Trader Joe's Chelsea Is Finally Open!

I'd heard tale that one of the two new Manhattan Trader Joe's (on 6th Avenue at 21st Street, in half of the former Barnes & Noble space) was opening Monday. As most of the blogs seemed to be focusing on the new Theater District Shake Shack opening, I was hoping TJ's first day wouldn't be a mob scene. So, after an early dinner with friends, I decided to brave the crowds and check it out.

It was fairly crowded, so I didn't spend time perusing all the aisles, but it's much more spacious than the 14th Street location – perhaps comparable in feeling to (if not larger than) the branch on Court Street in Brooklyn. It's closer to home for me, and I'm hoping that once the other new location on 72nd and Broadway opens, the long, long lines will ease and I'll actually be able to pop in for a few quick things like at a regular grocery store. It's about time!