Do you have one of those places that you've always wanted to visit? Like somewhere as ethereal and exciting as Disneyland? Or maybe a tropical adventure in Hawaii? There is an abundance of unique locations to travel to, and almost everybody has a certain place written in their bucket list to go see.

For me, that magical location was Ikea.

Okay, stop, I know what you're thinking: “Out all the places in the world— you chose Ikea?” Yes, I did. Ikea may not be as dazzling as New York, England, Tokyo, or whatever, and I'll admit that. If someone were to ask you if you traveled to anywhere cool over summer break, chances are that you wouldn't get the same reaction saying you went to Ikea as you would for Disney World.

But any point on the map could be just as impressive with the right attitude. I mean, going to the city dump would be an interesting visit if you were hoping to snatch up some abandoned treasure that a stranger threw out. Of course, you'll need permission for that. I imagine that a trip to jail can only be tolerable (and that's stretching it) if you're not the one that's locked up.

I'm a person who likes to try to appreciate the small things in life. I'd love to travel to all sorts of different places, do some sightseeing, and explore when I have the chance. But let's focus back on the things that are around locally, like a glorious Ikea store.

I've seen a bunch of commercials for Ikea on TV and heard about it briefly from friends, so it piqued my interest. It wasn't too long ago that I went out with some friends to Sacramento and remembered that there was an Ikea somewhere around the city. Now, the time has finally come upon me.

Such a magical place it was.

It was so organized, so clean, so much wow.

Tables and cabinets and chairs and sofas everywhere. Little organizers, lamps, beds galore. And did you say cheap, mini tape measures? YES. BLESS.

Wait, the kids' menu is only $2.49? I can't have that? Oh... Well, I already had plans on eating out elsewhere, so I'll try out the food at the Ikea restaurant next time, then. Swedish meatballs sound good.

There's a grocery section, too? Man, Ikea has it all.

Ikea certainly has talent in their interior design and layout coordination departments. That's likely the reason why people window shop (or shop until they drop) at Ikea for so long. It wasn't even two minutes into the store that I was immediately distracted by some nice looking shelf. It's quite an impressive marketing ploy that they have going on in there. Navigating through the entire store was mentally exhausting, too. I think I had some bouts of vertigo trying to look at everything on display.

And wow, can I just have one of everything? Please and thank you.

The prices were affordable, much like the rumors that I heard from other people. Were I not strapped for space to actually put new pieces of furniture in my house, lacking a car that was big enough to transport the things that I wanted, or unwilling to pay a delivery fee, then I think I would have walked out of Ikea with a bunch of unnecessary stuff. So with those factors in my mind, I refrained from buying anything besides that adorable mini tape measure. Standing in line to pay for just one paltry thing was kind of awkward, though.

Then there'd be the whole "build-it-yourself" step to do if I did buy anything that required it. I'm not a stranger to assembling Ikea furniture; I spent a morning doing just that for a professor on campus during one of my breaks in between classes. It was fun, mildly frustrating, yet strangely satisfying once it was all put together. So I look forward to another round of furniture assembly.

My first experience walking into Ikea left me with one regret—I should've bought more stuff. In some ways Ikea is a terrifying place, at least for my wallet.

One day when I need new furniture, I intend to make a trip to Ikea, because I'd want a room with the stuff in their catalogs and showcases. I'm ready to splurge the next time I'm around there.