I’m from a small town in Vermont. We don’t have a lot when it comes to stores – we have a grocery store, and a few restaurants, that’s it. If you drive about half an hour, you can reach a Costco, Walmart, Staples, Best Buy, and a few other chain stores. One thing that Vermont is missing? IKEA.
Up until this last weekend, I had never been to IKEA before. I had heard that it was a magical wonderland filled with furniture and randomness. So, this last weekend, Shelby, Nora, 
and I decided to go on an adventure. Shelby had mapped out our trip already, and we knew that it was going to take a little while to get there. To get to IKEA (from the residence), you have to take the métro. We took the green line from Place-des-Arts to Berri-UQAM (it takes more time to wait for the train then you are on it for), and from Berri-UQAM we took the orange line to Crémazie. After about 45 minutes of travel we were half way there! After exiting the métro station, we waited for the 100 bus to take us to IKEA. After waiting for the bus for a few minutes, we had to sit on it for another half hour.
After our long journey, we were ready to eat. Having already been briefed on the IKEA cafeteria, I was ready to order. Having been to Costco many times before, I was expecting something similar to their snack bar. I was wrong. Very wrong. It was weird being in a furniture store being served on real plates, with real utensils, and using real glass cups. The meal was cheap, and really filling!
But, we didn’t go to IKEA just to eat. We started wandering around the maze that is an IKEA store. We walked through all of the furniture on the top floor (and, of course we had to test some chairs and couches). When we reached the children’s section, and we stopped for a minute to look at the toys and stuffed animals, where, subsequently, a 3 foot long shark named Lawrence, an elephant named Sherbrooke, and two dragons named Jean and Talon were purchased.
We went to the bottom floor and started to look around through all of the household things. I only wish that I 
had found IKEA sooner, and I could have done some shopping there for my apartment at the beginning of the semester.
After we went through the checkout, we had reached the food market, where a variety of Swedish items were purchased, including loganberry sauce. Then, we left to catch the bus back to the métro station. It was a long trip just to go to a store, but it was well worth it!
– Jordan Lamotte, Cyber Security Major, Fall 2013