The Mighty IKEA Bus « 2 for 1 Sale

Last Books Read

(T) This Perfect Day - Like a blast from the past, I felt like a 10 year old again reading this 1970 Ira Levin sci-fi. How life might be if everything around us was controlled to be efficient and healthy. Surprisingly, nakedness and sex plays a big role...
***

(T) In Defense of Food - Eat food. Not so much. Mostly plants. An informative read on why Westerners spend so much time trying to eat right and almost always get it wrong.
****

(T)Are You There Vodka? It's me, Chelsea - The ramblings of Chelsea Handler. Pretty funny. Good candy.
****

(T) Namesake - I didn't enjoy this book. At all. I do now crave Indian food.
*

Latest Restaurants

Enoteca Barbone -Still awesome Italian/Babboo rip-off. I really like the owner, prices and pasta.
****

Slurp - New Vietnamese restaurant in LES. We were the only ones there. Comparable to Compuchea, but better and cheaper
**

SavorNY - A FoodCandy article on the wall! Tapas from around the world. Pretty good
***

Taisho Yakitori - Best in groups, Taisho is maybe my favorite restaurant in the city, currently.
*****

Clinton St Baking Company - An LES brunch favorite, the pancakes and crab cakes are some of the best we've ever had, but the line outside on a weekend make it something only worth it on the weekday.
***

Chickie Pig's - Literally across the street, Chickie Pigs servers up thin, oval-shaped pizzas in a brick oven. Focus is on the crust and not the toppings.
**

Banjara - Finally! Good Indian. Embedded in the 6th St Indian madness is Banjara with delicious curries, dosas and samosas.
***

The E.U. - A new chef prepares European comfort food including a thick and rich cassoulet, braised short ribs and Chicken and Dumplings along with a wide assortment of european beers. Very good.
***

Falai - Modern Italian. Homemade Pasta. Creative Dishes like Beet & Lobster Risotto. One of the best meals had in NYC so far.
*****

Cafe Glechik - A Ukrainian cafe in Brighton Beach known for their dumplings. Try the veal and the Siberian.
***

Rosario's Pizza - A tourist favorite of the LES, we read about this in one of our guide books. Pretty good pizza, but nothing special. Stay with the cheese.
*

Trattoria Spaghetto - Also mentioned in our guidebook, this Italian eatery actually turned out a better than expected lunch.
**

NY Noodletown - A decent Chinatown stop for Shrimp Wonton Noodle Soup. Reminds me of Canton Wonton Noodle House in Seattle
**

The Mighty IKEA Bus

Posted on February 26, 2008 by kelch25

I was dreading that moment. But alas, on the very last day the superfluous IKEA stuff that Diesel and I bought on move-in day was eligible for a return, I finally decided to bite the bullet. Yes, I found myself in no other than the famous IKEA bus.

People in NY learn how to live without a car. And businesses in NY learn how to lure shoppers by offering perks; in the case of IKEA, a FREE bus that leaves from Manhattan every weekend from 10am - 2:30pm.

After saying goodbye to Diesel (who was going to Seattle for work), I took the train to the Port Authority Terminal on 42nd St. There, at gate 11, there it was, standing in all its mightiness: The IKEA BUS.

As I rushed on board, taking the last open seat, I looked around the excited crowd, pumped up by the anticipation of buying cheap furniture and the prospect of stuffing themselves with Swedish meatballs.

Everybody, it seemed, had come with their mother, their sister, or their friend, which resulted in an animated chattering coming from all sides of the bus. People in the front seats were eagerly and diligently flipping through their IKEA catalogs, pointing out the items they wanted; others had brought cameras and were snapping pictures of the ugly buildings along the freeway, as if on vacation. The whole thing was just hilarious.

I waited in line for 20 minutes or so, and even had time to get lunch: two hot dogs for a whopping $0.50 each! When I got to the top of the line, I found out I could only get my money back if I supplied them with Diesel’s credit card number. I had no idea, so I called my mother-in-law and made her go through our online bank account and Amazon account in the hopes that either of them was linked to the said credit card. No such luck, so I ended up just taking the credit and wasting Mom Sale’s time…

The whole ordeal–bus ride + return + lunch–took about three hours. On my way back, I picked up tickets to Jersey Boys, which Diesel and I will be watching when Mom and Dad Sale come to visit in April.

This is definitely one of these NY-living experiences that I’ll remember and even cherish a few years from now. For now, though, I’ll stay away from IKEA and its packed bus. And fyi, it seems that the IKEA bus has reached international heights. Look at what I found on Google:

IKEA Bus Japan