About Jennifer Hughes
Ottawa City Editor Jennifer Hughes has an ongoing love affair with design, art, fashion and food that began many years ago with redecorating her dollhouse or staging impromptu Barbie fashion shows. Now she unearths the best of the above in our vibrant capital city.
The Swede-est Thing
capital city scene: ikea survival tips ottawa, canada
(Jan.11.12)
If you haven’t been there yet, don’t worry: it’s going to be there for a long, long time. But what are you waiting for? The giant new IKEA store is a fun adventure in shopping, eating and even people-watching. Although it’s four times the size of our old mini-IKEA, and (at least for now) the largest one in Canada, the new store is still more than manageable with the right attitude. Here are some tips that’ll help you conquer the big blue and yellow box.
Get ready to walk
If you want to see the whole store (of course you do!), it’s a long walk to follow the suggested path. If you take shortcuts, you’ll miss things and possibly get hopelessly lost. Although some might feel like a mouse in a maze, following the arrowed path is the simplest way to see it all. Inevitably there’ll be some sections that don’t interest you, so just walk quickly through these spots and be grateful for the exercise. Needless to say, comfortable shoes are a must.
Get ready to eat
While the big new restaurant dwarfs the old one, it’s still busy at peak lunch hour. Definitely plan on having lunch (or breakfast – for $1! – or dinner), but try and avoid the noon rush if possible. I’d suggest branching out from the usual meatballs. I know they’re yummy, but there’s lots more to try. And be sure to pick up some Swedish food items as you exit the store (including some of those meatballs in frozen form). And hey, the restaurant will be licensed soon.
Get ready to spend a lot of time there
This place is more of a destination than just a store. It would be darn near impossible to get in and out quickly, only picking up one or two things you were looking to buy. Aside from the fact that I get distracted and lured in by all the great stuff, the place is just so big that a quick trip is very unlikely. So I’d set aside a large chunk of the day to visit – and just enjoy.
Be sure to say hi if you see me there. I’m there a lot!