If you order lox from pretty much any bagel shop in New York, you’ll get a decently thin slice of slightly opaque cured salmon. It’ll be salty, savory, a little funky—all in all a pretty delicious piece of fish. But it won’t be nearly as good as anything you’d get at Russ & Daughters. At this appetizing store on the Lower East Side, they’ve been slicing salmon thin enough to read the New York Times through since 1914. And their lox—alongside a widening variety of smoked fish and salads—is both a staple of the city’s Ashkenazi Jewish community and an essential New York bite that you should line up for at least once. Breakfast at Russ & Daughters is a delicious trip through time. It’s always a little crowded with tourists and locals, all jostling for position by the front door. Take a number and expect to say “excuse me” several times to get yourself over to the drinks fridge for a Dr. Brown’s. Behind the counter, fish cutters wear white lab coats like pharmacists, measuring out precise doses of at least five different kinds of smoked salmon. The bagels themselves are a little small and unfashionably dense—we wouldn’t bother with them ordinarily. But as long as you’re getting one piled with fish, it’s worth it. Keep in mind there’s nowhere to sit (visit their Orchard Street cafe for that). Just take your sandwich, plus some babka or rugelach to go, and head to a bench in the nearby park. Somehow, the fish tastes even better with a car horn blaring in your ear.