This article asks the musical question,Why is it so hard to get a good bagel outside New York City?
I'll add another possible reason to the list: When I go to a place that serves bagels in New York, I always seem to be able to get one that emerged from the baking process within about the last fifteen minutes, whereas in other cities or here in Los Angeles, I'm lucky if it's been made the same day. I suspect that explanation trumps all others.