first of all; in the first place

First off, I'd like you to come with me to a department store sale.

She was born just a generation past slavery. A time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky, when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons: because she was a woman, and because of the color of her skin.

At first, I had no idea why.

First of all, the level of the ocean could rise, because ocean water expands as it grows warmer.

Firstly, I think that the first time each foreigner is in China, the earliest impression is certainly the size of the country.