The city is a bit like Durham - small in comparison to other cities. It only has four or five skyscrapers. It's laid out on a long main street with a shopping centre at each end. We started the day at the Country Club Plaza, a collection of designer shops in a hodge-podge of architectural styles, and found the tourist info where an extremely enthusiastic woman reinforced our impression that they don't see many visitors.
After looking around the boutiques and eating a disappointing organic burrito we decided to head to KC's art district, all described on a nice map from the tourist information. We jumped off the bus at the right stop to find ourselves in a no-man's land of boarded up wearhouses, empty lots and the odd antique shop. It seemed that some over-zealous city official had decided that this could be palmed off as a bohemian enclave. Despite it being deserted it actually felt very safe. Kansas City criminals aren't geared up for naive tourists wandering off the beaten track.
We escaped on the bus again back to the Crown Centre, the other shopping mall. This one is indoors and is housed around the offices of Hallmark Cards, a homegrown Kansas City company. It's as scintilating as every other indoor mall so we walked across the street to the train station. It's the second largest in the US (proudly stated by enthusiastic tourist info lady) and has been converted to hold a museum, shops and bars. Would you believe, it was happy hour?!
Despite the margarita and appletini we found the right bus to catch back to the hotel and went straight out again for dinner at Jack Stack Barbecue. Every state in the Midwest claims to have invented chargrilling, but I have to say that this ranked much higher than Memphis in our ongoing barbecue odyssey. It was also the first place in a while where I've been mistaken for a girl. "Hello ladies," the waitress said as she came to our table. "And gentlemen," she added quickly. "Don't worry, it's my long hair," I said to ease the embarrassment. "Actually it was your red top," was her not-too-diplomatic response. She was flustered.
After devouring a month's worth of meat we came back to our king sized room via Cold Stone, an ice cream parlour where they mix the sauce, toppings and cream on a huge frozen marble slab while you watch. I had an Oreo cookie shake, because there's no "I" in morbid obesity. Well, there is, but it's not a capital one.
One of the many famous fountains. Like this one, most were still drained for the winter...
Cute, but sad, sculpture.
Hannah rubs the nose of a Florentine boar...
...while David dances with a penguin. All these sculptures are meant to give the city a cultured European vibe, but it feels a bit forced.
Another, better sculpture outside the actually-really-brilliant Museum of Modern Art.
Designer chocolates. Hannah bought some.
Hannah deciphers the mysteries of the Kansas City bus system.
Inside the second largest etc. etc. train station.
Little known fact: the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in Kansas City.
Very happy hour.
Hannah at the barbecue. They brought out our coleslaw before everything else. So as not to appear rude we ate it.
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