The title of the cookbook published by the Kansas City Barbecue
Society (Barbecue...It's Not Just For Breakfast Anymore)
gives visitors an idea of what to expect when surveying the town's
restaurant options.
Kansas City, home
to dry-rub BBQ, is bursting with barbecue. Subtle and sweet, tangy
and hot, there's a strain of sauce for every palate. While early
pioneers may have moved westward from Kansas City, you can blaze a
BBQ trail from one smoky spot to the next without ever leaving town.
After a fiery feast, cool down with some smooth jazz in the city
where Count Basie, Charlie "Bird" Parker and others did some of
their own best cooking. Stroll down to the American Jazz Museum for
exhibits, a studio replica, and evenings of live jazz.
Known as the City of Fountains, Kansas City is a town split between
two states. Kansas City has been home to many U.S. icons, such as
Hallmark greeting cards, Russell Stover candies and Mr. Walt Disney.
The
Kansas City of today boasts one of the finest museums between
Chicago and California in the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. The
city's 200-plus fountains add to its cosmopolitan character, as do
the clubs and shops of Westport and Country Club Plaza. And happily,
the syncopated rhythms of jazz continue to drive the city and
provide an enjoyable link to its past.
Kansas City said goodbye to a significant part of its history when
it closed its enormous stockyards in 1991, and the decision produced
a symbolic shift in the city's economy. Today, the former cow town
boasts an expanding telecommunications industry as well as growth in
tourism, banking, finance and the service sectors.
Kansas City sprouted on the southern bank of the Missouri River, but
the city now extends in all directions, including across the
Kansas-Missouri border. Visitors will find the majority of
attractions on the Missouri side of the city, which lies on the east
side of State Line Road. Most of the initial growth was south of the
Missouri River, and this area remains the heart of Kansas City.
East-west streets are numbered, with the numbers increasing as you
travel south from the river. The River Market area is just south of
the Missouri (Second-Fifth streets). Just south of that is the
downtown area, with its art-deco skyscrapers . A little east of
downtown is the historic 18th and Vine District, birthplace of the
city's jazz scene.
South of downtown is the trendy Westport area, home to some of the
oldest buildings in the city. It falls roughly between 40th and 43rd
streets. Country Club Plaza, an upscale shopping and entertainment
district, is bordered by 47th Street on the north and Brush Creek (a
well-lit walking area with fountains, waterfalls and boat rides) on
the south. Continuing south, the neighborhood surrounding the
University of Missouri-Kansas City is known as Brookside, a leafy
area that extends through the streets numbered in the 50s and 60s.
Still farther south is the up-and-coming Waldo District.
The
extensive Powell Gardens; the River Market/City Market area; the
restored grandeur of Union Station, which includes the interactive
exhibits at Science City; the 19th-century Cathedral of the
Immaculate Conception, and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
all add to the pleasure of a visit to Kansas City.
Kansas City has a nice mix of historical sites, cultural museums and
pleasant public spaces. One of the best places to start a tour of
the city is the 18th and Vine Historic District. This historically
significant African-American neighborhood was a hotbed of jazz
players in the first half of the 20th century: a legacy that is
chronicled in places like the American Jazz Museum.
About 30 blocks northwest of 18th and Vine is the Country Club Plaza
area. A pair of art museums lies just east of the Plaza: the
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, renowned for its outstanding collection
of Asian art, and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, with
notable works by Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg.
Just
north of Kansas City is Fort Leavenworth. In operation since 1827,
it is the longest operating fort west of the Mississippi River. Its
museum and monuments allow visitors from the 21st century to touch
the Old West.
There's more history on display in Independence, a suburb just east
of Kansas City that was the home of 33rd U.S. President Harry S.
Truman. The Truman Library and the former president's home pay
homage to one of Missouri's favorite sons. Another lovely place east
of the city is Powell Gardens, a large botanical garden with
picturesque waterfalls. There are more mansions just off the parkway
in the area called Mission Hills, home to many local celebrities and
sports stars.
Kansas City is a city of carefully preserved memories and of the
ultimate in urban planning and economic progress. It has fulfilled
the words of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s song from Oklahoma:
“Everything’s up to date in Kansas City!” |
