28.04 - Day 104 - Kansas City
Sunday 28th April - Kansas City (Day 104)
The touchless pancake making machine makes a reappearance at Lotus Rose Merriam and was further impressed in the eyes of Sienna especially for the sachets of Nutella on offer.
After a hearty, if not healthy breakfast we jump on the freeway 15 minutes into KC downtown parking behind Union Station. In there we find a room with several large intricate model railways with trains steaming in all directions. It might not be a new hobby but it still fascinates the kids and impresses the adults.
The light rail running up Main Street takes us to the city market where visitors and locals alike pick and choose from the global food offerings. Loaded up with strawberries and blackberries we walked to the riverfront heritage trail along the river. The artwork is nice but there’s a lot of abandoned concrete and passing freight trains introduce the industrial nature of this city.
There are clearly efforts to smarten up the city whilst retaining its art deco buildings but the most striking following in the city and even in the farmstead yesterday is the amount of support worn for the Kansas City Chiefs. Three Super Bowl’s in four years will do that but a few people I ask say it was the same five years ago, it’s something everyone comes together for.
Kate, Sienna and Seb head to the library whilst I briefly explore a bit more on foot, the Kauffman Centre especially noteworthy. The kids have made themselves at home in the very animated kids section of the library. It scores highly on our US library list.
After collecting the car it’s 10 minutes south to the Nelson Atkins Art Museum, being free means we’re not obliged to stand and admire for hours on end instead picking a few favourites before venturing to the lawns where the world’s largest shuttlecock lies. Four of them in fact. Kansas is good fun, its gentrification / urban renewal is probably a few years behind more modern Denver but would be easy to explore more here.
After last night's success at Woodyard for BBQ, it’s hard not to go back for the same cuisine especially when I find somewhere near our hotel called RJ’s Bob-Be-Que. Snug in a faux leather booth we gorge on more meat with a hint of veg on the side for an early dinner. This then gives us time to spend an hour in the pool back at the hotel, eventually persuading the kids it’s time to go to bed.