Kansas City is one of the most vibrant and exciting cities in the American Midwest. The birthplace of both jazz music and BBQ, the city is in a class of itself. Located near the exact center of the USA, KC is truly in the heart of it all, and this heartbeat doesn't stop pumping out good times and great music.
Begin your visit with a stop at Arthur Bryant's BBQ in the historic 18th and Vine district. It doesn't matter if you're not hungry, or if you're the most pious vegetarian, once you enter this small corner restaurant on 18th and Brooklyn Avenue, you'll rush to the front, zealously ordering a 5-pound plate of BBQ pulled pork and fries. It truly deserves to be your first stop - and possibly the sole reason for even visiting. If your trip ends here, you'll be quite happy. Not to say KC is bad - it's excellent - it's just that the BBQ is THAT good.
From Bryant's, head over to the Country Club Plaza to experience some of KC's best shopping and nightlife, surrounded by trendy Moorish architecture. It's a slice of Spain, albeit artificially created. The J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain ("The Big Fountain" to locals) is the centerpiece of the neighbourhood and deserves a few clicks of your camera.
Don't miss a visit to the Liberty Memorial and learn about the more-often-forgotten-than-should-be World War I. The views from here are spectacular, too, if you're not into history.
And no trip is complete without a visit to downtown Kansas City, the heart of it all, with some interesting fountains, statues, courthouses, and great art deco architecture.${QuickSuggestions} When ordering BBQ at Arthur Bryant's, be sure to ask them to "wrap it up." You'll get around 5 pounds of meat, fries, and bread, compared to the small, cheap portions of in-house plates. It's the same price, and you'll probably end up wrapping your food anyways. I usually walk out of the restaurant after eating only 1/3 of what was offered to me.
Staying downtown isn't always expensive. Most people believe staying downtown costs an arm-and-a-leg, but you'd be surprised. Since most visitors eagerly want to sleep near the trendy Country Club Plaza, where rooms can be upwards of $120 per night, downtown is often neglected, and business hotels are forced to sell off rooms at ridiculous rates. Search Priceline and you might find a room at the Radisson, Marriott, or historic Hotel Phillips for around $45 per night, as I paid at the Radisson (then Doubletree) in early 2005.${BestWay} Kansas City's metro area is served by its city bus service, The Metro. Fares are cheap enough, but service is scarce at times. Always take a map of routes to check timetables, and ask your driver when he'll be back around to pick you up. Buses run around every 30 minutes, and service is centered around the 12th and Main travel plaza in downtown Kansas City.
Arriving by plane? You can easily get into town by shuttle ($16), rental car (around $35 + taxes), or city bus (#129). The city bus does not service the airport on Sundays, but a little-known Dial-a-Bus service does exist. Call at least 24 hours ahead and schedule your pick-up time. It's a handy service, and I've used it successfully. It also doesn't stick to bus routes, which means you can tell it to come anywhere and it will. To drive from the airport, take I-29 south to downtown.
Amtrak service is frequent and fast. It's located in Union Station, just south of downtown near the Crown Center, next to the Hallmark Cards Headquarters.
Kansas City has a decent layout, with Main Street being its main route through the city, connecting downtown to Union Station to the Country Club Plaza and beyond. The Southwest Trafficway is the major north-south route through town. The Ward Parkway is the main east-west road in the south of town, connecting the Kansas suburbs of Mission and Overland Park to KC. A huge network of Interstate highways ring around the city in concentric circles, the outermost being I-435 and I-470.
From journal I'm Goin' to Kansas City, Kansas City Here I Come.