I have hit serious leisure time — no events, no historical places, just enjoying the quiet, hot days of Scottsdale -

Drove to Old Town (third time if you are keeping track) — did some shopping and actually came close to pulling the trigger on a cowboy hat — they actually carried my size in a few styles — but, I chickened out -

Some nice western goods and Indian treasures and also LOADS of your typical tourist stuff from post cards, to magnets, to T shirts and PLENTY of cactus (of cacti??).

Back to the pool for an hour or two before heading to the funkiest of Guy Fieri’s Arizona stops — Chino Bandito — this is a combo (Foodie types may call that fusion….) of Chinese and Mexican — so think General Gau in a burrito —

I decided on their newer location, in Chandler. I walk in and the lady spots me as a newbie — she tells me she is going to have me sample about 6 of their items before choosing – this was GREAT! Unheard of, almost –

Well I settled on a combo, one burrito style, one quesadilla style (you can get a simple rice bowl with your main stuff on the top). I got Jade Red Chicken in a burrito — yummy, sweet with a small hint of spice – and a Pollo Diablo in a quesadilla — this was also very good and it is the spiciest item on the menu — they warn people from Iowa that it is likely too hot for them. Frankly, I think it could have been hotter, but was still very good. These items come with Black Beans, done Cuban style (whatever THAT means — and if you are keeping track, a third culture has now hit the plate). Then, just to hit the world culinary cycle, I ordered the Jerk Chicken Fried Rice — I mean ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I think the stomach feels like you are throwing it constant changeups — but all was very good — and to top it off, every order gets a freshly baked Snickerdoodle cookie — this made the ride back to the Resort a tasty one -

This gets a 4 and a half bucks out of five.

It almost got five, just for their logo alone — look it over — and click for a closer look -

Back to the room, just hung out and watched TV — yes, I am on slowdown mode -

In the evening, I decided to catch the Red Sox at the new Sports Bar I went to the other night — Blue 32 Sports Grill –

I ordered the Grilled Mahi Tacos — and these were top notch! perfectly grilled fish, velvety avocado slices with a chipotle tarter sauce — On the side came Cilantro Lime Rice which was perfect as well — and piping hit! This was a total Home Run!

This came recommended by my favorite Blue 32 bartender, Cassandra (pronounced, “Cassondra” — hey! get it right). Another bartender from Rhode Island chatted some Pats with me for a bit – they both seem like they will help this place to be a success.

I sampled a few beers — including a nice Kilt Lifter from the Four Peaks Brewery in Tempe.

This place gets the elusive Five Bucks out of Five – (not sure what I rated it the other night, but this meal mandates the highest mark).

In fact, to celebrate the occasion — I ordered up a Blue 32 Martini — dirty martini, with blue cheese stuffed olives -

Thanks, Cassandra for taking the photo -

I left the place and decided on one more martini — do they call that a nightcap? They used to say that on Quincy — at the Village Tavern — seemed to be a good place — bartender was attentive and gave me lots of recommendations (I guess for the next trip to Scottsdale).

More restful sun and pool tomorrow -

Went back to Old Town in Scottsdale, this time to hit one of two breakfast places I found online -

I ended up choosing the place which seemed less busy (not always the best choice, I mean, places are busy for a reason…). I just felt like being able to flap my elbows at the table -

Turns out that the place I chose does breakfast, lunch, happy hour, dinner….and fancy drinks — The Daily Dose Bar & Grill – unfortunately for me, I was only here to do breakfast — I did coffee and the Chorizo Omelet, which is Locally made chorizo, jalapenos, red onion & aged cheddar finished with fresh guacamole at $9.95. It came with plenty of home fries, large slices of toast and a rosemary creme fraiche. I really didn’t know what to do with the creme fraiche and the guacamole, so I dipped everything in one or the other — everything was great!

The meats in the omelet were very tasty, not salty, as some of these chorizo cuts can be on occasion. Service was attentive, plenty of coffee…. but staring across at a bar advertising a yummy mai tai made me yearn for Happy Hour. I rated this Four Bucks -

I walked around Old Town (second time) and realized I need to come back to check out some stores — I mean, they just might have that cowboy hat in a 7 7/8?

Drove around the area — just killing an hour — nothing much but a wasted hour -

Back to the room, poolside to soak up some clouds….no sunshine on this day, or little of it.

Planned my later afternoon and decided on a Happy Hour at the closest restaurant that is not on the grounds here — the Chart House – which I gather is a small chain around the country.

I hit the Happy Hour menu — HARD –

I did the Chart House Margarita while I read over the menu — I took the suggestion of the bartender, and went off the Happy Hour menu for one item — a Beefsteak Tomato Salad — which has plump tomato slices, crumbled blue cheese, light, delicious onion rings, chucks of perfectly cooked bacon, on a bed of fresh spinach with a balsamic drizzle on the bottle – YUM! Four and a Half Bucks out of Five!

Mouth watering as I type this…

Ok – So, before hitting beer, I lean on the friendly bartender for another drink from the Happy Hour menu — “what do people like?”, “what do you make the best?”…..and she says even though she’s a beer and shot type of girl, her Cosmo is supposed to be very good — so I shaved my legs and order a Cosmo — it was, umm, underwhelming — not what I expected — and made me yearn for a Fat Tire – Below is the evidence of the transition -

I then jabber-jawwed with the bartender and a neighbor a few stools down, Denise, and we talked everything from accents, vacation, jobs, Arizona….yada yada yada —

I then dove into the Prime Rib sliders, which is carved prime rib, caramelized onions and a creamy horseradish sauce…. these were very tasty and the au jus was a very tasty compliment. Makes me realize (again) how bad the California Dip at Brandy’s in Flagstaff was….

(note: not served open face, but trying my hand at allowing you to see as much as possible)

I decided to try one of their casinos out here — their newest – Talking Stick — and when the “Stick” talked to me, it said “I’m no Vegas, I’m no Foxwoods, maybe you should leave….” — so I did, after 20 minutes and not a coin dropped in a slot — just didn’t seem to have any pool – here is the view from the parking lot, kind of a cross between a Elks Lodge, a high school campus and maybe a small dose of Foxwoods –

It seemed so-so on the busy side — but plenty of parking —

I almost parked in the spot below, because I of course didn’t see the van hidden in the parking space -

Well, I split like a banana and decided to check back at the hotel bar — it had seemed to pick up in population during the day and I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss any of the fun. But it was quiet, relatively — just Nina (bartender) and staff, me, and Bob from Acton, Massachusetts — this guy is a semi-regular on the business stay circuit — his route is Italy to Phoenix, and then when he told the bartender he lived in Boston, I bellowed, “I live in Boston” — so, the next hour or so was spent talking watching the Sox with Bob from Acton — and his son plays Lacrosse at Umass, so I chatted some Umass stuff as well. I told him I’d see him on Route 128 —

Rest of the days promise to be quiet –

Well — I have been slacking and frankly, the blog may suffer down the stretch of vacation. I just don’t have much planned for the final few days and it will be like watching bad re-runs for you folks —-

But – Wednesday AM — woke up at 4:30 AM local time to get on the road around 5(ish) on my way up to Sedona to view some breath-taking red Rock formations — I have been there a couple times previously, but only a cameo both times…

My feeling was get there early — take an early off-road tour and then decide the rest of my day (lounge in Sedona or shoot to Flagstaff for a couple hours) — well….I hear a lecture about calling ahead or planning ahead coming…I showed up at Pink Jeep Tours at about 7:30 after taking some pictures on my way into town. The earliest they could squeeze me in was 10:00 — unless I wanted to do combo tours, which would be more money and up to 4 hours….this is their version of “would you like fries with that?”, but instead it is “if you want to add the Ancient Ruins to your tour as a combo, we can get you out in 25 minutes…”. I declined, wanting my day to be flexible –

So, it was two hours of snapping a couple photos, putting my nose against the shop windows of the places not yet open and checking out the same 25 post cards that are on sale outside a few early risers who were open…..YAWN!

The only benefit is the change in weather as you head north to Sedona and later to Flagstaff — while Scottsdale hit 108 on Wednesday, Sedona peaked (not pun intended) at 90 and Flagstaff peaked at 80 degrees, cooler than beantown for the day —

Well…10:00 rolls around and me and a family of four from New York (I can’t ditch all the Yankee fans in the world if I tried) headed out on a 35 mile, 2 hour tour of “Diamondback Gulch”. Tour guide Bob was very knowledgeable and the tour was about an 8 — excellent learning experience, some good canned jokes from Bob, but I guess I wanted more formations out of my tour. I can whine pretty well when I try, huh? The off-road experience was something I recommend and I would do one again -

Before, during and after the Pink Jeep Tour, I was able to see many of the formations in the area. The camera doesn’t seem to catch ALL of the deep colors, but they still look decent — some snapshots are below:

These sights are pretty breathtaking — and they can make your heart skip a beat -

Obviously, the local city council does as well, as you can see these heart Defibrillators on the sidewalks every quarter mile or so -

As you can imagine, lots of artists have jumped in on these great views. There are artists who have rendered these in drawings, paintings and even in photography. I have jumped into this in my own abstract photo of the main road, showing the closeness of the formations to downtown life…..

I call this photo “Green Lights, Red Rocks”….I can have it silk-screened onto drink coasters if you like….I just need to contact Billy Mays for the infomercial…..WAIT! Oh, never mind.

Well, I was full of disgust for waking at 4:30 to set up all this available time, and the lack of planning ahead made the day reach a baptism under fire mode around 1:00 — Do I drive over the hills to Flagstaff for one of Guy Fieri’s restaurants or do I head back towards Phoenix/Scottsdale? I decided to do Flagstaff and drove the 28 miles to this bustling place -

I got out to pump gas and it was kind of, ahem….chilly — well, an 80 degree chilly, but I must stress that I haven’t seen a daytime temperature below 100 degrees since Logan Airport….

So, off to another one of Guy’s finds….and while they featured a great dinner item, I had to select from the lunch menu at Brandy’s Bakery and Restaurant. I even saw the chef bouncing around the restaurant who I remembered from the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives clips. Too bad I wasn’t here for dinner….

I ordered a California Dip sandwich, which was served au just (thus, a french dip)….and thank god there was au jus — I mean, this sandwich was listed as “juicy roast beef” with muenster cheese and green chilies…

There was ZERO juiciness to this roast beef! I was there at about 2:00 and I had a sad feeling that this beef MAY have been juicy during their breakfast rush…..7 HOURS AGO — I had thankfully ordered a pesto mayo for a side, which helped the sandwich along.

I get a lot of french dips — and the true test for me is….does this sandwich stand on it’s own as a roast beef sandwich? Is it already good, and just enhanced by the au jus (I feel so french!)? If not…thumbs down -

Even the chilies were a disappointment -

The fries were hot and fresh — and I learned a long time ago if you can’t say anything else nice…just stop moving your lips……but, seeing that this is a blog and it is my fingertips, I can say such great things as “unremarkable”, “hot filler”, “begging for salt and pepper”…..

This visit made me have a major realization about the show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives…..nobody ever said the food at all these places was great! They are either in a funky building, have a funky personality, have some strange items on the menu, have an unusual cooking manner…..and occasionally, the food is “off the hook”. So, my expectations have been changed for the culinary tour of Triple D restaurants (Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives = Triple D). They have been set to medium low and that way I can be pleasantly surprised.

Brandy’s gets a One Buck out of Five Bucks….my lowest rating yet in this “foodie” blog stuff….

So, off the the great roads of Arizona….weird driving down a highway and as far as you can see, no homes, no buildings….not even a Starbucks….

So, I decided I was gonna have enough time to get to Phoenix for the Diamondbacks game against the New York Mets (I can’t dodge New Yorkers, even the ones that hate the Yankees).

I parked behind Alice Cooper’s restaurant, aptly named Alice Cooperstown, which had frosty aluminum bud products for $4….again, FRIGID — like my third day in a row blessed with ice cold beer —- maybe it is a state law or something….but everyone from the Cask and Flagon to the Towanda Club can learn from these refrigerator experts!

Here is the outside patio of Alice’s place -

Funny thing about the servers inside is they all have to wear some of the Alice Cooper face paint — with the black tears down their face — I didn’t ask any to pose, but for a flavor of it, here’s a photo of Alice himself..

Imagine asking someone looking like that if I can get the ranch on the side?

I reviewed the menu and everything is pretty much named after a sports figure or a rock star…. they even have a two pound hot dog called the Big Unit (named after Randy Johnson who used to play for Arizona). One of the sides of the building makes sure you know where to get the Big Unit….

Just so you bring enough dough…..the Big Unit will set you back $18.99…..or the same price as a Fenway Frank in the bleachers at Fenway….

They actually hosted Adam Richman of Man vs. Food for the Big Unit! They actually added an Adam Richman version of the Big Unit, but I forget what it added and it isn’t on the website — here is a photo from the web of Adam and Alice….with two Big Units…

Never seen Man vs. Food — pretty entertaining — see more info here

The D’backs are a BAD team….think, Orioles without the passionate fan base…. It’s a nice place to watch a game, modern, been here a couple times before…and it is comfortable. Grabbed a cheap seat in the left field bleachers, $16. Lots of beer and food choices. I mean, when in Rome hit me in the first fifteen minutes as I decided to have a frozen strawberry margarita (hey! I was back to the 100+ temps, so I thought a foo foo drink at a game was ok). Skipped food, so no ballpark food report. For those of you counting my calories…today was a skip breakfast, skip dinner day — not the way you want to eat, but it happens from time to time….I’ll make up for it later.

One thing about what is called Chase Field that is pretty interesting is they have a swimming pool area just beyond the right field fence! You can rent out the space, but my guess is it comes pretty pricey! But, as you can see below: you could easily have a Home Run in the pool! (Note: those living in the gutter, keep your memories of a home run in the pool to yourself!).

I decided to keep dry, walked around a lot, talked to ushers about the team, the stadium, their matching outfits… my ticketed section is shown below, but I was here for only 20 minutes….long enough to be 30 feet from one of 3 Home Runs that were hit there last night -

Gassed up at Alice’s joint before heading home…some local Hefeweizen which was forgettable and a Fat Tire….after all, this is where Fat Tire and I had our first date, many years back -

Future posts will be shorter I imagine….no real plans ahead — and I will try not to bore the audience…

Ok — trying to make this concise —

Woke up – hit the road to Phoenix for one of Guy Fieri’s places — Matt’s Big Breakfast! While this is a small place — it also has a small menu….but big enough to offer a bowl of Frosted Flakes! I like their sense of humor already….

I decided on the Salami Scramble, with, of course, a side of bacon! Here is the photo…

While yesterday’s dinner at Joe’s Farm Grill felt like the place had gone Hollywood….this place was still telling customers via a chalkboard that they would be closed next week for their summer break! Love it! Have a great vacation Matt (assuming the owner is Matt)!

Breakfast was great! As in “Winner Winner Chicken Dinner”!
Coffee – good
Bacon – good
Salami Scramble — Raise the Roof!

I hit the road, but only a couple miles to the Heard Museum — this Museum is a gem — offering “…Native American artwork, pottery, books, textiles, and jewelry.”

Took a tour, and the guy giving the tour, from an Indian family, was a sophomore from a local high school — they have this program where high school students give tours — AWESOME! Major Kudos (unless I am being some sort of softee).

Lots of nice exhibits, including this clothing set for an Indian child….

Little did they know, these would be a loose blueprint for GarAnimals at Sears, circa 1982. No Toughskins were located at the Heard Museum, so the tie in with Sears appears limited.

They had a great display of how Indian art, skills and techniques influenced some modern culture. Take a peek at these hot shoes — I mean, literally —

My friend Leona would be the only person I know who could pull off THOSE shoes….

I was mostly impressed with the vast collection of Katsina dolls — I mean a few hundred. They had old ones and contemporary ones, all very impressive. A few are pictured below (pictures are taken behind glass, so there is a little glare)

Even the exotic tile they had on display was impressive, as well as some contemporary tile displays, like the one below:

I believe, if I recall correctly, that tile is from Phoenix, circa 1988, from something along the lines of the Kohler Bathroom tribe.

I took off from there, but as much as the pool was pulling me back to the room, I had to follow up on the resort bartender, Nina’s recommendation, of the Four Peaks Brewery in Tempe — so, I found the place and decided to have lunch there — the place was mobbed and I admit, I turned the flash off my camera as to not totally embarrass myself, so the photo may be a little dim –

I got one of the specials — a fried grouper sandwich with jalapeno tarter sauce and Pepper Jack Cheese, with Macaroni Salad. The Macaroni was nice, not overcooked as you often find in macaroni salad — and it had chunks of cheese and artichoke hearts — a great choice. First time having grouper – and it was very good. The spiciness of my cheese and condiments was muted enough to let the fish shine! (Did I just write that line….?). They recommended the Hefeweizen for a pairing and who am I to push a beer away?

This was a great find and this may get a repeat visit! They also have a new place in Scottsdale so maybe I should try that spot next.

Back to the hotel — killed my third book of the trip (see last post for links) — and had the pool to myself for a bit before I had to graciously share it with three young ladies. So many bikinis….so little time….

Went out for either a visit to a new Sports Pub nearby or a Casino a few miles away…..

Blue 32 Sports Grill has the coldest beer I have had all summer — maybe 33 degrees MAX — and a very attentive staff -

Well, it turns out they opened on Saturday — so, you know how that can go — you get superb stuff as they try to impress the new customers or they need a few weeks to work out the kinks…..lucky for me, they had staff from their other restaurant on the premises –

I had a few cold ones, but the feature was a Hot Texas Burger — which had Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Jalapenos, Mayo, Mustard and my good friend, Tabasco -

Nice and Spicy!

Very impressed and the cold beer, the good food, the chatty staff and …..ooops, did I mention the Red Sox on Satellite? Yes, this place will be a repeat! (Helps that it is five minutes away)

Ok, ok, so I have pretty much said I would stay poolside and read, sweat, dive in and REPEAT…for ten days….but I have gotten restless and getting a car on Monday unleashed the hounds, I guess — no I can at least poke my head out of the area a bit — so….what to do, what to do — well…from my last vacation, it sounded like from feedback (no pun intended), that people enjoyed me pretending to be a foodie and if I share all those calorie stories with enough people, maybe I won’t pack on all those calories….hey! It’s worth a shot — so, a theme, kind of developed -

In addition to some cactus, red rock formation, terrible national league baseball type things on the docket, I invited Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives fame to lay the map for some of my culinary adventures….

I’ll let Guy tell you about it —

“Clayton….dude…..this will be Buckalicious!”….ok, bye Guy -

Well, I do have a roadmap, in an article entitled “Eat Your Way Across Guy Fieri’s Arizona“! While, I sincerely doubt that Guy Fieri owns Arizona, I do think I can move a few of these items off of the article and onto my calorie starved plate….

So, the culinary spin was in — Clayton was on board for this — although Clayton is looking a little more like a “Sven” if you ask me — hair, helmet like, after days in the sun and chlorine….and before Guy climbed aboard my list of things to do — I had a great California Tomato salad with grilled ahi tuna on top — with a perky (yes, I said perky) lime cilantro dressing….oh…and the best “Bah Mix, Eva”! Thanks to Nina at the bar for all the suggestions — washed it down with a local Arizona beer, much like a Magic Hat #9, but peach instead of the apricot…..and it was frigid –

Ok – So, rental car happened at 7:30 AM today and I whipped out the trusty GPS for the first leg of the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives tour — it was great to hear words like “roundabout” again!

So — off I went to a breakfast joint, Over Easy, in Phoenix. Now….I have to say — because I am following this map of sorts, am I required to get what they featured on Guy’s show? The answer I have is no, but when it is a toss up — the featured dish wins, and I don’t mean me….

Cool restaurant – cool website (once it renders, the menu is in the crossword puzzle – VERY COOL (ok, small things amuse me, ok???)

I debated between two items that were on the show, the Wolfpack and the Caramelized Banana and Pecan Brioche — I just like saying Brioche…it’s like, Chatanooga or….well, I am getting sidetracked….

So — yummy food, the Brioche was very good….syrup is a little strong on the caramel, but hey — taste buds had an orgy for a while — they’ve been quiet for a few days —…and oh — it’s breakfast, so I get a side of bacon — their pig is like the pig at home — on the TV show they say it is from Wisconsin….well, it wasn’t really worth the freight — it was good bacon….just not baconlicious —

Fresh Squeezed orange juice was great —- but at 8 ounces for $3 bucks, I’ll take the next one with Ketel One, thank you bartender!

Waitress was super nice (Melissa??) as well as the other folks who checked in on me….3 people in 15 minutes? Very attentive!

So, calorie meter has been started, GPS has been started, it is a brand new vacation -

I drove to Old Town Scottsdale

– which was supposed to bring me back to the West….West what? West Wyoming? West Woburn?

Sorry, cowboy — not much here impressed me…except maybe you!

….kind of an overrated area if you ask me….but maybe I am saying that because my pie hole wasn’t chomping down on something very caloric…?

Went through an artsy area, I mean wall to wall galleries — but being a Monday, they were all doing their color-by-numbers thing at home…or contemplating life or whatever they do when they are not selling stuff….

Took a spin by Fashion Square — me and my super duper rented Kia Optima….

Well, the first two places I motored up on has valet parking — just to shop — I am thinking there is no room for a coupon shopper like me at the Fashion Square — so I passed — guess my wardrobe will be missing that $250 dollar pocket square….

Ok, ok, I have to admit — I killed enough time so that a non-Guy sanctioned eatery was close to opening — so, I waited — and just when I thought I was going to the first person at the Sugar Bowl in Scottsdale for Monday — 3 groups swarmed the door at 11:01 (if it was even that late).

I went to the counter and sat among the pink decor

….this place would have made Liberace comfortable — but, I digress….it was old fashioned and had many old fashioned items — I ended up skipping malts and floats and I went with a Raspberry Glacier, which was Raspberry Sherbet with Sprite.

It was a nice pick me up after dragging myself around these blocks in 106 degree heat — and it was good to the last drop — don’t believe me????

At this point, I was starting to have pool withdrawals — so, back to the resort — quick change, books in hand and out to battle the sun bath — in fact, all my friends from the resort were there to greet me….they are shown below….look….um…they might be hard to see

Killed the second book of the vacation — Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben, and began a second book by him, Drop Shot — both books have the same character and they are poolside quick reads — mystery, a sports angle and nothing too lengthy of a read.

I am well on my way to a murder mystery of my own…..how can someone who had gotten out of reading so much in the last year kill more than 1 book in a vacation — I am staring at my third murder conviction and bringing on more….

Came into the room to do some work for the part time job — which I also did after dinner. It’s nice to be able to do most of that work remotely –

Guy was back — screaming at me to get my ass in gear — down to Gilbert Arizona — to a place called Joe’s Farm Grill — where, as much as possible, items on the menu come from the farm next door —

I hit the conundrum that I run into from time to time….can’t decide between onion rings (my fave) or the sweet potato fries (the rave)…..fave? or rave? Fave or Rave? FAVE OR RAVE??? Get the both of them came the devil off the left shoulder….and before the angelic side spoke up (wait! — you didn’t know I had an angelic side? keep that to yourself or I will tell people about…..well, you know who you are and you know what I’ll say….yep — this means you!) ….ok — so I went with the featured item — the Fontina Burger — which was very good — and onions rings AND sweet potato fries — both done nice, crispy — batter on onion rings was great — sweet potato fries — I can see why people like em….I guess they just don’t excite me…and they never have — so it isn’t Joe’s fault
(NO! I did not finish everything…..really!)

— washed it all down with a fresh strawberry lemonade, complete with strawberry seeds culminating it a choppy last draw of the straw — but very nice drink –

Food was good — not GREAT — but would recommend the place — however — the one thing is….the place seems a little “Hollywood” — they have flat screen TV’s showing the TV clips from Triple D — over and over — they sell Guy’s recent cookbook at the cashier….they plant the TV show items in a different ink….and everyone behind the counter looks like they had to have 6 months of training before they could work there — very clean — very “corporate” — just didn’t seem homey enough for this home-slice….

Both of Guy’s places rate pretty high — Over Easy…I’ll go with 4 out of 5 bucks — and Joe’s Farm Grill get’s 4 out 5 bucks as well. Sugar Bowl, 3 and a half bucks out of 5, it hit the spot, but nothing I couldn’t do at home.

Sorry for any typos or run-on sentences or whatever careless mistakes make their way into these posts…I write em, make sure the images work and click publish — so, my apologies in advance…

Sorry for the long blog entry — hope I didn’t bore you during your morning coffee……

Ok, ok, so I have finally gotten around to a new blog entry — can I blame the lack of entries on the sun?

113 or so on Friday, 108 yesterday, and ….let me check the forecast……10 seconds…..20 seconds — I guess right now it is 97 degrees, and headed for 110 —looks like Pool Duty for the afternoon -

So here is the quick and dirty from the last couple days….

Flights were fine — flight one was an interesting one…..now, I am the first to say, I am a big guy….when you see me coming down the aisle, you say to yourself….”not next to me….please!”…..you know who YOU are! Well….me, aforementioned “big guy” sits in the aisle seat — and yup — a woman bigger than me gets the middle seat next to her husband — hey – GUY! thanks for giving her the middle seat! The guy had to help her fasten her seat belt! It wasn’t as bad as it could have been…..I mean, when I saw that her elbows had their own dimples, I thought I was in big trouble….. and for all I know, she may be blogging about the “big guy” to her left – -

So, after flight 1 to Atlanta — I decided to start the vacation culinary engine — and just to prove to those that have read the blog before and think all I eat is ice cream, biscuits and gravy or chocolate chip pancakes… I have proof that I can eat healthy (albeit, on the run)…

Flight two had ME in the middle seat — but, the little lady to my left was about 4 foot 5 inches and maybe 90 pounds — THANK YOU Airline Gods for making my middle seat a nice one!

Arrive in Phoenix, shuttle bus to the hotel and I checked in about 1:00 local time – Hotel seems pretty nice -

Room is plenty nice, 3rd floor, with a pool view -

Made the debut by the pool for an hour or so — and it seems like I did not scare any guests away!

Hit the Happy hour for a vacation beverage or three — and tried some “Panko Crusted Onion Rings” — well, if these were Panko Crusted, then I am wishing nothing but the best for the New York Yankees! — these things made me long for those awful “Onion Things” at Burger King…..On the Buck scale, they got a half a Buck. House margaritas were ok — local beer was very cold, but I retired to the room early ….

Up early on Saturday — went for a walk (don’t tell my physical therapist or podiatrist) around the area (no car until Monday) and hit a Jamba Juice for a sweet smoothie! I was dripping wet by the time I got there — so, the smoothie did the trick (I repeated this on Sunday AM as well).

I was poolside by Noon and killed the first book of the vacation — Plum Island by Nelson Demille – decent book – good summer type read — gets about 4 Bucks on the 5 Buck scale -

After a few hours of sun and swim — I bellied up to the poolside bar –after a drink or two — I met a great family from San Antonio — John and Sebrina (with an “e”), their son Justin and their nephew, Alonso. They were on a vacation out to the west coast and back — and this was perhaps their last stop before San Antonio.

Check out my helmet hair!!! I am about 6 foot 3 in that photo — that is what happens after I swoop it back after being in the pool all day –

We shared drinks during the afternoon and when the pool bar closed…we did what most people who have been out all day would do……we went to the local supermarket, got some beverages, got pizza from a place in the plaza (thanks John and Sebrina!). Pizza was from Crust, and it gets 4 and a half Bucks — very good sauce and it may potentially get repeat business during the week.

We stayed poolside until my tank read empty — it was really great meeting them and we exchanged info so that we can keep touch in the future — and I have promised to buy them dinner if I am in San Antonio….where they welcomed me to stay with them — what a stroke of luck meeting such great people….even if John is a Colts fan…..

lol — I wasn’t gonna let that slip -

Headed to the pool….no plans for the day — car tomorrow, so I may start doing stuff off-resort –

One hint of what theme might be developing……..has anyone seen Guy Fieri anywhere? I’ll take a peek at a few places….

Made plans for this summer’s second and final vacation -

Ten days at the Scottsdale Resort and Conference Center!

Cheaper to fly to Arizona and be poolside for 10 days than getting a place for a week at the Cape or the NH or ME beaches….

Weather calls for days between 103-109…..who knew they were having a cool down?

I hope people like prunes….my hope is to become one (while wearing my sunscreen)

And hey! Did you hear that prunes had their name “officially” changed to dried plums….would I lie to you?

Well, I had stayed in Cleveland one whole day and Lebron would let me advise him on his free agency, so I hit the road.

I was tipped off that the Home from A Christmas Story was fully restored and available for tours, etc. (thanks Barbara!)— while I would be too early for their opening, I did go by for a couple of photos — there was no leg lamp viewable at 8AM

This place is tucked into a quiet neighborhood a couple miles from downtown — I guess they get strangers hopping out with a camera to take photos before hitting the road to their next destination -

Well, for me – the potential next and final destination was going to be home – — but the suggested route by Google Maps was going to bring me through Buffalo — so I decided to go that route — When I got to Buffalo, I saw what everyone always talked about, it’s really beautiful!

Ok, ok, I admit…..it was nicer that that — low 70′s — not much to look at, but I am sure Buffalo, as a city, has a great personality (isn’t that what you are supposed to say when it don’t look so great?)

So, I have seen enough Food TV to know that I had to try the Anchor Bar — the place where the buffalo wing was born -

Got there shortly after they opened (surprised??) — and bellied up to the bar (commentary on verbiage not necessary) and decided on HOT as my wing choice — they had “suicide” which I would normally have tried, but I was nervous of 7-8 more hours of driving. The Hot were nice, but I’ve had hotter — gave me suicide wing envy….only made worse by this lady and her husband who came in and she ordered her “regular” – which was “double suicide”….what a Wing Wimp she made me feel like….anyways, here’s what they looked like -

The Good: Tasty, decent hotness, served piping hot, had a little crispness, which I like in my wings
The Not So Good (yes, picky!): Celery and Blue Cheese dressing on side were room temperature

So, they were good enough that I thought I’d take some for the long ride home – you can see if the leftovers if you look closely

Eating messy food with the facial hair leaves me saying one motto: “It ain’t messy, it’s called leftovers!”

I continued on my way, some 7-8 hours home and I made it in one piece –

I unloaded the truck instead of waiting — which would be my normal schedule — after all, I need to take care of some of my souvenirs:

Hope to post a “afterthoughts of the trip” entry sometime soon — thanks for all the views and comments!

It was a great trip — thanks for sharing it with me -

Buck

Got Home Last Night!

Long road from Cleveland — will post details of the last day later after I catch up on everything in the 01801

On Day 13, I have to concentrate to figure out where I was this morning…..Cincy — yes, Cincy —

Hit the road at a decent hour and headed north to Columbus….after all Columbus discovered the New World….

Turns out….THIS Columbus had lots to offer as well.

You know how some couples experience the 7 year itch (while some people apparently have a 4-5 year itch), well, I scratched an itch today, an itch I haven’t scratched in 7 years — hitting the BEST (sorry, In and Out burger a CLOSE second) Fast Food Place in the world — Culvers Betterburgers and Frozen Custard. I think this is as close to home as they get — the day they get close, I might get into the franchise business —

See what you are missing at Culvers –

This is what this particular one looks like — I did not bring the camera inside — I think I was shaking so much from the anticipation, that the camera was likely a bad idea. To boot — is it ever a good sign when you are the FIRST customer of the day for any fast food restaurant?

I then took a spin to a small Ohio Ice Cream chain that has great ice cream! I once had it sent to me and they have funky, great flavors! I knew I’d be close, so I decided to check out their original location in Columbus’ North Market (a great building of 30+ culinary specialty shoppes).

Check out these pages below:

Jeni’s Ice Cream Website

Jeni’s Ice Cream Blog

I grabbed myself a midday dessert — and I tried their new ice cream sandwiches — they are based with macaroon cookies hugging their awesome ice cream –

The one I chose was a pistachio type macaroon (not like Mike’s Pastries version, lighter in flavor, uniform shape) with Honey Vanilla Bean ice cream. After my first bite, I paused and reached for the camera — hey, I want to share — I am a sharer at heart….

After dripping a few spots on my shirt, I moved on and talked my GPS into getting me to Cleveland -

We stopped in mid-afternoon and were able to check in to the downtown hotel — great location — walking distance to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and then a longer walk, but still a walk to the Indians game later in the day -

Any guess where my hotel room is EXACTLY located? If you have been paying attention, there is no question (please note: this question is easy enough that NO bonus points will be added to your Buck Vacation Trivia score later)

So, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was up next —-I was due to hear better notes that me singing up and down Ohio highways — all and all, I have sung more in my truck than in the shower of late…..I’m just sayin’

It is right on the edge of Lake Erie —- with the Football stadium nearby, sandwiching a Science Museum — there’s that word again….sandwich — maybe I am hungry -

So, went to the Hall and I really enjoyed it — although I did the place a disservice — I was there for a few hours, and 1 and a half of that was an AWESOME U2 in 3D movie/concert — so, lots more to peruse on a next trip — but — U2 fans should definitely find this show on DVD or even better, find it in 3D somewhere –

Moved across town to the Indians game — time for one, little, two little, ten little indians — a classic childhood rhyme — a great song for the baseball team here — the “ten” Indians covers the 9 players in the field and adds the 10th Indian being the designated hitter….so, the song was obviously written by someone in favor of the DH in baseball….

Great park, but kind of sad — place used to sell out ALL the time — now, the crowds are small, they don’t publish a regular game program, some stands are shuttered closed….just sad — and for the baseball fans in the room (well, you ARE in some kind of room reading this, no?)….even the drummer in the bleachers takes some nights to do important stuff, like bowling leagues, watching Deadliest Catch or playing World of Warcraft….you can experience the same emptiness I felt below:

So, the place in general is very nice — you can see two photos below – one from the front and one inside — you can obviously tell that I have finally grown comfy with saying “do you mind taking a photo of me…?”.

Clayton is rockin’ the modified “Zoom” look, yes?? Rockin!

Before I got settled, I grew attached to the friendly bartenders at the park….my two social animals that served my Leinie’s (Summer Shandy and Sunset Wheat) who helped me understand the park and told me all my options around the park — I decided to hang out near them in the bleachers. I told them about Clayton — and they TOO agreed that I could consider a name change —

So….I left the game after 7 innings — HEY — it’s not the Sox….stopped for a beer at the Thirsty Parrot — and made my way back to the hotel — ….where….I was reminded of my “Prison Toilet” -

First — when is the last time a decent hotel had the same flusher knob as you find in the bowels of a Mass Pike Rest Stop? Check out the silver fixtures in the back. I had serious flashbacks to high school with that…

Check this bad boy out!!!

If that wasn’t bad enough, you may not be able to tell, buy if you have to sit on this throne, your knees will be so deep into the Cottonelle on the right unless you have the body frame of Don Rickles….I mean, SERIOUSLY — how would someone have a comfortable sitting??? I guess I’ll hold anything until the New York or the Mass Pike….

Sleep time now and off for day 14 tomorrow — not sure if I will pick a spot to stay tomorrow or if I want to drive all the way from Cleveland to Woburn —

The only thing I am SURE of tomorrow is that I am Wingin’ It!