Dewey Beach: Grownups Gone Wild

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By Sonia Harmon , Melissa Davenport , Lauren Sloat , Hillary Jackson , Eleni Savopoulos , Denise Kersten Wills

Dewey Beach is where Washington singles—young and old—go to relax, drink, and find true love. Or at least a good one-night stand.

Women hanging out in Dewey Beach sometimes get a little wild. “My drummer is getting the best lap dance of his life,” said Burnt Sienna singer Jeff Ebbert during a hot summer show. Photograph by Jennifer Smoose.

The beach was party central until the town banned drinking there in 1986. Now the party has mostly moved into the bars. One Dewey veteran says he hasn’t gone to the beach in three years. Photograph by Jennifer Molay

As promised, Easy E returns with the blonde, but she seems drunk and slightly alarmed and disappears soon after he introduces her to the gang.

Damn. Easy E can’t believe it. He’d been planning to take her back to the group house for some midday fun.

A few blocks away, lifeguards with the Dewey Beach Patrol scan the ocean waves from high above the sand. They’re the town’s first responders to emergencies on or off the beach, but mostly in the bars. One of the rare beach rescues in recent memory happened a few years ago.

“I was sitting on the Dickinson Street stand,” recalls Dan Mazer, a tan 21-year-old from Newark, Delaware. “A sailboat kept coming too close to shore. We whistled at it, but usually in situations like that, it means someone’s had a heart attack.”

The boat—which he says was a 60-foot, $1.5-million yacht—crashed into shore. “When we get on it,” he continues, “there is a man passed out at the steering wheel. He’s British and he’s naked, with a bottle of Scotch in one hand.”

The lifeguards found his mistress below deck. Both were so drunk that they had to put on flotation gear before wading into the shallow water.

Comments

Ah, you have not live until you have done Dewey!

Posted by: DB, Aug 22, 2008 10:52:09 PM

Dewey is great for lots of reasons. Many here drop the egos, the job titles and just have fun. I have met so many cool, nice people here from all over the East Coast. This beach has a special something about it. No pressures to meet someone, no dress code...and best of all....NO ONE DRIVES. People call all walk here and DUI is unheard of. In the day and age of DUI and people being killed by drunk drivers this is ok with me that people do what they want here. We may all get real drunk and silly, but no one gets hurt....no one drives.

You will be surrpised how many big wigs along the east coast are here and even quite a number of hollywood celebrities stop by. ENJOY, It’s a way of life isn’t it ?

Posted by: RG, Aug 21, 2008 12:55:24 PM

The male equivalent of a “cougar” is called a “bobcat”. At least that’s what a 20-something called me. :)

Posted by: ArlingtonGuy37, Aug 14, 2008 01:53:05 PM

Dewey hasn’t changed one bit....only the faces have.In the 80’s we had our own Easy-E driving around in his brown Jeep convertible passing out in front of the Summmerhouse with only his seat belt on to keep him from falling into the lane of traffic and getting killed. We had the ’big Deal" who was the editor of the first ever Dewey Beach newsletter that reported on all the "goings on" from the previous weekend including who hooked up with who.He was also Deweys best ever photo journalist socializing in.To top it all off, Easy-E and me just like many others would "work" the bars all night long in order to find romp dates for the hot tubs after the bars closed.To top it all off, Easy-E and me just like many others would "work" the bars all night long in order to find our romp dates for the hot tubs after the bars closed.It wasn’t bad enough that we killed our brains cells each weekend but then we would race back downtown to see ourselves in true filth on the movie screen at the Beowolf on Tuesday nights as JP spent his spare time filming us all over the town.

Posted by: reblrwsr, Aug 13, 2008 03:35:16 PM

Just want to point out that the article features 33 & 34 year-old guys just looking to hook up. Yet the very same article quotes a man referring to cougar, a rather derogatory term, as a woman over 30. I guess that makes Easy E a cougar too! Yes -- the cougar species has both males & females.

Posted by: coffee_whore, Aug 13, 2008 02:20:35 PM

I have to say it’s pretty lame for people well into their 30’s and older to still be living in group houses, partying like they’re still in college, and putting multiple identities on Facebook. Time to grow up, people.

The taking pictures with a hidden camera bit is the worst part. The dude is lucky he hasn’t been arrested and/or sued. What a prize!

Posted by: Grouchy, Aug 13, 2008 07:00:52 AM

Excellent advice from Savanah. At the end of each summer I feel like I should be next in line for a liver transplant, but then you pull out of it and come the next February, you start the countdown til Memorial Day weekend when you can see all of your Dewey friends again and have another carefree summer.

Posted by: 2 Legit 2 Quit!!!!! That's right, I said it!, Aug 08, 2008 08:11:03 AM

35 year olds who think they’re still in college are awesome.

Posted by: , Aug 08, 2008 07:03:20 AM

None of this article is made up to sell magazines as I read in someone’s comments. Believe me. This place is amazing, it is like everyone is connected by the same string or something. I was a regular for 11 years.(and at times can’t believe I am still alive) Advice to all the 20 or 30 somethings, go, have fun, wear the skimpiest outfits you have, smile, because life is too short and those outfits might not look so good in 10 or 15 years, You won’t regret it a bit.....I don’t.

Posted by: Savanah, Aug 07, 2008 02:45:01 PM

The comments I have read through do not begin to reflect the Dewey I remember. I was born and raised in Delaware. Dewey in my day (yes, I have buried more kegs in the sand on Swedes Street than I can remember) was like a hugh class reunion for people who live in Northern Delaware all winter. I can’t pinpoint exactly when the class of Dewey switched from people who lived in Delaware to people who came to visit from Baltimore and Washington. But be assured that even back then, we came to Dewey to do the same thing - forget about our lives in the city and put up with the antics of more than one Eazy-E!

Posted by: Native Delawarean, Aug 06, 2008 11:05:04 AM

You Elitetists who are appalled by the behavior of a few rougue beach go’ers aren’t welcome to our beach anyway. You’re just pissed at the world because George Bush is the president and you haven’t had a good lay in months! Seriously, the only reason people like me go to Dewey is to escape the awfulness of miserable DC people who are caught up in the phoniness of places like Lima and The Park. Fro all the Pro-Dewey folks here, I’ll see you at The Board on Friday (feel free to hit my bottle of GM, going for 20 bottles this summer!)

Dewey Beach- "A way of Life"

Posted by: Grand Marnier Bottle #8 Owner at The Starboard, Aug 06, 2008 10:02:20 AM

Dewey was way more fun when it wasn’t such a widely publicized hot spot, i.e., there were no articles in Washingtonian.com featuring characters such as the ever popular “Easy E” (how did he come up with that one) and Brooke Burke had no idea how “Wild On” Dewey Beach really was.

Quite honestly, Dewey is definitely still fun but not as great as the pre-Cougar days! And by that I mean the days before anyone could distort the true meaning of a cougar because they didn’t have an inkling that one even existed! But I’ll leave that at that ~ Cougars have jumped the shark, it had to be said. BUT, the days when a Triple Jam was something to be excited about and not just a standard Saturday occurrence! Or when Starboard VIPs were just that, there was no one in the VIP line discussing all that they had HEARD about the Board but had never even stepped foot inside!!. (Go wait in line with the rest of the OC, Pistons jerseys wearing, sideways Yankees hats sporting guys with their pants around their ankles!!!)

Anyway, the article is spot on for all of you non-believers. Dewey is truly a playground for single adults to let their hair down, pants down, whatever. Go and discover the debauchery for yourselves....you too can be amongst the so called "Dewey Virgins" falling prey to out of control rookies like Easy E. I hope to meet him soon! But I warn you…..The lines will get longer, the rent a cops will grow greater in number and there will be even more articles singing the praises of the little formerly somewhat unknown much loved town of Dewey Beach. This all equals less fun in my eyes.

There was a reason for those first two rules of Fight Club, what were what? Oh yes, YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB!

Posted by: Spread the Love, Aug 06, 2008 09:46:45 AM

Are you sure that maybe you weren’t turned down by Easy E at some point and you are just bitter? Maybe you should stick to posting your thoughts about the article rather than about Easy E.

Posted by: Not Bitter in DC, Aug 06, 2008 09:33:04 AM

I know who Easy E is. He has rubber skin from laying in the tanning bed too much. He is awkward and his eyebrows slant downward like John Kerry’s. I have absolutely no idea why any women find him attractive.

Posted by: Easy E is more like Sleazy E!, Aug 06, 2008 08:02:47 AM

I’ve partied all over the US ... been to Cancun ... done Mardi Gras ... nothing has ever come close to the energy and the fun found at DEWEY. After I came back from Dewey, I couldn’t stop smiling for two straight weeks!

Here’s some advice: GET FOCUSED. You need to get your head in the game and prepared to party harder than you’ve ever partied and have more fun than you ever thought imaginable.

2 Legit 2 Quit.

Posted by: BALLER, Aug 06, 2008 06:47:35 AM

Ummm.... you all realize that a Dewey Virgin is nothing sexual right? It’s someone who is visiting Dewey for the first time.

Posted by: Ex Dewey Virgin, Aug 05, 2008 03:28:15 PM

Some of these comments sound like someone who takes themselves a little to seriously. Maybe you should make your way to Dewey. It may be quite the enlightening visit. It is amazing how quickly people want to remove "personal responsibility" in this city. "Not my fault I drank to much and got spotted as and easy lay". Lets grow up here and just say these people all knew before going what the story was. I would say 99% don’t go into Dewey blind. They are fully aware of what goes on and although maybe not to what extent until they get there they still have some indication. So let Easy E have his fun and the girls have their weekend of debauchery. For once they have a place they don’t have to live up to anyone’s standards or think of their new prince charming.This is the time they can have their bad boy and not feel bad about it. Just do all things in safety and invest in protection. ~Cheers

Posted by: JustAThought, Aug 05, 2008 03:02:57 PM

As a Dewey veteran, this article is SPOT ON!! This IS an accurate portrayal of Dewey Beach. Carefree, fun, alcohol fueled, and is mostly harmless goodtime. This "Eazy-E" guy just seems like a guy who likes to hook-up, not any kind of sexual predator. The worst part of a Dewey weekend is the horrible hangover you have on Sunday afternoon after a 48 hour bender of beer, shots, too much sun and too little food. Dewey "DEWbauchery" is real, and real fun!

Posted by: Doughy John, Aug 05, 2008 02:29:22 PM

don’t know where you got the hot lead on Easy E, but it sounds like your first mistake was not following around the dude on the yacht

Posted by: Cheese, Aug 05, 2008 12:21:37 PM

There is way more to Dewey Beach than what is portrayed in this article.

The author wrote an article about what she selectively chose to see, hear, and focus on and not what the people she interviewed told her. There were many worthy contributions from people of the town who tried to enlighten the author about the many aspects of the Dewey Beach culture and what makes it so great. However, she clearly chose to ignore them and only focus on one aspect. While the party aspect is quite real (and like no other), I am sad to say the article is not an accurate representation of the town and the culture of the people who live and vacation there and make it what it is.

I can only compare this article to that of a reporter spending one weekend in Disney World and only telling to you about one attraction.

Posted by: Someone who has spent significantly more time in Dewey than the author, Aug 05, 2008 12:06:41 PM

To: Reading Between the Lines

Made up just to sell magazines? Have you BEEN to Dewey Beach? This article is spot on.

Posted by: Sarah, Aug 05, 2008 10:19:45 AM

Okay, seriously? If you have NEVER been to Dewey, which it sounds like you haven’t, then you don’t get to judge the people who do go. I mean, it is a subcultural event like no other I’ve ever witnessed. People check their hang-ups at the Bay Bridge... and not just sexually. There is a freer spirit that prevails, an openness to chat up strangers in line for the bathroom, and a laid-back attitude at restaurants if your order gets screwed up. Don’t worry about the "virgins"... no one held a revolver to their head to drink all those jello-shooters, and trust me, they knew what they are getting into when they crossed that bridge. C’mon, treating women like defenseless victims sets us back 50 years.

Yes, Easy E was probably a bit of a dork in HS, but so what?... the guy is having fun. Loosen up! Better yet, go check out Dewey for yourself. Sounds like maybe you could use a little random, drunken make-out. Tell you what: it is like shooting fish in a barrel!

Oh and regarding the "most of this was probably made up" comment?... Yeah, not so much. I was in a house for 8 years, and this article is dead on. My best pick up line was "you wanna make out?" (well, that and "you had me at steak and cheese!" Hahaa!). Good times.... Hmmm, maybe I need to book another weekend!

Posted by: EJD, Aug 05, 2008 08:55:25 AM

Have you ever thought that maybe most of the article is made up to sell magazines? Some of you need to step back and look at your own shortcomings before you point out others. Easy E may like to have fun on the weekend, but who doesn’t? Maybe this is his last horrah before growing up. And just maybe he works so hard during the week that he needs a break from reality. Whatever the case may be....who are you to judge?

Posted by: Reading Between the Lines, Aug 05, 2008 08:13:24 AM

Even Dewey Virgins in this article are adults; not helpless victims being preyed upon by Easy E. It’s ridiculous to think of E as some kind of predator. Anyone heading to Dewey knows what it’s all about--alcohol and sex. Easy E is part of what makes Dewey Dewey. If you don’t like it, you go to Rehoboth.

Posted by: Dewey Virgin, Aug 05, 2008 08:02:31 AM

Wow, the fun police are out in full force this morning. You guys really need to lighten up and just focus on your own lives. Does it affect you how Mr. E spends his weekends? I think its safe to say probably not.

Posted by: Buster Douglas, Aug 05, 2008 07:07:43 AM

this is disgusting. grow up, people.

Posted by: dc, Aug 04, 2008 07:24:16 PM

One more sign to look for when spotting a douchebag extraordinaire:
5) Begs Washingtonian journalist to feature him "anonymously" in Dewey article, then brags to all his "friends" about how he’s being featured.

Ugh.

Posted by: DisgustedInDC, Aug 04, 2008 02:00:47 PM

Having an excessively good time is one thing; preying on inebriated young "Dewey Virgins" is another. Targeting certain females because of their age, experience and (especially) level of sobriety can be the difference between "consensual" and "questionable" in regarding sex. Everyone likes to get away from reality every now and again, but to fabricate items about yourself in order to fool girls into thinking you’re a decent person is not only shady, but pathetic as well. Eazy-E seems to fit the mold of some typical HS loser who couldn’t get any then, is probably relegated to the Friend Zone now, and has to talk himself up and get people hammered to get any now.
Other warning signs with this type (aka, "douchebag extrodinaire"):
1) Sprinkles self-absorbed stories about how bad-ass he is with quips about how much money he has; then turns around and stiffs some poor waitress 5 minutes later.
2) Drives a Beamer, but lives in a dump, unless of course his parents are still contributing.
3) Wears graphic tees or tees with sayings that are well beyond his capability of contriving; pairs them with madras shorts.
4) Uses facebook as his primary method of making and staying in touch with friends, because he can once again, make himself into what people want to see.

Look out!!

Posted by: DisgustedInDC, Aug 04, 2008 01:41:29 PM

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