Updates and My IKEA Adventure!

Well, it feels like it has been a while since my last blog … the reason for my delayed next entry has to do with a few factors. First off, we did not have internet for a few days due to the fact that we aren’t actually “paying” for it. Yes, we were “borrowing” someone else’s wireless connection until one day it was gone, either they moved away or switched their network name and then password protected it. So, Mike had the brilliant idea to leave a note for our upstairs neighbor (we had met in the hall once previously) asking if she would like to share internet and the cost with us. It turns out; she was already sharing with the girl next door to her and offered for us to share as well, and said we could just give her $10 per month. So we now have ‘legitimate’, reliable internet for only $10 per month! (and people say things are way more expensive in NYC, ha!)

The second reason for the delay is due to time just flying by! Its very strange how when I don’t have any commitments I still find myself filling up the day and still not getting everything done. The apartment is almost done … and will be by Wednesday night when my mom flies in for a week-long visit. I’ve finished the painting and just have a bit more organizing to do. It will also help when my mom arrives with some of the hangers I left behind in Seattle (yes I still need more!) I will fill in more about the last few days in my next entry…

But for now, I’m going to share Mike’s and my big Ikea adventure! I really needed to go to Ikea to get some organizing boxes and gadgets for the apartment, as well as lights to install in our closets. The two Ikeas near us are either in Hicksville, Long Island or Elizabeth, NJ, near Newark airport. Hicksville Ikea would have required a subway ride to a 50-minute train ride, then a half-mile walk. Newark Ikea was a subway, to a 10-min train ride, to a bus/taxi right to the Ikea parking lot. So we opted for Newark with only one flaw in the plan … well maybe two … I had been trying to look up the NJ bus schedules from Penn Station to Ikea but every time I went on the site was down. For some reason that got into my head to mean “there are no busses from Penn station to Ikea,” so I decided we would have to take a taxi. This meant that by the time we got to Penn station I didn’t first look for the bus routes, I went straight to the curb and hailed a taxi. (And in case you were wondering, the first one I stopped agreed to take us). Mike and I sat painfully watching the taxi meter go up and up as we drove the 15 minutes to Ikea. We end up paying $27 for the ride and are were not too optimistic about the ride home. Not only did we not want to have to pay that much for another taxi back to Penn station, but Ikea is not in an area where taxis even drive by unless dropping someone off.

We have a pleasant shopping experience, dine at the Ikea café, and find quite a few things we are in need of. It is finally time to head home. We purchase two large Ikea bags to carry everything in and ask the cashier if she knows how we can call a taxi. She directs us to a payphone with transportation info posted on the wall. TA-DA! Posted next to taxi phone numbers are the bus schedules!!! We figure out which bus we need, walk out to the road and wait only 15 minutes until the bus arrives. Total cost for both of us on the bus: $4.30! MUCH cheaper than the taxi! Of course, the bus takes much longer and the route includes driving through the airport, so being that it was Friday rush hour by then, the bus got really crowded. We finally arrive home (a total of 6 hours later) and reflect on our adventure. Now, I have to let you know that Ikea offers a FREE shuttle from NY Penn Station to Ikea and back on Saturdays and Sundays. However, I read a bunch of reviews on yelp.com that warned very strongly to not go to Ikea on the weekends. After reading many people’s bad experiences I thought it would be smarter to avoid the crowds by taking our own transportation, Mike has decided though that if we ever have to go to Ikea again, we will use the free shuttle and just deal with the crowds.
Everyday I learn something new and everyday I figure out better and more efficient ways to use the subway system. Usually these learning experiences come from messing up, (getting on the wrong train, getting on an express instead of a local, not realizing two separate subway trains use the same colored line on the map, etc). But, its all been fun and I love the excitement of it all. The weather continues to be hot and humid, I continue to walk at least 3-4miles per day, Zoka continues to LOVE going for walks to the park, and Mike continues to study.