Passover's So Over, So Bagels Are Back, Bubby!

Passover ended last night at sundown, so it's party time for observant Jews; that means plenty of pizza, pasta, and bagels, among other yeasty items they've denied themselves for the past eight days, in remembrance of the exodus from Egypt. According to the Times, today's the biggest day of the year for many local bagel makers, some of whom simply close shop during Passover, when leavened products are eschewed by Jews. But the article oddly spotlights Terrace Bagels, which the paper of record misidentifies as a "Park Slope" eatery. Terrace Bagels is in Windsor Terrace, a neighborhood not exactly known as a big Jewish community. So it's no wonder the manager there only observed a "slight drop" in sales during Passover, which he attributes "more to people going away for vacation because school is out." On the Upper West Side, of course, it's a different story; the 72nd Street Bagel shop owner says he usually does "one and a half times" the usual business today. His staff has been up since 4:30 a.m., and by the time you read this, they're probably already out of everything bagels.