For conquering cravings, only City Bakery will do

I'm generally not into sweets, but sometimes I get intense cravings for cookies. Chewy, buttery, sugar-and-chocolate-filled cookies.

And when you have the good (or bad, depending on how you look at it) fortune of working within easy walking distance of City Bakery, the choice for where to get such a one is easy. The above chocolate chip cookie has edges that are just a bit crisp, and a thin, crackly outside layer that gives way to an almost gooey center. Each bite floods your mouth with brown sugar, butter, and rich, melty chocolate.

This cookie is so intensely sweet and decadent I can't tackle one without a mug of strong black coffee on hand, and even then I can only eat about a third, verrrry slowly, before my tastebuds give up and die. One cookie lasts me about three days, and I end up satisfied for a good long while.

I also occasionally pick up one of City Bakery's whole wheat croissants, which I like better than their famous pretzel croissant. (They actually seem exactly the same to me, aside from a bit more salt and a smattering of sesame seeds on the pretzel version, but the whole wheat is a bit cheaper.) The flaky crusts of City Bakery's croissants give way to interiors that are dense and doughy and fragrant with butter, and though they can be a bit greasy, they're the best I've found in the area.