IKEA Saint Louis

When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping. This last Saturday, there were two new shopping experiences to choose from here in the Lou. IKEA had its grand opening in midtown and the Strange Folk Festival was occurring at Union Station. We bicycled downtown, passed IKEA, where there was a line of traffic, probably extending out onto the highway, all trying to get into the parking lot. I don’t think that all those cars were all going to fit. Union Station is usually hauntingly empty these days, with most of its store fronts shuddered, but not on this day. Hundreds of artists had taken over the place and were plying their wares. Green crepe paper and fabric was hung everywhere, giving the place a festive and forested appeal. All of the stores were hashtag named, with names that spoke of nature. It was good to see this 124 year-old train station, which was then reimagined as a downtown mall, have new life breathed into it once more, if only for a weekend. The rest of the day was rather uneventful, at least until one AM, when one of our neighbors took to hammering something loudly. I can only assume that someone was trying to assemble their brand new IKEA furniture.

Strange Folk Festival – Union Station