They say its in the water = myth

After earning the right to call myself a New Yorker (rule being that you have to inhabit the Big Apple for more than ten years), I left the city in 2004 with some serious trepidations: How could I ever return to the city sidewalks as a (insert gasp) tourist? Would I ever find myself basking in the energy of such a city? Will I ever have a DECENT bagel again?

Although many of my neurosis about leaving behind my much-loved city remain unresolved and I still cannot watch a film that takes place in Manhattan without a certain tightness around the heart, I can say that I have debunked the myth about the bagels. You can have an authentic NYC bagel without a faucet in the greater New York area. But you will have to bake (and boil) them yourself as the ones in the gourmet markets here are mere hamburger buns in disguise.

Without further ado (and after much trial and error), I found the best recipe on the internet. Pair it with an ice coffee in the morning and you almost believe you have a metrocard in your wallet. Only thing missing is eating it in front of your computer a la workaholic New York style. But I think I can forgoe that!