My Mecca to Brooklyn Ikea

To say that I have been obsessing over my apartment make-over would be putting it mildly. Since deciding to stay in my apartment, I have been consumed with measuring, scheming, and list-making. I am determined to turn my 300-some odd sqft apartment into a picture of efficiency. I want a living room that doubles as a dining room for 6-8 and a guest room. I want my bedroom to double as an office. I want my kitchen to be a workspace perfectly capable of housing dinnerware and cookery devices, as well as a convenient workspace. And, above all, I want it to look clean, uncluttered and perfectly styled in mid-century modern decor. Yes, all this in around 300 sqft. Oh, and I have a very limited budget due to my mid-level employment and location in central Manhattan.

What can I say? I love a challenge. Well, actually, I would love to have a huge budget and a massive downtown loft to work with, but I have found the key to happiness is working with what you got!

I spent hours starring at my space from all angles and doing price comparison shopping online. I began with the easy stuff, purchasing decorative touches and a few towel racks from The Container Store and Bed, Bath and Beyond on 6th Avenue, but I knew to complete my mission I would have to venture out farther. I had to make the dreaded journey to Ikea.

Ikea is a magical place, full of cheap contemporary solutions, I truly love it. Unfortunately, it is off in a corner of Brooklyn and driving is not an option for me. I google-mapped it, and tried to find a way to minimize my walking, knowing full well that I would have to carry my booty home. Finally, I decided to make the trip yesterday.

Getting there was obnoxious, with the F line running on the A line and creating something of a transportation scavenger hunt for me. I didn't mind, I wasn't carrying anything heavy. I finally arrived at the massive retail store.

Going to Ikea is a bit of an out-of-body experience for me. It starts off well enough, leisurely taking in the sights and writing down item numbers. By the time I reached the Kitchen area, close to the end of the loop, I was getting a bit crazed. I had to run back downstairs for a cart because the shelving unit I found was so heavy I felt like I was dragging a dead body (it turns out, that in my haste I grabbed a bundle of 6 shelves). This was when the anxiety started. A voice in the back of my head was taunting me, asking me how the hell I thought I was going to get this shit home if I couldn't even get it through the store. Down in home-goods, as my cart began to overflow with dishes and wine glasses, the anxiety worsened as I strained to push the cart.

I finally made it down to the warehouse to find my coat-rack. I was quite crazed at this point, frantically looking for the aisle and bin that was to house my rack. It wasn't there! This item suddenly became the most important purchase of my trip, I dashed up and down the aisle looking for it. I saw a Hispanic man who was clearly doing the same. Then, under a pile of other boxes, I found it! The Tjung Rack! As I triumphantly pulled down the box, all the polls fell out. The box was open on not one side, but both! As I put the pieces back in the box, I knew it was probably a bad idea to purchase this piece, considering the fact that there were probably pieces missing. I was not to be detoured though, I had to have this rack!

At this point I was getting close to hyperventilating, probably in part due to the massive cart I was pushing. I found an empty cart to dump my unwanted purchases into. I knew that I could not likely carry all this shit and I did not want to break the bank either. I tend to black-out in Ikea, I just can't say no to the super deals and delightful finds, and being alone, there was no-one to rope me in. After much agonizing, I pushed my new, lighter cart to the checkout line.

I was in-budget, but it took me a good 20 minutes to strategically stuff to humongous Ikea bags with my finds. I decided to do the unthinkable and take the free water taxi to the Financial District and get a cab from there. I knew if I could just make it the 50 feet onto the boat, and then from the dock to the street, I might just be able to get this stuff home.

As you may remember from a previous post, I get quite sea sick, and after the uber-stressful three hour marathon in Ikea, I did not relish the idea of getting on a boat. There were a few dicey moments on that 20 minute sail, but I made it to land no worse for wear. Trying to carry the two mondo bags, one containing the open-ended rack box with the poles flying out at every step, made that 100 foot trek to the street a long one! I made it, and a cab was right there waiting for me.

Considering that I had wine glasses, dishes and heavy shelving units, all in the same bags, it is nothing short of a miracle that everything made it home in one piece. Hell, it is a miracle I made it home in one piece! I felt like Rocky as I climbed my stairs. I think I even started quietly singing Eye of the Tiger as I approached my door. I fell into the apartment, my entire body shaking from the strain, and victoriously unpacked my bags.

The rack had all it's pieces, the glassware was in one piece and my plan to turn my little apartment into a luxurious entertaining space was one step closer to fruition. One small step for those with cars, one large step for this Manhattanite!