Ikea

What a great place. I venture out to Ikea every so often - only when I really need multiple things, because of the drive time and the time it takes to just go through Ikea. This time, I had a friend with me who had never been to Ikea before. I was glad to introduce her to Ikea, which means "God of Housewares" in ancient Swedish. Just kidding. The name is actually the initials of the founder.

My first trip to Ikea was when I was growing up and my family was living in Washington DC. We went to Ikea in Woodbridge, VA, and as a kid, the place was amazing. My parents once bought me this colorful tent and set it up in the living room of the apartment we were living in at Dupont Circle. I had so much fun as a kid playing in this tent. I loved the soft Swedish red and white striped peppermint candies that we bought at Ikea. Kids do not notice furniture and housewares too much. Toys and candy are another thing entirely! I loved Ikea even back then.

Years later, I went to the Ikea in New Haven, CT, and bought furnishings for my studio apartment in Boston. Basically everything in my apartment was from Ikea. I bought a futon and put it together with a friend in my apartment on a humid evening in early September. Later, another friend decided to jump on the futon and broke several of the wooden slats underneath the mattress.

When the Ikea in Stoughton, MA, opened, I went with friends on opening day. That was a lot of fun and it was also a complete zoo. They had many workers just outside directing people for parking, and inside was insane, but a good kind of insane - everyone was having a great time in this brand new Ikea outside of Boston! It was a hoot.

Here are a few tips for a successful trip to Ikea.

Ikea has practically everything one could ever want for the home under one roof. The store is huge, and at times, overwhelming. Go to Ikea in the morning (preferably on a weekday) when you have a lot of energy.

Decide whether or not you want to go through the showroom. Ikea is split into two parts: the showroom, and the marketplace. The showroom is where everything is on display, and the marketplace is where you buy everything.

Be sure to begin your trip to Ikea with a list of what you need. The place is so huge that you must have some sort of a list of things you are there to get.

It is easy to spend three hours in Ikea and lose track of time. It is also easy to wind up with a cart completely full of housewares. Ikea is a fun place. It's a great place to buy drinking glasses for your kitchen. The big blue Ikea bags are cheap, very durable, and they have a thousand uses.

The Ikea restaurant is great - smoked salmon and gravlax is delish, and it is a perfect place to grab a light lunch before beginning your Ikea shopping, or while taking a break from your Ikea experience.

Whenever I shop at Ikea, I end by stopping at the Ikea food shop, which is just beyond the cash registers and I pickup some Swedish food to bring home with me, and just before leaving I treat myself to one of those frozen vanilla yogurts in a cone. After walking all throughout Ikea, this tastes great, even on a chilly day.

Now for the drive home!