Boy Howdy Music Fans! Ocean City sure has returned to quiet and serene. The dust has settled from the 2009 season and a good suntan seems but a distant memory. Is that necessarily a bad thing? Now it’s ‘our’ time to shine, have some fun and maybe take that little getaway of our own. Being a tourist anywhere else has its advantages. Living where we do has put us all in training to go anyplace else. There are lots of ‘do’s’ and even more ‘do nots.’ Never request “Brown Eyed Girl” more than once in a day. Adapt to your surroundings; they will not adapt to you. Never be in a hurry; relax, you’re on vacation! Never blather on about who you are, what you do, or where you’re from unless you’re asked. Always tip according to the same etiquette you’d use on your own turf! When in a foreign country, use patience and caution with the natives because ‘they’ might not speak English. Most importantly, never get too much sun or too much booze on the first day! If you must entertain yourself with your cell phone, try not to encroach on anyone’s quiet time. If you have to drive on the left of the road, try not to make it too obvious you’re used to the right.
    Route 90 has quickly become a ‘Bridge of Sighs’ for many local residents. Midtown and Ocean Pines people are among the worse casualties. My heart goes out to anyone that works in town and lives on St. Martin’s Neck. At the very least we should count our lucky stars that weakness was discovered on the span early into the off-season and not in May!
    While we’re on the State Highway Administration, let’s look into the recent sidewalk modifications currently in the works for Coastal Hwy. Federal and State guidelines suggest a minimum of a 5-foot wide sidewalk in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. This is a long time coming; our sidewalks are fairly atrocious. However, if you’re real property is in the way, the State will legally ‘take’ it from you. The average width of the sidewalk is about 3 and a half feet. The S.H.A. will make up that foot and half out of your front yard essentitally cutting down on your acreage, making sidewalks, with no compensation to the current landowner. This gives new meaning to the word easement. It’s all legal like; a law was passed in 1970 to ensure it. The land that was once yours now belongs to Maryland and there is really no way around it. I guess it’s like they say, ‘hard cheese’!
    I can’t really apologize for the horrific weather last weekend but most of my music recommendations were canceled because of it. An attempt at redemption would be to again steer people to M.R. Ducks for their closing weekend celebrations. Tranzfusion comes to The Talbot St. Pier on Sat., 10/24, with lots of classic rock tunes for your enjoyment about 4pm. M.R.’s Sunday closing party welcomes back local favorite Johnny Bling. These guys specialize in an eclectic mix of party tunes from the Police to Billy Joel to the Grateful Dead. Come to Ducks for one last exercise in dockside decadence!
    Make sure to look for our Halloween Issue next week with all the pictures to follow in the Nov. 20th issue. Till next time, Tah!
– Marco Ink