Bagel Bob's: Ironic Chamber of Stress and New York Cynicism

Location: University between 9th and 10th

In the anxiety-filled last days of the summer before embarking on the great life adventure that is college, my brother, an NYU alum, wrote out a list of the places that I should eat when I came to New York. My brother is really into being helpful. And he's really into food. The list was filled with random names like Broadway, University, Washington Place, and Union Square. I only knew that I was living on 10th, but since my brother was no recommending a place to go antiquing (little did I know, I was going ina bustling antique center. Of course, since they're antiques, it was actually really peaceful and tree-filled. Not to mention unaffordable.), that particular street name did not make an appearance on the list. As for Broadway, I thought it was some mythical street in some far-off location in New York filled with muppets and bright lights (can you tell what musical I'm channeling?)

Regardless, move-in day came, which is when it all came together. Here was University! and here is Broadway (muppets not included)! And here is Bagel Bob's. Aha, I thought, I have found a place that none of the other freshmen will know about. God, I'm so in the know, I thought. Little did I know...

You will have to wait the length of that paragraph space to find out the breathtaking conclusion of this tale.

So during that week of punshiment that is Welcome Week, I had to wander the streets by myself sometimes. And I had to eat, and since I did not have anyone to eat with, I couldn't very well go to a dining hall. Of course, starvation was an option, but I didn't think that passing out would make a good first impression on my roommates. Little did I know...

...one of my roommates had Vaso Vega and so is prone to fainting randomly. If I had known then what I know now...

Anyway, I decided to venture into Bagel Bob's to avoid the judgement of others (actually no one cares.) Bagel Bob's was not the oasis I had hoped for. There was a line, so there I was, thinking I had time to make a decision, but no. Within seconds they were yelling, "Next!" and had very high expectations of me--like that I would tell them what bagel I wanted, what cream cheese, whether or not it should be toasted. I was overwhelmed. Hence the chamber of stress. But that is the price of quick service--a state of borderline hysteria.

Regardless, the bagels are delicious, they are very generous with their cream cheese, and most important, a successful trip to Bagel Bob's makes you feel like the first time someone asks you how to get to the subway and you know the answer--it makes you feel like a New Yorker because you're in a rush, you're stressed (probably induced by the shop itself) and the employees never smile at you.

Also, they have 45 cent bagels on Mondays from 5-7 (?) and are open at an absurdly early hour.