All over the four-state area, high school seniors are taking that inspirational walk across the stage in their caps and gowns, shaking hands with a school official as photos are snapped, and ending their high school careers with diplomas in hand.  The future is full of promise and new beginnings – college for some, and work for others.

But first – it’s time to party.

For many high school graduates, that means only one thing.  It’s time to head to Ocean City, MD for a few days of sun, surf, friends, and foolishness.   They’ll pack a bag, jam into a friend’s car, and make the four-to-five hour pilgrimage east – over the Bay Bridge and across Maryland’s Eastern Shore – stopping only when the air smells of salt spray, the sun beats down on the hot beach sand, and the Atlantic Ocean is the prevailing view.  For the entire month of June, Ocean City is overrun by hormonal, amped-up teenagers, who attack the resort town like sailors set loose in a foreign port after a six month cruise.

For most, it will be their first experience as an “adult”.  They’ll be staying in hotels, motels, or beach houses, eating in restaurants, and finding their way around on the coastal highways and streets – all on their own.  No parents telling them when to eat, when to go to bed, or what to do.

They’ll prowl the famed boardwalk, try to get into bars with their fake IDs, and wreak havoc with servers all over town as they try to dine in restaurants as loud and obnoxious parties of eight and twelve.  Girls will chase boys, boys will chase girls, and summer romances will bloom, wither, and die – all in the space of just a few days.  Yes, alcohol will be consumed (as long as someone can get their hands on it), and the housekeeping staff and hotel/motel managers will curse the very clientele they have embraced, as they once again realize that in reality, their patrons are all still just kids.

Even now, when I hear a graduate say “we’re heading to Ocean City!”, I’m instantly transported back in time to my own experience there during that magical week (so long ago), and a sly grin will still come to my face as I offer up the advice of “have fun – but be careful.”

I vividly remember the experience back in my youth.  Although it’s now been well over thirty years ago, it was exhilarating – hanging out with friends, jammed five or six to a single room that reeked of suntan lotion, dirty laundry, and empty drink containers.  We tried to get into the famed “Purple Moose” (denied), order beers at the “Brass Balls Saloon” (also denied), ate beef sandwiches at “Bull on the Beach” and hand-cut fries at “Thrashers”, chased after pretty girls while playing miniature golf, and consumed tub after tub of “Fisher’s” popcorn.  We blasted our car radios out on the Coastal Highway, singing at the top our lungs to ‘Def Leppard’, ‘AC/DC’, and ‘ZZ-Top’ songs with the windows down.  We stayed out late, viewed the morning sun like vampires, and slept away the afternoons on blankets or towels on the beach, recharging our batteries for another night of fun and frolic after the sun set in the west, all to the constant and ever-present sound of the crashing surf as our soundtrack.

It was wonderful.

I hope that these budding graduates will look back upon their trip in thirty year’s time with a smile on their face as well.

Stay safe, young travelers!

 

 

 

Did you have any memorable moments in Ocean City after your graduation?  Drop me a line in the comment section and let me know!