Cheap Shore Things (Video) (Rick Sebak) Price

If you're not fortunate enough to have the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean in your back yard, you can always bask in Shore Things. You'll drive a car down Daytona Beach, people-watch at the Fellini-esque spectacle that is Venice Beach, stroll down the boardwalks of Atlantic City and Ocean City, observe how saltwater taffy is made, visit Kalibash, North Carolina ("the seafood capital of the world"), and romp on a different breed of beach, Dog Beach.

But as Shore Things warmly illustrates, it's the simple, basic charms that lure the unceasing tides of visitors. There is the fresh air, sunshine, exercise, and, in the case of one elderly bounty hunter scouring the sand with a metal detector, buried treasure ($11.79!). Shore Things doesn't have the nostalgic resonance of A Hot Dog Program, An Ice Cream Show, or Great Old Amusement Parks, but it will warm you on a rainy day or a wintry night with its promise of an endless summer. --Donald Liebenson