Even though many modern cities have automated and even relocated their port facilities away from downtown centers, the ocean still surrounds urban spaces. In New York City, oceanic fingers embrace the island of Manhattan as well as insinuating the salty touch through all five boroughs. Maritime border spaces such as Battery Park, Newtown Creek, and Dead Horse Bay reveal the abiding presence of the Ocean in the City. Recovering the salt water poetics of these areas can enable twenty-first century city dwellers to reengage with oceanic space in an era of rapid ecological change.

Steve Mentz is Professor of English at St. John University, New York (https://www.stjohns.edu/academics/bio/steven-mentz)