Born there
On the southernmost shore of the chain. Didn't see a salt water beach until I was 8 (the Gulf). Didn't see the Atlantic until 16. Still haven't seen the Pacific, but I got as close as the Juan de Fuca Strait.
A few years ago, I got the chance to stand on the shore of Lake Michigan again, after 30 years... and the difference in the smells was the first thing that I noticed, too.