Kansas City: The sad goodbye

Kansas City will forever be near and dear to my heart. First and foremost, it was the site of one of my favorite travel jobs in that first year as a travel sonographer, working for a very well known and prestigious facility and meeting some of the finest sonographers one could ever hope to meet, who really taught me a wealth of information and enhanced my skills in the process. But beyond the facility, the city itself was one that I found enthralling and I could not help to notice the wealth in this area, as evidenced by the meticulous parks and fountains and the abundant modern buildings, as well as historical ones, that make up this city’s architecture and recognizeable downtown skyline. One such building in the heart of KC is the iconic Union Station, which was opened in 1914 and is an architectural masterpiece both inside and out. Union Station still offers rail service today, as well as restaurants, museum exhibits, etc, with an interior that is ornate and picture worthy. The exterior of this train station is lit up in the color of red at Christmas-time and the interior is decorated beautifully to celebrate the holiday season. Outside the train station you can catch a ride on the Kansas City Fun Tours trolley which will take you throughout the city for an informational tour at any time of the year. This trolley company also offers a Christmas-time evening tour in December to see the Christmas lights, passing by notable homes, which at the time I was there, including the home of Patrick Mahomes, the quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs. KC is truly magical at Christmas-time. This couldn’t be more true than at the Country Club Plaza, an area that encompasses about 15 city blocks of shops and restaurants with a spanish style architecture, which are lit up with thousands of lights outlining the appearance of the buildings at night. It is a sight to behold! When I was visiting that year, there was an app-guided walking tour of Country Club Plaza, which culminated with a stop in a gift shop that was giving out expired colored light bulbs that once lit up the Country Club Plaza in a past lighting display – just a little piece of history to take home with you.

We’ve talked about fountains, BBQ, Segway and trolley tours, parks, architecture, and magnificent Christmas light displays. In a previous post, we also talked about the abundance of free museums, as well as the notorious Nelson-Atkins Art Museum, but did you know you don’t even need to step foot inside a building, to see an abundance of free art on display throughout the city, in the form of murals and sculptures? Two that really captured my eye are shown below. The city is also home to numerous breweries, as well as brewpubs that not only offer great beer, but some delicious and creative entrees as well. And for those of you that prefer dining in, City Market has got you covered. City Market is a year round, large farmer’s market with produce so perfect, you almost don’t want to cut into it. At the time I was there, I was shocked how inexpensive it was to get so much produce. In addition, there are also restaurants, a soda shop featuring individual bottles of hard to find soda from all over the country, as well as bulk spices all within this one complex. Anyone that loves to cook will love City Market!

The final thing I noticed in Kansas City on numerous evenings were the gorgeous sunsets. There is something about a midwest sunset that allows for a multitude of oranges, yellow, red, sometimes even pink and purple to light up the sky. I am not quite sure what allows for this variety of color. I have been told by one person, it may be due to the crop dust particles. Perhaps it is due to the clouds. Whatever the case, it is one of the many things that makes the midwest, and especially Kansas City, such a special place to me. Although I was sad to leave, I will carry my memories of this beautiful city with me forever!