posted 06-02-2005 10:33            

First question: are stores closed on 7/4? I'm debating about arriving on Sat. 7/2 or Sun. 7/3. Since we won't arrive until the afternoon, I'd hate to go on 7/3 if everything will be closed on 7/4.

Second question: where should we stay? Preferrably we'd like to stay at a place where we could easily walk to shops and restaurants. This would be particularly good on the day when I have business and DH must watch the baby by himself. I've looked at various online guides but I still don't know what would be best. Would Country Club Plaza area hotels be good for us? How is the downtown area? Any other suggestions?

Third question: My research indicates the airport is located roughly 25-30 miles from Country Club Plaza area hotels -- that is the only area I've looked at. What is traffic like on a weekday? Would that mean a roughly 30 minute drive to the airport or much longer? I'm trying to figure out which flight times would work best for us.

Fourth question: Are the airport car rentals all onsite or do they require a shuttle to an off site location?

Thanks in advance for any help! I may have more questions later.

posted 06-02-2005 11:14               

quote:

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Originally posted by liubruin:
I have a business trip coming up in Kansas City in early July --I need to spend July 5 at the University of Missouri-KC. I want DH and baby to come along, so we plan to arrive in town a couple of days in advance. This will be our first trip to KC. Since we'll have 15 month old who is at that very restless age, we probably don't plan to do much other than a visit to the zoo and some shopping. I'd love to do more sightseeing and hit some of the historical places or museums, but I don't know what else we could do comfortably with a 15 month old.

First question: are stores closed on 7/4? I'm debating about arriving on Sat. 7/2 or Sun. 7/3. Since we won't arrive until the afternoon, I'd hate to go on 7/3 if everything will be closed on 7/4.

Second question: where should we stay? Preferrably we'd like to stay at a place where we could easily walk to shops and restaurants. This would be particularly good on the day when I have business and DH must watch the baby by himself. I've looked at various online guides but I still don't know what would be best. Would Country Club Plaza area hotels be good for us? How is the downtown area? Any other suggestions?

Third question: My research indicates the airport is located roughly 25-30 miles from Country Club Plaza area hotels -- that is the only area I've looked at. What is traffic like on a weekday? Would that mean a roughly 30 minute drive to the airport or much longer? I'm trying to figure out which flight times would work best for us.

Fourth question: Are the airport car rentals all onsite or do they require a shuttle to an off site location?

Thanks in advance for any help! I may have more questions later.

[This message has been edited by liubruin (edited 06-02-2005).]

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I'll see what I can do to answer your questions. While we now live in Wichita, KS. I spent many years living and working in KCMO and we still drive back to KC to fly out of their airport as the local airport in Wichita is still pretty expensive for some flights.

First, the airport. I remember when KCI (Kansas City International) was built. No one called it Kansas City International. Everyone called it Kansas City INCONVENIENCE. It is a long ways out of town. Most refered to it as halfway between St. Joseph, MO and Kansas City. It was completed in the late 60's or early 70's and I think the powers that be back then thought the city would grow in that direction. It didn't. Everything is a long drive from the airport. At least 30 minutes.

Traffic: While traffic can get heavy, the only rolling parking lot type traffic I've ever experienced is rush hour on I-70 going into downtown. There's a couple of other highways that along the MO-KS border that I've never driven during morning rush hour but I understand they can get pretty bad as well. Just avoid driving on the major highways between 6AM and 8AM going into downtown and you should be all right. It's nothing like Washington, DC or Dallas/Fort Worth in my experience. I

I-435 makes a big loop around the city. Someone needs to tell MO to repave this sucker. It's consistantly been one of the roughest roads I've driven in any city for years.

Hotel location: When we go to Kansas City, I prefer to stay in the Crown Center area but, we don't want to walk out the front door and go shopping. Crown Center does have it's own shopping mall, a ice skating rink and there is a museum (I think it's a childrens museum) at the old Union Station. Union Station is the site of a mob hit from the early part of this century and bullet holes/marks can still be seen on the side of the building. Of the hotels in this area, we prefer the Westin.

The Country Club Plaza may be more to your liking. I enjoy window shopping and hitting some of the restaurants in this area. Hotels can be expensive here and we've only spent a couple of nights at the Four Points Sheraton. It's a little off the Plaza and not to bad. I think it's the Marriott right next door to to Four Points and it would be a nicer hotel.

Shopping: Everything will be open every day you're there. MO hasn't had blue laws for a couple of decades now. The Plaza has a lot of exclusive shops but some that are very affordable like Barnes and Noble.

Retaurants: The Plaza has 'em. Everything from an Irish Pub to a Cheesecake Factory. Crown Center has a nice selection but it's mostly upscale like Morton's of Chicago.

Airport Car Rentals: Like most major airports today, all car rentals are on car rental row. They are on airport grounds but will require a shuttle ride to reach the lot.

The Zoo: The Kansas City Zoo has been one of the WORST in the nation for many years. The city just doesn't seem inclined to keep it up or make it a world class attraction. The last time we went was maybe 10 years ago and it was a disgrace. IMO, don't waste your time or money.

posted 06-03-2005 07:48               

Kansas City Roads were just named the WORST in the country. St. Louis was second or third. MODOT has screwed up the state highway funds and now they are way behind, probably too far behind to ever catch up.

The best area to stay is Overland Park, KS. Because we were from Blue Springs, we liked Lee's Summit or Blue Springs. We could normally Priceline or Hotwire something decent in Johnson County, KS also (Overland Park, Lenexa, Leawood, Shawnee Mission).

The area just south of the airport on I-29, the Tiffany Springs area, is booming, too, and very nice and new.

Downtown is scary bad. Crown Center is surrounded by scary bad. The Plaza adjoins scary bad. All that area is under revitalization.

Most airport car rentals are a shuttle ride, however, St. Jo International is a convenient airport. The rentor/driver person in your party can take the shuttle to pick up the car and then come pick the rest of you up RIGHT AT YOUR GATE. You can't do that very many places.

If the Royals are in town, they have the best fireworks display. I don't think they have discounted it since Mr. Wal Mart took over the team. We had a place we took our lawn chairs to in Blue Springs, the bank parking lot at the Woods Chapel exit, and from there we could see about a dozen fireworks displays, all at dusk/dark.

We don't miss Kansas City.

I Hotwired five areas for 7/3 checkin and 7/6 checkout and here's the results:

Country Club Plaza - 4 star- $131 per room per night
Country Club Plaza - Customer Favorite! - 3.5 Star -$116
per room per night
Country Club Plaza - 2.5 Star -$107 per room per night
Kansas City Intl Airport MCI - 3 Star - $69 per room per
night
Kansas City Intl Airport MCI - 2.5 Star -$61 per room per
night
Kansas City Intl Airport MCI - 2.5 Star -$61 per room per
night
Kansas City Intl Airport MCI - 1 star- $47 per room per
night
Lee's Summit - 2 star -$83 per room per night
Merriam - Lenexa - Olathe - 3 Star- $40 per room per night
Merriam - Lenexa - Olathe - Best Value!- 2.5 Star -$39 per
room per night
Merriam - Lenexa - Olathe - 2-star- $38 per room per night
Overland Park - 4 Star- Best Value! $83 per room per night
Overland Park - 3 Star- Customer Favorite! Best Value!
$44 per room per night
Overland Park - 2.5 Star - $90 per room per night
Overland Park - 2 Star -$50 per room per night
Overland Park - 1 Star- $58 per room per night

If it were us, knowing the areas and the likely type of hotel, we would go with the OP 3-star for $44 or the Merriam 3 and 2.5 star for $40 and $39. For upscale we would take the OP 4 star for $83.

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posted 06-03-2005 08:49            

Doug, I am very disappointed to hear that the Zoo is not worth going. One of my colleagues told me he heard the Kansas City zoo is very nice with naturalistic settings, etc. We would not want to go to a zoo with a reputation of being one of the worst in the country!

Elaine, Thanks for the restaurant recommendation. I have heard Kansas City is famous for its BBQs (among other things). I'll look into it.

posted 06-03-2005 10:11               

I grew up in western Missouri and have fond memories of visiting the KC Zoo as a child. I know it was getting run down, but there was an effort underway when I left to fix it up. While I still have family in the KC area and get back there from time to time, I haven't been to the zoo in years. You may want to get the advice of someone who has visited it recently.

Just as in any urban area, there are areas to avoid. However, I don't consider them as scary as Jim does, You will find many people walking the streets in The Plaza area at night, and The Plaza has its own security force. My grandparents and great aunt used to live south of The Plaza near UMKC, and while the area has older homes, I would not consider it run down and scary. Some of the nicest houses in KC are on Ward Parkway, just south of The Plaza. If you like staying in the suburbs, then Overland Park may be for you. However, it is like any other suburban area, and in most instances, you will be driving to shopping and restaurants. In addition, it may be a hassle driving back and forth to the UMKC campus.

posted 06-04-2005 03:39            

The Plaza, on the other hand, while not huge, is still about the best place for walking in KC.

Make sure to have some of the local specialties:

Arthur Bryant's BBQ for burnt ends
Gates BBQ for ribs and short ends
Smokestack for their mixed BBQ sandwich
Strouds for fried chicken or chicken fried steak
Stephenson's Apple Farm in Independence, MO for their Smoked Pork Chops, Apple Fritters, and Green Rice Casserole.
Shed a tear for Ruby's Soul Food, which I'm sure is no more.

posted 06-04-2005 09:33               

In this, my first post in a long time, because I felt I had a familiarity with the subject, here I am I'm doing it again.

Yes, The Plaza is lovely.

What I said is: "The Plaza adjoins scary bad."

That is accurate. We know scary when we drive through it. We lived in Kansas City for 30 years and listened to the news every day. We know where stuff happens.

If you decide to stay on the Plaza, on your drive from the airport, instead of taking Main Street south to 47th Street or I-35 to SW Trafficway to the Plaza, go three or four blocks east or a couple more east, and take The Paseo or Troost, and see how comfortable you feel.

We were there for the Plaza Flood of 1977.

I have stayed at Crown Center, which is totally self-contained. Park the car in the huge garage and stay there, or take the skywalk over to the Hyatt. We have dined at Top of the Crown and the other Crown Center restaurants. We have shopped at Crown Center. It is a tribute to Hallmark Cards.

I have stayed on the Plaza. I have had lobster and wine at the old Alameda Plaza. We have been to Plaza Lighting Cermonies. We are not strangers to the Plaza. One of our customers is an heir to JC Nichols, who developed the Plaza, as the first area of it's type in the country.

Also, not far from the Plaza, just north of it, is Westport, an area that has been a very serious problem for years and years. It is a nightlife area and beatings, rapes, robberies and murders are not unusual there. You expect them there. Since you are talking about a holiday, partying time, Westport will be hopping on Friday and Saturday night, Sunday too since Monday is the 4th.

So, yeah, things are in walking distance. It's just that you don't know for sure what you will encounter on your walk.

Downtown, Westport, Crown Center, The Plaza, belong to old Kansas City, an inner core that has been neglected through incompetent, infighting city management, just the same as the Kansas City school system, the zoo, the loss of the Big 8 to Texas, the loss of the NCAA to Indianapolis and a long list of other municipals disasters.

Kansas City is a city that has a hard time getting things right, while other, forward looking metropoliton areas do not. What is new and clean and attractive about Kansas City is in the booming suburban developments: Blue Springs and Lee's Summit to the East, the Tiffany Springs area to the north, and the greatest development, Johnson County, Kansas, including Overland Park, Leawood, Olathe, etc. There are more new business headquarters, buildings, shopping, restaurants, convention centers, meeting places, hotels and motels, etc. in the area around I-435 and Metcalf, in Overland Park, than anywhere else.

Even Kansas City, KS, and Wyandotte County, KS, long the pariah in the metro area has atracted a NASCAR race track, Cabellas, and a host of other new, popular atrractions.

Kansas City is a driving town. It is not New York City.

We would stay in Overland Park.

Have fun!

PS: I notice that for Hoc's list of restaurants, walkability will not be of much help. You will need to drive to them from wherever you stay.

Although Kansas City has a reputation for BBQ, I would put Stroud's first on the list. Family style fried chicken or pork chops would be our choice, with all the mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, etc., you can eat.

If you want steak, try Hereford House. Add Zardas to the list of BBQs. And there is a Famous Dave's over in KCKS, near Cabellas and the NASCAR track. And On the Border is in KC as well.

On the Plaza the big names are Houlihans, Plaza III, the Bristol.

KC, like everywhere, has jillions of great restaurants.

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posted 06-04-2005 12:49               

I worked at I-435 and Metcalf for a few years, and my former partner and his wife now live in that area. Yes, there are a lot of good restaurants in the nicer strip centers, including the Bristol Bar & Grill (great seafood and bisquits), which moved from the Country Club Plaza to Leawood several years ago.

We do agree on one thing, and that is Stroud's Restaurant. Besides Bryant's, it was one of my required stops the last time I visited KC. There just aren't any places for pan fried chicken served family style where I live now. However, the original location is not in the best neighborhood in south KC. Did you frequent the one north in what used to be Sandy's Oak Ridge Manor? I am also a fan of the Hereford House. I used to frequent the location just north of Crown Center.

Personally, if I were on business at UMKC, I would stay at the Country Club Plaza with my family. There are enough good restaurants there, so you would probably not have to leave the area during your stay, including Plaza III steak house that Jim mentioned. However, each to his/her own.

posted 06-05-2005 08:06               

I would not disagree about staying on the Plaza to do business at UMKC. The JC Nichols Company has done a great job of fending off the elements. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on Bruch Creek, for instance. The area has been under serious revitalization for the last ten years or so.

I just would not wander around much at night.

Edit (added):

This:

"Civic and political leaders for years have pushed for construction of a second Northland patrol station. Yet the police data indicate it's difficult to justify the investment that far north of the river.

In fact, it would have made more sense for the city to build a new police station closer to the people who live in neighborhoods where the most crime occurs.

Overwhelmingly, that's south of the river.

For instance, the Central Patrol division that covers downtown and a big part of the inner city recorded 11,650 total crimes in 2004. The East Patrol division that covers another large part of the inner city recorded 10,414 total crimes.

Those figures dwarf the North Patrol division's crime total — 6,680 in 2004."

Can be found here:
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/columnists/yael_t_abouhalkah/11737646.htm

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posted 06-05-2005 08:32               

My suggestion is to stay at the Plaza which is close to the University. I believe the Trolley, mentioned in a previous post, has been discontinued for lack of business and city participation. The wonderful Nelson Museum is a few blocks away. It is quiet, so your child can get his/het nap while you visit the museum. They also have a great lawn where you can enjoy a sunny day.

There are busses going from the Plaza to Crown Center and further on to the City Market. Your child may like to walk around in the fountains at Crown Center.

I agree with Jim regarding crime as it is being downplayed by the city.