It’s January in Chicago. So, it’s better than February in Chicago. But, we’re itching to get out of the house. In years past, we’d bundle up for the brisk walk from the parking garage to Shedd Aquarium or The Field Museum, and then spend the day milling around. But, this year, the COVID-safe outings are limited and require advance planning to secure ticketed time slots. But, we’ve found a no-ticket-required activity that’s well worth the thirty-minute drive to the far suburbs… IKEA!
The girls weren’t so sure that they’d be down for a trip to a “big furniture store,” as I had described it, or how that could be counted as an activity. Walking across the ginormous parking lot, they were fairly certain they’d used up their walking legs. But, within the first minute of our ride up the two-story escalator to the showrooms, they were sure we were in a wonderland.
By the way, we visited IKEA on a Friday evening (rather than a weekend afternoon), and I was pleased that there were a minimal number of shoppers and plenty of open spaces.
The showrooms
IKEA has a knack for displaying “stuff.” We circled the first display – artificial plants and crisp white pots – no less than five times. Did I need an artificial plant? No. But, did I have a really hard time deciding whether I needed an artificial plant. Yes.
After the initial stuff display, we were immersed in living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms for every taste. Poppy bellowed, “I love this place!,” by the second showroom so I was pretty confident about our unusual family activity. The girls tried out chairs, planned their next house, and gleefully strolled through each and every room for over an hour.
The children’s showroom was last. Unlike the other showrooms, this has items to put in your cart (or oversized IKEA shopping bag). So, it was a great half-time stop for the kiddos who realized they’d have more luck leaving with a budget-friendly toy than the seventeen spinning chairs they’d eyed in the living rooms. The downside of the children’s showroom only being mid-way through our adventure was that once they had selected their prize, the second half was much more bo-ring (according to them).
The marketplace
We grabbed a cart and started tossing in everything we never knew we needed. We zigged through kitchen gadgets and zagged through bedding. We meandered through homewares and drifted through house plants. And, ended up with a satisfying heap of unexpected finds… none of which required assembly!
The stockroom and the checkout
The stockroom is mostly for furniture and large items, so we didn’t spend too much time here – especially since our energy was waning. The checkout line is a sweet tooth’s paradise – with Swedish gummies, cookies and cinnamon buns galore. This was another hit – especially because we were all starving after our multi-hour, step-intensive activity.
Our haul
- Favorite kid items – MÅLA (felt-tip pens) and VANDRING HARE (stuffed hare)
- Favorite kitchen item – VÅRFINT (small tray for snacks and kid meals)
- Favorite decor item – GESTALTA (artist’s figure)
- Favorite snack – KAFFEREP (cookies with chocolate filling) (I literally ate the whole roll by myself)
- Least necessary items – CACTACEAE (small cacti), HUVUDROLL (a vegetarian alternative to the IKEA meatballs)
IKEA requires masks, and I noticed staff actively cleaning surfaces. And, of course, we performed multiple rounds of the ”ABC song” while sanitizing hands in the car. Given this, I felt comfortable with our family activity, and recommend you keep IKEA in mind when you need an escape from looking at your own kitchen, couch and bed.
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