Day 4 continued - Las Vegas

After a tour of the strip last night, which was again totally surreal, we have decided to rest up during the day by the hotel – catch up on some correspondence, use the spa and pool facilities or visit Walmart and then head out for the evening with the aim of winning some big bucks at the craps (crabs?) table – either way, it gon get messy. All of the buildings are massive, fluorescent and in yer face and you feel really small in comparison. I've just had a call (from Cash). It's lunchtime. I am craving an iced cold beer and something spicy. Watch this space. Photos to follow soon. We found this little place just off N. Nellis Blvd., Las Vegas, Nevada 89100. We enter through the bar entrance and notice the gambling machines that are built into the bar. We play a dollar at a time, then within 5mins, are chasing a win. Jamie, the waitress, needs to ask us several times if we are ready...we not ready...we gambling. Eventually we decide on what to have - I go for the Cajun burger with tater tots and a Blue Moon - 7/10 and Cash goes for a bacon cheeseburger with pepperjack cheese and onion rings with a pint of something cold - 5/10. Service - 9/10. Think your typical American bar and you've got it here. To the left of us is also a guy known as TC from DC, who wins big after playing for a while. There is a dance, there is some hollering and there is a lot of jive talking. Frickin' love it man! We eventually step out to get some playing cards from Walmart and are smacked in the face with 119 degree heat. F*ck yeah!!!! My face is melting off but I love it (apparently it's quite humid today - tell that to my pits and gusset!!!). We play cards for a couple of hours, and I teach Cash the art of poker. He slowly gets it and then becomes quite cocky! We don't have chips or money so we play for dares. By the end, we have both been out in the sinbin heat on a number of occasions and I won back the right not to have to do tequila shots or drink milk (I feel I have been too honest about my kryptonite...) I did manage to get my own back a few times and when we finished playing at 7pm, we both had broken even. Nap time and then we head out about midnight to Sin City. Our lovely taxi driver gives a few tips and do's and don't's and then we are let loose. We enter the Ballagio like a couple of casino virgins and are eager to try everything. We head to the machines first and lose. Then we head to a bar and order a whiskey and a gin and tonic where we spend quite a bit of time and money. Cash bets big and loses...I play not as big but also lose. We both get a couple of wins, get overly excited then lose it all. We then go for a walk to the other hotels - Vegas is shiny and brash and nothing like you've ever seen before. We are hungry so we head into a McDonald's. I have a strawberry and cream pie. It's sweet and crispy but the pastry is a little dense - 6/10. Cash has a 1/4 pounder bacon habernero ranch cheeseburger with fries and a refill and a cup of big mac sauce. The burger is better quality than back home and it is spicy - 6/10. It's about 4am and we want to go to Caeser's Palace before we head home. It looks like a massive Greek palace. We head over to the machines and it's quite empty, save for the few hardcore players and drunk folks. We have been in for about 10mins when one of the Black Jack tables becomes free. We've both had a drink and are feeling lucky. We sit down and offer up $30 (2plays) and we volunteer Cash to play. It is 415am. At 417am, we get up from the table, thank the lovely croupier and confidently embarrassed, walk away to the main reception. We need a cab home and we need it fast. They tell us where to get a cab and within a few moments, we are back on our way home to Bumblefuck with our gambling spree behind us. Both our taxi drivers have had to get directions as to how to take us home. We calculate our wins and our losses in the cab. I reckon between us, we have spent about $100 and learnt some valuable life lessons - 1) pick a hotel that is close to the city, 2) if an item of clothing does not have a price on it, it's probably more than you can afford and 3) to stay for one night in the Bellagio will set you back $200, which is a lot less than I thought it would be. It is now about 540am in the morning and the sun is coming up. I have had a strong cup of gourmet coffee and am now wide awake. Cash is fast asleep, snoring away... We leave for an impromptu visit to San Francisco in a few hours so I best get some shut eye...

Day 4 - City of Sin - here we come!

Leaving Los Angeles, heading East for about 274miles to the legendary Las Vegas, where it is reported to be 100 degrees or more (40 centigrade). But first, a stop off to see the UFC World Tour press conference at Club Nokia on Olympic Boulevard. Was pretty cool and free! Cash is a big fan and I went along for a jolly. Must say, I was pretty impressed by these competitors, who have to train a crazy amount and in tough conditions. The big fights kick off in the Autumn. The audience was made up of different people of all races, ages and genders and was a cool atmosphere. Getting to Olympic Blvd meant driving through Crenshaw and feeling very ghetto! Groovers - you would have been in your element! It's a poorer looking place but lots of good food outlets and character. We stayed in the car for most of it and wished at several moments that we had hydraulics to complement the Dr. Dre tunes blasting out of the Hyuandai! We did notice a wing shop as we drove to Olympic Boulevard and so on the way back through Crenshaw to Las Vegas, we stopped... FOOD EATEN: CASH: Wing Stop in Crenshaw – 8pc lemon pepper and Louisiana Rub chicken wings with a taster of the Atomic (wasn’t too bad but did have a tendency to coat the back of your throat and make you dry heave a bit – tasty though), seasoned fries (sugar and salt?), coleslaw, ranch dip and a 20oz coke – 5/10 I was in training for a potential challenge tonight so did not have anything other than a quick taste. We arrived in Vegas at about 7pm to high temperatures. I drove a little on the I-15 Freeway, which was awesome. Driving an automatic feels a bit like driving a toy and did you know you have a blind side on the left too!! Big trucks, desert and mirages not to mention a few sand twisters! Passing places like Death Valley, Big Bear and Ghost Towns along the way, we stopped off at a service station for a break and to change drivers. We noticed a few chilli sauces for sale with names such as Colon Cleanser! One was even encased in a plastic box! Cash also had an intimate encounter with waterfalls in the men’s toilets. We checked in to our hotel about 7pm and after a bit of downtime and hair washing (for me, think Monica in Friends – anyone know where I can get my hair braided round here?!), we ventured onto Spring Mountain Road in Vegas to try out some legendary seafood, at the Hot N Spicy Crawfish, as visited by the original Man Vs Food crew. I had a pound of shrimp with extra spicy hot n juicy sauce and Cash had a pound of shrimp with medium hot n juicy sauce. OH MY GOODNESS. This was the best thing I had ever tasted! It comes in a double wrapped see-through plastic bag and you are given a bib (and gloves if you want them). My first attempt to de-shell one of the prawns left me with an injury. I had poked my finger with one of the pincers, but putting the pain aside (my finger was now throbbing as the spicy sauce leaked into my wound) I soldiered on. The shrimps were amazing! So tasty, tangy and spicy. You don’t care that you have to de-shell the prawns yourself or that you are being squirted in the face with hot sauce, you are in heaven! Cash also had some Cajun-seasoned fries which were very, very spicy – the kind to make your lips tingle and swell but still beautifully flavoursome! HOT N JUICY CRAWFISH 1lb – Extra Spicy Hot N Juicy Shrimp 9/10 1lb – Medium Hot N Juicy Shrimp 8/10 Cajun Fries 7/10 (Sarah) and 7.5/10 (Cash)

Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3 - in LA

The Proposed Route

We've got a rough route planned but we're up for going with the flow:

Los Angeles
Las Vegas
Idaho
Texas
New Orleans
Florida
Washington
New Jersey
Boston
New York

If you've been before, any recommendations along the way?

Challenges, Culinary Delights and Cheesecake

With only 2 days to go until the epic food adventures begin, I can't wait! My plan is to try and tackle at least 5 spice challenges when I'm there plus try lots of typical American food... I'm hoping Cash will emulate his success from the Tiki Bar in Plymouth, where a 4ft long chilli hot dog was consumed (still waiting for the T-Shirt though) and a coma ensued! Wish us luck!

Here are some of the things I hope to try when I'm out there:
Shrimp gumbo
Lobster bar
Juicy lucy
A mahoooosive pizza the size of my whole body
Variety of hotdogs (inc Grey's Papaya)
Corndogs
Soul food
Salt Beef Sandwich
BBQ
Overstacked sandwiches
Hot wings
Burritos
Tacos
Tamales
Giant donuts
Extra spicy burgers
Reuben Sandwich
Philly cheesesteak
Big Lou's super 42
Gravy soaked beef sandwich
IHOP
American Beer
Bourbon
Apple Pie
TO BE CONTINUED....


Here are some of Cash's:
Twinkies
Peanut Butter pie
doughnuts
American blueberry pancakes
in-out burger
Texmex
Southern Fried Chicken
Poboy
NYC Pizza
NYC Cheesecake (Rachel and Chandler)
Jewish-American Food (NYC)
Chicken wings
Steak - BBQ and Fried
Ribs
Brownies
Popcorn
Graham Crackers
Oreos
Dipped sandwiches
Mac and Cheese
Root beer
TO BE CONTINUED...

The Phall

So having tried the Phaal curry from a jar, I have to admit, I felt pretty smug as it wasn't that hot at all...something tells me the real thing from a restaurant won't be as mild and that I shall have ring burn for days but hey ho, them's the break. The chilli Cash made is still in my freezer and has not been touched since - the memory, however, is still very fresh in my mind!