miles of inlanders at the beach

I am re-reading Moby Dick by Herman Melville.  It's appropriate reading now for being in his territory.  Here is a quote that made me laugh.  It's oh-so-true.

But look!  Here come the crowds, pacing straight for a dive. Strange!  Nothing will content them but the extremest limit of the lande; loitering under the shady lee of yonder warehouses will not sufice.  No.  The must get just as nigh the water as they possibly can without falling in.  And there they stand - miles of them- leagues.  Inlanders, all, they come from lanes and alleys, streets and avenues - north, east, south, and west.  Yet here they all unite.  Tell me, does the magnetic virtue of the needles of the compasses of all the ships attract them hither?