Downtown, Kansas City

From atop this bluff in downtown Kansas City (MO) you can see the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers. It's at this point that the Mighty Missouri decides to abandon its own southward flow toward the Gulf of Mexico and instead heads almost due west to join forces with the Mississippi at a spot just above St. Louis. Explorers Lewis and Clark apparently spent a night on the hilltop while on their journey to the ocean 200 years ago. Wouldn't they be proud to know that they are remembered in the name of the "Lewis and Clark Viaduct" that links Kansas City MO with Kansas City KS?

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The first structure was for quite some time New York Life Building. Last housed for Aquila Utility, the 217,000 square feet place was renovated in 2001 for $25 million+. They now sold out due to financial concerns. The building is from 1888 era, and announced to be one of the more elaborate inside and out. The white faced columned building is the KC Library complex. It was once First National Bank of Kansas City from 1886. The inside is and was fabulous. It has white marble throughout, and dark sculpted mahogany trim.

The Chouteau Society is a local club dedicated to educating the community about the importance of French heritage in the Kansas City region. They have sponsored a series of historic markers throughout the metroplex, including this one at Lewis & Clark Point. If you expand the photo, you can read what they have to say.

What? You say that your French is a little rusty? Okay, here is a partial translation:

The French-speaking community made a significant contribution to the ultimate success of the epochal Lewis & Clark expedition. The St. Louis Chouteau brothers, fur traders Auguste and Pierre, lodged the two captains in their substantial homes many times during the winter 1803-04, and assisted them in procuring supplies, boats and personnel. Pierre acted as a downstream agent and post office for the expedition.

French voyageurs had ventured up the Missouri River for over a century before 1804. In 1742, French explorers, the Verendryes, reached an area two-thirds of the way along Lewis & Clark's route in present-day Montana. Le Page du Pratz's 1758 publication "The History of Louisiana" (with accompanying maps) was a useful resource. The Indians had told the French of the Rockies and the West, including the Great Salt Lake, and of mountains a river system leading west. . .

Captain Baptiste Deschamps and his Gallic recruits took supplies and personnel in his large red pirogue (canoe) as far as the Mandan villages in present-day North Dakota. A French-Shawnee interpreter, George Drouillard, also acted as chief hunter, arbiter of disputes, and enforcer of the two captains' orders, and Lewis praised him highly in his reports. Another French-Indian interpreter, Toussaint Charbonneau, was occasionally a problem. But his young Indian wife, Sacagawea [sic], procured from her brother, a Shoshoni chief, the indispensible horses to ride over the snow-covered mountains. Her little French-Shonshoni child, Jean-Baptiste, was with her on the entire voyage, and later returned to this area to live.

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Fall 2007 marked the opening of Kansas City's new AEG Sprint Center, a modern sports/entertainment venue located in the heart of the city. It was hoped that the new facility would bring much needed thousands of regular visitors to an area of town that previously had been ignored by those seeking shopping, entertainment and dining options. Yet the arena was constructed without any committment from a permanent tenant - Kansas City does not have the major professional sports teams (basketball or hockey) that are normally attracted to this kind of arena. Kind of risky business strategy, you could say: built it and they will come, we hope?!

But the arena has proved to be popular as a place for concerts and travelling shows: the place opened with a performance by Elton John, and Garth Brook practically moved in for a series of ten concerts that were all sold out. I do like the design of the arena: it looks like a "spaceship has landed"! It remains to be seen whether or not it will help in "landing" a major sports franchise!

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Downtown KC has undergone numerous changes in recent years, including the openings of the Sprint Center (sports and concert arena), H&R Block World Headquarters, Power & Light Entertainment District, and new printing plant for the Kansas City Star. The next new opening will surpass all the others in splendor.

Having endured many a symphony concert or opera production in cramped, out-dated quarters, I am excited about the opening of the Kauffman Performing Arts Center in 2011. This spectacular edifice, designed by Moshe Safdie, with accoustics by Yasuhisa Toyota, will contain a hall for the symphony, a second hall for the opera and ballet, as well as a smaller multi-purpose hall. The cost: $326 million, almost totally funded from private sources. The Muriel Kauffman Foundantion has led the fund drive, itself contributing well more than $100 million.For more about the PAC, visit www.kcperformingartscenter.org.

The Folly Theatre, originally named the Standard Theatre, was constructed in 1900 as a burlesque and vaudeville house. Young artists such as the Marx Brothers, Gypsy Rose Lee appeared on stage there, as well as a young actor named Humphry Bogart. In later years, "dancers" such as Sally Rand ruled the hardwoods. By 1794, the Folly had become a sordid pornogrophy palace and the place folded - doomed for the wrecking ball. Several concerned Kansas Citians rallied around the "Grand Old Lady of 12th Street." The theatre was saved, renovated, and is now the grand home of The Folly Jazz Series, Children and Family Series, Friends of Chamber Music and many performances of the Harriman Arts Series.

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Kansas City has recently spent billions of dollars renovating downtown by taking approximately a 10 block area in the heart of downtown and turning it into a revitalized shopping, eating and nightlife area. It is anchored by the Sprint Center stadium which always has a concert going on, it can range from Metallica, Lady Gaga, Lil Wayne, Garth Brooks or Paul McCartney.

Directly across the street form the Sprint center is the Kansas City Live block. This is an entire city block that faces inward to a stage with an outdoor living room in the middle, and facing inward is the first level which has bars (again facing inward toward the "living room") 9 bars in all on the first level. Then you can go upstairs and there is another level filled with clubs that again all face inward. Did I mention this is an entire city block. There is excellent nightlife downtown, just don't show up too early.

AMC movie theaters, whose headquarters resides in Kansas City, has opened one of the premier cinema suites in the country in an old theater building.

There are numerous excellent restaurants, ranging from a 24 hour southern cooking dinner to elegant steak and seafood restaurants.

Downtown is very safe, there are some smash and grabs for people who are parked on the street but violent crime is not an issue, and downtown has recently been ranked to be about as safe as the surrounding suburbs in Kansas City.

There are plenty of excellent hotels downtown as well. If you are looking to be within walking distance to the power and light district look for a hotel that is within the "downtown Loop." the loop refers to the area that is surrounded by a loop of freeways. When looking at a map of Kansas City it should become evident what the loop is. If you're fine with public transportation look for hotels that are close to the MAX (Metro Area Express). You can stay all the way out to the plaza (located about 4 miles south of downtown) or anywhere in between. One ride on the MAX costs $1.50, and you can get a day pass for $3. The MAX is a clean safe efficient way to get between all of the "fun" parts of town. Fun = where museums, historic sights, restaurants, shopping and nightlife are centered. You will have to get a cab home if you stay out late as the MAX only runs till 12:30 on weekdays and 11:30 on weekends, but a cab from Downtown to the Plaza only runs about 10-12 dollars.

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Kansas City has recently spent billions of dollars renovating downtown by taking a 10 block area in the heart of downtown and turning it into a revitalized shopping, dinning and nightlife area. It is anchored by the Sprint Center stadium which always has a concert going on, it can range from Metallica, Lady Gaga, Lil Wayne, Garth Brooks or Paul McCartney.

Directly across the street form the Sprint center is the Kansas City Live block. This is an entire city block that faces inward to a stage with an outdoor living room in the middle, and facing inward is the first level which has bars (again facing inward toward the "living room") 9 bars in all on the first level. Then you can go upstairs and there is another level filled with clubs that again all face inward, 6 clubs in all. Did I mention this is an entire city block. There is excellent nightlife downtown, just don't show up too early.

AMC movie theaters, whose headquarters resides in Kansas City, has opened one of the premier cinema suites in the country in an old theater building.

There are numerous excellent restaurants, ranging from a 24 hour southern cooking dinner to elegant steak and seafood restaurants.

Downtown is very safe, there are some smash and grabs for people who are parked on the street but violent crime is not an issue, and downtown has recently been ranked to be about as safe as the surrounding suburbs in Kansas City.

There are plenty of excellent hotels downtown as well. If you are looking to be within walking distance to the power and light district look for a hotel that is within the "downtown Loop." the loop refers to the area that is surrounded by a loop of freeways. When looking at a map of Kansas City it should become evident what the loop is. If you're fine with public transportation look for hotels that are close to the MAX (Metro Area Express). You can stay all the way out to the plaza (located about 4 miles south of downtown) or anywhere in between. One ride on the MAX costs $1.50, and you can get a day pass for $3. The MAX is a clean safe efficient way to get between all of the "fun" parts of town. Fun = where museums, historic sights, restaurants, shopping and nightlife are centered. You will have to get a cab home if you stay out late as the MAX only runs till 12:30 on weekdays and 11:30 on weekends, but a cab from Downtown to the Plaza only runs about 10-12 dollars.

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Spectacular new performing arts center, opened in 2011 and bringing Kansas City audiences beautiful, dramatic, and architecturally significant spaces for their cultural institutions: the Kansas City Symphony, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and the Kansas City Ballet. (Visiting theatrical and musical groups also use one or other of the two theatres.)

The Kaufmann Center was almost entirely funded by private contributed, spearheaded by the legendary Kaufmann family, whose fortune stemmed from the Marion Merrill Dow pharaceutical compnay. The Helzberg family, local jewelry and department store philanthropists, also made a very important contribution.

The Performing Arts Center was designed by the major Canadian architect Moshe Safdie, who is perhaps best known for his workd designing facilities for the Montreal Olympics of 1972. Here, Safdie was inspired perhaps by the Sydney Opera House, but he also was able to make ideal use of the location of the Arts Center on the crest of a gradually rising hill which provides dramatic views to the south.

I was able happily able to attend a performance of the Kansas City Symphony at the Kaufmann in March.

This shot - taken in summer 2004 - looks north across the Missouri River toward the arches of the Broadway Bridge and the Downtown Airport. I remember flying into and out of that airport before the opening of KCI in 1973.