You can't find these American brands in Manhattan (or NYC)

I was recently talking to some potential tourists who were looking for some of what they thought were iconic US brands, and they were surprised they couldn%26#39;t find them in Manhattan.

So I thought for fun, let%26#39;s list things - mostly big, national brands - that you can find all over the US, but not in Manhattan - and for extra points, not in all of NYC.

Here%26#39;s my starting list.

Hollister. Only at the Staten Island Mall.

Hot Topic. Only at the Queens Center Mall.

Wal-Mart. None in all of NYC.

Target. In Brooklyn and Queens, but not Manhattan.

Denny%26#39;s. None anywhere within 25 miles of NYC!

Chick-fil-A. Technically, there%26#39;s one in an NYU food court, but it%26#39;s only open to students.

You can't find these American brands in Manhattan (or NYC)

I never think of Chick-fil-A as All-American. Don%26#39;t believe I ever even heard about it until I moved here from New England...I tend to lump it in with NASCAR as a manifestation of heartland values that kick in once you get past Trenton.

Of course, that same type of snobbery kept me from enjoying Krispy Kreme for longer than I would have liked.

You can't find these American brands in Manhattan (or NYC)

Speaking about Krispy Kreme - I wasn%26#39;t really a donut lover but once I was in Las Vegas with my family and we bought that for breakfast. We simply loved it! In fact there is a current fad in Singapore selling donuts but there%26#39;s just no one opens a KK yet.

Where in Manhattan can I find KK? Also, is there any IHOP in the city where I can enjoy the lovely hot breakfast??

cheers

Theres a krispykremes store at 2 penn plaza on the amtrak rotunda (west 30th and 8th).

For some reason my good lady insists we eat there, despite having a kripsy kreme outlet less than 3 miles away from our home in the UK.

all the best

the bear

IHOP in Harlem (135 st %26amp; 7th ave.), Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx

Never heard of Chick-fil-A.

Krispy Kreme%26#39;s an interesting one, because about 10 years ago, weren%26#39;t they all over the city? And then they retreated, and now there%26#39;s only one left.

I thought of Chick-fil-A because McDonald%26#39;s is heaily promoting their %26#39;cfA killer%26#39; chicken sandwich right now. Then I looked at the cfA Web site, and they are in fact national.

Nordstrom. None in all of NYC.

Denny%26#39;s. Closest is in Avenel, NJ which according to Denny%26#39;s website is 20.02 miles from zip code 10036.

While it may claim to be a nationwide entity, there are many parts of the country where Chick-fil-a is not present. According to their website, there is a Chick-fil-a somewhere at the University of Minnesota; other than that, I have never seen one here. Even at the home to national chains, the Mall of America!

I grew up outside Chicago and had never been to a Chick-fil-a, then went to college 250 miles away in Indiana, where you can%26#39;t turn around without hitting one. It%26#39;s more of a regional company.

on Chick-fil-a, I learned about it from a former colleague from the Philadelphia area, so maybe they do it oon a state-by-state basis.

Krispy Kreme - I was working in lower manhattan the day they first listed on NYSE. They set up a conveyor belt that literallly took up 3 blocks in front of the exchange building, so they could cook free donuts and coffee for everybody who wanted to partake...suffice to say, there were a LOT of partakers.

WAL-MART - not one within City Limits (I so want a SUPER Wal-mart - but I may be moving to AZ next year so no worries).

WEGMANS - absolutely the best supermarket in the world (if I judge by the one in Fairport/Rochester NY)

Wegmans is great. Though not a national chain.

Also privately owned. Would love to buy stock in that store. Pricey but not as pricey as Whole Foods.

I wish I had one closer to me.