One night at dinner in an ocean-side resort, I noticed a man and a woman seated across the room.

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In Maryland, officials evacuated the resort town of Ocean City for the first time since Hurricane Gloria hit in 1985.

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Among other changes, the renovation will convert a conference room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean into fitness center, upgrade the resort's Italian and steak-and-seafood restaurants with Hawaiian fare, and open a new surf-themed store in the lobby.

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People familiar with the company's plans, however, said that it will likely put on hold development at several of its most valuable resorts, possibly including WaterSound, a 1, 400-acre group of coastal cottages sandwiched between a lake and the ocean, and WaterColor, a beach resort.

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Resort pioneer James Baillie opened Southern Ocean Lodge four years ago offering dramatic but low impact on the environment architecture and equally dramatic views of the surrounding cliffs and waves crashing ashore. (Riding those waves while I was there assorted dolphins.) All rooms face those ocean views, which become almost mesmerizing in winter, with storms rolling in as you sit by the living room fireplace staring out.

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