AKA: How to get to the IKEA on the European side
My husband says that going to IKEA is his personal
idea of hell.
It’s an overcrowded, maddening shopping experience.
In Istanbul, Turks often visit IKEA as a whole family.
So if you only need a few things, you must maneuver past two or three children,
mom and dad plus grandmother and maybe even a grandfather as well as an aunt or
two.
I’m not joking! I’ve been to IKEA several times here
and am amazed how Turks turn a shopping trip to an all-day family affair with a
leisurely stop at the café followed by a requisite purchase of a hot dog after
paying for unnecessary household items. I don’t view shopping at IKEA as fun
but merely out of a cruel necessity.
I recently went to IKEA at Forum with a friend since
my husband wouldn’t go. To be fair, he went twice when we moved here in 2010
and needed a large dolap and light
fixtures.
I had been looking all over this gigantic city for
simple picture frames, but everywhere I went I found gilded gold, glitzy silver
or tacky plastic frames made in China. All I wanted was simple modern, wood
frames for a couple of 5x7 photos. Was that too much to ask for? This is when I
really missed having a Target or Kohl’s nearby.
Apparently, IKEA and Euro Flora
are your two best options in Istanbul for plain picture frames. Or you can get
them handmade by one of the small frame shops that are located in practically
every neighborhood.
After my long shopping experience, I’d recommend
going to IKEA with a friend that has a car. I took the tramway from Kabataş and
then the metro from Aksaray and it took 90 minutes just to get there.
On the tram, you must exit at the Yusufpaşa stop.
Then, you walk 10 minutes, following the crowd of people, heading to the Aksaray
metro station. Why aren’t the two stations interconnected in a closer
proximity? This makes no sense.
Before you exit the tram at Yusufpaşa, you’ll also hear
the recording in Turkish and English announce that you can transfer here to get
to the Ataturk Airport. DON’T DO IT! Instead, take the tram all the way to
Zeytinburnu and then transfer to the M1 metro there if you are going to the
airport.
Once you’re on the metro at Aksaray, take it five
stops and exit at the Kartaltepe (Kocatepe) stop. From the Kocatepe metro station, there is a
walkway which leads directly to the Forum Istanbul Mall. Then, you
must wander all the way through the mall to get to the IKEA which is on the
other side.
Are you still with me?
If I had known getting picture frames was this
difficult, I might have waited until I traveled to the U.S. again and went to
Target to buy them.
By the time, my friend and I arrived at IKEA, we
were hungry for lunch. We each ordered the traditional IKEA Swedish meatballs.
Tacky? Yes, but so delicious too. The meatballs tasted just like the ones I’ve eaten
in New Jersey when I lived in NYC.
Finally, we were ready to shop.
The funny thing is you must wander through every
department - kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living room, etc. - before you arrive
at the decorating and accessory department where the picture frames are
located. Of course, this means you are likely to buy other items that you don’t
really need, which is exactly what I did.
At the end, I purchased my six, plain, black picture
frames I had been looking for all over Istanbul plus light bulbs, plastic
organizing containers, odds/ends and a kilo of Swedish meatballs.
After my shopping experience at IKEA, I learned two
valuable lessons:
1. Go
first thing in the morning to avoid the crowds and traffic.
2. Go
with a friend who drives a car.
