Kansas City, Missouri

Having lived near KC for awhile, I would not recommend a special trip to visit it as a tourist. If you are coming anyway to visit family or on a business trip then there are some interesting things to see. But not interesting enough to make a special trip. Of course I realize that this is only my humble opinion and other posters may be more enthusiastic.

Agree with monterey bob- I think KC is a nicer city than most people would expect- but its not exactly where I would choose as a vacation spot
If wining, dining and shopping is what you like than the Plaza is great- you can go to a Royals game- and I can't think of much else.

Public transportation is not great except there are free trolleys in the Plaza area-

I have 2 places to recommend: The World War I Museum, and the Steamboat Arabia.

The WWI museum is actually our national museum, and it is certainly Smithsonian quality. I didn't expect to be so moved. Plan 1/2 day.

The Steamboat Arabia was a steamboat that sunk and was buried by silt, then in recent years located, dug up, and is being restored. It was carrying loads of goods -- looks like an 1800's WalMart. Amazing to see children's shoes, etc., in "new" condition. You could easily spend 2-3 hours.

I live in Florida, but go to KC for work (my company HQ is there). I don't recall public transportation, but then I've always had a rental car.

By the way, take the time to visit one or two of the landmark BBQ places, if you can. The city is famous for its barbeque.

Not sure what I can add to the previous posts except to agree with them...Kansas City is a nice place to live (I have lived in a suburb near it for 18 years), but visiting...not so much. I would never recommend the public transportation to anyone.

Yes, shopping and dining are great on The Plaza and I concur that the Steamboat Arabia and WWI museums are world-class. If you enjoy art museums, the Nelson-Atkins is excellent (near The Plaza) and for modern art lovers, the Kemper Museum is close by (and free!). Union Station is cool to see...wish I could recommend something to DO there, but can't.

For sports, we have Royals baseball and Chiefs football...not my thing but... There is a College Basketball Experience at the new Sprint Center downtown that's supposed to be pretty cool.

If you like live music, we have our share of decent venues, but it can be kind of hit-or-miss, depending on what kind of music you like. There is also the Kansas City Symphony and Starlight...an outdoor theater that does a series of Broadway musicals in the summertime.

Hope this helps!

I live in KC and take public transportation every day. The system isn't nearly what it could be, but as a tourist, it would be adequate and affordable. The MAX bus runs every 10 minutes between the Plaza and downtown and would get you to most of the tourist attractions and centrally-located hotels. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and the jazz museum are off to the east, so you'd have to find a different route to get to them.

I would not recommend taking the bus from the airport to downtown unless you're really short on cash because it takes much longer than driving (as far as I have ever been able to figure out). You should be able to arrange for a cab or shuttle.

The Negro Leagues museum, the Liberty Memorial and WWI museum, and the Nelson-Atkins art museum are probably our best tourist offerings. We're also known for our barbecue, but as a vegetarian, I can't give much advice in that area. Overall, I'd say you could spend a day or two here as a tourist.

My husband and I have made several weekend trips to KC. It's not as boring as some people would make it out to be. If you're a foodie, you can try many, many BBQ restaurants there. I'm a vegetarian, so I've become a fan of The Bluebird Bistro (1700 Summit St), a great quirky place for breakfast. The Blue Nile Cafe (20 E 5th St) has excellent Ehtiopian food and a very cool atmosphere (plus live music if you're lucky).

Art lover? The Nelson Atkins Art Museum is great, and the outdoor sculpture garden is fun to walk through. The Jazz Museum is worth a quick visit, and connected to it is The Blue Room (a tourist attraction, but you'll hear some great jazz there for a low price). My husband really enjoyed the Steamboat Arabia.

If you like comedy, there's a funny improv group called Monkeys Throwing Grenades. It's off the beaten path a bit and in a rough-looking area, but we had a great time there.

We used our own car to get around, and once relied on taxis. I don't know much about getting around by public transportation.

wendlegee, I have been surprised by Kansas City. There is a whole lot more there than I expected, and a pretty sizeable international presence. My company is HQ'd there, and most of my immediate workgroup is there. A bunch of them have formed the "Friday Adventure Food Club," and go to someplace interesting for lunch every Friday. Last I heard, they had really enjoyed Ethiopian food. When I go there, they have always had something for me -- Korean, Indian, BBQ, a host of things. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and never sampled such diversity -- of course, I didn't much look for it then, but I live in Orlando now and just can't find anything other than chain places near where I work.

KC is one of my favorite cities in the US.
It has one of the best regional theaters in the country with an acting school to support it.
http://www.kcrep.org/

As Wendlegee said, the Nelson Atkins is a wonderful small museum. It gets world class traveling shows.

The Westport area is interesting to explore for clubs, cafes, etc.
http://www.experiencekc.com/westport.html

You will pleasantly surprized! I also like KC - Great regional food and The plaza has some great shops and eateries -
I go for business weveral times a year - and I have also gone there for pleasure.

I have never taken the public transportation, but there are shuttles from airport into the city - I think it was $17.

I am going to Kansas City for Labor Day weekend. Got the Holiday Inn downtown for $40/night (only catch is $15/night for parking). Got great seats at the K by calling the Royals 800 number (section 120, row D!, behind the Angels dugout) for Sat and Sun. This trip really is for baseball.

The WWI museum is a must-see for me, so it is good to read the positive reviews. How is the Negro League Baseball Museum?

Might go to Independence, to the Truman Museum. Any tips on what is best to see?

Might take the tour of Kauffman Stadium if it is worthwhile.

What regional food? I have read about barbecue, but where? I took a look at what is in the Power & Light District but didn't see anything that interested me. Just need something casual with good food.

Might have to visit the steamboat because of the good reviews here. I read that it was built in Brownsville, PA, an odd little town that I am familiar with.

Have fun!

Power & Light District started with a lot of national "chain" restaurants, unfortunately, but they have recently added some good local spots...Johnny's Tavern (burgers, beer) and the Peachtree Restaurant--I've never been but as I understand it, it's Southern cooking/soul food so that might be a good possibility for you. The only BBQ in P&L is "Famous Dave's," a chain.

Hope this helps...have a good time!

Everyone (or so it seems) has a different favorite Kansas City BBQ place, but ours is Oklahoma Joe's...not too far from the Westport area, located in a gas station! Really! Anthony Bourdain just listed it as one of his 10 "must-eat" places in the US...outstandingly good, in our opinion anyway.

I love Oklahoma Joes too - I live in Oregon and order their BBQ sauce to use here and order their gift baskets for presents.

OK Joe's sounds right - with a roll of paper towels at the table. 47th & Mission. One of the top 10 restaurants in U.S. according to Anthony Bourdain. Closed Sundays, unfortunately, so maybe Saturday afternoon after WWI and before the game. There is another in Olathe, so I guess that makes them a chain, now!

Thanks for the tip.

Phew! Glad you got the info about them being closed on Sundays! Sorry I neglected to include that in my original answer. Yes, there is also one in Olathe (it's not open Sundays either!) and that's where we usually go (or get take-out from), but the original location is more unique.

I second the many great recommendations you have already received:

Downtown:
Power & Light District (new hotspot for nightlife)
College Basketball Experience
Sprint Center (check schedule)
Webster House
Arabia Steamboat museum (www.1856.com)

Crossroads/Crown Center area:
Union Station
Liberty Memorial
WWI Museum
First Friday
Grinders

Country Club Plaza area:
lots of shopping and dining options, lovely architecture
outdoor music on weekends
Nelson Atkins Museum
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art

Westport area:
lots of bars and multi-cultural restaurants
Crazy nightlife
Blanc Burgers and Bottles

18th & Vine area:
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (http://www.nlbm.com/)
Jazz Museum (www.americanjazzmuseum.com)

I would rent a car - taxis are not as plentiful here as in the cities you listed. The BBQ is great - local favorities include Gates, Arthur Bryants and Oklahoma Joes. If you want a great burger, try Blanc Burgers and Bottles in Westport (http://www.blancburgers.com/). If you happen to be here on the first Friday of the month, you might like "First Fridays" in the Crossroads district (http://kansascity.about.com/od/thearts/p/FirstFriday.htm). While in the Crossroads, check out Grinders for a great slice of pizza - and perhaps a concert (http://grinderspizza.com/index.php?/grinders/). If you like antiques, Webster House is a beautifully restored old school house loaded with beautiful (expensive!) antiques. It also has a wonderful restaurant (http://www.websterhousekc.com/index.html). I know I've left out many things, and when I think of them I'll re-post.

Have a great trip!

Got in early last night because I got on an earlier flight from Denver that had been delayed a half hour. Seemed like everybody on the flight was in a good cheerful mood (or maybe it was me projecting). But I think there were lots of people happy to get home.

I was a bit confused about the rental car setup, didn't see any counters, so I just got on the rental car bus. That bus gives an extended tour of other terminals before getting to the rental center. The bus driver was cheerful and happy to explain the setup. It will be quicker at 5AM on Monday to get from car dropoff back to terminal A.

No problem getting into the city with directions from the rental car guy. I was not prepared!

Thought I was at the Holiday Inn, but actually at Crowne Plaza. I asked the cheerful lady at checkin (this was after midnight) if she could find out my Priority Club number. Asked for a king bed but there were none. Since I was a PC member and was there for 3 nights, she said, then she would upgrade me to a suite.

This is a two-room suite with a living and bedroom. Big walkin closet, and a "sleep number" bed (interesting). Anyway, I slept until afternoon and better get my butt going.

I smile at your description of people being cheerful in K.C. I have also experienced that people there are friendly and helpful in general. Have fun! Crowne Plaza is a good location.

You are in a great location, and you lucked out with a spectacular weekend weatherwise. Someone mentioned the Peachtree Restaurant in the P&L district. It was really great food when it was in the 18th and Vine district, and you may want to check it out. Southern style food, well made. The sweet potato rolls alone are to die for.

You also mentioned going to Independence. Be aware that it is Santi-Cali-Gon (not sure I got that right) days...which makes it even more fun, but there will also be lots of people.

Enjoy your weekend here!

Greinke was great giving up 1 unearned run in 8 innings, but Lackey was not lacking giving only 1 earned run in 9 innings. Good that Greinke didn't get the loss but too bad Big John didn't get the win. Greinke's first loss of the season was by the Angels a couple of months ago, 1-0 IIRC, Joe Saunders (pitching tomorrow) won that game.

Nice ballpark! One of the nicest ones I have been to. Great fans. I learned what a chopped burnt end sandwich was and that I like them.

I went to the WWI museum. Well, to the Liberty Memorial and the two museum buildings on either side of the LM. Excellent panorama of the city skyline with Union Station in the foreground - at that was at ground level. Great view from the top of the tower reminded me of Seattle and Auckland. I was surprised by how narrow the tower was at the top - maybe 30 feet in circumference?

There is an outstanding section of a cyclorama in one of those buildings and several painted maps. The man taking tickets was happy to talk about the paintings in there. The other building had new displays showing tunics and other items from soldiers from several countries. One tunic is an Austro-Hungarian field marshall tunic. cool. They don't know who's it was but had a list of the 15 or so guys who were FMs at the time.

That was all of about 90 minutes and I could have spent another hour. At the first building the guy said not to spend to much time there because the real show was downstairs in the main museum. I already know I don't have enough time for that and will have to be there when it opens on Sunday at 10AM, then go to the ballpark for the 1PM game (might have to be late).

After the museum I went down to Oklahoma Joe's. Passed right by it because you don't generally look for restaurants in gas stations. Once I found it, though, it was certain because you could smell the bbq all around the outside.

There were about 25 or 30 people in line. I knew this was the right place for me. The old-timer in line in front of me estimated correctly that it would take about 25 to get to place our orders. He was there to get a pulled pork sandwich to share with his wife for dinner tonight and ribs for dinner tomorrow (Sunday) night. When I told him I lived in So Cal, he asked where (Orange County) and he mentioned that he had been there a few times to visit friends in Seal Beach. I live in SB. The friends lived in the Leisure World community centers.

The big size pulled pork sandwich was excellent as was the bbq sauce. The onion rings were ok. I got an "Oklahoma Joe's Athletics" t-shirt "We Smoke the Competition, it says.

From OK Joe's I went straight to the ballgame. The game was moving along so quickly that I thought I might have time to go back to Joe's before they close. But the game went 11 innings.

It was a good day.

Went back to the WWI museum and saw the main exhibits today. Spent 2.5 hours there and could have spent another, but I got it covered.

Angels won again today, of course.

Dinner was at Famous Dave's in the P&L. Ribs, chopped pork, cob corn, cornbread muffin, beans, mashed potatoes. Very tasty feast.

Nice town you've got in KC. Wish I had another day.

Thanks for the help.

Thanks for the report! So glad you had a good time...come back again someday!

Glad to see this thread since i will be going there for work this coming Monday. Will be with colleagues so not sure what we will do in the evenings but this gives me a start. Thanks.