Order Magnolia Bakery's Thanksgiving Pies Before You Leave Town

Magnolia Bakery opened on a West Village corner in 1996, and the holiday menu keeps that instinct. Four whole pies go up for pre-order this month, and the pumpkin praline — $39, silky pumpkin custard under a thick cap of brown sugar pecan praline — is the one worth planning around. It's pumpkin pie and pecan pie in one slice, so nobody at the table has to choose.

Order online, choose Hudson Yards when the checkout asks for a pickup bakery, and pick a date between Nov 3 and Nov 29. The counter is on level four of the Shops at Hudson Yards, about 12 minutes on foot from Penn Station. Moynihan Train Hall, where Amtrak and the LIRR leave from, sits right across 8th Avenue from it. Bring the confirmation, take the box, and walk to the train. Regular hours start at 10 in the morning, and holiday hours may differ, so confirm before pickup. If your pickup date sells out, choose another Manhattan shop at checkout, or fall back on the Pie Slice Sampler, a slice each of apple crumb, pumpkin and pecan. Call the shop the day before to check what's on the counter. Thanksgiving cupcakes and an apple crisp pudding fill out the same menu.