For most people, a trip to America usually means one of the big tourist areas - visiting the Big Apple, or doing the Disney thing in Florida or California - but you could actually have an even better holdiay by driving through the USA. If you ever decide to give yourself that kind of a holiday - stop off at Greenville in South Carolina. It's an expanding city, home to a lot of high-technology companies now - Hitachi, MCIWorldcom, Teletech, 3M, Michelin, BMW - to name a few. The old Donaldson Air Base has been closed since the sixties but has been utilised as a haven for industry since that time. Lockheed Martin, Aamco Polymers and Stevens Aviation have found it conducive to their development.

Greenville has had an interesting history, and has taken to trying to keep a lot of the relics of it's past. Clapboard houses are lining streets just as they did in the early 1900's, yet the Peace Center and Bi-Lo Center (hubs of all manner of concerts, plays, operas, etc) oversee the downtown area with their modern architecture.

There are plenty of hotels in the town, and the area is served by Greenville/Spartanburg International Airport. Shopping is plentiful, there are 2 main shopping malls, one has a movie theatre,a zoo, lots of smaller strip malls and a main drag - Woodruff Road - where you can find your Walmart in amongst the other grocery stores (there is even an Aldi!), banks and restaurants. There are clubs and bars catering to all manner of musical tastes.

Let's start with the casual - Subway. You could actually go through the drive-thru, grab your meal and take it downtown to the Reedy River Falls area and picnic amid the trees, watching the river rush over rocks and crash down below. We usually eat-in though, and I love Subway. They are the BEST sandwiches. I always go for the Club meal deal, and I have the Baked Lay's to go with it, so I'm actually getting a pretty low fat meal. In the USA, one guy has just lost over 100lbs on a diet having two Subway 6"sandwiches every day and now there are others soming forward too.

They've recently come out with some new breads and four new sauces. I love the parmesan oregano bread, it really brings out the taste of the Club Sandwich, and to tempt those taste buds even further - try the new SouthWestern sauce. They advertise it for their steak sandwich but it goes equally well on the Club. Hubby's favourite is the Melt sandwich and he opts for the honey mustard sauce on his. That's the nice thing about this place though, every sandwich is unique. Meal deal for the two of us - footlong sandwich, chips and a drink, comes to around $13 - $15.

Our first time, we arrived for the lunch buffet - it was a Saturday - and it ran until 4pm. After 4pm, it'll be the all-you-can-eat steak buffet. No problem. There's a glazed ham, and prime rib roast at the carvery, rotisserie chicken, spaghetti sauce, breaded pork chop, salisbury steak and more on the entree section. Salad bar was excellent - everything fresh and crisp - not a wilted lettuce leaf in sight, and a good choice of veggies, chopped ham and eggs, cheese and dressings.

I did partake of some grapes and melon, from the fruit and dessert bar. Again, very fresh. Then my downfall - having to go past the ice cream/cake/cookies section. They had pies and cakes with fruity and fudge toppings, and a chocolate gateau that looked to die for. I was good and managed to leave that alone, but then fell victim to a chocolate/hot fudge combination - but I took only a small piece and a small twist of chocolate/vanilla swirl ice cream.

Tony Roma's claims to make the best ribs in America - well, I'm not going to argue on that one. And not just America, he's gradually taking over the world. One thing is for sure, you get your money's worth and you need a wheelbarrow to roll your belly out on afterwards! I suppose that tells you, in itself, that this was a good meal.

We were seated in the non-smoking section - and nary a whiff of smoke came our way. Our waiter was Travis, young, friendly and very attentive. We ordered our drinks as we perused the menu trying to decide what we would have. Our appetiser, the baked potato skins, was an excellent choice. The best we've tasted, and we've liked a few. Well seasoned, and coated liberally with cheese and bacon bits. They serve them with sour cream on the side, but they were good enough for me, without.

Plates were whisked away immediately, no messy dishes sitting on the table through the meal. And when all was said and done, Travis returned with two warmed wet wipes for us to clean up with, and a mint to refresh the palate. Excellent meal, excellent service, a nice place to go for a meal. Seems to be everybody's favourite place. Tables emptied and were refilled, there were couples young and old, families and a few groups of friends, and the atmosphere was really nice.

My favourites are the fried rice, boneless ribs, beef and broccoli, and the teriyaki chicken sticks. Service is excellent, although a couple of the waitresses speak very little English and seem to get by on their smiles. Lunch is cheaper than dinner, but even dining at night, we spend maybe $15 with a tip, so definitely good value for money.

La créme de la créme has to be the Arizona Steakhouse. It was hubby's birthday, and I wanted to take him somewhere special for dinner. We dine out a lot (and I post a lot of reviews!) so I wanted someplace different from all the regular places we go. From the moment we walked in, I knew we'd picked the right spot. It was cosy and casual, yet the manner was quieter, less hustle bustle than some other steakhouses. Definitely, a bit more upmarket.

Our server, Nancy, appeared deftly at the table to take our drinks and appetizer order. We both opted for a Newcastle Brown - my first beer in ages - and iced water, and decided to share the baby back ribs appetizer. Oh joy! They were superb. They came on a bed of shoestring fries, fell off the bone, and were so tangy. Delicious. A warm damp napkin and wedge of lemon appeared unobtrusively on the table for wiping fingers afterwards. Likewise, empty plates were removed deftly without pomp or circumstance. Just quiet efficiency. Only once were we interrupted to ask whether all was satisfactory with our meal, unlike some restaurants where you almost feel hounded after every bite.

The overall experience was pleasant and relaxed. Hubby says it was an excellent place for a birthday celebration - and no cupcake with a candle and all the staff singing their rendition of "happy birthday", either. Definitely a bit more upscale, and the bill reflected that. Our meal and the 2 Newcastle Browns came to almost $37 - apt for hubby's 37th birthday, we joked. Not somewhere we can go to on a weekly basis but definitely our first choice now for those special occasions."Blazin' Bill's "restaurant is situated back from the road, on West Butler in Mauldin, almost hiding back there but known to it's regulars and, it seems, to Country and Western musicians. The walls are adorned with signed photographs of quite a few of those we listen to on the radio, or buy the music of.

The food itself is pretty much your staple southern barbecue. Their ribs were excellent, smoked, and they fell off the bone. The meat was seasoned just right, and there was barbecue sauce on the buffet bar, so that you could add as much or as little as you wanted. There was some pulled pork, but although tasty, it was a little dry for my particular taste.

The rest of the buffet bar, although small, gives plenty of choice for side dishes - there's macaroni cheese, fried okra, green beans, corn, mashed potatoes - all the good stuff that form the heart of country style cooking . I told the girl though, I have a much better recipe for barbecue baked beans - but I'm biased. Theirs were good, but mine are better! The salad bar was fresh and plentiful, all the staples that you find in bigger restaurants. I had a good plate full and had no complaints.