Forget Democrats and Republicans. There’s a different Blue State, Red State divide — that between which states have In-N-Out Burger locations and those that have Dunkin’ Donuts.

As you can see in the map above, much of the western half of the United States lacks Dunkin’ Donuts. Meanwhile, I constantly hear from visitors to California that they crave In-N-Out whenever they come out here. I take them for granted. I’ve got got one less than two miles away from me; six are within 10 miles.

NOTE: Oregon apparently has a Dunkin Donuts. I might update the map later to reflect this.

Really, while President Barack Obama might think that this political map is the Red State / Blue State divide that needs to be bridged (picture from Wikipedia):

I submit it’s the food divide that needs to be shattered. What does it say about our country where there are only three cities in total where you can have both an In-N-Out burger and a donut from Dunkin Donuts at the same time: Mesa, Arizona; Tucson, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada?

By the way, In-N-Out makes it pretty hard to get a state-by-state view of all their restaurants, but I did my best working off this list on their site. Dunkin’ Donuts doesn’t provide any easy-to-read list at all. Instead, I found a list of all restaurants as compiled by the good people at the new Factual search engine. I filtered that to Dunkin Donuts locations. It might not be perfect, but it was the best and most convenient data I could find.

NOTE: Michael McCulley tweeted me this list of more Dunkin Donut locations, so I’ve updated the map. Texas

Also big thanks to the awesome US Map Maker program from John Adamson at Texas A&M. It made it super easy to produce this map of America’s fast food divide.

I’d never heard of Pita Pit until a trip to Mammoth Mountain a few weeks ago. It was a nice change from the usual fast-food options, pita sandwiches, custom made. So I was thrilled to see that one was opening just around the block from me here in Newport Beach, on the Balboa Peninsula. Yesterday was opening day!

As you can see, it was crowded. Amazingly so. There had been no promotion about the opening. I talked to one guy in the store who said that day, they’d distributed a few flyers around in local businesses. But pretty much, they seemed to have tapped into a Balboa Peninsula lunch audience that was looking for a change.

After all, there’s only so much Chronic Tacos that you can eat. But if you haven’t, do. They’ve got the best tacos.

Pita Pit in Newport Beach is located here:

View Larger Map

The Google Street View look for perspective for those who know the area:

View Larger Map

And here’s my personal Street View update:

The store is open 8am-11pm, which is great if you need that late night snack made by someone else. They’re also looking to see if they can get extended hours from the city for weekends.

I love Diet Coke. Like really love it, to the degree that I realized recently that many days have gone by where Diet Coke is all I have drunk. So last week, when I forgot to start my daily ritual with a Diet Coke in in the morning, I decided to press on and go a full day without it. That became two, then three and now a full week. I twittered several times my “day count” without Diet coke and was somewhat astonished by the interest by some of interested in “how’s it going.” I guess others have had various reactions from giving up Diet Coke or more specifically, caffeine. So, I thought a post might be in order.

How’s it going? Good, I guess. I mean, a couple of people asked if I’d had headaches or other types of withdrawal symptoms. Not really. I had maybe a mild headache on the second or third days, but it was nothing that sent me running for an aspirin.

I thought I’d be dog-tired without my caffeine pick-me-up, but that hasn’t been the case. I’ve been making it a point to try and get enough sleep, which has probably helped. I probably miss it the most in the afternoons more than the mornings. I suspect that when I inevitably have a day where I need to be up early due to travel or something else, where I haven’t had much sleep, I’ll likely reach for the Diet Coke. But so far, so good.

I’ve drunk Coke, then Diet Coke, for as long as I can remember. I started drinking Coke as kid, and I always liked the taste. I lived in fear like many when “New Coke” came out and the “old” formula was retired, then was relieved when “Coca-Cola Classic” gave us all a reprieve.

As a Coke drinker, I looked down upon the main variations that eventually came out. Caffeine-Free Coke? Wasn’t getting your caffeine fix part of the fun? Diet Coke? I wanted all the caffeine and all the sugar! Plus, who liked the aftertaste? Caffeine-Free Diet Coke? It was like a combination of two evils.

Probably about eight years ago, I was on a long flight to Britain when they ran out of regular Coke. Diet Coke was all they had, so I held my nose and drank it, not wanting boring water and not really liking anything else. By the end of the flight, I was thinking, “Hey, that’s not bad.”

Around that time, I was also realizing that drinking nearly 2 liters of Coke per day was a serious source of empty calories, and sitting in front of a computer 10-12 hours per day wasn’t doing much to burn them off. So I made the switch and never looked back. On the odd occasion I’ve had a sip or two of “regular” Coke, it’s tasted terribly sweet and not like the “real stuff” to me.

Sometime in the past few years, Diet Coke also switched from being an afternoon drink to an all-day drink for me. For some reason, the idea of having a soft drink before noon always felt weird to me. Pre-lunch drinks felt like the should include things like juice, milk or coffee — not soft drinks. Perhaps it was because in the past, I’d often start my day with a bowl of cereal. Milk and Diet Coke don’t go together and should in my mind have at least a good hour or two separation (and yes, I know, Penny Marshall thinks milk and Pepsi is great stuff. I wish her continued well with that!).

It was probably conferences that shifted me over. I’d often have to be up early after a late night, and I certainly wasn’t having a bowl of cereal before going into a day of sessions. Grabbing a Diet Coke helped boost the morning wake-up. I started having a Diet Coke in the mornings even on a “normal” day, over time.

Why not coffee? Hate the taste. Love the smell, hate the taste. In anything, by the way. One of the worst things is biting into a nice chocolate only to discover some idiot decided to ruin it by introducing a “mocha” flavor. Coffee ain’t for me.

Also in the past few years, I finally realized that one reason I often found it hard to fall asleep was likely due to all the caffeine I was having each day. As a result, I largely tried to stop having regular Diet Coke after 6pm. Instead, I’d switch over to Caffeine-Free Diet Coke (and suddenly realized how useful a product that was!). Once I got back in the US, I’d instead go for a Diet A&W Root Beer — no caffeine in root beer, you see.

Dropping Diet Coke wasn’t motivated out of a desire to reduce my caffeine intake further. It was really just that, as I started out saying, I realized there were days when I’d consumed no water at all. I guess you’re supposed to have like two liters of water per day. Clearly two liters of soda as a substitute has been keeping me alive, but it probably isn’t that healthy. So when I’d skipped my morning Diet Coke, I seized the opportunity to stretch it out and do a “detox” for the day plus try H20 once again.

Now it’s something of a challenge or a dare. How long can I keep going? The mornings haven’t been that much a challenge. Lunch is harder, as I really like a Diet Coke with a meal. It’s an effort, though not a monumental one, to say “No.” Harder is being at a restaurant, where I really feel the urge to have a Diet Coke and where saying no makes me feel like I’m missing out. Then again, I swear I felt like at a recent meal that the food tasted better. Maybe my palate is clearing. Hardest has probably been on a recent trip, where I’ve said no to the Diet Coke offered on the flight.

It hasn’t been all water for me, though that’s the majority of what I’ve consumed. A stole a few sips of my son’s chocolate milk for some variety. Last week, I had a Diet A&W Root Beer for some variety without the caffeine. At a restaurant, I had a sarsaparilla. Come on — how often do you see that on a menu, plus it didn’t have caffeine. And I’m sure there was no caffeine in that vodka-and-cranberry I had a few days ago!

Since I’ve gone a week, I kind of want to stretch it out a bit longer before I take in any more caffeine again. Like I said, I wasn’t concerned about my intake, but having a break before resuming more modest amounts seems like a good idea.

And I will get back to Diet Coke. I do like the taste; I will want the pick-me-up it provides. It’ll just be more moderate, a part of my liquid consumption, rather than the vast majority of it.

Mother’s Cookies is closing. If you’re not from California, you might not realize what a staple they are to many here. Seeing them go, I feel a sense of loss. Something you just depend on having, knowing will always be there, can go poof in the course of a day.

I know. They’re just cookies. I know, in a time when people are watching their savings go poof due to the current economic meltdown, who cries for the loss of a cookie? When actual people we know live and die, sadness over a material item, a foodstuff?

Well, it’s not crippling sadness. Life goes on. But maybe we expect products to endure no matter what. We know that no one lives forever, but things should endure, right? And to have things you want, things you love, your comfort foods go away? With all the other losses in life, don’t take our comfort foods too.

When I was a kid, I loved Taco Bell Bellbeefers. These were like taco hamburgers, a taco on a soft bun. When I had my tonsils out and could eat solid food again, the first thing I had was a Bellbeefer.

They don’t make Bellbeefers any more. One day, they were gone. For a time, we had a Naugles near us where you could get a similar Bellbeefer-type taco hamburger. It wasn’t quite the same. Then Naugles went away, as well.

I wish Bellbeefers were still around. Apparently, I’m not the only one. A search for Bellbeefer brought up pages like this one where others wished they’d come back. I remember as an adult many years ago coming across a Taco Bell that was still selling them. I bought two with delight and wished somehow they’d come back everywhere. Apparently if I trek out to El Monte, I can find a Taco Bell still selling them. Maybe I will.

In the store tonight, I saw that Snapple is apparently selling flavored waters. Maybe that will help Snapple grow again and if so, maybe I can have Diet Kiwi Strawberry again. I started doing web development right at the time Snapple was in its heyday. Our small office stocked Snapple for everyone, and I really enjoyed Diet Kiwi Strawberry. Great flavor, low calories.

Then it went away. Slowly. It was a slow death for me and Diet Kiwi Strawberry. Fewer and fewer stores had it. Eventually, I could only find it on occasional trips to New York. And then even there, it disappeared. I even wrote Snapple last year, asking if anyone still carried it. I was told my local store should have it, but of course, they didn’t. Similar to my Bellbeefer experience, in a small store on Catalina Island last year, I found some. Maybe they still have more, but it’s quite a hike to get out to Catalina just for the drink. And looking at the Snapple web site just now, it’s listed as discontinued.

Now Mother’s? Just when I’ve moved back to California and can have them again? OK, I didn’t eat them that much. And I always felt bad when having the cookie parade pack that I ate the chocolate cookie creams and the chocolate chip ones first, then maybe ate the ones they are most known for, the pink and white frosted circus animals. And the plain vanilla ones, well, they just didn’t get eaten. But it was harder and harder to find bags of just the ones I liked. And apparently, that’s due to Mother’s economic woes.

The San Francisco Chronicle says that after 92 years, they’re filing for bankruptcy and closing. Too expensive to make them any more, it’s said — fuel and ingredients cost too much.

I remember when Coke pulled “old Coke” and like many others, I started hunting down the old formula and hoarding it, feeling happy yet sad with each remaining can I drank. I’ve got five bags of Mother’s that I bought on Friday packed away. I’m sure I’m not the only one buying them up. There’s a lot of love out there. I could get more, but it’s not worth the bother. Eventually, they’ll be gone. Why try to stretch out the inevitable?

Just cookies, I know. But if we can’t depend on our cookies, our Bellbeefers, our Diet Kiwi Strawberry being there, what can we depend on?

Here are some old Mother’s TV commercials:

And maybe I’ll buy one of these T-shirts that I read about to remember them by.

Postscript (July 7, 2009): I was amazed to see Mother’s Cookies back in the stores recently! In fact, I’ve gone through a bag of Iced Oatmeal. Turns out I missed seeing that Kellogg’s bought the trademarks and recipes. Now the cookies are turning up back on shelves throughout the West Coast.

Way back in June 2006, I blogged about Doing The Blogger Diet. Lots of bloggers were trying to lose weight and being public about it. I thought that would be a good motivator. For the past three days, I’ve been below my original goal weight of 11 1/2 stones, or 160 pounds. I finally get to declare success!

I’m actually a bit below that right now, 158 pounds. This is the lightest I’ve been since probably high school. Coming down from about 180 pounds, it feels great. Some thoughts on the weight loss….

• The compliments have been nice. I’ve often seen others after a time who I’ve noticed lost weight or looked healthier, and I’ve been very happy for them. I have to say, it’s great to be on the receiving end of “Have you lost weight?”
• It wasn’t fast. Almost two years. I suppose I could have done it sooner, but I wasn’t interested in starving myself. I was looking to gradually get to where I wanted. Still, even I’m surprised it has taken so long. Having said that, I got down into the 168 pounds range some time ago. It’s been the last ten pounds that’s been harder.
• There’s been a lot of saying no. No to those chips with my sandwich. much though I love them. No to the extra large meal. No to that candy bar in the airport. Travel, in particular, has been one of the hardest things to overcome. It’s so easy to reach for junk food on a trip. I’ve just learned to say no to lots of things.
• There’s been a lot of eating smaller. I love dessert. A nice slice of chocolate cake on Saturday from Reeves? I haven’t been saying no to that. But I have been eating maybe only half.
• Exercise has helped. I found I lost the most weight when I consistently stuck with my rowing, 6,000 meters per day on my machine, 325 calories per session. I don’t know if burning those extra calories made that much of a difference or not, and I really should have some personal trainer to be telling me what to do right. But I have felt the rowing has helped turn some fat into muscle, has burned a bit of the fat off and most important just makes me feel healthier from having done it.
• Avoiding chocolate in the evenings, as I wrote about initially, has been a huge help. It just instantly would make me want to eat more. I’ve also tried to avoid immediately looking for something chocolate after a meal. My habit is to do that, but if I could make it past the first five minutes or so, that craving for something sweet (and which I didn’t need) would go away.
• Avoid snacking. The obvious tip, but it’s important. Taking a break from the computer leads to an inevitable trip into the kitchen, where I’d want to snack. Now I take the walk, but I skip the snack.

The biggest motivator has probably been to do this post. It’s amazing how much I felt I’d set myself up for peer pressure to meet my goal. I doubt any readers have been waiting for me to post my success, but having set the goal publicly, I personally felt like I wanted to conclude the story having met the goal.

I might try for a little more loss, maybe to reach 155 pounds or 11 stones (the British weight system that I explained here). But my main goal is really to stay at or slightly below where I’m at now.

Soon I hope to do an update on how well my
TomTom 910 GPS performed last
month getting me around California. But tangentially, some donut news, one of my
favorite subjects. We’re getting more
Dunkin’ Donuts nationwide (the
nation of the US, that is). And I’ll even make it TomTom related.

See, when I got my new TomTom, I also got into wanting to use it to locate
nearby merchants. I especially wanted a list of all the Targets. I went looking
for a list to download into it and had no luck. But I did come across
this database
of nearly 5,000 Dunkin’ Donuts locations in the US.

It’s neat. Download the POI list to your TomTom, and then you can search for
the nearest one. I did, from my location in California, and the closest was in
Massachusetts. Sniff.

That wasn’t a shock to me. I
already written how they’d all seemed to have disappeared from Southern
California, where I grew up. But on my next East Coast trip, this is going to be
great. I’ll be able to locate them — or even better, have the DD logo showing
up on the TomTom screen if I’m getting near one when just driving along.

The whole thing make me think that as a retailer, putting out POI databases
of your stores needs to be a new marketing move. Of course, I also discovered
that the TomTom already has a really good database in it that lets you find
these type of places. It worked wonderfully to get me to the local Target or
Toys R Us or whatever. But those places didn’t get to have their logos show up
to alert me beforehand.

I’ll talk more about that in the future. For now, back to the donuts.

Big Fight Brews For Average Joe in the Washington Post coves how Washington
DC and Baltimore are about to get more stores as part of 10,000 that are to
rollout over the next decade. Of course, I’d already posted that Dunking Donuts
was going to do an expansion. Now it really looks to be happening.

But come on — Chicago’s getting more? Chicago already seems to have one on
every street corner, much to my happiness. Show California some of that old time
love we had. Or someone bring in the Tim Hortons. Mmm –
Tim Hortons, yum.

My Getting American Candy In The UK post from last year talked about Cybercandy as a way to get American sweets and food in the UK. You can buy from them online, in Brighton or in London. The London shop which was near Covent Garden before has now moved off the side streets and into Covent Garden proper (address here). It’s a good move, given all the tourists — American and otherwise — who hit the shops there. Aside from American products, they carry Japanese, Australian, Canadian and sweets from many other countries, as well. Can’t wait to pop in next time I’m in London. Hey, they’ve even got goldfish!

Over the past ten years, I’ve watched my weight ever so slowly creep up over time. When I first came to the UK, I weighed about 11 1/2 stone. Now I’m practically 13 stone. Feeling inspired by Chris Pirillo and now Jeremy Zawodny both blogging about their weight loss experiences, I’m going to redouble my efforts to follow the same sensible advice. More on that below, along with what on earth a stone is.

I already know what I need to do. I’ve done it before and easily lost weight:

• Stop snacking in between meals
• Stop eating so many desserts
• Exercise more

Unfortunately, habits are hard to stop. Still, I had a pretty good success a few weeks ago. I’d been reading about Chris wanting to lose weight, such as the start of his journey here. I was inspired. I’d finally reached a point where I wasn’t running flat-out to prep for a conference or working late several days in a row. To break the habit, I needed to start some new routines.

First rule — no chocolate after meals. Honestly, even I could see I was acting like a Pavlovian dog. I love chocolate — I adore it. I’d have a little something after any meal. But that treat became a habit, a craving. Skip the chocolate, and exactly as Jeremy wrote yesterday, you immediately have fewer calories to burn off.

Second rule — no chocolate in the evenings. We usually have dinner around five, then if all goes well, kids are asleep, stories are read, last minute search engine calls are done, and I rendezvous for a little TV with my wife around 8 or so. Almost immediately, I’m after that box of See’s chocolates I brought back from my last trip to California, or a Hershey bar, or whatever might be in the chocolate drawer (yep, I’ve got a drawer full of chocolate).

Chocolate makes me hungry. As soon as I’ve had some, I’m then after something savory, something non-sweet. And when I’ve had that, how about a little chocolate! So no — no chocolate in the evening.

Third rule — exercise. I’ve got a great rowing machine, a Concept 2 that I recommend to anyone. In our old house, it was a hike to the garage and a hassle to remove the dust cover to use it. Now I’ve got a nice spot for it in the new house, with easy access. My goal’s always been to do at least three days a week for 30 minutes, burning 300 calories per session (plus get some needed aerobic exercise). And with a TV in front of it, it’s a great change to watch a little Serenity or some other program I have on DVD.

I did all this for about two weeks in April. Just cold turkey stopped the chocolate, had slightly smaller meal portions, exercised 4 or 5 times per week — and the weight started dropping. I went from 12 stones 12 pounds to 12 stones 6. And that’s a good point to talk about stones.

British scales weigh you primarily in stones, with kilos the secondary metric (and meaning little to a pounds-boy like me). Naturally, Wikipedia has an entire entry about stones. Here’s another explanation. And here’s a nice conversion chart.

Basically, it’s 14 pounds to the stone, so over my 10 years of living in the UK, I’ve learned to think in base 14, I guess. 12 stone 12 pounds is 12×14 = 168+12 = 180 pounds. That’s pretty heavy for someone who has always wanted to be in the 155 range and typically was at 165.

My drop took me to 174 pounds, and it would have kept going, but then the routine was disrupted. There were a few long nights to get ready for leaving for some trips. Work late one evening, and suddenly wolfing down that chocolate to keep going seems fair game. And then traveling itself, it’s always hard to resist having a nice full dinner or the inevitable snacking.

Well no more. I’d already been thinking about getting back on the weight loss wagon when Jeremy came in with his story of success. Meanwhile, the scale tipped at 13 stones yesterday — 182 pounds. Enough was enough.

I’m now Day 2 into trying to restart my routine. I’ve said no to chocolate successfully, resisted the urge to get up and hunt for mid-meal snacks, and I’m already feeling better. I’ll be back on the rower tomorrow, and I know from experience that the longer I can build up the just say no/just stay on the routine factor, the easier it is to go forward. Goal? 11 stones 6 pounds or 161 pounds would be great, dropping about 20 pounds. I’d love to stay in the 11 stones (154 pounds) to 11 stones 6 pounds range. Time to go for it.

If you’re thinking the same, Chris has finished his series with a 50 Weight Loss Tips wrap-up. Jeremy’s starting his rundown all this week, so watch his blog’s home page, try his tracking spreadsheet and here’s his starting advice.

Saturday is Reeve’s day for us here in Wiltshire. That is, our weekly visit to Reeve The Baker. While I sorely miss not being able to swing by a Taco Bell for a seven layer burrito, finding Reeve’s was an unexpected treasure when we moved here eight years ago. If you’re heading by to see Stonehenge (don’t forget to see my Stonehenge tour tips), my favorite Reeve’s is only about a mile away. Make the short detour. You won’t be sorry.

About two years ago, Salisbury decided it needed to have its own specialty food dish, giving birth to the “Salisbury Sausage.” It doesn’t appear to have caught on, as far as I can see. Good. That’s because if Salisbury wanted to get behind any particular local food dish, it should have been the Wiltshire Pasty (say it pahh-sty, not pay-sty as my mind always wants to) that Reeve’s makes.

If you’re struggling among the many great things Reeve’s sells, go for the Wiltshire Pasty. It’s a great blend of potatoes and meat and carrots all baked within a bread crust. Served warm, it also stays warm if you take it to go for a picnic elsewhere. Hands-down, it’s the best thing Reeve’s has, in my view.

Other favorites. They make great sandwiches. You’ll find a number of prepackaged sandwiches made fresh, and those are all fine if you want to grab and go. Got a few minutes to spare? Many of the Reeve’s (Amesbury, Warmister, Devizes) will make up a custom sandwich, if you want. I’m a turkey, bacon, lettuce and tomato fan, myself.

Remember North Americans — unless you say no, you’re likely to end up with butter as your dressing. Mayo’s an option, if you want an alternative. I usually get mine dry and add some French’s mustard at home. If you like American-style mustard like French’s, don’t ask for mustard at Reeve’s. They either won’t have it or you’ll end up with British mustard, a completely different creature.

The pizza slices are nice, especially the pepperoni and most especially when they’ve come out of the oven. My youngest son likes sausage rolls, which I find kind of bland. But if you find yourself in Salisbury and want a safe alternative to the Happy Meal, sausage rolls are the way to go. I’ve yet to see a small child not like them.

There are a variety of other baked meat products, so go nuts if you see something that looks good. It almost certainly will be.

How about dessert? Heaven. The kids like the gingerbread men, so that’s a nice, safe choice. These are usually available in the glass display cases. I love the carrot cake, though the double-chocolate cake is wonderful, too. Big sugar rush from that! Cakes are often in plastic containers in refrigerated cases. My wife goes for the Belgian buns and custard slices.

Donuts? Yep, I love donuts. And Reeve’s used to have great chocolate ones. I’m not talking Tim Horton or Dunkin Donuts quality, but definitely above average. Then they changed to cappuccino flavored ones and lost me, as I don’t like the taste of coffee. I wish they’d bring back good old plain chocolate. The rainbow ring donuts are a hit with my kids, and the ordinary glazed — when availalbe — are a nice alternative. There’s also a number of filled ones, a bit too heavy for me, but others might like.

If available, try the glazed cinnamon rolls. These are more flat than thick, and they won’t knock your socks off compared to the type of cinnamon rolls you might get in a place like Bend, Oregon. But they’re still pretty tasty.

What else? What else! The lemon cake, if available. The cranberry apple cake, if available. American chocolate brownies or chocolate brownie cake, if you’ve got serious munchies. Hot-cross buns, definitely, when offered. Buy several packs. By the way, I keep saying “if available” because they run out of some things quickly and other things are seasonal, not offered year-round.

Ordinary sultana scones are also another favorite. Eat them fast, because they only stay soft for about a day. They’re a bit heavier than an American-style biscuit — but they taste great with some butter, or butter and strawberry jam is even better.

Reeve’s also sells a variety of breads — and if you need a loaf but want it sliced, just ask. It only takes a second for them to do.

Reeve’s has several stores as listed on its web site. Amesbury is the closest to us, and my favorite. Around lunchtime, don’t be afraid of the line that comes out the door a bit. It moves pretty fast. I like Amesbury because the staff’s nice and friendly and they have the best selection of any of the Reeve’s.

Two caveats to the above. First, I struggle with always wanting to get everything when I go in. So I end up having a big, giant order. And this being Britain, the staff won’t be saying to you “what else would you like” in a chirpy manner, as might happen in an American store where you learn perky suggestive selling from birth. Instead, you’ll likely hear “anything else” or “will that be all” with a tone that might make you feel like you should stop. Don’t be put off. The staff really is friendly and will get all you want. That leads to the second caveat. As the day progresses, Reeve’s starts to run out of things. Show up around 11:45am to 1:00pm for the best selection.

In Salisbury, there’s a big shop on Butcher Row, right next to the visitors center. There’s a big queue to actually eat in the shop, plus there will likely be two different lines to order food at either end of the store. My advice is to eye up both lines and use the shortest one — that’s usually the one coming in from the market square. Next, get your food and drinks as take away and walk over to Salisbury Cathedral. The warm food will stay warm for the 10 minute walk, and the view and setting is much better than eating in the grotty market square.

I’m not overly fond of the Warminster store — selection tends to be less than the others. Devizes, on the other hand, is great. Not quite as plentiful as with Amesbury, but you’ll find plenty to choose from. Then you can take you meal and walk along the canal. It’s about 20 minutes to Caen Hill Locks by foot, one of my favorite places in Wiltshire, so the warm food will have cooled a bit. But you can stop earlier at any grassy place along the locks, on the way. Here’s a route map.

That’s it. In any of these towns, you’ll see places appealing to tourists, from fish & chips shops to McDonald’s. Reeve’s is where locals go — and you’ll do right by doing the same.

I’ve mentioned my love for donuts before. The highlight of SES Toronto was being presented with a dozen Tim Hortons donuts courtesy Page Zero, which got me through my Intro To Search Marketing session. And now I’m in love. Hands down the best donuts I have ever had — and I’ve had a lot of donuts. Before catching my flight, I was delighted to discover a Tim Hortons in the airport, as well. I grabbed two Boston Creams and enjoyed once again an even better donut than my beloved Boston Kremes from Dunkin Donuts. Perhaps they taste better because they are spelled with a C rather than a K!