Visiting Kansas City, MO - Suggestions?

[Eaglesfan27]

Thursday afternoon I will be flying into Kansas City, MO. I'm going there for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology's Oral Boards Examination. I will be a candidate getting examined to get my official certification in Adult Psychiatry. In any case, I fly in Thursday afternoon and I'm looking for somewhere good to eat Thursday night. I'll be registering Friday for the exam and will want some light entertainment and a good place to eat Friday night. Saturday is my exam. I'll be looking for somewhere to blow off significant pent-up anxiety and stress Saturday night. Sunday, I'll just be hanging out and looking for fun things to do in the city.

I'm staying at the hotel of the event which is the Westin Crown Center. I wish the Royals were going to be in town as I'd love to catch a game while I'm there, but they aren't home during this time block. Anyway, I'm looking for good suggestions (preferably close to the hotel for Thursday and Friday.) Thanks in advance for the suggestions.

[SackAttack]

I've only been through Kansas City a couple of times, but I can't say enough about the Smokehouse when it comes to good BBQ eatin'. Unfortunately, my KC geography isn't good enough to tell you where it is in relation to the hotel; perhaps one of our I-70 residents can help with that.

[BigJohn&TheLions]

Go to a Gates BBQ.

You will not be disappointed.

Then leave, before you spoil your visit.

[st.cronin]

KC used to have a very good jazz/blues scene. Not sure if that's still the case, but may be worth looking into.

[sterlingice]

KC just isn't much of a tourist destination. Kaufman is a great place to take in a game but with the Royals out of town, no dice. I guess if you're into historical stuff, there's the Truman Presidential Library. The Negro League Baseball Museum and American Jazz Museum (both are in the same complex) are a fun way to kill a couple of hours. The art museum (Nelson Atkins) is pretty popular but I wasn't all that thrilled with it the time I went. Best way to figure out what to do is just check a AAA guide book- as long as you're a member, you just have to flash your card and they'll give the books for free.

SI

[korme]

turn around!!

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Shorty3281

turn around!!

Turn around?

[MizzouRah]

I always eat at Jack Stack BBQ when I'm in KC.

http://jackstackbbq.com/article.asp_Q_ai_E_121

I wish you were here in St. Louis, I could have gotten you tickets to a Cardinals game.

Kaufmann stadium is a nice stadium though.

Eat some burnt ends for me. In fact, they'll bring you out samples of just about anything. Very friendly everytime I've been there.


Todd

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

I always eat at Jack Stack BBQ when I'm in KC.

http://jackstackbbq.com/article.asp_Q_ai_E_121

I wish you were here in St. Louis, I could have gotten you tickets to a Cardinals game.

Kaufmann stadium is a nice stadium though.

Eat some burnt ends for me. In fact, they'll bring you out samples of just about anything. Very friendly everytime I've been there.


Todd

Yeah, I really wish the Royals were playing at home. I want to see a game in every stadium some day, and I've heard Kaufmann is very nice. I'm really annoyed that I didn't qualify to take the boards last year. They were here in New Orleans and I could have saved myself a bunch of money. Oh well, I'm going to try to enjoy K.C. as much as possible.

[Cringer]

There is a decent size Casino (for Kansas City), a few miles north of I-70 off of I-235.

[rjolley]

Jackstack and Gates are good for BBQ. If you want cajun cuisine with good live jazz some nights, the Red Vine, across the street from the Negro League Museum and the Jazz Museum is great. There's also The Blue Room and The Peach Tree in the same area.

If you want a good steak, there's Ruth Chris, Morton's, and Hereford House. There's also McCormick and Schmick's and Pierpont's for good dining.

And, if you want something simple, there's Denny's, IHOP, MickeyD's, and many of your other chains.

Check out local.yahoo.com for addresses. The Plaza is a good area to walk around, with more places to eat and crowds, 18th and Vine for jazz.

[devaneyfan]

There are a lot of places to eat in and around the Crown Center. Milano is a good Italian place. You also take the skywalk to Union Station and eat at the steak/seafood place there. I can't remember what it's called, but it is really good. Very expensive though. (edit: rjolley knew the place: Pierpoint)

Since the Royals aren't in town, I'd head down to The Plaza at nights. Make sure you eat a meal at George Brett's. I thought the food was shit, but his silver slugger bat, gold glove, and I think his world series ring are in there. \

Also be sure to check out the Negro Leagues Musuem, etc at 18th and Vine like rjolley recommended.

I just moved from KC and those are the places that I miss. Along with Kauffman of course! Have fun!

[Eaglesfan27]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Please keep them coming. It sounds like I'll be set for food, and I just need to decide on some entertainment for Saturday night and Sunday in particular.

[dacman]

Don't know if your a soccer fan, but the KC Wizards have a home match Saturday. Probably the only sporting event in town with the Royals and T-Bones both on the road.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by dacman

Don't know if your a soccer fan, but the KC Wizards have a home match Saturday. Probably the only sporting event in town with the Royals and T-Bones both on the road.

I'm a soccer fan (thanks to FM.) What time is the match? Unless it is a night time match, I'll probably be taking my exam (which isn't guaranteed to end until 5:00 PM.)

[WSUCougar]

Not sure if you're in to this kind of thing, but I highly recommend the steamboat Arabia museum...it's remarkable.

Steamboat Arabia Museum

[the_meanstrosity]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I'm a soccer fan (thanks to FM.) What time is the match? Unless it is a night time match, I'll probably be taking my exam (which isn't guaranteed to end until 5:00 PM.)

The Wizards take on the New England Revolution at 7 PM CST on Saturday, June 11th. The game is at Arrowhead Stadium which is a great football stadium, but a horrid soccer stadium. Should be a good game regardless as these two teams are both talented. The local counties are working on a soccer complex which would be state of the art and house the Wizards. I'm hoping that comes to fruition since KC is a great soccer town with regards to youth clubs.

How long will you be in town Eaglesfan? I actually live in KC so I can give you a few thoughts on things to do while in town. If you're in town on Sunday afternoon, there's actually a group that plays dodgeball in KCK that welcomes anyone to come out.

If you were visiting in the fall you would have a few more sports options such as NFL football (Chiefs), college football (Kansas Jayhawks), and college basketball (again Jayhawks). In a couple of years there will be an arena football team and possibly either a NHL or NBA franchise.

What kind of restaurants are you looking for? There's obviously tons of BBQ which has been covered. There are some good country style restaurants as well which are great for breakfast or even brunch. There are probably more, but I don't get out to the restaurants as much as others I know. I could probably get a solid list for you.

Oh and I definitely suggest the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. It's just a fantastic way to learn about the history of baseball.

[kcchief19]

Please -- and I cannot stress this enough -- don't go to Gates BBQ. Going to Gates to get Kansas City BBQ is like going to a McDonald's in Boise for Idaho potatoes. As long as you stay away from the sliced meats, it's serviceable, but it's fast food BBQ. The most famous Kansas City BBQ places -- Gates, Arthur Bryants and KC Masterpiece -- are probably the most homogenized and drained of their spirit of all the local rib joints. Sure, their OK because KC BBQ is still pretty good when it's bad, but you can do better.

That said, if you are staying at the Westin you're within walking distance to Jack Stack, which is a great place.

As for entertainment, there is the Festa Italiana at Crown Center this weekend. It's an Italian heritage festival with food, wine and entertainment -- pretty good fun and it's at the Crown Center complex the hotel is attached to.

If you want to go where the nightlife is, grab a cab and head to The Plaza. Cabs are hard to come by in this town, but you can get one at the hotel pretty easily and the ride to The Country Club Plaza is pretty short, but I wouldn't suggest walking it. There are plenty of places to get live music, food and entertainment. You really can't go wrong anywhere there. If you want an "edgier" crowd, you can go to Westport, which is more eclectic and a younger crowd. I'm not a 22-year-old frat boy or a serial killer, so Westport has little draw for me, but it's an experience nonetheless. There's a comedy club down there and some other nightclubs, and it's not nearly as bad as I make it sound.

The Negro Leagues museum and the Jazz district is a great place to go for entertainment as well. Once again, unless you have a rental car make sure to take a cab -- it's going to look deceptively close to the hotel, but you have to go through some places you don't want to be on foot and it's a hike over some hills and a highway.

What types of entertainment are you looking for? Music, theater, sports, etc.?

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by the_meanstrosity

The Wizards take on the New England Revolution at 7 PM CST on Saturday, June 11th. The game is at Arrowhead Stadium which is a great football stadium, but a horrid soccer stadium. Should be a good game regardless as these two teams are both talented. The local counties are working on a soccer complex which would be state of the art and house the Wizards. I'm hoping that comes to fruition since KC is a great soccer town with regards to youth clubs.

How long will you be in town Eaglesfan? I actually live in KC so I can give you a few thoughts on things to do while in town. If you're in town on Sunday afternoon, there's actually a group that plays dodgeball in KCK that welcomes anyone to come out.

If you were visiting in the fall you would have a few more sports options such as NFL football (Chiefs), college football (Kansas Jayhawks), and college basketball (again Jayhawks). In a couple of years there will be an arena football team and possibly either a NHL or NBA franchise.

What kind of restaurants are you looking for? There's obviously tons of BBQ which has been covered. There are some good country style restaurants as well which are great for breakfast or even brunch. There are probably more, but I don't get out to the restaurants as much as others I know. I could probably get a solid list for you.

Oh and I definitely suggest the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. It's just a fantastic way to learn about the history of baseball.

That game sounds very appealing. I've never been to an MLS match, and this would be a good time to go. A couple of drinks and some soccer might be just the outlet after the exam

I'm staying until Monday morning, so I'll be hanging out all day Sunday. Dodgeball sounds interesting, but I'm getting slower and bigger as I get older and I question my dodging skills at this point in my life

I have a friend who is a die hard Chiefs fan, and he and I do plan on traveling to Kansas City in the fall at some point in the future. However, I didn't have much say in the timing of this trip since it is for work.

I like all types of restaurants, but I'm looking for places that are representative of the region. I've heard that BBQ is very popular up there so I plan on visiting a BBQ place at least one or two nights there. I hadn't even thought of breakfast and probably won't be going out for breakfast any day other than Sunday, so I'd certainly be interested in hearing about the best breakfast place.

The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is definitely on my list of things to do. I can't study all day Friday, and I'm planning on that being part of my light recreation early in the day.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by kcchief19

Please -- and I cannot stress this enough -- don't go to Gates BBQ. Going to Gates to get Kansas City BBQ is like going to a McDonald's in Boise for Idaho potatoes. As long as you stay away from the sliced meats, it's serviceable, but it's fast food BBQ. The most famous Kansas City BBQ places -- Gates, Arthur Bryants and KC Masterpiece -- are probably the most homogenized and drained of their spirit of all the local rib joints. Sure, their OK because KC BBQ is still pretty good when it's bad, but you can do better.

That said, if you are staying at the Westin you're within walking distance to Jack Stack, which is a great place.

As for entertainment, there is the Festa Italiana at Crown Center this weekend. It's an Italian heritage festival with food, wine and entertainment -- pretty good fun and it's at the Crown Center complex the hotel is attached to.

If you want to go where the nightlife is, grab a cab and head to The Plaza. Cabs are hard to come by in this town, but you can get one at the hotel pretty easily and the ride to The Country Club Plaza is pretty short, but I wouldn't suggest walking it. There are plenty of places to get live music, food and entertainment. You really can't go wrong anywhere there. If you want an "edgier" crowd, you can go to Westport, which is more eclectic and a younger crowd. I'm not a 22-year-old frat boy or a serial killer, so Westport has little draw for me, but it's an experience nonetheless. There's a comedy club down there and some other nightclubs, and it's not nearly as bad as I make it sound.

The Negro Leagues museum and the Jazz district is a great place to go for entertainment as well. Once again, unless you have a rental car make sure to take a cab -- it's going to look deceptively close to the hotel, but you have to go through some places you don't want to be on foot and it's a hike over some hills and a highway.

What types of entertainment are you looking for? Music, theater, sports, etc.?

Ok, I'll have to reconsider Gates as one of the places on the BBQ list. Jack Stack has definitely moved to the top of the list for one of my dinners.

The Festa Italiana sounds like a definite winner for some light entertainment Friday night assuming it has started by then. Heck, if I don't go the soccer game it might be cool to check out Saturday. My family has a bit of Italian blood and my wife is half Italian and I like Italian festivals. The proximity to the hotel sounds excellent too.

I'm not very edgy or hip. I'm a fairly sedate 30 year old who has had my wild days when I was 18-20 and don't particularly want to relive them. I'm looking for entertainment related to sports, theater, jazz music, or comedy. I really enjoy a good comedy club, and went to an excellent one when I was in Atlanta for my last business trip. The only problem is that a woman actually tried to pick me up, and I let the poor thing spend a half hour talking to me before I realized what was happening and pointed out my wedding ring. However, I'm still not adverse to trying out a good comedy club solo.

I'm not getting a rental car since I'll really only have extensive free time Saturday night and Sunday. Therefore, cabs just seem more economical. As I mentioned in my previous post, I definitely plan on checking out the Negro League and I was thinking about checking out the Jazz district Thursday night for a bit of relaxation. Thanks for the advice about the cab. I definitely don't want to wander into any really bad neighborhoods by myself.

Edit: Just re-read your post and I might check out Westport for the comedy club The plaza sounds good too.

[Eaglesfan27]

In regards to the Wizards, will I have problems getting a good seat if I just walk up before the match?

[Scarecrow]

well, since everyone else is tossing out the BBQ places:

Best ribs are at Rosedale BBQ. Not in the greatest part of town, but it's only ~3 miles from the Westin Crown Center.

Best meat would be at Arthur Bryants. If you end up going to the negro leagues baseball museum, its only about a 1/2 mi away.

Best overall BBQ (IMHO) is actually at Wabash BBQ in Excelsior Springs. But that's WAY too far (30 miles).

Best sauce is at Gates (flame away) . Its thin and spicy.

But, like everyone else has said, you can't go wrong with Jacks Stack (although I think the sauce is a bit bland)

For the ultimate KC BBQ Review, check out the G.A.S BBQ Reviews.

[rjolley]

Yeah, you're in for a fight for best city BBQ here. I like Gates and Jackstack, others can't stand them. Safest seems to be Jackstack...I think most people agree they are a good compromise. Gates, Arthur Bryants, KC Masterpiece, etc, all seem to have their fans and their harsh critics.

Hope you have a good time. It's a nice city. A bit bland overall, but has its pockets of fun.

[lighthousekeeper]

how come no one's suggested chipotle? or mr. goodcents? they're my favorites.

[the_meanstrosity]

Nah, the Wizards normally do about 10,000 - 12,000 on Saturday games so there are PLENTY of seats available. If you go to the game, it will seem empty since it's being held in a 78,000 seat football stadium. Honestly, I truly can't wait for them to build a soccer specific stadium closer to the soccer fans. You shouldn't have a problem getting seats and it shouldn't cost too much.

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

In regards to the Wizards, will I have problems getting a good seat if I just walk up before the match?

[kcchief19]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

In regards to the Wizards, will I have problems getting a good seat if I just walk up before the match?

As a local, that is a hysterical question.

Yeah, like Meanstrosity said, you shouldn't have too much of a problem. That pack a good crowd for Freddy Adu, but even then it's like 24,000 in a 78,000 seat stadium. You'll be fine.

The comedy club in Westport is Stanford's Comedy House. I'll see if I can find out what is playing.

[Eaglesfan27]

Just to clarify my reasoning for the question, I wasn't sure if they blocked off 50,000 to 60,000 seats

In any case, thanks for checking on the comedy club. I'm thinking the game and the comedy club will be perfect for the type of entertainment I'll be looking for

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

FYI....Bryant's was voted the best BBQ in KC. They gave away food from 8-5 the other day to celebrate winning the award. As one of the other posters said, it's just down the block from the Negro Leagues Museum, so it's very convienent to boot. Avoid Gates like the plague.

Quick revisits from other points:

-Soccer games are a good time. Crowds aren't huge, but the level of play is great.

-Go to the Plaza. Great food and entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights.

-Might want to head to Westport after the soccer game. Lots of hole-in-the-wall bars that really hop on Saturday nights.

-One thing that I haven't seen in this thread is that they're currently hosting an exhibit of 9-11 (Sept. 9, 2001) artifacts at Union Station. I haven't been down to see it yet, but I hear it is excellent if you haven't seen that stuff before.

-Steamboat Arabia Museum is also a big must if you have any free time. It's located in the river market on the north side of downtown. Great old stuff in that museum.



Enjoy your FM dynasty, Eagle. I'm actually limelicker in the eNFL league. Getting ready to move to Baltimore from KC in a few weeks, so you may have to return the favor and let me know about sights to see out in the Baltimore/DC/Philly area.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

FYI....Bryant's was voted the best BBQ in KC. They gave away food from 8-5 the other day to celebrate winning the award. As one of the other posters said, it's just down the block from the Negro Leagues Museum, so it's very convienent to boot. Avoid Gates like the plague.

Quick revisits from other points:

-Soccer games are a good time. Crowds aren't huge, but the level of play is great.

-Go to the Plaza. Great food and entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights.

-Might want to head to Westport after the soccer game. Lots of hole-in-the-wall bars that really hop on Saturday nights.

-One thing that I haven't seen in this thread is that they're currently hosting an exhibit of 9-11 (Sept. 9, 2001) artifacts at Union Station. I haven't been down to see it yet, but I hear it is excellent if you haven't seen that stuff before.

-Steamboat Arabia Museum is also a big must if you have any free time. It's located in the river market on the north side of downtown. Great old stuff in that museum.



Enjoy your FM dynasty, Eagle. I'm actually limelicker in the eNFL league. Getting ready to move to Baltimore from KC in a few weeks, so you may have to return the favor and let me know about sights to see out in the Baltimore/DC/Philly area.

Thanks! Definitely good suggestions here and I have a tentative plan for at least a good portion of my time in KC thanks to all of the suggestions in this thread. I'm definitely going to catch the soccer game assuming no big disasters happen on my test on Saturday.

I don't know the Baltimore or DC area that well, but I'd be glad to offer some suggestions for Philly.