Paris of the Plains is the nickname of Kansas City. Kansas City straddles Kansas and Missouri, and I spent most of my time on the MO side. I was in KC for a conference, but you know me, I'm going to squeeze in every ounce of fun possible. When I landed I texted Hank,
, as a cow pasture was only 100 feet away. That soon changed as I quickly learned I didn't have enough time to do it all. People often ask how I find out about things, and it's a lot of Google, Food Network,
, Hank and searching say #KansasCity on Instagram. So here we go. We
it out a ton. And I learned a trick. If Uber doesn't let you drop a pin at the airport, say because the airport has a contract with certain taxis, you can simply move the pin on Uber and then contact the driver directly and voila, you're in. Okay really, here we go.
As soon as I found out I was heading to Kansas City, I immediately searched the Royals baseball schedule and was so happy to find they were playing the Astros at home that Sunday afternoon. So, I of course planned flight times around that. I stayed at the Sheraton Crown Center in downtown, and the stadium was 20 minutes away. It was cool because it's right next to Arrowhead, their NFL stadium. What was even better is that the Royals throwback color is Carolina blue so I was all set outfit wise - the important things. Kauffman Stadium serves Boulevard, KC's local brewery, and local favorite, Belfonte Ice Cream, so two local happs got knocked off the list right away. Kansas City heat is sweltering so that ice cream was a must. The game was fun, and the Royals won, so cheers to that.
By night we trekked to Q39 for our first go at Kansas City barbecue. They specialize in burnt ends which are those little hunks of fatty love in the photo above. They were melt in your mouth delicious, and paired with that mac n' cheese, amazing. Their tea was even great too. Q39 sweetens it with simple syrup, and I couldn't get enough. First night dinner success, and the ambiance was nice too: exposed brick walls and an airy space. I would definitely recommend this place and that exact meal.
Before morning sessions I hopped a ride to Quay. It's a hip coffee spot, and the vanilla latte was spot on. They make their own syrups, and it truly was one of the most delicious lattes I've had. The vibe was cool and while inside, I spotted a girl with a locally made mason jar coffee mug with leather sleeve. That's how I souvenir shop, so I can't wait for that Etsy seller to come back from vacation.
I tried Pibb Zero while in KC, spicy cherry soda on a diet, and I'm wondering where I can score some here in NC? Seriously so good and gives Cheerwine a Midwestern run.
See there in the distance? That's Hallmark HQ right outside the hotel. I was so, so excited / had no idea they were headquartered in KC or that there was a bridge or "link" connecting us right to their front door from the hotel.
You walk through a hall of history, can meet a Hallmark artist and there is a button you press that makes a bow right before your eyes (yep, those hot pink ones in the photo above). Oh my goodness. I would go back just to hit that magic bow button. We met artist Lynn Giunta who has been lettering her heart out for 26 years in the greeting cards department. I asked if she would write something for me, and the above is now framed in our home (more on that soon in an upcoming home happenings). And let's be real, it was so much fun we went back the next day to meet Tammy Haddix, a senior artist who designs, sculpts and paints some of their holiday ornaments. So cool.
Monday evening we shopped the plaza before dinner. The plaza is beautiful and loaded with Spanish architecture - you truly feel like you've been taken right out of the Midwest. They have a Paper Source, Kate Spade and all of that good stuff - including pretty photo worthy fountains. Oh, and we shopped Crown Center too, and their home to cool store,
Halls. There I learned about an awesome local brand,
Easy, Tiger, and I want everything they have (more on that coming in home happs too).
By night... Ohhh by night. It was dinner time at Joe's (formerly known as Oklahoma Joe's for whatever reason). It was by far my favorite meal in KC and definitely slides into my top 10 favorite meals ever. The wait was about an hour and a half as they don't take reservations. The prices cheap, and this Z-Man Sandwich perfection. It's loaded with brisket, cheese and onion rings. The onion rings were on point, and the spicy coleslaw was delicious. They served local brews by Boulevard and was just all around a top-notch spot.
The next morning included the quest for the homemade pop tart. I had my first one in DC so when I saw somewhere in KC was serving them up, I was all aboard that train. Heirloom had their blueberry on deck, and it was a winner. The restaurant was very farmhouse / Anthro inspired, and it was all around an awesome breakfast place.
We also stopped at Boulevard Brewing Company, and it is such a giant brewery which makes sense because you can find a ton of their beers here in NC. Their merch shop was amazing too.
We also found time to play at the pool. Supposedly the water was One Direction water as they were swimming there earlier in the day before their concert that night. Who knows but in any event it's always a good time when you're at the pool.
The conference event Tuesday night was at the College Basketball Experience where you got to shoot around and generally be a big kid. It was a blast, and there was a huge UNC presence in many of the displays.
We had fun that night at piano bar Howl at the Moon, but it's a chain so that's all I really have to say about that. Next time I'd try Up-Down Arcade Bar. Wednesday we had lunch at Jack Stack which is one of the big five (Joe's, Q39, Jack Stack, Arthur Bryant's and Gates), but after having a meal at Joe's I fear it's impossible to top. But there's still Arthur Bryant's and Gates I haven't tried so we'll see one day. All in all a great trip and a good reminder to make the most of every single opportunity that comes your way. Thanks for an awesome time, Kansas City.
