Ocean City - If this is supposed to be the summer of our discontent - a lagging economy, record-high gasoline prices and a cloud of anxiety - lots of hard-headed tourists and merchants at the beach aren't willing to surrender the vacation season just yet.
To be sure, there are signs of a slowdown: Weekday vacancies at hotels along Coastal Highway, more three- and four-day stays rather than weeklong bookings, and restaurants with free tables - a sign that folks, once here, may be eating out a little less.
But population counts suggest that many people are finding a way to carry on family traditions honed over years of summer trips down the ocean.
"We book our condo in January to make sure we get it over the Fourth. We just wouldn't miss it," said Gary Bucher, a postal worker from Reading, Pa.
He and his wife, Sharon, come here every summer to share their vacation with good friends who travel from New Hampshire.
"The real reason is crabs - a bushel, half-a-bushel - we all love crabs," Bucher said.
Bonnie Morris of Preston said the bleak economic outlook makes her nervous, but not enough to cancel her family's annual three- to four-day getaway.
"We only do this once a year, so it's something we all look forward to," said Morris, a homemaker.
She was making no promises about next summer, though.
"We'll have to look close next time if things keep on like they are now," she said.
Town officials say the number of weekend visitors this season has been the same as last year.
Population estimates based on water use suggest that the number of weekend visitors in June was virtually identical to June 2007, an average of 235,000.
While the town doesn't do estimates for weekdays, business owners say the number of weekday visitors seems to be down.
"We've had a good year so far, but people are definitely shortening their stays," said Heather Navalayeu, general manager of the Francis Scott Key Motel, just across the U.S. 50 bridge from Ocean City. "There seem to be a lot of people who're coming for three or four days instead of a week."
For those who timed their trips to avoid tomorrow's holiday hoopla, midweek parking spots were in ample supply.
"I couldn't believe how many parking places we've found," said Morris' daughter, Tammi Clough, who spent four days with her parents before heading home yesterday to Federalsburg. "We walked right in at restaurants where there are usually lines."
