Ocean City- A trip down memory lane

As a young British student I spent the summer of 1975 in Ocean City. For years I have wanted to return to a place of which I have so many fond and lasting memories. I am pleased to say that I have recently had the pleasure of returning (Oct 18th- 23rd). Whilst there has been a startling amount of development (much of which I am afraid to say is not in keeping with the character of the old town), quite a lot of the old town is still to be found in the area of St Louis Avenue downtown, sufficient to ensure that for me the old magic of the place still remains at least in part. I doubt whether I shall ever have the opportunity of returning again in this lifetime but,despite my fears of what I would find after such a long period of time,I am glad I made the trip. However if anyone at City Hall should ever read this- NO MORE DEVELOPMENT, PLEASE. The desire for making a quick buck should not overide the retention of this town%26#39;s heritage by the wholesale destruction of its old and unique buildings which give this place its character. You can destroy the old but you can never replace it with the new- preservation not destruction should be at the forefront of planning initiatives.

In preparation for my trip I spent quite some time reading this forum- may I take the opportunity of thanking the various contributors to this site without whose guidance my visit would not have been half as enjoyable

Ocean City- A trip down memory lane

What a nice post. I am sure that you had a summer to remember in Ocean City in 75. Not to worry about too much development at this point.The real estate market is in the dumps right now which will slow down all of that new condo construction. Thank you for your post and hope you had a great trip filled with new OC memories and a glimpse at the past.

Ocean City- A trip down memory lane

ChalfontWasp:

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts on your return to OC. Can%26#39;t imagine how differnet the area would be with your last visit over 30 years ago.

I am amazed how things change down there from visit to visit in the same year!

Yes the area has changed and for some not for the better. Seems the interests that stand to make money from building have the political influence to get just about whatever they want.

I have traveled to OC for over 35 years and to be honest for me it has lost some of its charm and attraction over the years. To built up, to busy, and to expensive. It would have been possible to control the changes if those in power had the best long term interest of OC in mind. That is not the path they allowed OC to go down.

Much that made the area attractive is gone. To many condos to much building all out of control.

My question is in the future what will draw visitors to OC when they have to pay $250+ per night and their view of the ocean is blocked by a newly built condo?

With the value of real estate droppping at alarming rates the next few years in OC ( and throughout the US) should be interesting to watch and observe.

As most of the properties in OC are second or vacation homes the owners will more then likely work to save their primary residence before their places in OC. We haven%26#39;t hit the bottom yet....

Thanks for your post and good luck to you in the UK sounds like you might be having some of the same problems we here in the States are having as far as the economy.

OC may change, but the memories you have from your time there will always be with you......

Yes, it has changed quite a bit since 1975.

1975 to 2008. Didn%26#39;t you think things would change?33 years of upgrades in rooms, phones, transportation and life styles. I%26#39;m sure 33 years from now OC will be differnt from today.

Thank you for those who have responded.

tfunky i don%26#39;t believe I was suggesting that I didn%26#39;t expect to find considerable change. Considerable change was what I expected and considerable change was what I found. My post was refering to the character of the development that has taken place and the damage I believe has been done to the charm of this place. After 33 years I could hardly have expected it not to have changed significantly. In undertaking this significant development I believe it could have been undertaken more sympathetically and in keeping with the original character of the town- 12 storey tall blocks of hotels and condos are not and have been allowed in my view to virtually swamp the town%26#39;s old character and charm. Signs of what the future was likely to hold was already apparent in 1975 as the development of condos was already taking place at that time.

I hope nobody takes this the wrong way but I do feel that on occasions Americans disregard heritage in the stampede to make money. The preservation of heritage, whether it is yours or ours, should be of importance not only to this but future generations.

I%26#39;d be curious to know where you worked in OC back in 1975. Is it still there? I spent 6 summers working at the beach, and amazingly they are all still in business.

As for the development, there really is a cultural difference. We are quick to tear down old structures to build bigger new ones. Part of the draw of visiting Europe is its history. I visited the Cotswold area of England a few years ago and loved it. It is a collection of small villages that look very similar to what it must have looked a couple of centuries ago (much less 33 years ago)

to each his own.

Rumcreme

Thank you for your post.

I worked at Trimpers under the J1 visa student exchange programme as it then operated. As you will know Trimpers are still there although I do wonder whether the death a week last Sunday of Granville Trimper will have any effect upon the family%26#39;s decision as to whether they carry on. I understand this past summer was not good for trading and with their problems with property taxes and the intention to site the slots towards the racecourse area and keep them off the Boardwalk (which may well take a lot of vacationers dollars away from the Boardwalk) I do wonder what the future holds.

I am pleased to note you visted the Cotswolds - very unique and beautiful part of the UK