Sunday, October 04, 2009
Suburban Magic
Yesterday I decided to throw the kids in the car and head out to Schaumburg for a little bit of the high life. We started at IKEA, of course. Well, technically we started by missing a turn on my Mapquest directions and circling around in an Old Country Buffet parking lot, but eventually we got to IKEA. We just headed towards the giant blue and yellow building.
IKEA has not changed much in the two or three years since I swore I would never return there. Still there are tons of moderately-priced, particle-board-based pieces of furniture with names like Sklorn and Parkar. Still there are throngs of moderately overweight people in mismatched Tommy Hilfiger swarming over said furniture. Still there is the unstoppable impulse to buy things one clearly will never use. I now have a teapot, despite the fact that neither I nor anyone I know drinks tea.
We also made a swing by the Woodfield Mall, where apparently no one has heard we are in a recession. I had to park approximately six miles from the front entrance, pass through a gauntlet of women receiving makeovers at the Macy's beauty department, and dodge about fifteen thousand children in the "playland" before finally reaching mall proper. There were even lines at the cash registers. It was like taking a trip back to 1997!
The day was topped off with dinner at Chili's. My only regret is that I had to skip the Megaritas because I was driving. The sooner they come up with Metra line straight from my house to the Schaumburg Chili's the better.
Yesterday I decided to throw the kids in the car and head out to Schaumburg for a little bit of the high life. We started at IKEA, of course. Well, technically we started by missing a turn on my Mapquest directions and circling around in an Old Country Buffet parking lot, but eventually we got to IKEA. We just headed towards the giant blue and yellow building.
IKEA has not changed much in the two or three years since I swore I would never return there. Still there are tons of moderately-priced, particle-board-based pieces of furniture with names like Sklorn and Parkar. Still there are throngs of moderately overweight people in mismatched Tommy Hilfiger swarming over said furniture. Still there is the unstoppable impulse to buy things one clearly will never use. I now have a teapot, despite the fact that neither I nor anyone I know drinks tea.
We also made a swing by the Woodfield Mall, where apparently no one has heard we are in a recession. I had to park approximately six miles from the front entrance, pass through a gauntlet of women receiving makeovers at the Macy's beauty department, and dodge about fifteen thousand children in the "playland" before finally reaching mall proper. There were even lines at the cash registers. It was like taking a trip back to 1997!
The day was topped off with dinner at Chili's. My only regret is that I had to skip the Megaritas because I was driving. The sooner they come up with Metra line straight from my house to the Schaumburg Chili's the better.
