Trader Joe's Old World Rye Bread With Caraway Seeds Review

I like rye bread and, I like caraway seeds. To me, rye bread isn't rye bread without caraway seeds which add a nice flavor to the bread. So, I was delighted to see Trader Joe's had what looked like some very good rye bread for sale at its store in Elkridge, Maryland.

The bread comes sliced in 1 pound packages, 12 slices to the pound. It sells for $2.49. It has 80 calories per slice as well as 3 grams of protein and less than 1 gram of dietary fiber per slice (Source: the loaf I bought at the Elkridge Trader Joe's). Each slice does have 160 milligrams of sodium for those who have to watch their sodium intake.

The bread has an excellent texture and does well in a sandwich or as a flavorful toast. I found this to be an excellent all around bread with a really nice flavor.

Overall, I was really pleased with this bread, would buy it again and definitely recommend it. The bread does contain wheat, soy and possible traces of sesame seeds (according to the package) for those who have health issues with those. Barring that, if you like a hearty and solid rye bread, this bread is for you. Bon Appetit!

Before, I had to mention that at the time, I had a sister who worked for Trader Joe's even though it didn't influence my reviews of their products. My sister no longer works for them so, there isn't the slightest possibility of conflict with my reviews of their products. If I think the product sucks, I'll tell you so!

Goya Coconut Soda Review

When I saw Goya's Coconut Soda at the Columbia, Maryland Wegmans, I had to try it. I like coconut water and, I enjoyed drinking fresh coconut water out of a coconut at St. Martin (French side of St. Maarten) The soda goes for $1.59 for a 2 liter bottle at Wegmans. The soda is artificially flavored (and honest about it, it says it on the front of the bottle) which is a downer though a plus is it does have a coconut taste. Another downer is that Goya uses high fructose corn syrup. I prefer cane sugar which I think is better for you. The soda is somewhat unique as its the only coconut soda I've seen on the market in the United States.

Overall, I think Goya's coconut soda is ok. I think if you want a real coconut drink, you should try one of the coconut water brands that are for sale in the United States (I don't know what is available elsewhere). Still, if you want coconut soda, this is the main producer of it here. Happy drinking all!

Update May 29, 2016: I forgot to include calorie information on this soda. An 8 ounce glass of the soda has 130 calories (Source: the bottle I bought at Wegmans). Of that, 32 grams are sugar. The soda contains absolutely NO fruit juice. It is entirely artificially flavored. Also, it contains 105 milligrams of potassium in each glass which is a plus in my book.

Woodbine Maryland Dollar Tree Store Review

Today, I visited the Dollar Tree store at 712 Lisbon Center Drive in Woodbine, Maryland. I thought I'd write a store review on it. Here goes:

The store has ample parking and is of good size. The size is important as some Dollar Tree stores can be pretty small like the one in Columbia, Maryland. Having plenty of good priced merchandise can make them worth the trip. This one does though it does have one drawback in my opinion - it doesn't have a refrigerated section like other Dollar Tree stores do. This is important me as Dollar Tree offers some nice deals that way like Sunny Acres Swiss Slices or Bar S Bun Length Franks which Dollar Tree sells for a $1 at the stores that have a refrigerated section.

Note: If you do a search for this store on your smart phone and find it's mobile page, you may see it has the symbol for a refrigerated section. This is wrong. The main web page shows correctly that it doesn't have one though I wish it did.

Hours for the store are: Monday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
                                      Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

I think the store hours are convenient. Also, the store is easy to get to. I exited Interstate 70 heading west (exit 32 I think) , took a right turn toward Woodbine, took the 2nd exit on the roundabout and first right after that. You'll see it on your right and a supermarket on your left.

The store can be reached at phone number 410-489-2653.

Overall, I thought it a nice Dollar Tree store. The staff were helpful and courteous, parking was ample, they have convenient hours but, they don't have a refrigerated section. Because of that, if you could, I recommend you find one that does have a refrigerated section. I think I saw they have a store in Eldersburg that does. I'll have to check that one out some time and get back to my readers and let them know what I think of it. Happy shopping all!

Laurel (Maryland) Main Street Travel Inc. Closed

I saw in Yelp and Yellowpages.com that they're reporting that Laurel (Maryland, I don't know if there's a Laurel Main Street Travel in some other state so I'm specifying what state) Main Street Travel Incorporated as open. They're not. They're permanently closed and didn't move to another location. I visited their former office yesterday personally and spoke with a very nice lady from the Laurel Board of Trade that now occupies the site. Also, I can personally testify that number 410-792-4438 has been disconnected i.e. I called it myself and got a recording saying that.

I don't know why the business closed. I saw on one webpage that I don't remember that they'd been in the travel business for 35 years. I was saddened by their closure. I think travel agencies are having a tough time with all the competition they have now and various travel companies trying to cut their agent's commissions. Personally, I like working with a travel agent vice trying to do it myself. My travel agent Joel Mills has been priceless at times.

Anyway, to repeat one final time - Laurel Main Street Travel Incorporated (Inc.) is permanently closed. Happy travels all!