"This hipster bagel spot can be wildly popular around brunch time, but it’s worth standing in line for its bagels and bagel sandwiches — which can be conventional, or totally innovative and screwy. Pick a bagel flavor you like — say cinnamon raisin, plain, or everything bagel — then match it with one of the flavored cream cheeses. Take your treat to nearby Tompkins Square Park, the throbbing heart of the East Village, and sit by the Temperance Arch or the General Slocum Memorial." - Robert Sietsema