In cities there is competition to be above the rest. Whether in restaurants, art, nightlife, retail, sports, museums, grocery stores, whatever.
In my experience cultural and even mundane experiences and activities are of a higher quality in larger cities because of competition.
Tyler Cowan makes a good case for dining at strip mall restaurants in the suburbs.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/05/six-rul...
The largest cities are almost entirely void of most chains, as nobody who lives there wants to eat chain food. (There’s usually some chains in the tourist central area, like Times Square in NYC).
The largest cities are almost entirely void of most chains
241 Starbucks in NYC, and they aren't all there to serve locals.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/306896/cities-with-the-l...
Look at the number of other big chains in NYC, like Chick-Fil-A, Burger King, Krispy Kreme, Olive Garden, Buffalo Wild Wings, and so on, and you'll see what I mean.
If you ever visit NYC again, I can provide a long list of amazing local restaurants that will beat anything in suburbs regardless of neighborhood! I've lived in many places, and the idea that suburbs food will beat city food, or that cities are all 'big chains,' feels like a distinctly small-American-city sentiment. It literally couldn't be further from the truth with regards to NYC.
Whatever, no one said that - that's just a straw man.
Do you think there is more interesting and authentic Chinese food in Manhattan or Flushing?
I can provide a long list of amazing local restaurants that will beat anything in suburbs
Ok, how about the best places for jianbing or lagman?
The comment was in response to your comment on Tyler Cowen's argument for eating at strip malls in suburbs.
> Do you think there is more interesting and authentic Chinese food in Manhattan or Flushing?
There's quite fantastic Chinese food in both. It's certainly more expensive in most parts of Manhattan, but the above argument that the expensive parts of New York City is a bunch of large chains is hogwash! There's great, expensive restaurants. Flushing has great, cheaper restaurants.
The crux of my point is that large cities do not end up dominated by large chains. In fact, walking through NYC or London, you'll see way, way, way less chains than driving through the suburbs.
Why are the larger chains better able to absorb the costs? Don't they still have the same rent and labor costs? Besides, smaller towns seem to suffer from chains just as much in my experience.
It feels like a particular problem in the US, though Europe has too many chains for my liking as well.
I wonder what laws/regulations are part of this problem, and how they might be changed if we want more independent shops.
If you've visited large cities and only found mega-corp food chains and no local quality foods, that's 100% for lack of trying.
I grew up in the deep suburbs and currently live in one of the largest cities in the US. The difference in variety when it comes to both supermarkets and reasturants is hugely in favor of the city. Growing up there were three grocery stores within half an hour and they all had basically the same items. If you wanted something unusual you'd have to order it. In the city I can head to the Asian market or one of multiple farmers markets or one of the multiple Co ops around me. There are at least 50 reasturants I can get delivered to my house and while some are large chains or fast food, most are not.
When I visit my friends in the suburbs the options are basically limited to American style Chinese, Pizza, or a large chain like Applebee's.
https://foodispower.org/access-health/food-deserts/
Chicago – More than 500,000 residents (mostly African-American) live in food deserts, and an additional 400,000 live in neighborhoods with a preponderance of fast food restaurants and no grocery stores nearby.
New York City – An estimated 750,000 New York City residents live in food deserts, [27]while about three million people live in places where stores that sell fresh produce are few or far away. [28] Supermarkets throughout New York City have closed down in recent years due to increasing rents and shrinking profit margins, but the disappearance of urban grocery stores has had the most serious impact on low-income communities, especially those that are predominantly African-American (such East/Central Harlem and North/Central Brooklyn).
I don't see how that is confusing.