Breakfast carts

This post is about a very important slice of New York City life, and one I’m going to miss very much when I leave: breakfast carts. Breakfast carts like the one you see in the picture are operated all throughout the city (or at least all throughout Manhattan, I don’t know about the other boroughs). Most mornings on my way to class, instead of eating breakfast in my room, I stop by one of these fine carts and get a muffin or a donut. Some of the carts are larger and have a range, so you can also get eggs, but I don’t usually order cooked food from these guys. Granted, you must have a license to operate a cart in NYC, and if you have a problem with one of them you can just get the license number and report it to the city. I’m sure they don’t do a bad job; I’d just rather get eggs from the deli I live above if I’m in the mood for eggs. The best thing about breakfast carts is that everything is cheap; $1 will get you whatever you want, or $1.50 if you want coffee with your pastry. What makes it fantastic is that everything is sold in single units; it isn’t like the West Coast where you have to go and buy a whole package of muffins. You can just get one, fresh each day. In a city where everything is so expensive, I enjoy every morning I’m able to have fresh breakfast from the carts. Plus, you’ll usually hit the same one or two, so you get to know the cart operators, and they get to know you. It’s a great part of New York life, and I’m really going to miss it. Maybe I’ll see if I can start up a breakfast cart business back West …