Is the second choice gig paying for your hotel?

That does sound like an awful lot of work for an interview, but it also sounds like anything that gets you out of where you are now is good. It's really hard to tell whether or not you will like a job until you are there (in my experience), so I might not write them off just yet.

Is it worth asking if they can accommodate your schedule? Being slightly unavailable can make people want you more.