May 28, 2004
The Bread No Longer Rises
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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Oh, no! I used to love the whole wheat bagels with scallions tofu...and seeing cops come from miles away to get their Columbia Bagel. For the love of God!
I think Columbia Bagels is actually closing cause of some CU developing... I had a dream about West Side Market the other night, and my friend who still lives up there told me that West Side is being shut down so Columbia can expand.
aw no. not zito's. grrrrrrrrr
that's right, west side markets is closing down and now columbia bagels. it's very likely that its another columbia landgrab. reason #20 why i moved outta that hood.
Actually, the building that houses Hot Bagels, Westside Market, and Dynasty is being developed by private developers, not Columbia.
How long till the dreaded Rite Aid and the always empty Foot Locker bite the dust for condos, too?
Jake: you and Lockhart perhaps?
Well, as my dad used to say about nuclear war, I'd rather not survive the first blast. I'll choke to death on the last piece of non-corporate food before I resign to live in a world where each and every eating experience is carefully designed for maximum profit in some office in the suburbs by some guy who just got the hang of Excel formulas.
Still, you won't hold it against me for dropping by to see the Siren every now and then, right? Those maple scones are like a reward for something so good that I couldn't have possibly done it.
Ah, Columbia Bagels, Coronet Pizza, Nacho Mama's and Ollie's. I remember them well from my undergrad days.
Ah, Columbia Bagels, Coronet Pizza, Nacho Mama's and Ollie's. I remember them well from my college days.
Grandma's was my late night spot for cheese fries. The Bengali waiter in the frilly shirt with a major wavy mullet was in love with my also Bengali best friend, so we always got a little extra when he worked the late shift.
Even if CU doesn't outright own Columbia Bagels and Westside Market, nothing gets done in that neighborhood without CU's blessing.
Let us also not forget Mike's Papaya, which fell for Columbia's prep school a couple years ago. If you're looking for cheap eats near campus these days, your choices are pizza and pizza.
Man, first it was the 9th Ave. Cheese Shop, then Rio Mar and now Columbia bagels. The whole West Side is dying out.
I remember the Mexican cheddar cream cheese at Columbia. One bite and you'd instantly break out in a sweat - not from the heat but from the ton of salt!
I remember the first time someone pulled the fire alarm in John Jay my freshman year, we were so excited that the only thing to do at that hour of the day was go to CB and get a bite to eat.
One thing that annoyed me about Columbia Bagels was that they didn't toast their bagels.
And finally, was the gruff old person there a man or a woman? I never could tell...
These things come and go. When I was a kid we used to get Columbia bagels. Now 20 years later my parents prefer Murray's on 8th Ave./23rd. It's always packed; Atkins hasn't made a dent in their business. And its a byproduct of the recent overdevelopment of Chelsea.
I think this was already said, but it bears repeating... NOT ZITO'S!!! First the Potbelly, then Cucina Stagionale, what next? Fuck Atkins! You guys are all heart attacks waiting to happen anyway... as my Grandma would say, "Have a piece of bread, for Chrissakes!"
Thanks Yuppies... all appetitie, no taste.
Long term,
How old is Murray's? It seems to me that it was an established success way before the godforsaken Oliver Garden and Best Buy moved into the neighborhood.
Gothamist, When you imagine a manhattan future populated by nothing but starbucks, subways (and brilliantly Atkins paste) Don't forget your beloved H&M! Why you were just touting its wonders last week!
While the death of local food is a more devastating side effect of new yorkers frenzied drive to become suburbanites, all chain store contribute to the higher rents (landlords love a chain store because the have more capital and sign longer term deals) and HomogeNATION of the city.
this is a good time to remind everyone of the gothamist comment policy: comment on the post, comment on ideas, repond to other people's ideas. do not talk about other people, do not insult them, do not insult us, do not be personal. example: repeatedly calling gothamist yuppie scum will get your comments deleted, but saying that it's really too bad that gentrification is destroying neighborhood bakeries is fine.
disagreement is great and interesting, getting personal is not. trust me- we've heard every nasty insult, every horrible comment at least five times before, so please, don't feel like we are oppressing you!
Apologies, friend, if you thought I was referring to you or Gothamist in particular. Was only responding to the new makeup of the village... who else can afford to live there anymore?... and with it the change in "tastes". How could any crowd that appreciates Gabe Pressman and Red Hook at night be called "yuppie scum"? Too much soul for Y-words. Just wanted to clear that up. Rock on.
Doesn't anyone want to comment on the fact that another casualty of this land grab is the Burger King that was around the corner on 110th St.?
Ack! I used to live across the street from Columbia Bagels/Westside Market - such wonderfully tasty memories! I'd grab an everything bagel on my way to class, and a white bean salad (from Westside) on my way back home.
I live in Oakland now. Californians can't make decent bagels. Last time I was in NYC, I bought a dozen a Columbia Bagels and ate most of them in a day...
that burger king was mad-cow-eriffic! the homeless would congregate there on tuesdays for the 99cent whoppers. oh the memories. let us not forget the beautiful old bank facade that was the west side market's produce/bulk delivery entrance. plus they were the only gourmet market to except ebt back when i was on the welfare!
Wow -- I can't say how many memories of undergrad and med school life were imprinted in the narrow corridor of Columbia Hot Bagels. I used to bring dozens in every Sunday morning to work, too; they'll be missed!
I lived around the corner from Columbia Bagels a couple years ago, and I love the neighborhood. I'm so glad Gothamist pointed out the sad news of its closing, and I'm really glad Susan pointed out that ALL the businesses of the building (CB, West Side Market, Dynasty, and if I remember right, a copy/mailbox shop) may be ousted by its developers. Losing West Side Market would be a real blow to that area. Gristedes is weak. Does anyone know if that building also includes businesses next to (north) West Side Market, because that would include Coronet! If that closed, what would all the Columbia kids eat at 3 AM?? Anyway, the day Hungarian Pastry Shop closes is the day that area becomes officially unlivable. What's next? Tearing down St. John the Divine?
Jake: remember that the "yuppie scum" comments come from people who sit on the computer all day, with nothing better to do than to overanalyze blog text and look for ways to rip on other people. Might have something to do with jealousy of money, good looks, and of not living in their mom's basement.
That said - there's an interesting point being made. As a group site, there's a bit of cacophony when it comes to discussing lifestyle. One minute Gothamist is lamenting the demise of a budget bagel shop, and the next you're linking to articles about Spice Market and Amanda Hesser.
I'll go the next step and say that you and Jen - the two most frequent posters of this material on the mainpage, because I've never seen Tien go down this road - project an image of living-it-up-in-New-York. We know that you guys have money, nice jobs, reasonable apartments in good locations, nice clothes - and you attend cocktail parties, schmooze with the blog clique, eat at nice restaurants at least once in a while... you're not filthy rich, still anyone outside of New York would think the prices and scenery are obscene... and that's the image that comes across 99% of the time.
So, jealousy aside, you would lose a fair bit of credibility if you mix that image (along with buddy-buddy mentions of Lockhart and Nick Denton, who DEFINTELY have money that normal people do not) with discussions about H&M for cheap clothes, Gray's Papaya, lamenting the cab fare increase, American Idol, the Mets, or anything that has to do with living like a down-to-earth human being in New York (or America for that matter).
The sad thing is, one can lose far more credibility just to follow the hip and cool. And that's what can happen when you run with, and write about, the Schiller's - Balthazar - Cipriani - Bungalow 8 - Jack and Grace Lamb crowd, when you're talking about $1000 omlettes, $500 office chairs, discussing dinners at restaurants that few can afford, talking about silly celebrities - chefs, movie critics, real estate brokers - in a personal tone when few people without big bucks or big-shot connections would even get to see these people in person. Or, if a Vermeer is mentioned as a title article on a non-arts site like this... I mean, how many New Yorkers actually give a $%^# about Vermeer? I read a New York Times article not so long back where the author's mental response to a perky Pittsburgh waiter was "Well, you don't have any Vermeers in Pittsburgh." How pretentious! Although we're all terribly curious about the things that rich people do with their money, very few normal, middle class New Yorkers actually admire the rich!
My opinion - it's a bad side effect of the blog scene. You guys are surrounded by people with money, connections, and gossip. It's rubbing off in the writing - part cross-promotion, and part social climbing. You all seem to be good people and intelligent, well spoken individuals. But at least one of you was probably eating Ramen noodles in the last two years, if not sooner. I'm not saying that only the poor are innocent, but just because you link to NYTimes/PageSix/Gawker doesn't mean you have to fawn about the same things as they do. I, for one, am much happier when I read about dinner for under $20 (after tax and gratuity). If that's what you really know about, then please write more about it.
But if socialites, real estate mavens, publishing lords & deep-pocketed-players are what you guys are, then that's what you are and you should ultimately focus on that. However, it would then be terribly inconsistent for you to be upset about a deli or landmark tenement being razed for a Starbucks, Whole Foods, or luxury college dorm.
BrianVan, others, I understand your desire for a really consistent idea of what Gothamist is, but like any people, Jake and I tend to have LOTS of opinions and LOTS of things we like and dislike. Is eating my frozen dinner I bought for $2.49 interesting? Not very. But going to a nice restaurant, after I've been able to save up (or, more accurately, when someone treats me), is, or at least I think so. Sure, I have good income that allows to me do certain things, but does that preclude me from being interesting in lots of different things?
I like Vermeer! Kill me, I thought it was interesting, since I've liked art since I was 8, and try to read up on things like that. Why can't I post about that? And it's free to go to Sotheby's.
And going to nice restaurants, that's something I've always liked, maybe something that happens when you live in NY - it's like a spectator sport. I don't go to everyone, but I certainly read about them. I love it when Beard Papa, offering cream puffs for $1.75 opens as well as wondering what Thomas Keller's expensive Per Se might bring - knowing that I'll probably never ever get to go to Per Se.
Gothamist was always a reflection of things that Jake and I (and now others) have found interesting, low and highbrow, strange and mundane, cheap and outrageously expensive. We try to keep an open mind about everything, but give our particular insights about that subject. And sadly, due to time, we can only post so much, so we work off our initial instincts. I'm unclear when it became our duty to post only about one certain kind of thing, in one certain kind of style.
Um, Welcome to the Dollhouse, the Burger King isn't closing, it closed. A while ago.
Food memories, the good kind, are made up of the high and the low. It's not the price, but the richness of the experience. Jen and Jake seem to stick to that. Cipriani is a rich experience. So are the sausages at West Way Diner on 108th and the chilli cheese dogs of ol' Mike's. The difference is no one's going to hump up from, say, Lennox Hill for a breakfast plate, whereas the whole city will head to midtown for five star dining. Thing is, we need reports back from both the local side and the world-class side because that's what makes up our time here. J+J shouldn't have to cover every little local gem, but I'm happy when they do. I'm even happier when blogs cover the big boys, because then I know what I'm getting for half a week's paycheck without the conflicts of interest that professional reviewers/zagats inevitably encounter. Damn, I could go for some sausages right about now.
whoa brian. i think what's cool about gothamist is that they'll write reviews about what they like. and just because they write interesting stories about cool people and goings on doesn't mean that they're snobs. these are the same kids who put together a fundraiser to outfit a little league team. if they review an expensive restaurant or club, they'll always keep it real by representing for other solid cheaper places. what if gothamist was only about the mundane lives of 20-somethings. shit would be weak!
First, I want to apologize about the Vermeer thing. I was out of line to lump that in with the point I was trying to make. New York, in particular, includes many many people who are really interested in the fine arts, so just because I'm not one of them does not mean that I get to judge a sincere interest from a pretentious interest. Also, just because I don't follow the history of famous painters doesn't mean I get to declare that it doesn't belong here. Forgive me for making that mistake.
You have no duty to any style except your own. I don't think anyone should dissuade you from writing about the things that you are interested in, the things that inspire you, the things that you do over the course of the week.
However, you may wish to be careful about how the image comes across. Example: the SLNY story yesterday. Yes, I too have been reading SLNY, for me it represents a humorous fantasy world rather than a restaurant guide, but that's not to say I wouldn't eat at any of those places... I definitely grab a reservation at a nice restaurant once in a blue moon when my friends are up for it, money be damned. One thing we all know is how hot/expensive/exclusive those places are, just from reading PageSix... but you avoid mentioning your own level of interest in these kind of places. There's a lot of restaurant name dropping, but do you go once a year, once a month, or twice a day? It's a consistent theme on the main page when you mention restaurants. After many months, I'm left with a vague impression that you eat at these kind of places more than a couple times a month... maybe a couple of times per week. Or, you might never go at all. You just never say what it is, but this stuff is linked all the time. I like reading about it, but what are YOU, the author? If I can't know, why read here and not directly from the Times?
Another example is Bruce Ratner and the NYC Real Estate Bubble, as an example of a real estate themed post, among several others (like the link to Curbed) that are in the archives. I don't read anything pretentious off of the reporting, but it is indeed a story about million dollar condos. Again, it is not entirely clear how you feel about it, we just know it piques your interest. Do you think that million dollar condos are reasonable? Inevitable? Outrageous? Do any of you live in one?
So, I suggest (with complete humility, as suggestions were not requested in this manner) that you clarify these things. Let us know where you really stand, dissipate the confusion. If you do have more money/status than most people, you could connect with readers who would love to eat at Bouley, Daniel, or Per Se, and live in a penthouse condo (with $150,000 renovated terrace) vicariously through you. If, on the other hand, you are one of the everyday young and upwardly mobile professionals in New York City, you could connect with an entire crowd of readers who live in this city just for the opportunity to walk past these places every once in a while. However, if you leave it up in the air, you risk alienating people. You could sit on the fence in your writings, but you may lose your identity to others.
Remember, anyone can get up at 6am and read all the daily news online. And, to head off the argument that you're just writing for your own audience, I can't think of why you would create a site like Gothamist without trying to address more than a private audience. Your identity is what drives this site to the audience. Make that your strength, not a weakness.
That doesn't justify some of the comments thrown your way lately, though. I've tried to defend against it (I've fought off these attacks myself in the past, I can sympathize about how annoying it is), but as the great poet... urm, rapper Jay-Z once said, "Never argue with fools, because one from a distance cannot tell who is who." Just ban 'em.
Finally, because I'm a wise-ass, why not read about one of the worst frozen food meals anyone could ever possibly eat? How is that not interesting? ;)
This is a shock. Zito's is (was?) one of the best specialty stores in the whole city, but what the hell is "Anthony Zitos and Sons?" Any New Yorker knows that it's called "Zito's," just "Zito's."
Gothamist at Night Cafe? That I definitely can't picture...hell, I lie and tell people I've never been there most of the time ;).
Wow - thanks to everyone commenting on this post for keeping things civilized and constructive (it's a breath of fresh air). Keep it up...
I'm particularly traumatized by the closing of Westside Market. There is officially nowhere good to get produce in the neighborhood now.
I'm psyched that Gothamist has picked up this sad, sad turn of events for the hood. I'm personally planning on buying a TUB of tuna salad on their last day, May 30th, and savor every bite in tearful rapture. I'm also hoping they'll share the recipe so I don't have to completely give up my twice-a-week guilty pleasure...
Also, West Side Market's closing has truly shaken the neighborhood. The wood panels that now cover the storefront have become a shrine and some of the comments are pretty hilarious. My favorite is actually one that cuts through the touchy-feely vibe: "crowded aisles, outrageous prices, shitty service... good riddance!" All true, and yet, a sad development, pun intended. Although I did hear that they're opening up again once the new building is finished. They'll take up the whole ground floor. Columbia Bagels, however, are gone for good :(
As a coda to this rapidly-spinning-out-of-control thread, thanks Gothamist for the heads-up...
I got the last two loaves of olive oil breat at Zito's today. Yay and sniff at the same time.
oh my God! i can't believe it...i grew up on Zito's Bread...i'm totally shaken by all this. (:_
I hate to break it to ya--but manhattan is already populated with nothing but starbucks and subways. It's been sooo over since about 1996. except for parts of the lower east side and williamsburg, it is done. One big gigantic outdoor mall.
it's so sad, I miss it. sigh
What's got two thumbs, a gross of Columbia Bagel oatmeal cookies and multiple Bagels (for the price of $3), and the Columbia Bagel Menu Board (for the price of a question)? ....This guy.
It's disgusting. If this keeps up there will be nothing but Starbucks or Applebee's or. I'm glad I never go to Starbucks (a cup of Colombian coffee can cost as much as $3!) If I wanted to see a taste of suburbia I'd go to Roosevelt Mall in Garden City.
There's no need to squeeze out the little guys to make room for gigantic mega-companies whose CEO's don't even know how a bagel gets the whole in the middle. And I definitely don't believe in this Atkins low-carb mindjunk.
It's disgusting. If this keeps up there will be nothing but Starbucks or Applebee's or whatever. I'm glad I never go to Starbucks (a cup of Colombian coffee can cost as much as $3!) If I wanted to see a taste of suburbia I'd go to Roosevelt Mall in Garden City.
Seriously though, there's no need to squeeze out the family-supporting little guys to make room for gigantic mega-companies whose CEO's don't even know how a bagel gets the hole in the middle. And I definitely don't believe in this Atkins low-carb mindjunk.
I just went back to NY on my year jaunts. I can't believe Columbia bagels is closed. You guys are right. Subway and Starbucks are everywhere. Even in Washington Heights. Now that's scary.