2019-07-14 - Outsiders from Both Coasts

Sunday's the day of rest right? So Stefano's taking the day, or at least several hours, to do just that. Though after the last week of moving and unpacking, he'd be doing it no matter what day it was. In shorts and sneakers, he's got one foot up on a rail as he looks out over the beach. A tee shirt is tucked into the waist of his shorts as he drinks from a water bottle. As someone stops bear him, he idly glances over.

"It's nice to finally have a nice day that isn't all overcast," Justin says as he folds his arms on the railing and looks out of the water, which brings in a little bit of a breeze. He's got on a plain grey t-shirt and running shorts with running shoes, and looks like he's been out for a bit, raising an arm to wipe sweat from his forehead. His attention is drawn by some movement down the beach, but he doesn't pay too much attention to it.

Stefano looks up and nods, though he's barely noticed being stuck inside most of the day. "Yes." he agrees. "Nice day for the beach. Reminds me a bit of Coney Island. Needs a Nathan's though." Not that there's any west of the Mississippi.

"And an actual beach," Justin chuckles. The rocky coastline of Gray Harbor is probably why it's never made a particularly popular tourist destination. What there is of the beach, there isn't a whole lot of, and it's pretty rocky. "I haven't been to a Nathan's in a while, not since last time I was out on the East Coast. It's too bad they don't have them out here."

"There must be a west coast equivalent." Stefano says though it's mostly a question. "Preferably a healthier one." he adds with a soft chuckle. "It's going to take some getting used to not having things available I'm used to."

"You kind of get used to it after a while," Justin says as he turns around and leans back against the railing. "I used to come up here every summer with my folks. But I just bought a place over on Bayside. Think I'll be sticking around for the foreseeable future. What brings you out here? You from New York?"

"Brooklyn." Stefano answers though his accent gives it away to those who've heard it before. A bit of an Italian accent to it too. "I was looking to move and heard about Gray Harbor. It seemed like it would be a nice place to move to. Not too expensive, not too secluded, not too big."

"Not too far from Seattle if you need a bit of traffic to make you feel more at home," Justin grins a bit. "It's a quiet town, a little odd, but there's some good people here. It's not a bad place to get away. Part of why I came out here, for the quiet."

"Very different from Brooklyn but I'm looking forward to the change. And nothing is odd after you've gotten used to New York City." Turning to face Justin, Stefano leans a side against the railing. "You look familiar but I can't place you. And that's not a pickup line unless you want it to be."

"I'm from L.A., so I get that, on some level. L.A. is it's own brand of crazy," Justin says. He chuckles, "I like it better when it's just a pickup line, to be honest. Part of why I came here. People mostly don't know who I am, and/or don't care even if they do." He does offer a hand though, and says, "Justin Cooper."

"Stefano Dimarco." he says, clasping the hand firmly. "Pretend it's just a pickup line then. Unless you're a serial killer and I saw you on the news, I don't need to know why you look vaguely familiar. So where's a good place to buy you a drink? Or coffee if you don't drink."

Justin laughs at that and says, "No, not a serial killer. Though I did play a psychopath once." Glancing along the boardwalk he says, "Could head over toward the pier and Two if by Sea. There's a bar there. There's also the Pourhouse, but that's further in town." He pulls away from the railing then and says "Nice to meet you, Stefano."

"Actor. That explains it. I must have seen something you were in." Stefano looks over toward the pier then shrugs. "Whichever is better or cheaper or just that you prefer. Though we don't have to go right now if you want to stick around here for a bit. "

"Could be," Justin says, and then nods toward the pier. "Two if By Sea, then. I haven't been there since I got back yet. I was just running, soaking up what sun there is before the clouds and rain roll in again. Not that I mind the rain and clouds, but it's nice to dry out every once in a while." He nods toward the boardwalk and says, "I wasn't looking to go anywhere in particular. Someplace you want to check out?"

"Nowhere in particular. I haven't checked out anything really so everything's still on the table." Stefano says. "Too busy unpacking, buying stuff I need, the usual. But today I can play tourist if you feel like playing tour guide. At least as far as the bar."

"Well, let's go to the bar then, since it's right over there, and that can be the start. After that, if you still feel like it, I'd be happy to show you around town, such as it is. Wouldn't want to do everything too fast, though, since there isn't a whole lot of it to see," Justin says, and then begins to head toward the pier itself, where Two if By Sea is located, as well as the boat tours. "Do you like boats? The tours are kind of relaxing to just go out and cruise around the Bay sometimes."

Stefano nods and walks at Justin's side, taking the direction cues from him. "I was on the Staten Island ferry once. And the boat to the Statue of Liberty. Do those count? Actually, the places I'd like to see are some of the better hotels, sports clubs, and office complexes."

"Sounds like they count to me," Justin observes and then considers, "Well, downtown has most of the local businesses. There's the Lonely Goose B&B which is about as close as you're going to get to an actual hotel. There's the Seaview Suites over there." He nods in the direction of the motel, "But it's definitely nothing to write home about. I'll talk to Hyacinth. I bet she has some recommendations of nearby places. There's a dance/gymnastic center in town called Dance Evolution, and I know there's a gym but I haven't been to it. Then there's the Industrial area not too far away, and there's always Seattle."

Stefano listens, taking mental notes. "Seattle's too far. I'm looking for places to hand out business cards. Hotels because if you give the concierge staff a cut, they'll recommend you to guests. Sports clubs because people are always straining something. And business because the better ones realize that getting your employees less tense is good for productivity. I"m a massage therapist." he adds.

"Ah," Justin says, "Well, that makes sense. I bet that Hyacinth would have a list of potential locations as well. I'll give her a call and see if she can have Edison put something together, places they'd recommend. She always knows where the best places are, and I haven't been to anything new that's cropped up in the last year or so." They make it to Two if By Sea, and Justin pulls open the door, holding it for Stefano to follow him inside.

"Thanks. Appreciate it." Stefano pulls his t-shirt on then heads into the bar, looking around at the inside. Once he's done so, he nods approvingly. "Have a lot of local beers around here? Any you'd recommend?"

"There are a number of microbreweries around," Justin says as they make their way over toward the bar, grabbing a seat and settling onto it comfortably. "Nice to see some things haven't changed around here," he chuckles. "This place looks exactly the same." He then looks up at the latest selection of brews scrawled in chalk somewhere and says, "What do you like? Stouts? Ales? IPAs? Pike Brewing Company's got a XXXXX Stout and a Kilt Lifter Scotch-style ale. Ghostfish has a Shourded Summet Witbier that's a lighter citrusy beer. I tend to like the Witbiers."

"Stouts are good. Amber beers. I like darker ones, not a big fan of lighter beers. I'll have to try them one at a time and see what's good." After a moment's thought, Stefano decides "I'll start with the Pike's stout."

When one of the bartenders comes over, Justin orders one of the Pike's stouts for Stefano and a Witbier for himself before settling back on his stool, comfortably. "Well, with only two bars and one club in town, you'll have plenty of opportunity to work your way through the selection." He smiles a little bit wryly and then says, "You'll have to give me a couple of cards, too, so that I can give them out."

"Be glad to. I always carry extras just in case." Stefano says, pulling a card case out of his pocket. Taking out a few, he slides them over to Justin. They list what types of massage he does, a phone number, email and a facebook page. "I put an ad in the local paper right after I got here and already got a couple hits."

Justin reaches over and takes the cards, taking a moment to look one over, and then he tucks them into a pocket on the back of his phone that holds his ID and a credit card while he's out running. "Well, that's a good sign. Getting business already is a good start. And I'm sure one word of mouth starts getting around, you'll start getting more on the positive reviews." He smiles and tilts his head, "Presuming the reviews will be positive, of course."