Tour de Frankfurter Highlights

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UPDATE: 9.17.08 - Check Out The Video Documentary Here!

Well, the Tour de Frankfurter has wrapped up and we're now able to share with you our thoughts and experiences after eating 24 hot dogs at 24 St. Louis locations (see the list below) in 24 hours. Though I'm not sure this adventure advanced humanity in any way (I'm actually quite certain we knocked humankind back a notch,) this is definitely an experience we'll never forget, despite out best efforts to do so. Thanks to the magic of the internets, you can experience the whole trip with us again and again (aren't you excited?!?) The gallery tab above offers a selection of shots from the trip, and we'll bring you the video soon. Meanwhile, the Video tab takes you on a trip with Margo to buy the hot dogs we cooked in the vehicle. We thought it'd be helpful to share a few lessons learned from the day, just in case you're considering attempting the feat yourself (for God's sake, DON'T!)

No matter how big your car is, you'll manage to smell it up. The folks at Lynch Hummer were gracious enough to loan us a Hummer with hot dog-colored seats for the day, so there's no doubt we rode in style. That said, there's something about a couple dozen hot dogs that causes your body to expel the smell of processed "meat" from every pore and opening in your body. Needless to say, a "fresh pine" deodorizer didn't quite do the trick and the ride progressively smelled worse throughout the day.

Vienna Beef is everywhere. If I see one more Vienna Beef/Chicago Style Hot Dog poster, I'm going to vomit on the spot. Every single place with hot dogs as the focal point of their menu had this poster. C'mon Vienna, you've got a few bucks, how about a little poster variation?

Restaurant owners love to brag. Why shouldn't they, right? However, after cramming the last dog down our throats, a server's hot dog selling points ("It's all-beef!" "It's huge, 1/3 pound!" and "We add bacon and cheese to ours!") seemed more like a litany of stuff we'd be forced to ingest than a reason to purchase the item. That said, there are some tasty dogs in this town!

People love to watch other people suffer. If we had a nickel for every time someone stopped to ask us if we were "those hot dog guys I heard about," we'd have...several nickels. Thanks to the Riverfront Times, St. Louis Magazine, the Post-Dispatch, The Suburban Journals, The Arch City Chronicle, The West End Word, FOX 2, KMOX, and KPLR, every time we walked into a hot dog joint along our route someone was there who'd seen our plight and was there to witness the insanity firsthand.

There's so much more to say, so much more wisdom to spew, so many more exmples of what we did and why you shouldn't do it, but I can only blog for so long after being awake for a day and a half straight. Check out the tabs above for more and watch for the video soon!

Tour de Frankfurter Schedule

9.11.08

6:00am - Courtesy Diner - 1121 Hampton Avenue

7:00am - Denny’s - 1515 South Hampton

8:00am - Gingham's - 7333 South Lindbergh

9:00am - Gus’ Pretzels - 1820 Arsenal

10:00am - Sonic - 8124 Manchester

11:00am - Carl’s Drive Inn - 9033 Manchester

Noon - Woofie’s - 1919 Woodson Road

1:00pm - Pam’s Chicago Dogs - 6016 Delmar

2:00pm - Surf Dogs - 137 Chesterfield Towne Center

3:00pm - Foxy’s Red Hots - 11658 Dorsett

4:00pm - Al Hrabosky’s - 800 Cerre Street

5:00pm - Busch Stadium (Cards/Cubs Series!) - 700 Clark Avenue

6:00pm - Blueberry Hill - 6504 Delmar

7:00pm - Fitz’s - 6505 Delmar

8:00pm - Café Manhattan - 511 South Hanley

9:00pm - Chris' Pancakes & Dining - 5980 Southwest Avenue

10:00pm - Tropicana Lanes - 7960 Clayton Road

11:00pm - Sportsman's Park - 9901 Clayton Road

Midnight - Tiffany’s Diner - 7402 Manchester

1:00am - Courtesy Diner - 3155 South Kingshighway

2:00am - QuikTrip - 3410 South Kingshighway

3:00am - Uncle Bill’s Pancake House - 3427 South Kingshighway

4:00am - Cooking hot dogs in the car en route to next location (not because we're out of places to eat, but because it's a funny thing to do.)

5:00am - Eat-Rite Diner - 622 Chouteau Avenue

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