BJ's Wholesale Club Review

Today, I did a review on BJ's Discount Warehouse Club on Living Social. I bought my membership through them as I felt they offered a real good on it. You got a 1 year membership (which normally costs $50 though I have seen them offer them for $25) and a $25 gift card for $35.

This is the first time I've belonged to their club though I have bought stuff from them years ago (pickled pepperoncini peppers).

Living Social gave me 2 ratings to choose from: great and not great. To me, BJ's doesn't rate either. BJ's rate as ok, middle of the road. They have some very good products that apparently they only sell vice Costco and Sam's Club (which I also belong to) like Belle Sole Cooked and Marinated Asparagus (see my review on it) as well as Virgil's Root Beer Party Keg (see my review on it).

Membership price wise, BJ's seems on par with the other 2 clubs. Like the other 2 clubs, they offer an elevated membership where you get a 1 or 2 percent back reward though I suspect you'd have to buy a lot of stuff there to make that worth it (I don't).

Customer Service is pretty good too. I had to deal with them today to get my latest coupon booklet and, I was very pleased with how courteous they were.

One big downside in my book is they seem to be chintzy with their specials. You'll only be able to get one whereas you might be able to get 3, 4 or more at Costco or Sam's Club. Example: Both BJ's and Costco had Magnum Double Caramel Bars on special. BJ's allowed you to get one at their special price. Costco allowed you to get 3 or 4 (I forget the exact number). So, they don't wow me on this.

BJ's does offer free WiFi at their clubs though I've had a hard time connecting to it when I've tried to use it unlike Sam's Club which seems to work better. Costco doesn't offer WiFi at all for some reason (annoying that).

They sell terminal lottery tickets like Mega Millions and Powerball at one check out counter and have a scratch off ticket machine that sells various scratch lottery games. For some reason, neither Costco or Sam's Club sell any kind of lottery tickets. For me, this is a plus as I do like to play the scratch off games.

Overall, I've been pleased with BJ's but not wowed. I think they're ok and depending on which club is close by, they could be worth joining in your case. They are definitely cheaper than standard supermarkets (I found that out recently when I bought some Lloyd's Bar-b-que ribs at Giant). Keep an eye out for deals on their memberships and when you see one, try it for 1 year and see what you think. I think they do offer enough to make it worth being a member. I know I'll be renewing next year even though I'm not keen on belonging to THREE clubs. Jeez. Happy shopping all!

Trader Joe's Sweet Tea Review

Today, I stopped by the Trader Joe's at 6610 Marie Curie Drive in Elkridge, Maryland (close to Columbia). I wanted to buy another 1 gallon jug of their Sweet Tea so, I could write this review.

According to Trader Joe's, the sweet black tea is kettle brewed (I don't know what difference that makes) and sweetened with cane sugar vice high fructose corn syrup. I do like that they use cane sugar with it. I'm not a fan of the corn syrup Coco-Cola uses in their soft drinks.

Price wise, it sells for $3.99 for a 1 gallon jug of the tea which seems a decent enough price to me though I couldn't tell you how that stacks up compared to other packaged sweet teas.

Taste wise, the tea isn't overly sweet. I think McDonald's sweet tea might be sweeter. This disappoints me a little as it is supposed to be SWEET tea.

Overall, I think Trader Joe's Sweet Tea is ok. It isn't outstanding and, it's terrible. It's more in the middle i.e. decent stuff. I wouldn't go out of my way to buy (though I did in this case solely so I could write this review) the stuff but, I wouldn't turn it down if a glass was offered to me. I'd recommend the same to you. It's decent sweet tea. Happy sipping all!

Trader Joe's Pomegranate White Tea Review

Another Trader Joe's tea I decided to try recently is their Pomegranate White Tea. The tea calls itself an "antioxidant powerhouse." It gets its antioxidants from the white tea part of the blend. At the same time, the white tea doesn't give a huge caffeine high. White tea in general is a very weak tea with a very faint flavor to it. In this case, the pomegranate extract Trader Joe's uses in the tea totally overpowers the white tea flavor though this isn't a bad thing. The pomegranate extract actually in my opinion gives it a better taste than if it were a straight white tea. As far as their antioxidant claim, I don't know how I could tell if that is true or not.

Price wise, the tea is very reasonable. A box of 20 tea bags costs $2.49 (this is the price I paid at their Elkridge, Maryland store).

The tea has 94% organic ingredients including organic white tea leaves, organic hibiscus flowers and organic lemongrass (Source: the box of the tea I bought) and is certified organic by the Quality Assurance International. The tea is made in Canada.

Trader Joe's recommends customers brew a bag of the tea for 4 to 5 minutes and sweeten if they so desire though I didn't feel it needed it.

Overall, I was pretty pleased with this tea. I like the pomegranate taste and appreciate the antioxidant benefits it gives drinking it. Also, I like the low caffeine levels. It's a tea worth checking out when you're visiting your local Trader Joe's store. Happy drinking all!

Belle Sole Grilled & Marinated Asparagus Review

Back in February, Living Social offered a great deal on a BJ's Warehouse Club membership. Because of that, I decided to take the deal and join BJ's. As I had no idea what they had, I walked around their Columbia, Maryland warehouse club and discovered Belle Sole Grilled & Marinated Asparagus. As I really like asparagus, I decided to buy a jar of it and see if it was any good.

I found the asparagus thanks to the marinade has a really nice flavor. Thanks to Belle Sole not overcooking the asparagus, the asparagus still has some crunch left in it. I don't care for limp asparagus. Belle Sole also earns points with me in that they tell you how much dry weight i.e. actual asparagus you get in each jar (1 pound .75 ounces) which weighs 2 pounds 2.2 ounces.

Price wise, BJ's offers this fine product at what I think is a very good price i.e. $6.99. I liked the price so much, I went back and bought 4 more jars of it.

Another interesting thing to me personally is the product is made in Peru. I have fond memories of Peru from my Globus Legacy of the Incas tour there. That the product in Peruvian made another point with me.

Overall, I was really pleased with Belle Sole's grilled & marinated asparagus. It has good flavor, the asparagus is crunchy and, BJ's offers it as a very good price. It can serve as a nice side dish to a meal or as a nutritious snack. This is one product I'd definitely recommend if you like asparagus. I give this product a big thumbs up. Bon Appetit!

Update: Yesterday (June 5, 2015), I visited the Columbia BJ's and to my great displeasure found out the BJ's there no longer has this product. I don't know where else you may find it as I've never seen it at Sam's Club or Costco. I would recommend this product if you can find it.

Update: June 7, 2015: I decided to drive out to the BJ's at Owings Mills, Maryland to see if they have this product. To my delight, they do however, if you want to buy some, you may want to move fast as they don't have many jars left. I don't know if they'll be putting out any more.  I discovered another nice thing about this product. It has a long shelf life. According to the use by date on the lid, this product stays good for something like 2 years!

Trader Joe's Rooibos & Honeybush Tea Review

I haven't written a review on a Trader Joe's product in a while so, I thought I'd do one.

Around March 13th of this year, Trader Joe's came out with a new product called Rooibos & Honeybush tea. The tea combines 2 traditional South African teas - Rooibos and Honeybush. Both are supposed to have a slightly sweet taste with the honeybush the sweeter of the two. Rooibos helps provide healthy antioxidants while having none of the caffeine of real tea.

Price wise, Trader Joe's is selling a 20 tea bag box of the tea for $2.49 in Maryland. According to the post they posted (http://www.traderjoes.com/digin/post/organic-fairtrade-rooibos-honeybush-tea), prices may be different in other parts of the United States.

Brewing time (per one of the tea bags in the box I bought) is 6 minutes for 1 tea bag, 8 minutes for a pot of the tea (put in 1 tea bag per person and 1 for the pot).

Taste wise, I didn't think the tea tasted much different from a straight up Rooibos tea. I found I like Trader Joe's Spiced Rooibos (also known as Ruby Red Chai) better though they may have stopped making their Spiced Rooibos (I haven't been able to find it in 2 different stores in Maryland).

Lastly, the tea is organic and Fair trade i.e. South African farmers are paid a fair wage for its production.

Overall, I thought this is a decent product though not a great one. There are other Rooibos teas out there that are just as good so, I wouldn't go out of your way to get this product. Happy sipping all!

Costco's Master Carve Ham Review

Recently, I bought my third Costco's Master Carve Ham. I confess I've been very pleased with these hams. The hams are very easy to carve as they're pretty much flat. Other pluses to them are they're fully cooked, boneless, applewood smoked and come with as 12 ounce packet of red currant ham glaze though I've never tasted or used the glaze.

Price wise, I think they're a good deal. Costco sells them for $2.69 a pound. Shelf life wise, they seem to last up to 5 or 6 weeks depending on when you buy it from Costco. One down side I've found is that they're not available at all Costco stores though you can order one on-line (I haven't tried this).

Overall, I've been very pleased with this ham and would definitely recommend it if you like ham. It's easy to cut, ready to serve and lasts a while. Bon Appetit!

Virgil's Root Beer Party Keg Review

Last month, while shopping at the Columbia, Maryland BJ's Wholesale Club, I notice a pallet load of Virgil's Root Beer Party Kegs. I'd seen them before at the Columbia, Maryland Wegman's. This time, I decided to get one. The aluminum keg cost $10.99 and has 1.32 gallons/5 liters of their root beer. There are directions on the top of the keg that tells the 3 steps for operating it. First, you have to air the keg. You twist a red plastic switch on the top of the keg to do that. Second, you pull the red tap out of the keg all the way till it stops coming out. Lastly, you twist the tap till it starts pouring root beer. It's pretty simple.

Before you do those 3 steps, you should chill the root beer keg. The keg is small enough to fit inside a refrigerator.

Price wise, this keg could save you money. Wegman's is selling 4 pack 12 ounce bottles of Virgil's root beer for $1 a piece. As each keg has the equivalent of 14 bottles, you'll save $3 on of these kegs. Another plus of these kegs is you have less waste to throw out. Lastly, you can have the amount of root beer you want. Feel like just a smidgen of root beer, no problem with this keg. Like wise if you feel like having an extra large glass of this gourmet root beer.

The root beer itself is very good and prides itself on its fine ingredients that come from all over the world such as vanilla from Madagascar and cinnamon from Ceylon. Also, it uses pure cane sugar vice cheaper corn syrup.

Personally, I found I really enjoyed pulling myself a glass of root beer from the keg. I suspect kids would really enjoy this too. I'd definitely recommend this product. The only problem you may have with this product is finding it. I know Wegman's says it has limited availability i.e. not all their stores offer it (sadly). Happy drinking all!

Update June 7, 2015: the price has gone up on the keg at BJ's for some reason. Now, it costs $12.49. Also, you can buy a keg at their Owings Mills, Maryland store as well as their Columbia, Maryland store. However, you might want to move quickly if you plan to buy one at the Owings Mill store as they only have about 35 to 40 kegs left.

Update July 1, 2015: From July 2 to 15, 2015, BJ's has a coupon in what I consider it's 4th of July specials that will save you $2 on any Virgil's or Reed's soda. This obviously means you can save $2 on one of these root beer kegs till July 15th. Also, their Columbia, Maryland store has a decent supply of the kegs. While visiting that store, I walked by where they're located and, they have quite a few (I couldn't guess what the exact number is).

Cariloha Bamboo Throw Blanket Review

During my cruises on Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas with my fabulous Aunt Marge and cool Uncle Dave this past January/February, I made it a point to stop at the Nassau, Bahamas and Key West, Florida Cariloha stores. I really like their bamboo products even though they do tend to be more expensive then conventional ones. While visiting their Nassau store, I discovered that Cariloha had come out with a bamboo blanket. The blanket is made of 50% bamboo fiber and 50% polyester. Like all of their bamboo products, the blankets are incredibly soft. As I needed an extra blanket to keep me warm during the past winter months, I decided to get one.

The blankets come in 3 colors: harbor gray, sand and ocean blue. As blue tends to be my favorite color, I went with the ocean blue. Price wise, the blankets sold for $125 at the stores though I found out you can buy them $119 on their website www.cariloha.com/bed-bath/bedding.html. The blankets measure 50" by 70". Please note there is a difference between these blankets and their bamboo knit throw blankets. Their knit throw blankets aren't as plush though they are cheaper ($89 on their website).

After trying out my blanket, I can certify that it should keep you warm on cold nights. I do think they are a little more expensive then other blankets but, I they're worth it. They are incredibly soft and come in some very nice colors. Plus, bamboo is supposedly good for the environment. Lastly, I do like Cariloha. If you're in the market for a new blanket, this is one you might want to give a look at. They are really nice.

Maryland Lottery's Instant Millionaire Scratch Off Game

Here the entry for the 2nd game I tried today at Friendship Liquors (12800 State Route 144, West Friendship, Maryland).

Maryland Lottery's Instant Millionaire scratch off game is their latest million dollar prize scratch off game. The game offers players the chance to win prizes between $20 and $1,000,000. The ticket has two instant hit games - one for $50 and one for $100 which are located at the top of the game ticket.

What is particularly noteworthy about this game is that it has 5 main games on the single page ticket (their Lucky 7 Game Book game had multiple pages). The games are lined up in columns with the winning number at the top and 5 numbers you try to match below it. I don't know if you can win prizes in more than 1 of the games though I would GUESS so. Odds of winning OVERALL i.e. you can do better and you can do worse are 1 in 2.96 which isn't the best I've seen among the million dollar prize scratch offs (the Double Dollar Fortune game has 1 in 2.71 and Money Multiplier offered odds of 1 in 2.88). At the time of this post, all 3 one million dollar prizes were still available.

There aren't any prize doubler or instant win symbols in this game.

Overall, I thought this was an ok game. I did find it interesting that is has 5 main games. The way they did that makes this a very easy game to play. You only to look over 5 numbers for each game vice having to re-check all the numbers below the winning numbers (some games have a lot of numbers example: the Lucky Millionaire game has 30 numbers you have to check). Good luck.

Please remember to gamble responsibly. Remember, the odds aren't in your favor. The Maryland Lottery exists to make the state of Maryland money and, they do a very good job of it (I remember one year, they supposedly made/turned over $800 million to the state general fund!).

Maryland Lottery Harley Davidson Scratch Off Game

I haven't written any reviews on the Maryland Lottery's various scratch off games in a while so today, I bought tickets for 2 new games they have - their Harley Davidson game and their Instant Millionaire game (which I'll review in a separate blog entry).

The Harley Davidson game is simple enough. You get 4 numbers which you try to match among 15 numbers below. If you match 1 or more of the numbers, you win the prize(s) shown below the number(s). Also, if you see a Harley Davidson symbol, you win double the prize shown. Prizes range from $5 to $50,000 (3 of these). Odds of winning something are 1 in 3.69 (per the ticket I bought)

What is particularly special about this game in my opinion are the two second chance drawings they're having. When you enter your losing ticket, you're automatically entered in a second chance drawing for a chance to win a Harley Davidson breakout motorcycle with a gift pack that includes a $100 Harley Davidson gift card, duffle bag. neon clock and bucket with pint glasses. The first second chance drawing will be held on June 29th. The second second chance drawing will be held later (the date hasn't been announced at the time of this post). (Source: http://www.mdlottery.com/enter-to-win-a-harley-davidson-breakout-motorcycle/)

Lastly, Maryland Lottery Rewards is offering double reward points on this game until May 17th as another incentive to play.

For Harley Davidson fans, this might be their ticket to a sweet motorcycle. Game wise, it's an ok game with some sweet second chance prizes. Good luck to all.

Do remember to gamble responsibly. Odds of winning are odds overall. You can do better and you can do worse (I've seen that personally).

New Paradise Island Monastery Ruins Pictures

Here are the promised new photos I took of the French monastery ruins on Paradise Island, Bahamas. The place is really pretty. I was told it was very popular for weddings and, I can definitely understand why. The photos were taken with my Sony Cybershot RX 100 II pocket digital SLR. The camera was ideal in this case since it's so small and much easier to carry that my Canon Rebel XTi camera though I can't get as fancy with the Sony camera as I can with the Canon camera (I have a Canon.EFS 55-255mm lense which gives me great telephoto pictures).

Paradise Island Ferry

Here is a promised picture of one the ferry boats I took over to Paradise Island, Bahamas. The ferry was very reasonably priced. It cost $4 each way and took about 10 minutes. They had a booth in the shopping area by the cruise ship terminal exit where you would buy your ticket(s). The boat was located a little further on. They were supposed to run every 30 minutes but, I found they didn't. They ran when they got as many people as they thought they could get.

The ferry would tie up under one of the bridges that like Paradise Island to New Providence. You can see one of the bridge's concrete spans in the first picture. There were a few small shops at the pier.

Coming back, I took the second picture. Ironically, two of the ships in the picture decided to leave at the time my ferry was going back to the cruise ship area. One of the ships actually honked their horn at my ferry warning it off and causing it to turn around and wait for it to pass. This caused me problems with my Aunt Marge. My aunt, uncle, my some time travel friend Harvey and I were supposed to get together around 5:30 p.m. and go to one of our ship's bars for a pre-dinner drink. If my ferry had run on time, I would've made it in time. However, because they didn't stick to the 30 minute schedule and, the delay caused by the two departing cruise ships, I ended being serious late getting back to the ship. As I hadn't told any one of my decision to go to Paradise Island, my aunt was very concerned about my disappearance. I apologized and explained what had happened. I would still recommend these ferries if you want a cheap way to get to Paradise Island from the cruise ship area.

New Atlantis Pictures

Here are some photos I took during my 2nd cruise with my totally awesome Aunt Marge and very cool Uncle Dave (Mr. Spiffy). Sadly, the two of them didn't get to see this famous and impressive resort. This was my 2nd trip there and, it ended up being a bit of a misadventure as I took a cheap ferry over to Paradise Island and found out I had no idea where I was going and, I didn't have a map. Thankfully, after taking these pictures as well as new ones of the ruined French monastery which I'll post later, I was able to find my way back to the ferry landing and eventually made it back to our ship Majesty of the Seas.

The resort is impressive and, I think they did a great job of the Atlantis theme. I believe I posted pictures previously of my first visit if you want to see pictures of the aquarium part of Atlantis. The open aquarium is supposedly the largest in the Caribbean. Also, the resort has an impressive water park though I've never seen it. Water parks aren't my thing. Lastly, the resort has the 10th most expensive hotel room in the world - the Michael Jackson suite. I don't know if it's actually named after him but, people call it that after he stayed there 13 straight nights! Michael definitely had money as the suite costs $25,000 a night!

Saint John New Brunswick Cruise Ship Terminals

Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada has 3 places cruise ships can dock at. The one most used is the Marco Polo Cruise Ship Terminal in my top photo. This terminal has free Wi-Fi and shops. This was the one I used when I arrived in Saint John. The second most used terminal is the Diamond Jubilee (named after Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee) Cruise Ship Terminal pictured in the 2nd photo down. I can't tell you much about this one though my tour bus did drive by it. Lastly, cruise ships can use an area called the Long Wharf (bottom photo). According to the Beyond Ships webpage (http://www.beyondships3.com/st-john-guide-2.html), this is normally used for cargo but, when necessary, a tent city can be set up for security and for shops. Because of these 2 terminals and the wharf, Saint John can handle 4 cruise ships at one (according to the tour guide on my tour). The Beyond Ships website states that cruise ships alone have brought in $25 million into the city's economy. The Cruise Saint John website (www.cruisesaintjohn.com) states that in 2013, over 165,000 visited Saint John by cruise ship. It is a popular cruise ship port.

Facebook Twinings USA Tea Coupon

Facebook has a coupon (actually code) that will get you 25% off on an order with Twinings Tea USA (website: twiningsusa.com). The code is FB25. You enter that code on-line where it asks for any coupons during the order process. Normally, a box of 20 tea bags will cost you $2.99 but, this coupon knock the price down 75 cents roughly a box. However, you will have to pay shipping and tax. I ordered 24 boxes of Twinings teas from them last December and, the shipping came to $9.95 and tax was $3.23. This upped the cost of each box to $2.79 overall. That's still cheaper than what you would find it at most supermarkets. The Columbia, Maryland Wegmans store sells a 20 count box of Twinings tea for $3.29 so, you can probably save 50 cents a box with this code. If you're going to order a number of their products, it can be worth using. Another plus with the website is you can shop the full range of Twinings products. You're lucky if most stores have 7 or 8 Twinings products. Twinings teas are very good. I usually have at least 1 mug of their tea a day. They've been in the tea business a LONG time. The founder of the company Thomas Twining started it in 1706 in London, England. Happy tea drinking all!

Portland Maine Cruise Ship Terminal

Here's a picture of the Portland, Maine cruise ship terminal. The terminal can handle 2 ships at one time. It has a small modern visitor's center where cruisers can book excursions and get information on what's available in Portland and other areas like Kennebunkport. The visitor's center doesn't offer Wi-Fi as I remember. According to cruisecritic.com, Portland gets close to 50,000 visitors a year via cruise ships. The ship on the left is the ship I cruised on i.e. Legend of the Seas. The ship on the right was a French named ship whose name sadly I don't remember.

Peggy's Cove Photos

During an excursion in Nova Scotia while on my Maine/Canada cruise this past September on Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas, I got to visit Peggy's Cove. It's a touristy small scenic cove with a pretty lighthouse which can be seen in the first photo. For me, the real highlight of this visit is what you can get in the combination gift shop/restaurant you see in the second photo. On the second floor of the building, you can get a free special passport stamp that shows the lighthouse and the location Peggy's Cove. In my opinion, it's a neat souvenir of the trip that reminds me of the equally cool passport stamp I got at Machu Picchu, Peru.

Town Centre at Laurel (Maryland) Photos

I decided to try out my latest newest toy, a Sony DSC-RX100M2 point and shoot camera. The main advantage of the camera is that you can carry it in your pocket. This made it great for taking these photos as I was riding around on my TMAX motorbike.

My photos show the new Town Centre at Laurel shopping place. It has different parts scattered around, some of which aren't finished or haven't been let out yet. It is a huge improvement over the demolished Laurel Mall that used to occupy the site. The 2nd photo shows the new 12 screen Regal theater. I haven't seen a movie there but, that isn't any big surprise since I'm not a big movie goer. Most of the shops seem to be occupied by restaurants with others such at Sports Authority having moved from other locations in Laurel. The centre features other stores like Harris Teeter and Burlington Coat Factory (an original occupant). It's a nice development and may help bring more people into Laurel. Happy Holidays everyone!

Portland Horse Drawn Trolley Tour

During my Maine/Canada cruise back in September, I did a horse drawn trolley tour of Portland. The tour ended being really nice. The trolley took us around the historic parts of the city where the tour guide told us about the buildings as we passed them. I think the tour was 90 minutes long. I felt it was a very good tour and would recommend it to anyone visiting Portland.

New York City Skyline and Verrazano-Narrows Bridge Photos

One of the beginning highlights of my Maine/Canada cruise on Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas was the view of New York City from Port Liberty, Bayonne, New Jersey. As you see in the photo, the views were awesome!

In the 2nd photo, you can see the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge that links Staten Island with Brooklyn. At one time, this bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world till the Humber bridge in the United Kingdom surpassed it in 1981. My ship would pass under this bridge on its way out to the Atlantic Ocean.