Wanderluster of Wanderlusting: Ikea

“I look at every piece of furniture and every object as an individual sculpture.” ~ Kelly Wearstler

Ikea

Okay I might be being a tad sarcastic. But if you live in New York (or pretty much ANY city) you probably own something from Ikea. In fact it is an apartment staple. Going to the warehouse like store, which is so massive, you need a map, going home with one of those blue bags, or else waiting anxiously for them to deliver the furniture so you can happily put it together.

Did I say happily? Yup that was DEFINITE sarcasm! There is nothing happy about putting Ikea furniture together. It usually entails instructions in a hundred languages, and rarely do you find your own, missing parts, or God forbid you have EXTRA ones, and hours upon hours of constructing.

And wine.

You can NOT forget the wine!

Somehow Ikea is a right of passage for any New York.

New York Water Taxi

Joking and sarcasm aside, going to Ikea is an event in the Concrete Jungle. In order to get there you hop on the Water Taxi at Pier 11 which is right by Wall Street.

It will take you over to Brooklyn and drop you right by the Ikea store for only five dollars, and if you spend ten dollars at Ikea you get that five dollars back. (win-win!)

Anytime I take a boat is a happy occasion for this mermaid and with stunning views of the skyline of lower Manhattan and views of Brooklyn Bridge and its park.

It gives a huge sense of gratification and satisfaction for living in one of the greatest cities in the world.

My only con is that it is only twenty minutes long and it flies by as you take in the views.

The Brooklyn Store

I am not joking at the vastness! You can literally get lost. They give you maps to help you navigate your way through all the floor displays ranging from bedrooms, to kitchens, to living rooms and dining rooms, to offices and every room in between.

Let me tell you these, displays are very realistic, with empty wine bottles why do they have to be empty?) random clothes and shoes hanging from the racks (Whose is it? Someone PLEASE tell me!) And toilet seats that have clear instructions that it is for display use only.

I have lost faith in society.

It is an experience, and at times, comic relief in a place that can seem overwhelming at times.

My friend Sarah and I could not get out of the kids section fast enough!

Tags are attached to the furniture and there are papers that help you write down the numbers of the items you want.

Once you get done with the displays, you go to the warehouse where you can grab carts and load up your purchases, and then check-out. What makes Ikea so great is that they deliver. Which in the city known for walk-ups you NEED!

No one wants to lug that stuff around!

You also can not forget about the Swedish meatballs! Yes Ikea even has a restaurant! (They have everything I swear!) While I have never partaken in the joyous delicacy of Swedish meatballs, they are very well known for them.

Oh Ikea you never cease to amaze me.

Assembling

With the exception of a book shelf, and end table, all of my furniture is Ikea. Let’s just say I went through a LOT of bottles of wine, when I moved to the city.

I kid.

I have heard the horror stories of assembling Ikea furniture. Thankfully I never had that problem. (the wine really helped!)

My only issue is that the delivery kind of stinks. At the time I had a very strict schedule and they would not move the delivery day. For some odd reason it had to be delivered on a  Thursday. Thankfully I had some amazing friends who stayed at my apartment to let them in and all ended well with multiple stories to tell.

Have ou been to Ikea? Do you have an Ikea story to tell?