Chain, Chain, Chain...

Ah, Manhattan. Home of retail's most subdivided subdivisions. Just bulbs. Just bagels. Just beagles.

There's something so charming, old-fashioned and "New York City" (not to mention inefficient and frustrating) about travelling from one district to another in search of the three or four components that will complete your Saturday afternoon errands.

So what's with 6th Avenue becoming the chain district? Okay. So it's not *just* 6th Avenue, but in the past three years, the area around 6th & 23rd seems particularly infested with big-business chains. Recent-ish additions include BestBuy, Chipotle, Olive Garden, Outback Steakhouse, Home Depot and yet another Cosi outlet. Within the space of three blocks, these chains join Kinkos, Barnes & Nobel, The Container Store and Bed, Bath & Beyond to create what's now our own little version of the Everywhere, USA strip mall.

I won't claim I'm not a complicit party here. Why, just weeks ago I stopped off in the chain district after work. I purchased drywall screws and three houseplants from the behemouth Home Depot and ate a very tasty Chipotle burrito full of antibiotic-free Niman Ranch meat.

...And that's the problem. The consistency, convenient hours and reliable product lines at the chains are soothing. Not interesting. Not local. Not surprisingly good or surprisingly bad.

There's always an element of perceived risk at an independent. There's probably an equal chance of finding something outstanding or even simply noteworthy. But for the harried and the hurried, the perception of reliability usually outweighs variety, discovery and community.

It's like the Borg. Resistence is futile. Chain stores' inherently deeper pockets mean that within a decade or so, Manhattan's marketplace will fully assimilate like the rest of the nation... we'll be another city draped in chains.