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You must be young, then. I am comparing to the 80s. You NEVER saw a Ruby Tuesday or Olive Garden-type place in the city. (Actually, I don't think either of these chains existed before then, lol.) But the point is that these places from the suburbs crept into the city and took hold, and many people, myself included, felt that it took away some of what NYC always was.
What you say above just makes my point for me. It's sad. With real Italian restaurants with good food in the city, why on earth would someone go to an Olive Garden? I'm thinking the attraction might be that families are more comfortable with something familiar, but then why bother coming to New York City at all? It doesn't make sense.
Oops, meant to say are NOT chains.
And there are plenty of native New Yorkees who like those chain restaurants, so who is anyone to say that their opinion is more valid than theirs?
Much of NYC has no Italian food at all, so I can see why someone in those A lot of neighborhoods have little in the way of food except fast food and 1-2 types of ethnic food.
A lot of native New Yorkers order Domino's and Papa Johns too. I don't like that stuff, but who am I to tell other people to do with their money?
But most importantly, the new restaurants I see opening up (which I follow because I"m a foodie) are not chains. Pretentious hipsters and yuppies do not like chains, so therefore you don't see that many new chains open up where they live. Take the LES for example, the vast majority of restaurants there are not chains, and most of the chains are either loval ones or fast food places like McDonald's that have been in NYC for a million years.
You are perceptive. I have heard many complaints about how rude New Yorkers are, yet the circumstances always seem to contain a basic misunderstanding of New York. If you ask somebody who is walking briskly for directions, you are likely to be ignored. Not because s/he is rude, but because s/he is commuting. How would most people feel if somebody pulled up next to their car, gestured to roll down the window, and asked for directions to WalMart?
People unloading trucks are working. They are concerned about traffic on one side of their vehicle, people walking on the sidewalks on the other, the security of the goods they are unloading, time, etc.
Ask either of these people while they are not in the middle of a task, and you will likely get a different answer. The rudeness is because they are busy.
Agreed. Duane Reade is now owned by Walgreens. 7/11 has moved into NY. How absurd is that in a city that thrives on bodegas, those wonderful little stores with everything. I can name a dozen amazing falafel stands, bakeries, bistros and pubs. Olive Garden is simply pointless, and makes NY look like Indianapolis.
I'm pretty sure at least 90% of random New Yorkers would give you directions unless they're running late to where they're going. A woman (who turned out to live in Manhattan ) asked me for directions the other day and I gladly assisted her. A lot of those professional types rushing through Manhattan live in the suburbs anyway.
There are still a ton of bodegas. And more and more of that other stuff you listed opens up every day. The food and nightlife scene in North Brooklyn for instance, continues to diversify. I think some older people might not realize this because they see a Red Lobster in Midtown Manhattan and think "that's not the greasy spoon I remember, NYC is the same thing as Fort Wayne, Indiana now". Which is an out of touch opinion to hold also because cities in the Midwest are not dominated by chain restaurants. How many people trashing the Midwest have even been there?
I spent about 5 months working in NYC and Queens in 2017, returning home every other weekend. Just a few observations:
Overall I found people to be friendly if I just showed them a smile. Heck, if that works in Sweden, it will work anywhere.
The congestion was overwhelming and I felt just as strangled from the day I left as the day I arrived.
LaGuardia is a third world country and nothing less.
Food was similar in price as my home in Wisconsin.
My Marriott motel points surpassed the million mark from the high rates I paid.
And lastly, I didn't understand their pizza. After at least 20 different pizzerias, I just didn't get it. I can actually find better ones frozen.
I'm a New Yorker and I don't really care about pizza that much. Maybe it's because I've developed lactose intolerance and am trying to cope, but I really don't care about pizza when there are a million other things to eat that I find more interesting.
That being said, the local pizzerias are much better than any chain pizza I've had.
I'm not sure why you started this thread to ask for other people's viewpoints only to argue most of them. I am an ex-NYer and I can tell you just what makes Manhattan homogenized, but I'm not in the mood for a pointless argument.
I'm not sure why you started this thread to ask for other people's viewpoints only to argue most of them. I am an ex-NYer and I can tell you just what makes Manhattan homogenized, but I'm not in the mood for a pointless argument.
What you say above just makes my point for me. It's sad. With real Italian restaurants with good food in the city, why on earth would someone go to an Olive Garden? I'm thinking the attraction might be that families are more comfortable with something familiar, but then why bother coming to New York City at all? It doesn't make sense.
... because these are U.S. National Chains, and New York is a major international tourist destination.
People from all over the world have heard about things like Olive Garden and this is an exposure to the brand. Darden likely does not make a killing from housing such an expensive store- but it stands are a billboard to the larger brand.
Chains like TGI Fridays started as a one-off in Manhattan, and while Olive Garden is an Orlando establishment- the same truth is that it evolved from a concept and has gone on to be the largest Italian chain in the world.
Often people go with what's familiar- and for families with little kids, they know what they're going to get at Applebees or Olive Garden and so it's easier to sit down and deal with it.
... because these are U.S. National Chains, and New York is a major international tourist destination.
People from all over the world have heard about things like Olive Garden and this is an exposure to the brand. Darden likely does not make a killing from housing such an expensive store- but it stands are a billboard to the larger brand.
Chains like TGI Fridays started as a one-off in Manhattan, and while Olive Garden is an Orlando establishment- the same truth is that it evolved from a concept and has gone on to be the largest Italian chain in the world.
Often people go with what's familiar- and for families with little kids, they know what they're going to get at Applebees or Olive Garden and so it's easier to sit down and deal with it.
Agreed. Why wouldn't chains set up shop in one of the most famous areas in the world?
And plenty of native New Yorkers eat at these types of places. The average person from say, uptown Manhattan or The Bronx isn't a food snob. Plus there may be people who meet up in Midtown (like coworkers) and want a relatively inexpensive dinner.
I also want to point out that not all of the city is like Midtown Manhattan with chains everywhere. But even Midtown has many non-chains, like in K town where there are a bunch of Korean restaurants. And lower Manhattan is all about unique restaurants.
And there are plenty of native New Yorkees who like those chain restaurants, so who is anyone to say that their opinion is more valid than theirs?
Much of NYC has no Italian food at all, so I can see why someone in those A lot of neighborhoods have little in the way of food except fast food and 1-2 types of ethnic food.
A lot of native New Yorkers order Domino's and Papa Johns too. I don't like that stuff, but who am I to tell other people to do with their money?
But most importantly, the new restaurants I see opening up (which I follow because I"m a foodie) are not chains. Pretentious hipsters and yuppies do not like chains, so therefore you don't see that many new chains open up where they live. Take the LES for example, the vast majority of restaurants there are not chains, and most of the chains are either loval ones or fast food places like McDonald's that have been in NYC for a million years.
Where?
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