I was knocking around town one cold day mostly because it was cold. There are fewer things more underrated than a cold clear day in Ocean City. As the holiday season was beginning to wrap up it still was cool to see a lot of the Christmas decorations still up, and even nicer to feel as if I had the place all to myself. I parked near the Ocean City Beach Patrol Headquarters and walked toward the intersection of Route 50 and Philadelphia Avenue. You’ll never have an easier time crossing to the little pedestrian island at the foot of the bridge as you will in the Ocean City wintertime.
There aren’t a lot of clear holiday days left in the year, but Ocean City is decorated for the holiday through the end of Winterfest, which coincides with the beginning of the new year.
The Beach Patrol is decked out still as the wintertime digs in its heels at the beach and makes everything feel a little quieter and even more peaceful.
Walking around the docks, near several of the businesses that rent boats and boating excursions, jet skis, and other vehicles for the water a theme began to emerge. After seeing as many of these signs as I saw signs that advertise the businesses, I began to get the impression that Dock Boys Work for Tips…
And so all good things come to an end. There are a number of dead palm trees, many are in the process of being removed for eventual replanting. Some exceptionally lucky ones are merely dormant. These, which were photographed on the bay have seen their last summer. Their siblings will be back in a mere four months tho… One of the best things about Ocean City in the winter is that there are so many clear blue sky days it makes everything pop. You can almost feel the cold, but also appreciate the complete solitude.
The seagulls still are hard at work, dropping shells to see if they’ll crack. In the summer, when there are a lot of people around, you have to make a little effort to find seagull bombs. But in the winter, any dock will do.
Tony Russo has worked as a print and digital journalist for the better part of the 21st century, writing for and editing regional weeklies and dailies before joining the team that produces OceanCity.com and ShoreCraftBeer.com among other destination websites. In addition to having documented everything from zoning changes to art movements on the Delmarva Peninsula, Tony has written two books on beer for the History Press. Eastern Shore Beer was published in 2014 and Delaware Beer in 2016. He lives in Delmar, Md. with his wife Kelly and the only of his four daughters who hasn't moved out. Together they keep their two dogs comfortable.
