familiar family image it wishes to portray, leaving the mischief of early June behind for another year. This weekend is what Ocean City is all about. This place is still a magnet for families. Simply go to the beach, Boardwalk or a local amusement park if you need a reminder.
This is a weekend for Ocean City to put its best foot forward. To show all who come here that it’s still a clean, fun and safe family resort, even if the country is in the despair of a recession. It’s an escape from the triviality of life wherever these folks that choose Ocean City as its vacation spot are from. It’s a good thing for the town to be busy, not something to dread and fret over.
It’s the craziness of summer at the beach. Over the next six weeks, essentially the height of the peak season, it will be this way. Rather than feel annoyed over the petty annoyances of summer, sit back, amp up the patience threshold, realize why these people load up their families and come here and simply observe. It can be a hilarious and entertaining time of year. It’s Americana at its finest (or worst). Don’t waste it by being angry and upset about aspects of life that in the long term will not really matter. Look around and take it all in. The sights and sounds of today will make the relative peace and tranquility of September and October all the more enjoyable.
This is resort living. Remember we are lucky to call this area home. We live at the beach. Millions of land-locked souls travel serious distances to get here and dream about living and working by the water.
Let’s all say it together – we live at the beach, we are lucky.
