Ocean City has been growing and evolving for years, but it has lost some of its great attractions. These are the top five (in no particular order) places that are most missed in OC.

• 45th Street Village. I know shops still exist here as well as the mysterious Pulse nightclub, but there used to be a thriving center of business at 45th Street. The original Fractured Prune used to be here, as well as a ton of great little shops. And who can forget the now-defunct Scandals nightclub with their 32-ounce fishbowl beers?

• Shantytown. Yes, the shops were generally full of horrendous souvenirs, but it was at least quaint. The fishing pier there was one of the best places to wet a line at night, with hundreds of gray trout coming up on the docks every evening. The best part about Shantytown was that it was so unusual that it became an Ocean City icon. Unfortunately, it was sold to developers a few years ago, who built townhomes and condominiums. Maybe Shantytown had run its course, but it's still missed.

• Ocean Plaza Mall. The 100th Street mall went bankrupt during the condo build-up at the beginning of this century. Roses and Superfresh still exist, but long gone are the sweet t-shirt stands where they would spin ink on the shirts (What were they called? I can't remember!). The entire mall screamed of the 1980s and early 1990s culture. The site was supposed to be developed into condos in 2002, but the funds never came through and the mall remains boarded up.

• The Old K-Coast. I know, I know, K-Coast opened up a much bigger shop on 35th Street, but the 78th Street shop was one of the coolest places in Ocean City. It's still there, but they only sell the Billabong brand now. K-Coast had a great atmosphere that made you feel like you left the hustle of Ocean City and entered a surfing town. The new place is too sterile and Ron Jon-like (the Cocoa Beach, Fla. one). I miss the days of spending hours in K-Coast admiring the surf boards and asking about lessons. The new shop is definitely nicer, and the Billabong store is cool, but it's just not what K-Coast used to be.

• Too many restaurants. The food-service business is tough to master, especially in a resort town like Ocean City. Dozens of restaurants have sprung up and closed, and some of them were amazing, like Crabman's. It's disappointing to see them close, especially when a condo building goes up in their place.

It is expected that no business should last forever in a resort town, so enjoy them while they still exist. Who knows how long Trimper's, Ocean Gallery, Fisher's and Thrasher's will last?