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Kansas City, Day 1
Jun. 27th, 2023 09:34 pmOn Tuesday (our first day without kids!), we slept in and then went and got donuts at one of the Lamar's Coffee and Donuts shops (a local chain). They were pretty much sold out of donuts, didn't have a lot of selection, and they didn't have creamer for their coffee, as the worker was kind enough to warn me. So we took our donuts to the coffee shop next door instead, which also meant we had a place to sit and eat.
Then we went to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, which is an awesome museum that I can't recommend highly enough. We meandered up the block and saw what else was in the vicinity while we waited for them to open.
The museum presents their collection with care, they have so many interesting stories and historical details and images, and they provide a really in-depth perspective of the rise and decline of the Negro Baseball Leagues. Phil also replaced his much-worn Monarchs baseball cap. Alas, our side quest to find a baseball-shaped ice cube tray was unsuccessful.
We had lunch at the nearby PeachTree Cafe'Teria, which checked off a whole bunch of "eat Southern food while in Missouri" boxes. It was located in a little strip mall next to a "we're classy, damn it" pole dancing exercise joint. I went with the 2 meats, 2 sides option and got meatloaf, baked chicken, collards, and mac & cheese. Phil got all different things except for the collards, plus he got peach pie. All the food was really good, except for the mediocre mac & cheese. We both agreed that the collards were REALLY good, which is not always the case! It was a huge barn of a place that was totally empty except for us, but then we were there at non-peak hours. They had a huge stack of to-go orders rolling out, though. It was a great choice of a place to go while in the neighborhood. Would go again, would recommend to anyone visiting the jazz and baseball museums.
After lunch, we went back to the Jazz Museum, which is next door to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. And there's a discount if you do both, although that isn't widely advertised. This...was a lot less my jam. There was a lot of jazz you could listen to, if you wanted to sit in a booth and play through the songs. And there were some interactive "listen to the difference" exhibits, where we learned that I *definitely* cannot hear the difference without help. It's a cool place, but it's probably best for people who are already musicians to some degree? And while there are interactive exhibits, they aren't the kind that would work well for kids. Their gift shop also did not have novelty ice cube trays, alas, although they did have drum and musical note wooden spoons that were tempting... And coasters of murals, which is a thing for me to remember if I ever do that mural photography project I've been pondering for ages.
On the way back to our rental, we stopped at Crown Plaza shopping center in an attempt to fulfill our side quest. The actual Missouri gift shops were *useless* when it came to novelty ice cube trays! I tell you, it's a shocking oversight. That and stylin' tank tops. Both in short supply. Who wants a t-shirt in hot weather? All that fabric. Ugh. However, there was a fancy culinary store where we acquired trays that make adorable small dolphin ice cubes and huge diamond gem ice cubes that last a shockingly long time in orange juice.
Back on the road, we also happened across a shop that just said BOOKS ! RECORDS ! RECORDS! BOOKS! in huge letters. Later we found out this was Mills Record Company (which explains the t-shirts in the racks) and Wise Blood Booksellers. This also seemed to be the gay area of Kansas City, as we saw a lot more welcoming rainbow flags there than anywhere else. This record/books store is basically the perfect combination for Phil and I, as I am happy to look at books for as long as he is happy to look at records. The book selection was extremely curated and very low on SF/fantasy, but in the used sale section I found a steampunk compendium and a little book about the Greek Art of War. And I acquired my new favorite pair of earrings here, a set of dangling knives with "Killing It" written on them.
They also had a badass ceiling mural.
For an early dinner, we went to Guy Fieri's Dive and Taco Join in the Power & Light District. Because, c'mon, Taco Tuesday. And excessive kitsch. How could we resist? It was kinda weird because there was a large performance stage ringed by restaurants that clearly do most of their business during events. And the elevators to the parking garage were locked, so we had to park and then walk around the block and go up creepy echoing stairs with some graffiti embellishments. But we persevered, because tacos.
And lo, there were tacos. And an assortment of margaritas. It was all tasty, but TBH, I think the chicken trash can nachos and the cheeseburger taco were the best. The gleeful trashiness of tex-mex americana was ... as advertised.
Then we went to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, which is an awesome museum that I can't recommend highly enough. We meandered up the block and saw what else was in the vicinity while we waited for them to open.
The museum presents their collection with care, they have so many interesting stories and historical details and images, and they provide a really in-depth perspective of the rise and decline of the Negro Baseball Leagues. Phil also replaced his much-worn Monarchs baseball cap. Alas, our side quest to find a baseball-shaped ice cube tray was unsuccessful.
We had lunch at the nearby PeachTree Cafe'Teria, which checked off a whole bunch of "eat Southern food while in Missouri" boxes. It was located in a little strip mall next to a "we're classy, damn it" pole dancing exercise joint. I went with the 2 meats, 2 sides option and got meatloaf, baked chicken, collards, and mac & cheese. Phil got all different things except for the collards, plus he got peach pie. All the food was really good, except for the mediocre mac & cheese. We both agreed that the collards were REALLY good, which is not always the case! It was a huge barn of a place that was totally empty except for us, but then we were there at non-peak hours. They had a huge stack of to-go orders rolling out, though. It was a great choice of a place to go while in the neighborhood. Would go again, would recommend to anyone visiting the jazz and baseball museums.
After lunch, we went back to the Jazz Museum, which is next door to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. And there's a discount if you do both, although that isn't widely advertised. This...was a lot less my jam. There was a lot of jazz you could listen to, if you wanted to sit in a booth and play through the songs. And there were some interactive "listen to the difference" exhibits, where we learned that I *definitely* cannot hear the difference without help. It's a cool place, but it's probably best for people who are already musicians to some degree? And while there are interactive exhibits, they aren't the kind that would work well for kids. Their gift shop also did not have novelty ice cube trays, alas, although they did have drum and musical note wooden spoons that were tempting... And coasters of murals, which is a thing for me to remember if I ever do that mural photography project I've been pondering for ages.
On the way back to our rental, we stopped at Crown Plaza shopping center in an attempt to fulfill our side quest. The actual Missouri gift shops were *useless* when it came to novelty ice cube trays! I tell you, it's a shocking oversight. That and stylin' tank tops. Both in short supply. Who wants a t-shirt in hot weather? All that fabric. Ugh. However, there was a fancy culinary store where we acquired trays that make adorable small dolphin ice cubes and huge diamond gem ice cubes that last a shockingly long time in orange juice.
Back on the road, we also happened across a shop that just said BOOKS ! RECORDS ! RECORDS! BOOKS! in huge letters. Later we found out this was Mills Record Company (which explains the t-shirts in the racks) and Wise Blood Booksellers. This also seemed to be the gay area of Kansas City, as we saw a lot more welcoming rainbow flags there than anywhere else. This record/books store is basically the perfect combination for Phil and I, as I am happy to look at books for as long as he is happy to look at records. The book selection was extremely curated and very low on SF/fantasy, but in the used sale section I found a steampunk compendium and a little book about the Greek Art of War. And I acquired my new favorite pair of earrings here, a set of dangling knives with "Killing It" written on them.
They also had a badass ceiling mural.
For an early dinner, we went to Guy Fieri's Dive and Taco Join in the Power & Light District. Because, c'mon, Taco Tuesday. And excessive kitsch. How could we resist? It was kinda weird because there was a large performance stage ringed by restaurants that clearly do most of their business during events. And the elevators to the parking garage were locked, so we had to park and then walk around the block and go up creepy echoing stairs with some graffiti embellishments. But we persevered, because tacos.
And lo, there were tacos. And an assortment of margaritas. It was all tasty, but TBH, I think the chicken trash can nachos and the cheeseburger taco were the best. The gleeful trashiness of tex-mex americana was ... as advertised.
