A taste of OC right here in Bawlmer, hon!

Thinking about goin’ down da ocean, hon? Cost of gas got you down? Dreading the crawl across the Bay Bridge? The perfect alternative is right here in Baltimore!

I happened across a delightful oasis on York Road, near the Towson/City line – it’s a Lee’s Ice Cream & Fractured Prune franchise! Here we have OC’s hot hand dipped donuts paired with the creamiest ice cream to be found. No need to spend hours in the car, just head on down York Road for your OC experience this weekend.

“But that’s just donuts and dessert,” you may say. Where is the relaxing sunrise? Where are the sounds of the crashing waves? Where are the seagulls for crying out loud!

I’m telling you, they are on York Road, near the Towson /City line. Take a seat on Lee’s outdoor patio and you’ll be instantly transformed. The morning sun, rising over the trees of Anneslie, warms your face. A cool breeze blows along the walkway from Cedarcroft. The traffic of York Road is far enough removed, yet sits just close enough, providing a muffled rush, like the crashing of waves. Minivans arrive in steady stream – emitting families with young children in shorts and flip flops. They enjoy a leisurely donut to start their day. Coffee, donut and sudoku in hand, I sat. Seagulls called from over head and a little brown finch visited the sidewalk for crumbs. It was like I was hanging on the boardwalk in OC.

“But there’s no Candy Kitchen, no T-shirt shops, no Secrets Night Club,” you may say. Have you been downtown lately? We have a boardwalk - a wonderful concrete promenade stretching from the Inner Harbor all the way to Fells Point.

Follow 83 South to the end. Then just park and walk. No tolls, no traffic, no cramped 3 hour drive in the car. You can stroll along the water for miles, on paths filled with shops, restaurants and entertainment. You’ll see motor boats, sail boats and paddle boats. They’ll just be in the Harbor rather than the Atlantic. If the Orioles are playing, you may even see a plane on the horizon trailing an advertising banner. Feel like OC yet?

“But there’s no beach, no place to fly a kite or kick back on a blanket,” you may say. Try Ft. McHenry or the Canton Waterfront Park. These offer a waterside view with plenty of room for lounging and kite flying. OK – there’s no sand to get in your bathing suit. You’ve got me there, but is that really a problem?

Memorial Day weekend kicked off OC season in Maryland. Many flooded Route 50 braving traffic and crowds, but I stayed in Baltimore. Each morning, I strolled down York Road for an OC Sands donut. I puttered through my days - strolling along the water, shopping, reading a trashy novel. I used the money I saved on gas and tolls for crabs and beer. And at the end of each day, I wandered down York Road for a double scoop of Lee’s homemade Mint Chocolate ice cream.

Who needs the crowds, we’ve got a taste of OC right here in Bawlmer, hon!