500 Days of Summer Date: A Visit to IKEA

Before ever watching this interestingly original 2009 film, the title had me wondering if I could come up with 500 date ideas for the summer. But alas, moments after hitting play, I realized this movie starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel wasn’t about a specific season. It was about a girl, and as narrated in the very beginning, “this is a story of boy meets girl.” Summer was that girl.

And as for the 500 date ideas, I’ll save that for the future, though no promises on when you’ll see that marathon entry. This post is about one date. One that could occur in any season. As a Michigander, the instant I heard that Summer hailed from Shinnecock, Michigan, I thought, “that was it!” However, a quick Google search revealed Summer’s hometown to be one of those made-for-the-movies cities. Guess I needed a different date location after all. Bummer.

But as I watched Tom and Summer’s story unfold in a uniquely nonlinear structure of 500 days, another date idea floated to the surface. One that I couldn’t pass up. My wife would love it. And this from a guy who pretty much despises shopping in all its forms. Enter IKEA.

Ok, so even though this date could occur within any season, it would help to be within a reasonable distance from the Swedish retailer known for their ready-to-assemble furniture. Luckily, we have one situated a mere 20 miles away.

I had been to IKEA before, though it had been quite a few years (see above about being a non-shopper). In 500 Days of Summer, our lead duo does the impossible. They make IKEA look like fun. After presenting this date idea to my wife, she was pleasantly perplexed as this idea had come from my own free will. But no matter, like Indiana Jones reaching the Holy Grail, I had reached the point of no return.

Entering the enormous facility on a Tuesday evening, my wife quickly informed me about the difference between the blue and yellow bags, as well as the arrows on the floor indicating the direction to travel. Before making it too far down IKEA’s version of the yellow brick road, we agreed that it was dinnertime. After finding the café-style restaurant located on the 2nd floor, I found the food was quite tasty, yet affordable. With our hunger now satisfied, we started down the path, as if we were in a real-life game of Candyland. Strolling through the various departments we talked lots about the products, my wife often questioning if something would fit where she would like it, most notably in the toddler bed section. As for me, I mostly joked how badly I wanted a few of the large stuffed animals. I should have got that hippo.

Then, finally, we stumbled upon the model bedrooms. As badly as I wanted to reenact the 500 Days of Summer scene where the couple kiss laying down in one of the beds, my wife did one of her patented “in your dreams” type of laughs. Guess the thought of being discovered, as seen in the film, was just too much. Maybe next time…haha.

Eventually, after purchasing our loot, we reached the epic conclusion. According to my wife, you don’t leave IKEA without a tasty finale by way of an ice cream cone. Yummy! It was worth it. All jokes aside, this date was more enjoyable than I could have imagined. It was a way to connect, doing something in a location that my wife loved.

In the end, we didn’t buy nearly as much as I thought we would. Though we took some pics, including the writing down of various furniture dimensions. Which begs the question, will there be an IKEA date sequel?

Until next time, keep dating.

Brent

BUILD YOUR OWN DATE – 500 Days of Summer

Note: The following ideas all came from the movie. Feel free to use one, all, or something else. The choice is yours.

Locations:

·         IKEA

·         Movie Theater

·         Visit favorite spot in your city.

Activities:

·         Shopping at IKEA (or the website)

·         Play the Wii

·         Karaoke

·         Go to the movies.

Food:

·         IKEA’s Cafe

Brent Bonus:

·         Do what we didn’t. Kiss on one of IKEA’s beds. (Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible if you get kicked out for making out. But I must hear that story.) 😊