THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

There's no place like home... You never realize how true those words are until you go out of town for a while.

Don't get me wrong, I love to travel and one day I would love to retire to a beach in Mexico, but during the beginning of February my husband and I made our annual trip up to Atlantic City for a few days of fun. We like to celebrate our birthdays (mine is the 1^st and his is the 29^th), so we book a few nights at the Tropicana in comped rooms, take some spending money and make the ride up from Ocean City, Maryland - about 3 - 3 ½ hours drive if you don't take the Cape May - Lewes Ferry.

We always have a nice time, a few nice dinners out in the Havana Quarter, play craps a little (lose), go to the Atlantic City Boat Show (my husband is a boat broker) and then come home. This year though, the first thing I wanted to do when I got back was go to our favorite local watering hole, the Marlin Moon Grille.

I must say that this is the best restaurant in town (actually it is in West Ocean City in the Frances Scott Key Motel across from the Outlets). We like to go every Friday night (if we have the $$) for Happy Hour and have to get there by 5 pm to get a seat at the bar. They have drink discounts and some great bar food at happy hour prices. We usually have a few cocktails and appetizers versus a full dinner, but for special occasions we will go for the fine dining - and I mean FINE (yum). The owner Gary Beach is a fisherman, so he appreciates the freshest of ingredients, and you never go away disappointed. The bartenders are the best and make us feel like locals (even though we have only lived here since 2000). They know what we like to drink and will even have it ready for us when we sit down. This is such a comfortable place to go, that I even go by myself if my husband is out of town. I guess that is what makes it like home.

So if you are ever looking a great place to visit, come to Ocean City, Maryland and check out what our town has to offer. I might just have to change my retirement plans and stay right where I am and just visit those other countries, because there truly is no place like home.

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