2008 Woodie Awards
Road Trip: Midwest town surpasses expectations
Danielle Stillman
Issue date: 10/11/07 Section: Features
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Oscar Hammerstein's lyrics certainly rang true when I made the trek up to Kansas City, Mo. during Labor Day weekend. By Saturday, I had learned that Kansas City was a beautiful, fun place with a lot of diverse things to see and do. It is home to wide oaks, shady walks and lots of public green space. Although the city is on the smaller side, it boasts the second highest number of fountains in a city, just behind Rome.
Because of its location in the near-middle of the country, Kansas City is an old railroad town. It is filled with historic buildings that Houston simply cannot match. The city's Union Station is a cavernous train depot built in 1914 that used to hold as many as 3,000 people at a time. Everything, from its impossibly high ceilings down to its miniscule details, took my breath away. Union Station is now filled with attractions and museums. The Amtrak still departs from Union Station, though the waiting room is not nearly as grand.
Union Station is home to a host of different attractions. Vintage rail cars and other train-related memorabilia give a nod to Kansas City's railroading past in a permanent exhibition called the KC Rail Experience. Also housed inside Union Station are both live and movie theaters, as well as a kid-friendly museum called Science Place. One of the restaurants inside the depot is a vintage diner, complete with Art Deco styling and a chance to sit up at the bar. It used to be the station's ticketing counter, and it offers a magnificent view of the majestic hall.
Because Kansas City has its roots in the cattle industry, visitors have to try some of its world famous barbecue while they stay in the city. Oklahoma Joe's is an internationally recognized barbecue joint, located at 47th Street and Mission Road. The restaurant playfully describes itself as "a barbecue restaurant, in a gas station, that happens to have the best sauce on the planet." It may not be terribly fancy inside, but the quality of food inspired my friend to declare her chopped beef sandwich the best she had ever had. Being from Texas, we do not hand out our compliments lightly, either.