Tim and Chrissy Dorsey, of Easton, Pa., show their children, Kendall and Andersen, the choppy surf.
By Donald Wittkowski
Shopping bags in hand, Mary Ellen Buono and Joan Cesarini stopped at an Asbury Avenue boutique Saturday afternoon to check out the sale items on a clothing rack outside the store.
Buono noted she had already bought some pillows for her home and a top for her granddaughter. Next, she was looking for a birthday gift for her niece.
She joked that Cesarini was her shopping “assistant.”
“I’m helping to carry all of the items,” Cesarini quipped.
The two friends from Pennsylvania, both enjoying summer vacations in Ocean City, were out shopping to salvage what was otherwise a dreary day following an overnight storm that pummeled the Jersey Shore with torrential rain.
They weren’t alone. The downtown shopping district along Asbury Avenue brimmed with tourists who were determined not to let the cheerless gray skies ruin their weekend.
“Eat, drink and be merry,” said Karen Casey, of Chalfont, Pa.
Casey was part of a group of eight women from Pennsylvania who were in Ocean City for a ladies-only weekend getaway.
“No husbands and kids. We are happy to be here. It’s our girls weekend,” said Diane McNamee, of Exton, Pa.
McNamee explained that the eight women had pretty much planned out the entire weekend: “Eating, shopping and drinking later,” she said as the group burst out in laughter.
Asbury Avenue in the downtown retail district bustled with shoppers.
With a beach day wiped out by strong winds, chilly temperatures and a choppy surf, vacationers hunted for bargains in the downtown area or strolled the Boardwalk to make the best of it.
Ione Talese, owner of Artisan Body Products, a soap and lotion shop on Asbury Avenue, said the bleak weather was good for business.
Ione Talese, left, owner of Artisan Body Products, talks with customers John and Jennifer Strohm, of Rockville, Md., and their sons, Philip and Henry.
The Strohms were somewhat worried when they heard about the flooding from the storm, but were confident that the sunny weather would return.
“We came here, even though we heard there was a lot of flooding. But the rest of the week should be good,” Jennifer Strohm said. “There is always so much to do here.”
Kristen Morgan, of Stafford, Va., said she spent Saturday morning cleaning up 5 or 6 inches of stormwater in front of her Ocean City vacation home. After she was done, she took her 10-year-old son, Ryan, and 7-year-old daughter, Kara, up on the Boardwalk to enjoy the amusement rides at Playland’s Castaway Cove. They were joined by the children’s grandmother, Linda Pettersen, of Annapolis, Md.
Pettersen and Morgan noted that five generations of their family have vacationed in Ocean City, so they are well aware of other family-oriented diversions to do when capricious weather spoils a beach day.
“It’s known as ‘America’s Greatest Family Resort,’” Morgan said, reciting the city’s tourism slogan.
Sister and brother Kara and Ryan Morgan enjoyed the amusement rides at Playland's Castaway Cove on the Boardwalk.
Although whipping winds and a rough surf left stretches of the beachfront pretty much deserted, some people found the ocean too tempting to pass up Saturday. While the air temperature was a chilly 70 degrees for late July, the water was a balmy 72.
“It’s extremely warm,” declared Tim Dorsey, who waded out to his knees at the 11th Street beach while holding his 3-year-old daughter, Kendall, and 2-year-old son, Andersen.
Dorsey and his wife, Chrissy, of Easton, Pa., had booked their hotel room for a weekend trip in Ocean City before the storm hit. Knowing they would lose their deposit money if they canceled their hotel reservations, they chose to come.
“We took a chance with the flooding, but now that we’re here, we’re having a great time. The weather didn’t stop us,” Tim Dorsey said.
Tim and Chrissy Dorsey, of Easton, Pa., show their children, Kendall and Andersen, the choppy surf.
