I'm assuming here that the hub request - New York City Deli History - means a laundry list of some of NYC's delis which are older than me, along with descriptions of what's so historic about them and why you should eat the corned beef and pastrami sandwiches and the matzo ball soup at these places, instead of trying out the many fine restaurants in New York City (even if you're not kosher). If it isn't what you asked for, well, I could always write another hub...

Katz's Deli may have got its two minutes in the limelight from that eternal orgasmic scene in When Harry met Sally, which as you can see from the video, is a pretty good ad for the Deli. But the reason it was featured in the movie, along with some other notable places like the Temple of Dendur in the Egyptian section at the MET, is that Katz's Deli was already a New York institution, a place to hang out.

All the movie did was to make it internationally famous and put it on the list of things to do on vacation in New York. Tourists walk in now and take pictures of the deli and the table where the scene was shot. If you land up there, you gotta try the pastrami sandwiches. And don't forget to include a tip along with your ticket (yep - you buy your ticket and use it to pay for food...) to the guy across the counter.

And in case you're a history buff, Katz's was opened in the Lower East SIde way back in 1888 by a Russian immigrant family.

Info: 205 East Houston Street New York NY 10002; (212) 254-2246; www.katzdeli.com/ ; Photo by cchen via flickr (creative commons).

The Carnegie Deli in midtown Manhattan was opened in 1937 next to Carnegie Hall. According to the NY CVB, its one the most visited restaurants in New York City. The Carnegie's pastrami was rated as the best in the city by New York magazine in 1975, and it has since become one of New York's quintessential Jewish 'kosher style' delicatessens, along with Katz's and a few others. Yes, they're listed below.

What you don't want to miss here is the Cheesecake. Its humungous and well worth for less than 10 bucks, especially if you're in a group. The carnegie has its own silver screen fame to boast of, having starred in Woody Allen's Broadway Danny Rose. They even serve a corned beef and pastrami sandwich named 'Woody Allen'. The walls are plastered with authgraphed pics of all the celebrities who have eaten there.

If you're fond of deli food, then put down a visit to Carnegie's Deli in your list of things to do in New York.

Info: 854 Seventh Avenue, at 55th Street 10019 NYC; (800) 334-5606; www.carnegiedeli.com/; Photo copyrights - The Carnegie Deli

Stage Deli, opened 1937, by Max Asnas, a Russian émigré, on the corner of Broadway and 48th Street. Famed not only because its a watering hole for the Broadway crowd, but also because the Deli employs struggling Broadway actors.

Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton have stopped by to sink their teeth into the corned beef and pastrami sandwiches. Heck, considering the size of those darn things, both of them could have shared one, had they dropped in at the same time. Clinton, infact, virtually held a Cabinet meeting at the Deli, cause he brought along Secretary of State Madeline Albright and other cabinet members along when he dropped in.

If you're lucky, you might get to some famous celebrities like Leonardo Di Caprio, Meryl Streep, Ben Stiller, Matthew Broderick, and Harvey Fierstein.

If you're there, you want to try their mouth watering cheese blintzes, or if you're really starving, then the 'stage sandwich'. If New York vacations are incomplete without a Broadway show, then you could say that a Broadway show is incomplete without a cheap bite at the Stage Deli.

Info: 834 7th Avenue (between 53rd & 54th) New York NY 10019; (212) 245-7850; www.stagedeli.com/; Photo copyrights - Stage Deli

I'm really running out of steam here, so lemme round up quick. Check out the rest of these delis listed below, and you're all set.

Sarge's Deli - Open 24 hours, got beer, other alcoholic beverages and just about anything you'd want to eat. Try out their triple decker sandwich, which comes with corned beef, tongue and chopped liver. Info: 548 3rd Avenue (between 36th and 37th St) New York NY 10016; (212) 679-0442

Then there's Ben's Deli, which is famed for its Matzo Ball eating contest. Also try Barney Greengrass which opened in 1929, Artie's Deli which was featured on Martha Stewart's show, and the sliced deli meats at Zabar's Cafe recommended by Zagat survey.