U.S. Store Chains

Angelika For a long time, I've wanted to talk about American cities. We've often reported that San Francisco, in many ways, is not the typical American metropolis, and those of you who have never been to America might find that a bit surprising. To get straight to the point: American cities (except for San Francisco, New York, New Orleans, Boston -- forgive me if I've forgotten a city) all look the same, meaning they are quite boring and monotonous. This is partly because they are all laid out like a grid, with miles of parallel streets that are usually numbered for simplicity. This design might be practical, but it also leads to monotony.

In American cities, you typically find skyscrapers with offices in downtown (city center) and, if you're lucky, a huge shopping mall. You search in vain for nice little cafes or shops and a marketplace. Surrounding downtown, connected by many highways, are residential areas, which are usually designed according to a pattern: single-family homes with double garages and, again, shopping malls. You search in vain for a corner bakery. To go shopping at the mall, you naturally have to use a car. What I find particularly dreadful is that these shopping malls are almost entirely made up of chains, meaning that no matter which American city you're in, it's the same stores that generally look exactly the same (inside and out).

The chain phenomenon even extends to chain restaurants. A well-known chain is "Olive Garden," which serves Italian food. Perhaps that's why Americans move so often, because despite changing locations, everything stays the same, at least in terms of the city's appearance. San Francisco and New York stand out because they break away from this monotony and uniformity, with many small neighborhoods that have their own unique character (e.g., Chinatown or the Mexican district of San Francisco, the "Mission"). Here, you find unique restaurants, small boutiques, and shops that are still privately owned and haven't been swallowed by a chain, as well as independent bookstores or newsstands. To keep it this way, strong neighborhood associations have formed in San Francisco, trying by all means to prevent chains from settling in their neighborhoods. Unfortunately, they don't always succeed, as rents in San Francisco are currently so high that only chains can afford them.

This trend, for example, led to our beloved "Bakers of Paris," which sold the world's best croissants, having to throw in the towel. Truly sad! By the way, if you want to identify yourself as a true San Francisco resident, you must avoid the coffeehouse chain "Starbucks." "Starbucks" originally comes from Seattle and started very small. Nowadays, there's a "Starbucks" on every other corner. It must be noted positively that "Starbucks" has managed to make good coffee, cappuccino, espresso, etc., available in America. And anyone who, like me, loves their cup of coffee and has had to endure the extremely watery coffee (1 coffee bean per liter of water and kept warm for at least an hour) that was common everywhere ten years ago knows what I'm talking about. Nevertheless, as a San Franciscan (unless you're traveling and there's nothing else), you don't go to "Starbucks," but to the independent coffee houses based in San Francisco (e.g., "Martha"). It should be noted in passing that the boycott also has to do with the fact that "Starbucks" originally comes from Seattle, and the Seattle-San Francisco relationship is roughly like that of Northern Germany vs. Bavaria. Well! Of course, I know that the described chain phenomenon has long since entered German cities. Therefore, I can only advise every city planner or chain lover: If you want to see a deterrent example of a totally American city, go to San Jose, an hour's drive south of San Francisco.