On the Beach, Day 2

On Monday I mentioned that the last time I was in Ocean City, Maryland, my now 26 year old daughter was much younger (around 8 years old I think).  This got me to thinking as I was walking down the boardwalk yesterday, and of course those thoughts turned into a blog posting.  Anyway, here are the ten things I observed when thinking about OCMD 20 years ago and now, on the beach (listed in no particular order):

1. Tattoos - Virtually everyone has them.  Well except me.  Even folks who have really dark skin, where you can't even see the tattoos have tattoos.  For the record I don't have anything against tattoos, other than it's just really not for me.
2. Obnoxious White Teenagers - Those obnoxious white teenagers from years back have been replaced by obnoxious teenagers who are from some nebulous foreign country probably in the middle east.
3. Crappy Music - Inside some of the stores you will still find crappy music playing; mind you I forget what the crappy music was 20 years ago, but now it's apparently some form of techno (I think).
4. It's Clean and Safe - Kudos to the folks that run this down, as the tourist areas are fairly clean and there is a large police presence.  It feels like a family friendly place.
5. Thot - I saw numerous tee shirts that proclaimed "She is a Thot".  Then I looked up "Thot" in the all important (for parents) Urban Dictionary and was left wondering "why would anyone want a tee shirt like that?".
6. Marilyn Monroe - She has been dead for a very long time, but she has made a comeback on tee shirts everywhere.  I hope her estate is getting a cut of the action.  For the record, Marilyn Monroe in 2014 is far skinnier than the real Marilyn Monroe; that's a sad piece of commentary on our society.
7. Young Children - When your children are young and you take them to the beach, it can be a pain in the butt.  For the record, I wish I could have that pain in the butt all over again.
8. Skin Cancer - Most folks around here seemingly treat skin cancer like some kind of urban legend, like alligators in the sewers, or something similar.  Me?  Hell, I'd wear a head to toe shroud if I could get away with it.
9. Boardwalk Pizza - Boardwalk pizza is still more or less pretty vile stuff.
10. Boardwalks + Bikes - It is still joyous to ride a bike down a boardwalk in the morning.