call me ishmael some years ago never mind how long precisely having
little or no money in my purse and nothing particular to interest me on
shore i thought i would sail about a little and see the watery part of the
world it is a way i have of driving off the spleen and regulating the
circulation whenever i find myself growing grim about the mouth
whenever it is a damp drizzly november in my soul whenever i find myself
involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses and bringing up the rear of
every funeral i meet and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper
hand of me that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from
deliberately stepping into the street and methodically knocking peoples hats
off then i account it high time to get to sea as soon as i can this is my
substitute for pistol and ball with a philosophical flourish cat throws
himself upon his sword i quietly take to the ship there is nothing
surprising in this if they but knew it almost all men in their degree some
time or other cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me

there now is your insular city of the manhattoes belted round by wharves
as indian isles by coral reefs commerce surrounds it with her surf right
and left the streets take you waterward its extreme downtown is the
battery where that noble mole is washed by waves and cooled by breezes
which a few hours previous were out of sight of land look at the crowds of
water gazers there