A Labor Day Weekend in New York City

My wife and I live and work in New York, and the last time we actually toured the city was 12 years prior. So we took the opportunity that labor day weekend gave us to go do a few things we don't normally get to. This particular weekend I wanted to take the night loop which always seems to run by our apartment and Grey Line Bus Tours was running a pricing special that basically made buying just that tour alone inadvisable, and threw in a free cruise ride with an all loops pass. The pass for two does work out to cost a fair amount, but the hour long boat ride was pretty much worth it for us.

It's important to point out that these tours are not reserved in any sense, and that on a busy weekend like labor day weekend, you might find yourself queuing 30-40 minutes to catch a particular bus. This is where your unlimited metrocard comes in handy. Do not use this bus as point to point transportation, get on, stay on, listen to the guide.

We started with the night loop which was pretty easy on Friday night. It took us through times square at an angle we didn't often see; then drove over to Brooklyn and back. After which we ate at Juniors in times square and went home; The next day we took the uptown loops which includes Harlem; we don't often go that far north, and we didn't even know Grant's tomb was in Manhattan. Saturday proved to be a little crazy, our plan had been to switch over to the downtown loop, but we eventually got a little sick of the traffic and schedule and just hopped on the subway to Fulton street and walked to south seaport. There we got a sunset cruise that had a decent view of the Statue of Liberty, and great views of downtown. If you're upset that you missed the public art exhibition of waterfalls, don't be. They make no sense.

So with just a couple of extra hours on the weekend of touring it suddenly felt like we'd gone on vacation, and we didn't even have to pack.

This isn't the kind of restaurant to get dinner without dessert. In fact this is the kind of place you'll probably start with dessert and leave it at that. The floats are almost ridiculously large and sugary, and the cheese cakes are so darned creamy tasting that you'll not notice the sugar as much. I haven't yet had a full meal but it certainly looks like a filling type of diner fare.

Junior's also has a branch at Times Square. West 45th Street between Broadway & 8th Avenue. You'll find the same menu, the same cheesecakes, shakes and floats, but you'll find it a little more cramped, busy, and a tad less friendly.

I've eaten at both the Times Square and Brooklyn location and would definitely recommend the latter, though I generally don't like places with a bathroom attendant, the food and service is good.

I found it to be a good place to bring my brother-in-law for an American, even New York, styled meal that he could brag about... even though he prefers spicy stews. pickled cabbage, and barbecue at least he didn't travel all this way to have the kind of food he could have had at home.

There are four locations for Petite Abeille in New York, but this one is my favorite because I can pretty much get seated right away. Generally I each a weekend brunch here. Of course there's the Gaufres for breakfast fare, particularly the smaller sweeter Gaufre De Liege, but generally I'm hungrier than that and get the Vol Au Vent(chicken stew in a puff pastry), or Poulet Bio Roti (organic roast chicken (1/2)) or the really big Boulettes (meatballs). The fries that come with a lot of these are good of course. And ordering a Belgian beer to go with them just works, unless you prefer wine. My vegetarian friend isn't left with a lot of options though, but has ordered the Macaroni Gratiné Au Gruyere without the ham (mac & better cheese). I don't come here quite as often as I'd like due to the price being a little higher than I normally like to spend on a meal, but then I'm told I'm cheap.

The decor features a number of Herge sketches from the Tintin series, some of the hard bound comics, and some props taken from it's pages, like cans that looks just like the canned crab you'd instantly recognize from one of the stories but be surprised you did. Outdoor seating is a little too noisy for my tastes, but try not to get stuck into the far corner of the restaurant if you're going to want frequent service.

I've eaten both lunch and dinner here several times, and I appreciate the lunch specials quite a bit, which range from $7 to $9. A few of the dishes, such as the red curry and the basil chicken are served properly spicy, and a number of the other dishes are basically sweet, like the massaman curry, and the fried rice. Lunches come with a small appetizer, and I like the chicken dumplings.

The decor is fairly modern, but it is generally quieter and less crowded than other restaurants around West 4th street station, possibly due to the location.

Some people feel like the artful cone of rice served with the curries isn't quite enough rice, but I like the amount.

For dinner they focus a little more on seafood, and my wife liked the crispy basil red snapper entree.

While they have desserts, I generally find that a Thai iced coffee or iced tea is a sufficient dessert for me.