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The Bread No Longer Rises
By
Jacob Dobkin
Published May 28, 2004
Modified Mar 6, 2008
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By
Jacob Dobkin
Published May 28, 2004
Modified Mar 6, 2008
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Gothamist was uptown for a graduation yesterday when we saw something that reduced us to tears: Columbia Bagels is shutting its doors on May 30th. Some may scoff at the significance of this loss, but generations of Columbia, Barnard, and Bank Street graduates can attest to the quality of product found at this tiny neighborhood bakery. Back in 1998, Gothamist survived for more than six months on nothing but their sesame bagels with tuna salad (and the occasional raisin bagel with egg salad- ewww!) Open all night, they were an ideal pitstop after late night drinking at 1020, or late-night vomiting outside the Night Cafe. Farewell, old friend!
This morning, Gothamist woke up to the news that another bakery had been doomed by Atkins and higher rents: Anthony Zito & Son's Bakery on Bleecker Street in the West Village. When will the madness end? If things continue to go this way, in twenty years New York will be populated by nothing but Subways and Starbucks, and New Yorkers will be surviving on some sort of foamy, Atkins-friendly no-carb paste. When that happens, you'll find Gothamist living in the sewers under Park Slope, surviving on the output of an underground and illegal bagel producing machine, carefully guarding our ration of yeast packets.
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Jacob Dobkin
Jake Dobkin co-founded Gothamist with Jen Chung. In 2019, Jake released Ask a Native New Yorker, a book based on his Gothamist advice column.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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