Since I am clearly easily identified as American, I decided to embrace it and just go to Ikea.
My neighborhood, and Rome in general, has great markets and stands that sell most household products… but when you first move somewhere new, you need A LOT of stuff. To me, that means you go to a BIG store with A LOT of stuff. There is only one big store with a lot of stuff in Rome- Ikea.
I have embraced the public transportation system here. The metro and buses (when they show up) are amazingly convenient. This convenience does not apply to trips in which you acquire A LOT of stuff.
I was lucky enough that a classmate was willing to accompany me on the trek outside the city center. To get to Ikea Roma, you have to walk to the metro, then take Metro A to the end of the line, then catch a bus down the freeway. We should have kept this all in mind as we loaded up our bags, but the lure of Ikea prices was too hard to resist.
I walked out, very slowly, weighed down by two ginormous bags of not-so-light home furnishings. We got back on the bus, back on the metro and then I proceed to walk home. Very. Slowly.
Now, when you get called out for being American while doing inconspicuous things like riding the elevator? Guess how many stares you get with each increasingly excruciating step you take carrying these babies:
But I did get quite a lot of loot:
And I might have a new favorite seat in the house:
Worth it! But no way in hell am I going back to try again. I’m just going to sit right here.
I APPROVE!
Amazing seat, worth the humiliating trip, in my opinion 🙂
Olie had a British friend visit last night, and all I could talk to him about was how much better Europe is than America. I then told him to continuously email Olie once he’s back home to convince him that, we too, need to move over to the other side of the pond. See you soon! 😉
nice article, keep the posts coming
I LOVE Ikea, got so much stuff for my new flat there! It’s just as much of a trek to any one of the 3 stores in Milan (one’s pretty much impossible if you don’t have a car), and getting home on the metro piled with stuff is always a challenge!