The third day here at Ocean City was mostly made up of beach time. Predictably, there were considerably less people. The water was a little chillier and it was a little choppier, but over all a good experience. After the beach I ventured to the Food Lion again to pick up some items to make spaghetti. Once again, I found the customers and employees to be extremely rude and obnoxious. Most of the night was spent in my room, but I did venture out to get sone ice cream at a place on Coastal Highway. I forget the name of it (sorry, it's been a couple days). The ice cream was very good, though. I wound up getting peanut butter ripple.
The fourth day was cloudy and an over all bad day to go to the beach. I wound up heading out to Berlin, Maryland since the tourist books hyped it up so much. All I have to say is when you get there, don't blink or else you've probably driven through it already. Not seeing a point to getting out and walking around to look in the windows of all the antique shops (which is all they seem to have), I decided to cut my losses and just head back to my room to regroup. Afterwards I decided it might be a good idea to check out what Delaware had to offer instead. Destination? Rehoboth Beach. It's only about a half hour or so from Ocean City. When I got there, I was extremely impressed with the beach's quaint feel. I strolled up and down Rehoboth Ave, dodging in and out of shops that contained spa products, beach crafts, wind chimes, clothes, and other cute things. I did wind up purchasing from a shop called "Scentchips", which sells soy based potpourri that you can either melt in a burner or have sitting around to liven up a bathroom or bedroom. I will warn you, though, that your olfactory senses will be over stimulated by the time you walk out if there.
For dinner I went to the Purple Parrot, which is also on Rehoboth Ave. They serve things like wraps, quesadillas, sliders, burgers, etc. Basically, your typical bar food. I thought the food was really good. I ordered the Grilled Beef Quesadilla, which had bits of steak in it. I thought it was delicious! I loved the salsa that they served with it too. The food was still a bit overpriced to me, but not as overpriced as Ocean City. The staff was also very friendly and seemed more lively than those who work in OC. Over all, a great place to eat.
Rehoboth was a great adventure, and probably the shining beacon in this trip thus far. The people were nicer, the shopping was good, and I was able to relax a little bit more. Great destination.
Today (day 5) turned out, unexpectedly, to be a great beach day. The weather was beautiful and there was hardly anyone there. It provided me with some very welcome relaxation.
All caught up! Until tomorrow...
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Day 2: Bringin' Down da House...of Pancakes
My second day here started with a breakfast/brunch at the House of Pancakes. I ordered the banana pancakes with a large milk. I got 3 large pancakes with bananas mixed in the batter. They were really, really good. They were also extremely filling. I took most of it home for breakfast tomorrow. The service was also very fast, although not particularly friendly (I'm learning this is the norm though). It was also reasonably affordable. Over all a great start to the day.
After I got done with breakfast I ventured to the beach. I will say that the best way to get there is by walking or bicycle. It seems that car parking is rather scarce. Also public transportation seems to be pretty cheap ($3 for an all day pass).
The beach was pretty crowded but surprisingly clean. The water was really cold, and today there was a bit of a chilly breeze. I did enjoy my time there though and was able to get a pretty sweet tan and catch some afternoon z's. Unfortunately it is supposed to rain for most of this week but I'm hoping to catch at least one more day out there.
After the beach I showered up and headed to the boardwalk. I ate dinner at "Guys on the Beach". It was a pizza/wings/Greek food place. I had a Shamaba sandwich, which was basically Caribbean jerk chicken in a pita with hummus, lettuce, and black olives. It was amazing! The boardwalk fries there were also really good. It tasted like they were made in sunflower oil. It was a pretty costly venture, though, but the service was good and the food was fantastic.
The boardwalk itself was fairly unimpressive to me. I walked down the half that didn't include the amusement park with the hopes of just getting in some shopping, but I was extremely disappointed. The shops were basically all the same (cheap quality, novelty beach ware for super expensive). Extremely disappointing.
My night ended by venturing to the local Food Lion to buy some basic groceries for the week. My suggestion for any future Ocean City goers is that if you are particular on your diet, bring some of your own food. The food store had mostly extremely fattening foods, promoting snack foods for parties as well as mixers and cheap shot glasses.
My over all consensus on this trip so far is that everyone here is extremely unfriendly. The employed do not seem to be happy about the season and the tourists are some of the most selfish and ignorant people I have ever seen. Also the shopping is awful. Even the main street here (Coastal Highway) has very repetitive and overpriced items. Finally, unlike most beach locations, this one doesn't seem to have a good candy outlet. The best one we could find was Wockenfuss, but it's quality was lacking.
With that, here's to keeping an open mind for tomorrow.
After I got done with breakfast I ventured to the beach. I will say that the best way to get there is by walking or bicycle. It seems that car parking is rather scarce. Also public transportation seems to be pretty cheap ($3 for an all day pass).
The beach was pretty crowded but surprisingly clean. The water was really cold, and today there was a bit of a chilly breeze. I did enjoy my time there though and was able to get a pretty sweet tan and catch some afternoon z's. Unfortunately it is supposed to rain for most of this week but I'm hoping to catch at least one more day out there.
After the beach I showered up and headed to the boardwalk. I ate dinner at "Guys on the Beach". It was a pizza/wings/Greek food place. I had a Shamaba sandwich, which was basically Caribbean jerk chicken in a pita with hummus, lettuce, and black olives. It was amazing! The boardwalk fries there were also really good. It tasted like they were made in sunflower oil. It was a pretty costly venture, though, but the service was good and the food was fantastic.
The boardwalk itself was fairly unimpressive to me. I walked down the half that didn't include the amusement park with the hopes of just getting in some shopping, but I was extremely disappointed. The shops were basically all the same (cheap quality, novelty beach ware for super expensive). Extremely disappointing.
My night ended by venturing to the local Food Lion to buy some basic groceries for the week. My suggestion for any future Ocean City goers is that if you are particular on your diet, bring some of your own food. The food store had mostly extremely fattening foods, promoting snack foods for parties as well as mixers and cheap shot glasses.
My over all consensus on this trip so far is that everyone here is extremely unfriendly. The employed do not seem to be happy about the season and the tourists are some of the most selfish and ignorant people I have ever seen. Also the shopping is awful. Even the main street here (Coastal Highway) has very repetitive and overpriced items. Finally, unlike most beach locations, this one doesn't seem to have a good candy outlet. The best one we could find was Wockenfuss, but it's quality was lacking.
With that, here's to keeping an open mind for tomorrow.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Day 1: Ocean City, Maryland
I want to start off by saying that this is my first time in Ocean City. Thus, this week's blog will be filled with a lot of first impressions, and hopefully a lot of good reviews and ideas on what to do if you choose to vacation here.
Today was a long day of driving. Granted, it was only supposed to be a 4 hour drive, but it turned into an extra hour because I tried to avoid Baltimore and the NASCAR traffic. I drove through Delaware instead. The good news though is that I did successfully avoid the traffic and I had absolutely no problem coming in to town.
So, what was my first impression upon getting here? Clearly, it is a party destination. There appears to be a lot of activities, shopping, and night life. Also, where's the beach? Typically I can smell or get some clue of where the beach is, but I find this town peculiar in that it doesn't have the typical environmental beach indicators. I am very impressed with the amount of young people here. I am also very impressed as to how many bicyclists there are. Hopefully I can find a good place to rent one.
I kicked off my vacation by going to Phillip's Seafood Buffet and Restaurant. I was quite impressed. The selection is vast from crab cakes to Maryland blue crabs (I tried one of these but felt extremely guilty after realizing that I had to literally dissect the poor thing) to fried chicken and soup. The food was also quite good. The crab cakes weren't too overdone and it was clear that the crab legs, blue crabs, and the crab imperial were all customer favorites. They also had an array of desserts from ice cream to cookies to fruit. I was quite impressed.
The downside was that it was a little pricey (although I felt it was worth it) and I didn't feel as though the service was all that great. I felt the staff was kind of rude. Also, I was disappointed in the salad bar. It was really small and there was hardly any variety. Finally, although minor, my drink was very watered down. I just ordered a Pepsi, but it tasted like a bunch of ice had melted in it before it was brought out.
Over all I would definitely recommend Phillip's.
I hope that I will be able to get in a lot of activities this week. I already am planning to do a kayak Eco- tour and visiting the boardwalk is a clear must. I will definitely keep everyone updated as the week goes on.
In the meantime, signing off...stay classy!
Today was a long day of driving. Granted, it was only supposed to be a 4 hour drive, but it turned into an extra hour because I tried to avoid Baltimore and the NASCAR traffic. I drove through Delaware instead. The good news though is that I did successfully avoid the traffic and I had absolutely no problem coming in to town.
So, what was my first impression upon getting here? Clearly, it is a party destination. There appears to be a lot of activities, shopping, and night life. Also, where's the beach? Typically I can smell or get some clue of where the beach is, but I find this town peculiar in that it doesn't have the typical environmental beach indicators. I am very impressed with the amount of young people here. I am also very impressed as to how many bicyclists there are. Hopefully I can find a good place to rent one.
I kicked off my vacation by going to Phillip's Seafood Buffet and Restaurant. I was quite impressed. The selection is vast from crab cakes to Maryland blue crabs (I tried one of these but felt extremely guilty after realizing that I had to literally dissect the poor thing) to fried chicken and soup. The food was also quite good. The crab cakes weren't too overdone and it was clear that the crab legs, blue crabs, and the crab imperial were all customer favorites. They also had an array of desserts from ice cream to cookies to fruit. I was quite impressed.
The downside was that it was a little pricey (although I felt it was worth it) and I didn't feel as though the service was all that great. I felt the staff was kind of rude. Also, I was disappointed in the salad bar. It was really small and there was hardly any variety. Finally, although minor, my drink was very watered down. I just ordered a Pepsi, but it tasted like a bunch of ice had melted in it before it was brought out.
Over all I would definitely recommend Phillip's.
I hope that I will be able to get in a lot of activities this week. I already am planning to do a kayak Eco- tour and visiting the boardwalk is a clear must. I will definitely keep everyone updated as the week goes on.
In the meantime, signing off...stay classy!
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