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In my mind, the long weekend has already started. However, it’s still lunchtime on Thursday, so I guess I should post something for my fellow clockwatchers out there.

Today’s Sun has a feature on Ocean City (Maryland, of course) and its remarkable ability to sustain itself during the lagging economy. The number of weekend visitors this June was virtually identical to last June’s tally: 235,000. (Some do suspect, however, that weekday number are down, although no official estimates are available.)

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If you have superior plans, please let us know.

You think you know Baltimore? We have a challenge for you — check every Wednesday on bthesite.com to see if you can identify where we’ve taken some close-up photos in and around the city. Guess what and where this is. As the day goes on we’ll show you more of the photo. First person to get it right gets upcoming premiere movie tickets.

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Yet another survey has been published about American’s reactions to gas prices, which now easily surpass $4 per gallon.

When I read these stories — particularly on a Monday morning — I get irritated. While I’m sure they’re not reflective of most Americans, how spoiled do they make us look to the rest of the world (most of whom have suffered with much higher gas prices for many years)? Take, for example, this woman:

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“Baltimore is like the sixth borough,” says a kid watching Future Islands perform at a rooftop festival in Brooklyn Saturday night, an unofficial addition to the Make Music NY festival that also included Baltimore art/riot kids Ponytail, who played earlier that day on the other side of town. This “Baltimore is like the sixth borough” stuff may stir up resentment with some of us, or perhaps wonder. Yet it is something that you will hear repeated in one form or another as you make your way around the NYC show circuit. Big-time NYC show promoter Todd P says, “Brooklyn bands are Baltimore bands, and Baltimore bands are Brooklyn bands.” You might be hard-pressed to find anyone here that feels that way, even sage music journalists (not me — I’m 29 and have a lot more incubating ahead of me).

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Good news for those of you who bike to work downtown — especially if your boss doesn’t appreciate you bringing your wheels inside the office for safekeeping.

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Drivers and pedestrians alike will see some changes in downtown Towson, starting tonight.

The often-dreaded Towson circle will be permanently reduced to a single lane in some parts — between southbound York Road and eastbound Joppa Road, as well as at the entrance from Allegheny Avenue and the exit to eastbound Joppa Road. The changes are meant to reduce speed and confusion, plus make the crossings safer for pedestrians. Work is expected to be completed by Wednesday.

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Problems surrounding the Red Line are starting to be a regular thing, it seems. This week’s installment: most of the proposals for the transit line are too costly to qualify for federal funding — money we’re relying on to pay for half of the project.

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A 63-year-old BWI taxi driver was shot last week during an attempted robbery. Now, some other cabbies believe that it’s time for them to be armed and able to defend themselves against attacks like these.

Said one driver: “[W]e’re talking about human life here and fighting violence with violence is not always the means to an end, but something has to be done for these drivers.”

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Bikers and hikers now have another trail to explore.

The 15-mile Gwynns Falls Trail officially opened on Saturday — 15 years and $15 million later. The trail connects the I-70 Park & Ride lot to the Inner Harbor (10.6 miles) and Harbor Hospital (15 miles), so there are hopes that the trail will see commuter as well as recreational use. Plans call for the Gwynns Falls Trail to connect to the Jones Falls Trail after its completion.

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