day trip to Ikea

This was the second long distance shopping trip for me this week!  That's definitely out of the ordinary.

Mostly, I shop online...but I was feeling an urge to go up to Ikea - just outside of Cincinnati - and I convinced my older son, Chopper, to drive up there with me.

He wanted to get some legs for an Ikea storage shelf that he has, anyway.

I always like this view of Cincinnati as you approach from Kentucky...but I am afraid I didn't get a very good photo.

And here we are.  The parking lot was pretty full but the store is so enormous it wasn't crowded...until later in the day.

You start out on  the upper level. Sort of following a path, looking at showrooms, sitting on couches, opening cabinets and refrigerators, squeezing pillows. 

If there is a furniture item that you like, you write down the item number and also which isle and bin that you will find it in, downstairs in the warehouse area.

If it's a small item, you can pick it up along the way or in the "market place", also downstairs.

This is just an example of all the choices they have in chairs.   

I really wanted to take more photos to show here, but there is so much to look at ...I forgot all about taking pictures.  

They have a restaurant, and they are known for their meatballs, but neither of us were hungry yet when we got to it. We did rest our feet and have a cold soft drink.

By the time we looked at everything, loaded our purchases, grabbed a few things from the grocery section, and checked out...4 hours had passed!  Whew! 

We ate at Buffalo Wild Wings, then got on the road for home.   While we were driving, Chopper played some music from his iPod....a band named Deer Tick.  I liked them - they had an unusual style.

I bought a few housewares items.  Can you see the Swedish names on the packages? Some of them seem unpronounceable!  Anyway,  There are some throw pillow "inners" and also the covers...on  the right are dish towels, and that "jansjo" in the front is a small desk lamp. 

Whoa! Had to pick up a tray of cinnamon rolls which Ikea is also known for. Also cookies and a candy bar...but, on the right you see I bought a bag of healthy muesli cereal!

It was a fun day, but neither Chopper nor I, will be wanting to go back for a long time!