Midway to the Atlantic

Atlantic City, I mean. Skipped out from Wildwood and was supposed to head straight for Atlantic City, but the drive along the NJ Shore is so good that you gotta stopover in between. I resisted the urge to check out the beaches through Cape May and Avalon and Sea Isle City, but the beach at Ocean City finally got to me, and I had to schedule an unscheduled stopover.

I mean, c'mon. They bill themselves as America's greatest family resort. And its not difficult to see why. For starters, alcohol is strictly banned in the whole frickin' town. And this ain't like San Diego, where banned means a wink. They actually implement the no drinking ban here in Ocean City. Secondly, there's 2.5 miles of Boardwalk, surf fishing is a kinda big deal, and there's tons of dining options and a full downtown shopping district. Plus, Ocean City seems to have more than its fair share of family hotels geared to keep families with hordes of kids happy, and the people at the one I was staying at - A B&B named Ocean City mansion - looked me up and down before they even agreed to talk to me. Seems if you don't have a family in tow, you're automatically labeled as an undesirable element in Ocean City.

But then, I wasn't here to write reviews about Ocean City hotels, so I just plonked my stuff and headed for the beach. There was the usual stuff you find at family friendly beaches, like amusements and souvenir shops and food stalls along the Boardwalk. And a waterpark. Without a waterpark, you can't call it a family friendly resort...

Anyway, the beach tags cost $5 for the day, and the first thing that hit me was the cleanliness. It was spotless and there wasn't anyone I saw who was even trying to make a mess. I'm guessing they put the $5 charge to good use to keep the beach in mint condition. Lots of kids and people having fun, but it was all with a certain unstated politeness. Kinda like 'Oh, sorry, did I disturb you' kinda thing. Not my style, but I can see why families with little kids might prefer Ocean City.