Times Union Center

MVP Health Arena

 Here's a post from the sister blog since several retailers with ties to the Capital District are listed.

Tim Hortons: Come Back to CNY

Newer Franklin County (Columbus/Central Ohio Capital Region) location

 Canadas coffee and donut king Tim Hortons left CNY in 2015, likely due to stiff competition from Dunkin' Donuts and other factors.  Delta Sonic in deWitt, Fairmount and North Syracuse have truncated versions of Tim Hortons, but it's just not the same or enough, of course.  Tops even had the coffee self-serve for a period in Syracuse.  Only in or near the border community and/or Monroe County can I have it full fledged, as well as northeast Pennsylvania, even if I use the app and have takeaway delivered just to save time.  I've already listed what happened to the former locations several years ago, but it's been long enough since then, that the chain could be given another chance, as some here assume it's like fellow Canadian giant Loblaws, which left the US altogether decades ago staying home since as not everyone in the States goes there, even in normal times.  Their main rival acquired several locations, and others got the rest, or no one touched a few.  A new franchise owner could do what the last one may have gotten wrong.

Syracuse (north side) - Destiny USA (former Arbys)

Syracuse (west side) - former Subway, Onondaga Blvd.

Syracuse (east side) - former Jimmy Johns, Marshall St. (SU Hill)

Syracuse (Armory Square) - former Starbucks

East Syracuse - former Starbucks/Jimmy Johns, NY 298

Ithaca - former Starbucks, College Ave.

Cortland - NY 13 (former Naples Pizza in Riverside Plaza, across from old location)

Auburn - NY 5 (past location)

Syracuse (downtown) - Marriott Syracuse Downtown [née Hotel Syracuse] (former Café Kubal/Hardees)

Liverpool - CR 57 (former Arbys)

Fulton - NY 481 (former Nestlé site)

Oswego - NY 104 (former Ponderosa site)

Mattydale - US 11 (former Friendlys)

Oneida - NY 5 & 46 (former KFC?)

Manlius - NY 92 (former Kinney Drugs)

Baldwinsville (village) - NY 31 & 370 (former Jreck Subs)

Cicero - E Circle Dr (former Jimmy Johns)

Syracuse (south side/downtown) - S Salina St (former Burger King)

Clay - NY 31, former Subway

Dollar stores

Westminster, BC store outside Vancouver.

 For over three decades, dollar stores have been todays five and dimes.  While it's too easy now to go to Family Dollar, Dollar Tree and Dollar General, there have been others in CNY and beyond.  In the early '90s, there was All for a Dollar and Everything's $1.00.  When I moved to Dutchess County, I encountered Just a Buck.  Up the Hudson River in the Capital Region, there used to be Yankee One Dollar.  There's still Real Deals around CNY (the only indie to have the one price left) and in Syracuse we have 99¢ City (once with two stores and now just the one) and Dollar Wise which are just low priced variety stores.  Many have closeout and surplus store brand items from large chains based out of town and state.  I just worry if the expiry date is reached when the item should be binned.

In Fulton, Dollar General replaced the last surviving Woolworths in the region when it closed in 1997.  Only $1 was absorbed by Dollar Tree.  That recently merged with Family Dollar.  The pandemic economy has caused people to have to buy more at these chains, which also move in on food deserts, which have been kept in check in places such as Harris County (Houston).

With the cost of many goods going up by the day, fewer places will have it all for that little, even at the one chain as I go there and can't always find what I want when I'm on a budget.  At least there's still one kind of store that will give those looking for a bargain on everyday needs.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

West Coast location

 Wyndham Hotels and Resorts are one of the largest hotel companies in the world.  In CNY, they only have a handful of brands currently franchised (Ramada, Super 8, Days Inn, Collegian and Microtel).  I've seen and stayed at some of these and other chains of theirs (mainly in WNY as well as the tri-state and DC/VA areas).  I've done a post on Travelodge before, and how there's a former Comfort Inn/Holiday Inn in Liverpool close to the airport that could easily be filled by one of the divisions (see below), as well as a closed Best Western right near the terminal.  There's also a vacant lot down Buckley Road where an indie motel used to be.  We used to have Howard Johnson in classic form, but it closed and the abandoned property became an eyesore on Carrier Circle for years until finally demolished, where many of the other Syracuse hotels are in proximity to Hancock right off the Thruway.  Another HoJo opened on Thompson Road around the corner, but it became a local place recently.  The new Ramada in Liverpool was previously Holiday Inn, Sheraton and Randolph House.  The old one on Buckley Road a mile away was torn down as it was cramped and dated and replaced by Hiltons Hampton Inn and Suites.  Changes to I-81 would affect business, but that's for another day.  The Wyndham Garden in Buffalo near Roswell Park was formerly a DoubleTree by Hilton (normal to switch teams in the hospitality business).  The Hawthorn Suites across town was Staybridge Suites (IHG) and Springhill Suites (Marriott).

The Wyndham chains that should come to the region are:

Travelodge

Wyndham Garden

Hawthorn Suites (the latest one I stayed in; my first trip in over three years time)

la Quinta

AmericInn

Howard Johnson (would work for smaller plots.  No longer the chain with fried clams! [apart from a spun-off location in Warren County])

Also did this with the sister chain.