Kansas City 2010 Trip Report: Day 4, Nelson-Atkins Museum

In January 2010, my mother and I took the train to Kansas City, Missouri. This is part 3 (and final part) of our trip report, which includes comments from our original trip-report recipients.  

Kansas City, Nelson-Atkins Museum, Bloch Building

 

PAULA'S REPORT
 

On Wednesday, we visited the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum.  I preferred this to the Chicago Institute of Art Museum; Carol liked the Nelson-Atkins, but prefers the Chicago museum. 

Kansas City, Nelson-Atkins Museum, Bloch Building

We both loved the interior design of the Nelson-Atkins'  Bloch Building, with its clean lines and shadows and light play. 

Kansas City, Nelson-Atkins Museum, Rozelle Courtyard

We lunched at the Rozelle Court which, although it is fully interior, creates the effect of a Roman courtyard complete with central fountain and surrounding arches on two levels. Skylights are above. Carol had a club sandwich and a cup of chili; Mzuri had a trout cake salad. We shared a slice of key lime pie.

 

We agreed the museum's store is excellent. Here, too, I believe it surpasses the Chicago art museum's store. Although smaller, it has many truly creative, beautiful, interesting and affordable things. As I write this, I do believe there was not a t-shirt for sale. If I were a tea drinker, I would have snapped up an exquisitely simple tea set for two. Very clean lines, off-white color, spare curves. Carol bought a reasonably-priced art book devoted to Vermeer.

Kansas City, Nelson-Atkins Museum

This week, we're enjoying Augusta Winery's vignoles, a spicy white wine.

In the evening, some relatives joined us. We all threw together wine, beer, and carryout BBQ to make a merry get-together. There were a few sparks that flew around the topics of Facebook and the merits of Republicans, but other than that, it was convivial.

Kansas City, Nelson-Atkins Museum

Carol participated in this gathering from a prone position on the bed, eyes closed, with a quietly thoughtful expression on her face.


CAROL'S REPORT
 

6 AM Winding down..our bags are packed....we're le-a-a-v-in.  Last nights guests were a treat but I was beat - they accepted my apologies and I took to my bed and for a long time listened to the cacophony of four voices.  There was a short period when I thought I would need to rise up and separate a few.  Don't know the subject only the elevated voices - feminine, I believe which is always off-putting for the peacemaker.  That was a half a sandwich by the way.


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Kansas City, Nelson-Atkins Museum

 

 

FROM SHILO GIRL:

Glad you enjoyed the Nelson-Atkins.  I read an article in the Post Dispatch about the museum and had been looking forward to seeing it.  Pleasantly surprised you preferred it to the Chicago Institute of Art.  I was especially interested in seeing the Native American exhibits. 

Kansas City, Nelson-Atkins Museum

FROM MZURI:
The native american exhibit is smallish, but of the greatest quality.

Am now home; looking forward to a nap later this afternoon.


FROM SHILO GIRL:
a nap sounds wonderful.  if i were off i don't know if i would nap but i sure would be relaxing!

Kansas City 2010 Trip Report: Day 3

In January 2010, my mother and I took the train to Kansas City, Missouri. This is part 2 of our trip report, which includes comments from our original trip-report recipients. 

Kansas City, City Market

MZURI'S REPORT
 

Tuesday, we visited Steamboat Arabia, which is within the City Market.

In brief: Steamboat sank in Missouri River in mid-century 1800s. All contents still within, tho all humans escaped. River course changed. Boat encased in muck and mud til 1990, when museum owners dug it out. Contents preserved and on display. Sort of a snapshot in time of everyday items - many totally new at the time, as they'd been intended for mercantile stores along the river route.

I'm not all that interested in all of the minutia arrayed in the museum, although there is power in the sheer quantities of like items, e.g. boots, nails, buttons, coats, tools, etc. The thing that I like is that the individuals who unearthed all of this are still a daily part of the museum, and they introduce themselves to visitors. Also, the docent is very knowledgeable about the dig and the museum contents. I was especially interested in talking at some length with one of the textile preservationists.

There was a bit of an incident when Carol was talking to one of the museum owners, one of the men who led the whole adventurous gamble of the dig. The boat was in a field owned by a local judge (a mile south of Parkville). Carol asked about legal threats to the ownership of the boat's contents, to which the museum owner replied there were none. Carol noted that it was likely a good thing the landowner was a judge and not  "an ignorant ..... " at which time my hand suddenly, without any warning to me, shot out and struck her thigh. Carol and the gentleman looked startled, and Carol asked, "what, were you worried what I was going to say next?" I allowed as how, yes, I was. Carol asked what I thought she was going to say, and I said I didn't know, but whatever it was, it probably wasn't going to be good.

Carol might have been really angry except that only moments before, the museum owner had exclaimed that she couldn't possibly be old enough to be my mother. So Carol was like a lion who'd just eaten, willing to let small prey live.

Kansas City, City Market

I liked the City Market. There seems to have been some effort by the powers-that-be to ensure some interesting diversity there. The restaurants include: Italian, middle eastern, Vietnamese, Ethiopian, Indian, Mexican, Chinese, and American. We lunched at the middle eastern place; Carol had a chicken gyros and I had a lamb/beef one. She had a great salad with feta, olives, etc. and I had hummus with my gyros.

I picked up fresh dates at the middle eastern market, ginger at the Vietnamese market, and berbere spice at the Ethiopian restaurant. Carol picked up a used book at Auntie Em's, an antique store.

CAROL'S REPORT
 

When the gentleman said I didn't look old enough to be Mzuri's mother I was wearing the red coat.  [See Chicago trip reports for red coat reference.]

Mzuri punched my leg; it startled me and I knew she was cautioning me to watch my rhetoric which puzzled me, but am getting used to my children expecting some untoward remark made by me.  Beekeeper [Carol's 4th son] even asked me to refrain from sighs at his son's recent concert.  Anyway Mzuri explained later that she thought I was going to say "ignorant farmer" instead of what I did say which was ignorant person.  By the way, the group responsible for digging up the boat were a father and his two sons all in the family air conditioning business.  The City Market was unique - as Mzuri said many cultures and native food choices present.
 

My passport card was Discover.  Today, the Art Museum.

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FROM LABARQUE:
I love these reports. They are great escapes. Thanks for sharing them. ....I especially enjoy the two different reports.  I love Mom's clarifications.  It's the difference in the two perspectives that I find the must humorous and interesting.

Kansas City 2010 Trip Report, Days 1 and 2

In January 2010, my mother and I took the train to Kansas City, Missouri. This is part 1 of our trip report, which includes comments from our original trip-report recipients. 

Kansas City, WWI Museum, in the trenches.

MZURI'S REPORT

Our train arrived at Kansas City's Union Station on Sunday afternoon. There'd been bit of a snafu about the tickets, but we straightened all of this out when we arrived.

While at the Union Station, we had lunch at the Harvey HouseDiner, where I was accosted by a Monte Cristo sandwich (who knew?). Carol had an always-reliable reuben. As to "who knew"? Carol evidently knew, but as she'd also been assaulted by one in the past, I think she felt secretly gleeful to witness another's demise. After I'd placed my order and the server had left, she did ask coyly, "Have you ever had a Monte Cristo?" Look it up. Shows the importance of clear writing; specifically, where the word "fried" sits in the description.

We're staying at Residence Inn Downtown/Union Hill. Very pleasant, like a studio apartment. Free shuttle service within five-mile radius. Free breakfast. Free light dinner Mondays through Wednesdays. 

Kansas City, WWI Museum, in the trenches.

Yesterday, Monday, we went to the Liberty Memorial/WWI Museum. Very impressive museum. The trenches were especially vivid due to the visual design and the audios of soldiers' descriptions of their experiences in the trenches. There was a great movie that bridged the European and American sections. The movie displayed on a corridor-length wall that overlooked a battlefield diorama below. Exceptionally well-done.  One enters the museum proper by walking on a glass bridge that overlooks a "field" of 9000 poppies.

Kansas City, WWI Museum. Glass walkway over field of poppies.

Carol's father, WWI soldier

[Note: The WWI Museum has particular interest for Carol, as her father fought in that war. He didn't like to talk about his experience there, but he made it clear the war was horrific.]

 

We enjoyed a quite respectable lunch at the Over There Cafe at the museum.

In late afternoon, a former colleague of mine came by for a visit. Carol joined in for awhile, and then Donna and I went to The Brick , funkyish little bar for its Monday-night Rural Grit Happy Hour. Rural Grit is a sort-of open mic deal. Music is roots, americana, bluesy/jazzy, folksy whatever kind of stuff. Some was great, some was ok, some interesting, and some godawful. Cool vibe there, though.

Weather dreary, but as with Chicago, there is a vast difference between vacationing in KC in dismal weather versus the Lake of the Ozarks. Vast. 

[Note: A week-long stay at Lake of the Ozarks the previous year, during the winter, was deadly. Dead. Ly. Nothing to do except visit the outlet mall. In Chicago there's plenty to do regardless of weather.]


CAROL'S REPORT 
 

Accurately reported by Mzuri.  While the experience has been enjoyable, engrossing and educational I feel as if we have  been here for about a week which makes the trip very economical.  The weather, even tho gray and foggy, is mild and we walk from our second floor "suite" in the fourth building to the reception room where breakfast buffet is set up and a roaring fire and newspaper cheers us up as we enjoy the vittles.  Kansas City, Missouri, seems newer than St. Louis which, of course, is true...smaller also.  After touring the Steamboat Arabia today, we plan to find a tour bus or city bus and see more of the city.  The Residence Inn provides us with shuttle service within a five-mile perimeter which makes it only a cell phone call away at any time up to 9 PM.  By the way, the National WW1 Museum was wonderful - one of a kind as far as scope is concerned.



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FROM SHILO GIRL:

LOL.  I have heard the Monte Cristo sandwich story before.  And I believe Mom ordered it twice.  The second time to give it another chance.  I think she was enticed by the picture of the sandwich on the wall of the restaurant (in the Ameristar complex).  Humorous to hear, not so to have been the recipient of the sandwich.

 

I can picture her internally enjoying the whole deal with you, from order, to presentation, to finally the first bite!  What a hoot!  She can be so sly.

 

Sounds like you are experience some promising "must-sees" for a future trip for me!

FROM STORMY:

So very happy to receive your "report". I was having withdrawal symptoms.

Happy travels girls!

FROM JACK:
Enjoying the travelogue.  I am uncertain about references to Lake Ozark and Chicago.  I know Chicago had a snowstorm while you were there. Sounded cold and oppressive, but survivable apart from the bus drivers.  How do the three compare?  Was Lake Ozark the worst or best under these circumstances?  Anyway, enjoying immensely.  Carry on people.