Welcome to Ocean City Friday, May 14, 1999; Page N41

Savoring drinks and the sunset at Ocean City. (Gerald Martineau/The Washington Post)

You can still see the turn-of-the-century sweetness in the white-frame boarding houses in "old town" south of 10th Street, and even smile at the faded jauntiness of the older motels with tropical paint jobs and piratical wrought iron. But the condo-mania of the '80s has made a concrete canyon of the Coastal Highway. You can still laugh away an afternoon in bumper cars or on water slides; but the miniature golf courses are losing ground to laser tag and simulated-sports facilities. Ocean City may still be the "White Marlin Capital of the World," but you're just as apt to see Chilean sea bass as Chesapeake Bay on a menu.

On the verge of its 125th birthday, Ocean City is facing a major identity crisis.

Ocean City was originally a summer retreat for Baltimoreans; and for a long time Washing-

tonians, who had a spirited rivalry with what they sarcastically called "Charm City," held that against it. But that Baltimore spirit -- the beer-loving, knit-collar, baseball-town boisterousness -- was part of Ocean City's charm, too, from its campy, carny-in-a-box amusement rides to its locker-room boastfulness (Big Pecker's Bar & Grill, Brass Balls Saloon) to its immense and apparently inexhaustible all-you-can-eat buffets. And now that its summer visitors are as likely to come from Montgomery County as St. Mary's, the town is struggling to please all of the people all of the time.

Out and About

Retail temptations are ubiquitous in this sprawling beach resort. The Gold Coast Mall (115th Street and Coastal Highway; 410/524-9000) is more like shopping centers back home, while the Ocean City Factory Outlets (Route 50 and Golf Course Road, West Ocean City; 800/625-6696) has more than 45 stores, including Ann Taylor, Bass, Levi's, Jones New York, Dress Barn Woman, Nautica, Tommy Hilfiger, Nine West, Mikasa and the Book Warehouse.

Ocean City is famous for its fishing, particularly its tuna and white marlin tournaments. If you want to test your skills and luck, visit Bahia Marina (22nd Street and the Bay, Ocean City; 410/289-7438), the Ocean City Fishing Center (Shantytown Road and Route 50, West Ocean City; 410/213-1121) or the Islander Charter Boat (Fisherman's Wharf, Golf Course Road, West Ocean City; 410/641-4604) for charter and half-day and night headboat fishing. The O.C. Fishing & Sightseeing Pier (Wicomico Street and the ocean, Ocean City; 410/289-3454) offers anglers a chance to fish beyond the surf line.

Nature-lovers may want to check out the city's dolphin, bird and whale-watching cruises. The O.C. Princess offers three-hour offshore cruises, with departures from the Shantytown Lighthouse Pier (Route 50 and Shantytown Road, West Ocean City; 410/213-0926). The Bay Queen (Route 50 and Shantytown Road, West Ocean City; 410/213-0926) offers cruises in the waters off Assateague Island.

Dining

If you want to mingle with the locals, the younger waiters and bartenders spend their own time off at the Ocean Club (49th and Oceanfront; 410/524-7500) or Kitty Hawk Grill (4605 Coastal Hwy.; 410/723-5966); retirees do early-bird at Fager's Island (60th and the Bay; 410/524-5500) or Mo's Seafood Factory (82nd and Bayside; 410/723-2500); and the wine-drinking gold-carders go to Christopher's Tutti Gusti (3322 Coastal Highway; 410/289-3318) and Bermuda's at the Key (in the Francis Scott Key Motel on Route 50 at Golf Course Road; 410/213-1502). The collegians who are drinking rather than eating are at Shenanigan's (Fourth and Boardwalk; 410/289-7181); the ones who prefer the bar to the dining room are at Tequila Mockingbird (Montego Bay Shopping Center, 130th Street and Coastal Highway; 410/250-4424) or one of the rib joints.

Washingtonians used to dining in Dupont Circle or Bethesda, head to the Galaxy Bar & Grille (66th and Ocean Highway; 410/723-6762) which, with the responsibility of year-round service, has lightened up its fusion leanings in favor of mod-American cuisine and often over-towering proportions; and Bermuda's at the Key, which has also moved its originally island-leaning menu a little closer to the home turf-and-surf (and to its parent, Nantucket's in Fenwick Island).

Nightlife

The Mellow Beach Sunset Bar (46th and Coastal Highway; 410/524-7421) continues to be one of the most enjoyable places to catch a band in Ocean City. Really just a boathouse behind the Kitty Hawk restaurant, Mellow Beach begins each evening with sunset cocktails over the bay, then turns into a full-on party as the band of the evening sets up and has at it. Bookings include prominent regional acts and name-brand nationals playing rock, blues, R&B and more.

Folks who've been hitting the beach for 20 years or more always stop into Fager's Island (60th Street and Bay; 410/524-5500) for a little beach music. Live R&B bands like Jr. Cline & the Recliners provide a fitting soundtrack for this somewhat dated institution, and the location is perfect for a sunset dinner or drink.

The jam band crowd converges on the Greene Turtle (11601 Coastal Hwy.; 410/723-2120), and regional bands push tables aside to set up and, um, jam Wednesday through Sunday nights. The longtime locals avoid the kids and the tourists by hanging at Coins Pub & Restaurant (28th Street Plaza; 410/289-3100), where the many Keno screens compete with the cover bands (Fridays and Saturdays), and the sloppy two-stepping has worn down the small parquet dance floor. If you don't want to dance, stare at the collection of 45s stuck to the walls and get a very cold beer in a very frosty goblet.

There is plenty of live music at Seacrets (49th Street and Bay; 410/524-4900), but you'll barely notice it over the din of thousands of people pretending they're at a Caribbean resort. So tacky it's off the tacky-meter, Seacrets is a blast if you just squint and suck down some pina coladas. The fine sunsets are best watched from the floating chairs that Seacrets provides (drinks are allowed on the chairs). Once the sun goes down, turn your chair to face the beach and try to imagine how much effort has been expended fueling your tropical fantasies. Those palm trees don't grow in Maryland. They're shipped up every spring from Florida. The sand? Shipped in. The entire beachfront? Reclaimed by Seacrets' owners with cranes and boulders. The music? Cover bands playing Marley and Buffett with a good measure of skill and passion -- if you like that sort of thing. Fridays are completely insane at this bayfront hot spot, so if you want to contemplate the stars on the water from one of those nice outdoor tables, go on a weeknight.

Downtown, the tropicalia franchise is held down by Duffy's Love Shack (102 Worcester St.; 410/289-1400), a branch of the Duffy's found on the island of St. Thomas. With plenty of bamboo and exotic drinks, it also serves a mean jerk chicken and provides DJs to keep you moving late into the night. And if you're not drinking age, the Nite Lite is still going strong (9 Worcester St.; 410/289-6313), a place where the under-21 crowd can hang and dance to music from DJs. They'll also find a sympathetic site at Common Grounds, the coffeshop that's become an alternative institution in Ocean City. In its new location (South Baltimore and Caroline streets), Common Grounds can hold even more folks tired of the beach scene and in the mood for poetry readings, film screenings, acoustic rock or just a good cup of coffee.

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