Those clever writers at woot.com come through once again with insightful social commentary, this time on how profligate spending is somehow "patriotic."
http://www.woot.com/Blog/ViewEntry.aspx?Id=7539
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 02, 2009
Jim's Guide to Kansas City
I wrote this in response to a couple in our church who spent some vacation time in Kansas City. They're from Wisconsin and don't really know Kansas City at all. I figured I might as well post it here.
Clarification: this post is written mostly for the benefit of Kansas City outsiders who, like us, live on a budget, but have managed to scrape together funds for a "splurge" weekend in KC. Your budget may allow you to stay at the Hotel Phillips for a month. If so, this is not your guide to KC. I've included a few chain places on this list (sorry Chris), even though I support local flava whenever possible.
Here's a rundown on some of our favorites in Kansas City.
PLACES TO EAT
Downtown:
The Majestic Steakhouse ($15-30) – Steaks, pasta, and seafood. The atmosphere is old-town Kansas City class. The building was a speakeasy during prohibition, among other things. On the weekends, the Bram Wijnands Trio performs at dinnertime (Bram is one of my all-time favorite jazz pianists). Ask to sit downstairs where you can see the band.
http://www.kansascitymenus.com/majesticsteakhouse/
http://tinyurl.com/c9ym4k
The Hereford House ($20-40) - One of the great steakhouses. A Kansas City classic. I've heard it much maligned recently, but I still support it. I've only been able to afford it a few times, but every time my steak was a memorable experience (in a good way). Thanks to bigBADbobby for reminding me to include a few steakhouses!
http://tinyurl.com/b26dme
http://www.herefordhouse.com
The Peachtree Restaurant ($10-20) – In the Power and Light District next to the Sprint Center Arena (the Power and Light District has lots of other places to eat, plus a sweetastic-looking bowling alley, but we don't have good info on them yet). “Soul food with elegance.” Fried chicken, catfish, cornbread, collard greens, sweet tea, and peach cobbler. The original location off Eastwood Trafficway is one of my dad's all-time favorite places to eat.
http://tinyurl.com/bhbvo6
Arthur Bryant's Barbecue ($5-10) – Near the 18th and Vine jazz district. Bryant's is still neck-and-neck with Gates & Sons for the title of The Classic Kansas City Barbecue Place. I slightly prefer Bryant's, although if you're buying a bottle of sauce for your own purposes, go with Gates.
http://www.arthurbryantsbbq.com/
http://tinyurl.com/dgqg3q
The Happy Gillis Cafe ($3-12) - Just off the northeast corner of the Downtown loop. A really cool little cafe with yummy breakfast sandwiches and pastries, plus the best soups and sandwiches anywhere for lunchtime.
http://www.happysoupeater.com/happy_gillis.php
The Skies ($30-50 for dinner, but we just go for dessert, which is $6-10) – The rotating restaurant high atop the Hyatt Regency hotel by Crown Center. Awesome view that rotates all the way around slowly, so you see the whole thing in about an hour. Go at sunset or later.
www.hyattkc.com/skies/
Pancho's ($3-7) – Awesome, epic, huge, authentic gut-busting burritos. Open all night so you can make your heartburn worse. I've spent a large percentage of my restaurant dollars here. Get the carne asada burrito and experience true felicidad.
http://tinyurl.com/aarv9d
Town Topic ($3-7) - One of those classic 24-hour diners that kept blue-collar Americans alive through the best and worst of the twentieth century. The burgers are the famous part, and I love them in all their greasy goodness.
Southwest Boulevard/ Crossroads Arts District:
Lulu's Thai Noodles ($8-20) – Cool little Thai place on Southwest Boulevard. Good atmosphere and great food. If you like really spicy curry, order theirs and prepare to have your mouth on fire for hours. Most menu items can be made milder, though.
www.lulusnoodles.com
http://tinyurl.com/dgujh5
Manny's Mexican Restaurant ($7-15) – Authentic Mex with a real south-of-the-border atmosphere. If you can't find Manny's, just keep going down Southwest Boulevard and eat at any of the dozen or more Mexican places. They're all good.
www.mannyskc.com
http://tinyurl.com/cvphd2
Dagwood's Cafe ($4-10) - Another classic diner. Dagwood's pancakes take my prize for best-in-city, and their burgers are hard to beat. Also try the biscuits and gravy, cinnamon rolls, and breakfast sandwiches on Texas toast. Open for breakfast and lunch only.
http://tinyurl.com/b4xbkm
The Plaza/Westport:
- The Country Club Plaza (mentioned above) is a short drive south of downtown Kansas City. It's the classic romantic place to hang out in KC. Upscale shopping and dining, with the look of the Mercado in Seville, Spain. It's probably most famous for its fountains and for the Plaza Lights (during the Christmas season). You can take a gondola ride on Brush Creek, but I recommend saving that idea for the warmer months.
The Cheesecake Factory – hard to go wrong here, but I recommend just getting your dessert here. It does have the best-looking interior and exterior of any CF location I've seen, though.
The Classic Cup Cafe ($8-45, depending on when you go) – Probably my vote for best romantic place for couples in Kansas City. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but upscale and a bit spendy (especially dinner).
http://tinyurl.com/cbhcvh
http://www.classiccup.com
PF Chang's China Bistro ($7-25) – Surprisingly good Chinese place, and laid-back atmosphere, just across from the JC Nichols Fountain (the huge one with the rearing horses and such).
http://tinyurl.com/c6olcp
O'Dowd's Little Dublin ($10-20) – Irish pub with my favorite shepherd's pie ever.
http://tinyurl.com/cfc55j
Andre's Confiserie Suisse ($5-15) – A Swiss chocolatier that also serves lunch. You can go for awesome pastries and coffee for breakfast, or get lunch for around $13 per person, which includes drink and super-nice dessert.
http://tinyurl.com/dlz3pk
http://www.andreschocolates.com
Winstead's ($4-12) - A 50's-themed burgers-and-ice-cream joint and a Kansas City tradition. Their food is good, but the highlight is the Skyscraper Soda, an enormous ice cream soda that you need a buddy (or two or three) to finish.
http://tinyurl.com/d3janx
D'Bronx Pizza ($6-10 approx. per person) - Very very good New-York-style pizza. The original (and by far the coolest) location is in Westport. Other locations on the bottom floor of Crown Center, on Metcalf in Overland Park, and now on Johnson Drive in Mission.
http://www.dbronxkc.com/
Blanc Burgers and Bottles ($8-20) - Possibly the best burger I've ever eaten, although I'm willing to accept arguments from anyone willing to buy me a burger at Westport Flea Market or 5 Guys Burgers and Fries. But you do pay for it. They use seriously premium ingredients to make seriously premium burgers. The Kobe burger is excellent, but spendy. Also, they serve fries (and you can get truffle fries for an upcharge) in little shopping carts that sit on the table. And the atmosphere is very cool. The "Bottles" part is that they have tons of bottled drinks. Most are alcoholic, but they have a very wide selection of non-alcoholic bottled sodas and other interesting bottled drinks. Also, the milkshakes are made with Shatto milk and Foo's Fabulous Frozen Custard. I invented my own milkshake made with Shatto Root-Beer-Flavored Milk (which is awesome) and vanilla custard. WIN. They have recently moved from Westport to the Plaza, and have a second location in Leawood on Mission Road just north of I-435. Don't look for a Mission Road exit, though - there ain't one. Take Roe or State Line and use 103rd to get there. It's between 103rd and the highway bridge on Mission Road.
http://www.blancburgers.com/
Jerusalem Cafe ($6-15) - A middle-eastern restaurant with two Westport locations. Things like beef and lamb kabobs, falafel, baba ganoush, hummus, pita sandwiches, gyros, etc. For the price, you get a ton of food. We usually share the big complete meal for two that costs around $20, and there's enough to take some home and feed us another complete meal later!
http://www.yelp.com/biz/jerusalem-cafe-kansas-city
Other Locations:
Oklahoma Joe's Barbecue ($4-10) – The best barbecue in the world. I know you're going to try to argue, but stop. It's simply the best. These guys won the American Royal Barbecue competition several times in the nineties, and then decided, hey, why not open a restaurant? Get the pulled pork sandwich. They have the world's best fries, too. It's in a gas station, so don't let that throw you. (There's a classier-looking location now in Olathe, but go to the original.)
http://tinyurl.com/cwkjc5
Waldo Pizza ($6-20) – Good pizza, with good crust. If you're feeling the need for good basic pizza, this is your place. Or if you want to get some crazy pizza, this is also your place. One of my favorites is pizza with barbecue sauce instead of marinara sauce, topped with chicken and maraschino cherries. No, seriously. Or you can get things like pine nuts and artichoke hearts on your pizza. No, seriously.
http://tinyurl.com/bnchhk
Tatsu's ($15-35) – Possibly Cindy's favorite restaurant. French cuisine that doesn't leave you hungry when you're finished. It's kind of buried in a residential neighborhood, which can make you feel like you've taken a wrong turn somewhere when you're trying to find the place.
http://tinyurl.com/auhosn
Coffee:
The Roasterie Cafe – Has recently emerged as one of my favorites, and is now battling Toto's (RIP) for the top slot. They roast their own, and they know their stuff. Classy place, too. If you're a coffee purist, try one of their Clover coffees or the siphon-brewed coffee. Ask them about it – it's hard to explain.
http://tinyurl.com/bhuqyf
Toto's – CLOSED NOW! ALAS! RIP Toto's... you were my introduction to fine coffees, and my hometown pride. Long my favorite coffee shop (but see above), just a great little place.
http://tinyurl.com/b8kgnm
Homer's – Good coffee, and free live music on weekends. The cinnamon rolls, scones, and tiramisu are pretty great too. In the fall, they have a hot caramel cider that Cindy and her friend Maggie refer to as "liquid autumn."
http://tinyurl.com/banqzc
Benetti's – Excellent little place in Raytown, which is a recent discovery for me. They do great latte art and know how to make a traditional Italian cappuccino.
http://benettiscoffee.com/
LIVE MUSIC
The Blue Room – in the 18th and Vine Jazz District. Some of the best jazz players in the world come through this club, which is a smoke-free dedicated jazz venue attached to the Jazz Museum. Some nights are free, others have a cover charge attached. Check the calendar.
http://tinyurl.com/675yjq
The Majestic Steakhouse and other restaurants with live music are mentioned above.
The Music Hall – The place to see major touring shows, at least until the new Performing Arts Center is completed.
http://tinyurl.com/cvmbpv
The Sprint Center – The new downtown arena. Concerts from Bon Jovi to Trans-Siberian Orchestra to Coldplay. Lots of special sports events, too, and the NCAA Basketball Experience is attached. Check the calendar.
www.sprintcenter.com
The Main Street Cafe – Christian coffeehouse venue with reliably good indie/underground Christian music from The Almost to Bradley Hathaway to Derek Webb to Waterdeep.
www.mainstreetcafe.org
CULTURE
First Fridays – The Crossroads Arts District, just southwest of downtown KC, has an open gallery night on the first friday night of every month. There are street performers and lots of things to see.
http://kansascity.about.com/od/thearts/p/FirstFriday.htm
Union Station – the old train station, now refurbished and gorgeous. Houses a science museum, theaters, and traveling exhibitions.
www.unionstation.org
American Heartland Theatre – Live plays. Good ones.
http://www.ahtkc.com/
The New Theatre Restaurant – Dinner theatre. Good dinner theatre.
http://www.newtheatre.com/home.html
Crown Center – Shopping, dining, ice skating – attached to the world headquarters of Hallmark Cards.
www.crowncenter.com
River Market – The downtown farmer's market with restaurants and the Steamboat Arabia Museum attached. Walk around and find crazy stuff to buy. Free samples all over the place on Saturdays.
http://www.kansascityrivermarket.com/
MUSEUMS
Nelson Atkins Art Gallery – One of the world's premiere art galleries. Ancient to modern art from all over the world. Free, except for special exhibitions. Also, their Rozzelle Court Restaurant is a very romantic place. Ahh, memories...
http://www.nelson-atkins.org/
National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial – This is a really cool place if you're into history. Also, the tower has great views from the top. Go and just hang around outside for free, or pay to see the museum.
http://www.theworldwar.org
Kauffman Garden – A small but memorable memorial botanical garden open to the public. Within walking distance of the Nelson Atkins gallery.
http://www.powellgardens.org/default.asp?page=KauffmanMap
Powell Gardens – Botanical garden.
http://www.powellgardens.org/
PLACE TO STAY
The Raphael Hotel - ($120-200/night) - This is our favorite KC hotel. It's across Brush Creek from The Plaza, and just had a major renovation. Very romantic, if a bit spendy.
www.raphaelkc.com
This is all just scratching the surface. There are movie theaters (including IMAX), shopping malls, the Royals and Chiefs, and lots more places to eat and hang out. Have fun!
Clarification: this post is written mostly for the benefit of Kansas City outsiders who, like us, live on a budget, but have managed to scrape together funds for a "splurge" weekend in KC. Your budget may allow you to stay at the Hotel Phillips for a month. If so, this is not your guide to KC. I've included a few chain places on this list (sorry Chris), even though I support local flava whenever possible.
Here's a rundown on some of our favorites in Kansas City.
PLACES TO EAT
Downtown:
The Majestic Steakhouse ($15-30) – Steaks, pasta, and seafood. The atmosphere is old-town Kansas City class. The building was a speakeasy during prohibition, among other things. On the weekends, the Bram Wijnands Trio performs at dinnertime (Bram is one of my all-time favorite jazz pianists). Ask to sit downstairs where you can see the band.
http://www.kansascitymenus.com/majesticsteakhouse/
http://tinyurl.com/c9ym4k
The Hereford House ($20-40) - One of the great steakhouses. A Kansas City classic. I've heard it much maligned recently, but I still support it. I've only been able to afford it a few times, but every time my steak was a memorable experience (in a good way). Thanks to bigBADbobby for reminding me to include a few steakhouses!
http://tinyurl.com/b26dme
http://www.herefordhouse.com
The Peachtree Restaurant ($10-20) – In the Power and Light District next to the Sprint Center Arena (the Power and Light District has lots of other places to eat, plus a sweetastic-looking bowling alley, but we don't have good info on them yet). “Soul food with elegance.” Fried chicken, catfish, cornbread, collard greens, sweet tea, and peach cobbler. The original location off Eastwood Trafficway is one of my dad's all-time favorite places to eat.
http://tinyurl.com/bhbvo6
Arthur Bryant's Barbecue ($5-10) – Near the 18th and Vine jazz district. Bryant's is still neck-and-neck with Gates & Sons for the title of The Classic Kansas City Barbecue Place. I slightly prefer Bryant's, although if you're buying a bottle of sauce for your own purposes, go with Gates.
http://www.arthurbryantsbbq.com/
http://tinyurl.com/dgqg3q
The Happy Gillis Cafe ($3-12) - Just off the northeast corner of the Downtown loop. A really cool little cafe with yummy breakfast sandwiches and pastries, plus the best soups and sandwiches anywhere for lunchtime.
http://www.happysoupeater.com/happy_gillis.php
The Skies ($30-50 for dinner, but we just go for dessert, which is $6-10) – The rotating restaurant high atop the Hyatt Regency hotel by Crown Center. Awesome view that rotates all the way around slowly, so you see the whole thing in about an hour. Go at sunset or later.
www.hyattkc.com/skies/
Pancho's ($3-7) – Awesome, epic, huge, authentic gut-busting burritos. Open all night so you can make your heartburn worse. I've spent a large percentage of my restaurant dollars here. Get the carne asada burrito and experience true felicidad.
http://tinyurl.com/aarv9d
Town Topic ($3-7) - One of those classic 24-hour diners that kept blue-collar Americans alive through the best and worst of the twentieth century. The burgers are the famous part, and I love them in all their greasy goodness.
Southwest Boulevard/ Crossroads Arts District:
Lulu's Thai Noodles ($8-20) – Cool little Thai place on Southwest Boulevard. Good atmosphere and great food. If you like really spicy curry, order theirs and prepare to have your mouth on fire for hours. Most menu items can be made milder, though.
www.lulusnoodles.com
http://tinyurl.com/dgujh5
Manny's Mexican Restaurant ($7-15) – Authentic Mex with a real south-of-the-border atmosphere. If you can't find Manny's, just keep going down Southwest Boulevard and eat at any of the dozen or more Mexican places. They're all good.
www.mannyskc.com
http://tinyurl.com/cvphd2
Dagwood's Cafe ($4-10) - Another classic diner. Dagwood's pancakes take my prize for best-in-city, and their burgers are hard to beat. Also try the biscuits and gravy, cinnamon rolls, and breakfast sandwiches on Texas toast. Open for breakfast and lunch only.
http://tinyurl.com/b4xbkm
The Plaza/Westport:
- The Country Club Plaza (mentioned above) is a short drive south of downtown Kansas City. It's the classic romantic place to hang out in KC. Upscale shopping and dining, with the look of the Mercado in Seville, Spain. It's probably most famous for its fountains and for the Plaza Lights (during the Christmas season). You can take a gondola ride on Brush Creek, but I recommend saving that idea for the warmer months.
The Cheesecake Factory – hard to go wrong here, but I recommend just getting your dessert here. It does have the best-looking interior and exterior of any CF location I've seen, though.
The Classic Cup Cafe ($8-45, depending on when you go) – Probably my vote for best romantic place for couples in Kansas City. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but upscale and a bit spendy (especially dinner).
http://tinyurl.com/cbhcvh
http://www.classiccup.com
PF Chang's China Bistro ($7-25) – Surprisingly good Chinese place, and laid-back atmosphere, just across from the JC Nichols Fountain (the huge one with the rearing horses and such).
http://tinyurl.com/c6olcp
O'Dowd's Little Dublin ($10-20) – Irish pub with my favorite shepherd's pie ever.
http://tinyurl.com/cfc55j
Andre's Confiserie Suisse ($5-15) – A Swiss chocolatier that also serves lunch. You can go for awesome pastries and coffee for breakfast, or get lunch for around $13 per person, which includes drink and super-nice dessert.
http://tinyurl.com/dlz3pk
http://www.andreschocolates.com
Winstead's ($4-12) - A 50's-themed burgers-and-ice-cream joint and a Kansas City tradition. Their food is good, but the highlight is the Skyscraper Soda, an enormous ice cream soda that you need a buddy (or two or three) to finish.
http://tinyurl.com/d3janx
D'Bronx Pizza ($6-10 approx. per person) - Very very good New-York-style pizza. The original (and by far the coolest) location is in Westport. Other locations on the bottom floor of Crown Center, on Metcalf in Overland Park, and now on Johnson Drive in Mission.
http://www.dbronxkc.com/
Blanc Burgers and Bottles ($8-20) - Possibly the best burger I've ever eaten, although I'm willing to accept arguments from anyone willing to buy me a burger at Westport Flea Market or 5 Guys Burgers and Fries. But you do pay for it. They use seriously premium ingredients to make seriously premium burgers. The Kobe burger is excellent, but spendy. Also, they serve fries (and you can get truffle fries for an upcharge) in little shopping carts that sit on the table. And the atmosphere is very cool. The "Bottles" part is that they have tons of bottled drinks. Most are alcoholic, but they have a very wide selection of non-alcoholic bottled sodas and other interesting bottled drinks. Also, the milkshakes are made with Shatto milk and Foo's Fabulous Frozen Custard. I invented my own milkshake made with Shatto Root-Beer-Flavored Milk (which is awesome) and vanilla custard. WIN. They have recently moved from Westport to the Plaza, and have a second location in Leawood on Mission Road just north of I-435. Don't look for a Mission Road exit, though - there ain't one. Take Roe or State Line and use 103rd to get there. It's between 103rd and the highway bridge on Mission Road.
http://www.blancburgers.com/
Jerusalem Cafe ($6-15) - A middle-eastern restaurant with two Westport locations. Things like beef and lamb kabobs, falafel, baba ganoush, hummus, pita sandwiches, gyros, etc. For the price, you get a ton of food. We usually share the big complete meal for two that costs around $20, and there's enough to take some home and feed us another complete meal later!
http://www.yelp.com/biz/jerusalem-cafe-kansas-city
Other Locations:
Oklahoma Joe's Barbecue ($4-10) – The best barbecue in the world. I know you're going to try to argue, but stop. It's simply the best. These guys won the American Royal Barbecue competition several times in the nineties, and then decided, hey, why not open a restaurant? Get the pulled pork sandwich. They have the world's best fries, too. It's in a gas station, so don't let that throw you. (There's a classier-looking location now in Olathe, but go to the original.)
http://tinyurl.com/cwkjc5
Waldo Pizza ($6-20) – Good pizza, with good crust. If you're feeling the need for good basic pizza, this is your place. Or if you want to get some crazy pizza, this is also your place. One of my favorites is pizza with barbecue sauce instead of marinara sauce, topped with chicken and maraschino cherries. No, seriously. Or you can get things like pine nuts and artichoke hearts on your pizza. No, seriously.
http://tinyurl.com/bnchhk
Tatsu's ($15-35) – Possibly Cindy's favorite restaurant. French cuisine that doesn't leave you hungry when you're finished. It's kind of buried in a residential neighborhood, which can make you feel like you've taken a wrong turn somewhere when you're trying to find the place.
http://tinyurl.com/auhosn
Coffee:
The Roasterie Cafe – Has recently emerged as one of my favorites, and is now battling Toto's (RIP) for the top slot. They roast their own, and they know their stuff. Classy place, too. If you're a coffee purist, try one of their Clover coffees or the siphon-brewed coffee. Ask them about it – it's hard to explain.
http://tinyurl.com/bhuqyf
Toto's – CLOSED NOW! ALAS! RIP Toto's... you were my introduction to fine coffees, and my hometown pride. Long my favorite coffee shop (but see above), just a great little place.
http://tinyurl.com/b8kgnm
Homer's – Good coffee, and free live music on weekends. The cinnamon rolls, scones, and tiramisu are pretty great too. In the fall, they have a hot caramel cider that Cindy and her friend Maggie refer to as "liquid autumn."
http://tinyurl.com/banqzc
Benetti's – Excellent little place in Raytown, which is a recent discovery for me. They do great latte art and know how to make a traditional Italian cappuccino.
http://benettiscoffee.com/
LIVE MUSIC
The Blue Room – in the 18th and Vine Jazz District. Some of the best jazz players in the world come through this club, which is a smoke-free dedicated jazz venue attached to the Jazz Museum. Some nights are free, others have a cover charge attached. Check the calendar.
http://tinyurl.com/675yjq
The Majestic Steakhouse and other restaurants with live music are mentioned above.
The Music Hall – The place to see major touring shows, at least until the new Performing Arts Center is completed.
http://tinyurl.com/cvmbpv
The Sprint Center – The new downtown arena. Concerts from Bon Jovi to Trans-Siberian Orchestra to Coldplay. Lots of special sports events, too, and the NCAA Basketball Experience is attached. Check the calendar.
www.sprintcenter.com
The Main Street Cafe – Christian coffeehouse venue with reliably good indie/underground Christian music from The Almost to Bradley Hathaway to Derek Webb to Waterdeep.
www.mainstreetcafe.org
CULTURE
First Fridays – The Crossroads Arts District, just southwest of downtown KC, has an open gallery night on the first friday night of every month. There are street performers and lots of things to see.
http://kansascity.about.com/od/thearts/p/FirstFriday.htm
Union Station – the old train station, now refurbished and gorgeous. Houses a science museum, theaters, and traveling exhibitions.
www.unionstation.org
American Heartland Theatre – Live plays. Good ones.
http://www.ahtkc.com/
The New Theatre Restaurant – Dinner theatre. Good dinner theatre.
http://www.newtheatre.com/home.html
Crown Center – Shopping, dining, ice skating – attached to the world headquarters of Hallmark Cards.
www.crowncenter.com
River Market – The downtown farmer's market with restaurants and the Steamboat Arabia Museum attached. Walk around and find crazy stuff to buy. Free samples all over the place on Saturdays.
http://www.kansascityrivermarket.com/
MUSEUMS
Nelson Atkins Art Gallery – One of the world's premiere art galleries. Ancient to modern art from all over the world. Free, except for special exhibitions. Also, their Rozzelle Court Restaurant is a very romantic place. Ahh, memories...
http://www.nelson-atkins.org/
National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial – This is a really cool place if you're into history. Also, the tower has great views from the top. Go and just hang around outside for free, or pay to see the museum.
http://www.theworldwar.org
Kauffman Garden – A small but memorable memorial botanical garden open to the public. Within walking distance of the Nelson Atkins gallery.
http://www.powellgardens.org/default.asp?page=KauffmanMap
Powell Gardens – Botanical garden.
http://www.powellgardens.org/
PLACE TO STAY
The Raphael Hotel - ($120-200/night) - This is our favorite KC hotel. It's across Brush Creek from The Plaza, and just had a major renovation. Very romantic, if a bit spendy.
www.raphaelkc.com
This is all just scratching the surface. There are movie theaters (including IMAX), shopping malls, the Royals and Chiefs, and lots more places to eat and hang out. Have fun!
Monday, January 19, 2009
30 Strikes with a Vengeance
I'm sitting in a coffee house in Nevada, MO. The overhead music is the Fort Scott, KS "Oldies" station. This "Oldies" station just played the Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris," a song I remember hearing a DJ say was "the newest from the Goo Goo Dolls" while I was driving my truck to school one morning.
I am stinkin' OLD.
I am stinkin' OLD.
My Grandpa is a Failure at Materialism
Cindy and I are under a curse. A curse? you say. Surely, Jim, you're not getting superstitious, are you?
I'll explain. My mom's family is a gargantuan, many-headed monster. I have seven aunts on this side of the family. When they all get together, I call it the Invasion of the Aunts. When we all get together, with all the uncles, aunts, cousins, cousins-once-removed, and various hangers-on and gate-crashers, there are enough of us to perform Riverdance (if any of us believed in dancing, that is... cough...).
So every year at Christmas, instead of everyone getting something for everyone (which would singlehandedly revive the US economy, if the buying-stuff-is-patriotic crowd is to be believed), we all draw names out of a hat (or box or basket or bedpan or whatever) and just buy one gift for a giant exchange. Everyone fills out a little four-question form saying what we're into and what stores and colors and sports teams we like, and this form is provided to the person who draws the name. And it's a lot of fun every year having everyone open the gifts, and then having a massive gift-wrap fight afterward. Wherein, you ask, lies the curse?
The curse, gentle reader, comes in this form: every year Cindy or I draws the name of one of my grandparents. Now don't get me wrong. My grandparents are wonderful people. Silas and Irene McGehee are two of the finest members of the human race. But they are utter failures at the grasping capitalistic materialism that most of us in America have mastered.
They fill out the little form with the most insipid answers to the questions. "What are your hobbies?" asks the survey.
Grandpa's answer: "Spending time with our wonderful family and friends."
The survey reels in astonishment, but dusts itself off and comes back for another try. "What are your favorite stores?" it asks.
Grandpa responds, "I don't really have any."
The survey, aghast, makes a last-ditch attempt. "Any specific gift requests?"
"That our family be unified and that each one be fully committed to Christ." NOT HELPFUL, GRANDPA.
HOW, I ask you, does one find a Christmas gift for such a man? He does like John Deere tractors and associated memorabilia, but he has literally everything there is to own on that score. EVERYTHING? you ask, skeptically. Yes. Everything.
And Grandma is no better. Now, a clever reader at this point would suggest, "Hey, why not make them something, if they're into stuff that reminds them of their family?" My response to you, clever reader, is that their legion of daughters is much more artistic, crafty, talented, and musical than I am. Everything creative and crafty has already been thought of.
Why can't we just draw the names of some real capitalists? The chances of our drawing their names every year are very small, but as I said, we're cursed.
I'll explain. My mom's family is a gargantuan, many-headed monster. I have seven aunts on this side of the family. When they all get together, I call it the Invasion of the Aunts. When we all get together, with all the uncles, aunts, cousins, cousins-once-removed, and various hangers-on and gate-crashers, there are enough of us to perform Riverdance (if any of us believed in dancing, that is... cough...).
So every year at Christmas, instead of everyone getting something for everyone (which would singlehandedly revive the US economy, if the buying-stuff-is-patriotic crowd is to be believed), we all draw names out of a hat (or box or basket or bedpan or whatever) and just buy one gift for a giant exchange. Everyone fills out a little four-question form saying what we're into and what stores and colors and sports teams we like, and this form is provided to the person who draws the name. And it's a lot of fun every year having everyone open the gifts, and then having a massive gift-wrap fight afterward. Wherein, you ask, lies the curse?
The curse, gentle reader, comes in this form: every year Cindy or I draws the name of one of my grandparents. Now don't get me wrong. My grandparents are wonderful people. Silas and Irene McGehee are two of the finest members of the human race. But they are utter failures at the grasping capitalistic materialism that most of us in America have mastered.
They fill out the little form with the most insipid answers to the questions. "What are your hobbies?" asks the survey.
Grandpa's answer: "Spending time with our wonderful family and friends."
The survey reels in astonishment, but dusts itself off and comes back for another try. "What are your favorite stores?" it asks.
Grandpa responds, "I don't really have any."
The survey, aghast, makes a last-ditch attempt. "Any specific gift requests?"
"That our family be unified and that each one be fully committed to Christ." NOT HELPFUL, GRANDPA.
HOW, I ask you, does one find a Christmas gift for such a man? He does like John Deere tractors and associated memorabilia, but he has literally everything there is to own on that score. EVERYTHING? you ask, skeptically. Yes. Everything.
And Grandma is no better. Now, a clever reader at this point would suggest, "Hey, why not make them something, if they're into stuff that reminds them of their family?" My response to you, clever reader, is that their legion of daughters is much more artistic, crafty, talented, and musical than I am. Everything creative and crafty has already been thought of.
Why can't we just draw the names of some real capitalists? The chances of our drawing their names every year are very small, but as I said, we're cursed.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
A small chuckle
Those guys at woot.com are masters of satire. Here's an excerpt from their live blog of Steve Ballmer's keynote at CES yesterday:
A musical-comedy interlude was provided by Aussie-sounding acoustic trio Tripod, who lifted their shtick from Flight of the Conchords the way Windows has lifted a lot of its shtick from Apple. We give MS points for hiring an act whose name includes the letters "ipod".
Monday, December 08, 2008
A Horrid Forward
One of the most ridiculous e-mail forwards I've seen in some time:
*Three **Bullets*
>
>
> **With God all things are possible*-Matthew ** 19:26 *
>
> There once was a man who had nothing for his family to eat.
> He had an old rifle and three bullets.
> So, he decided that he would go out hunting
> and kill some wild game for dinner.
>
> As he went down the road, he saw a rabbit.
> He shot at the rabbit and missed it.
> The rabbit ran away.
>
> Then he saw a squirrel and fired a shot at the squirrel but
> missed it.
> The squirrel disappeared into a hole in a cottonwood tree.
>
> As he went further, he saw a large wild 'Tom'
> turkey in the tree,
> but he had only one bullet remaining.
>
> A voice spoke to him and said, *
> 'Pray first, aim high, and stay focused.*
>
> However, at the same time, he saw a deer
> which was a better kill.
>
> He brought the gun down and aimed at the deer.
> But, then he saw a rattlesnake between his legs about to
> bite him,
> so he naturally brought the gun down further to shoot the
> rattlesnake.
>
> Still, the voice said again to him, *
> 'I said, 'Pray, Aim high, and Stay focused.'*
>
> So, the man decided to listen to God's voice.
>
> He prayed, then aimed the gun high up in the tree,
> and shot the wild turkey.
>
> The bullet bounced off the turkey and killed the deer.
[huh???]>
> The handle fell off the gun, hit the snake in the head, and
> killed it. [um...]
> And, when the gun had gone off, it knocked him into a pond.
>
> When he stood up to look around,
> he had fish in all his pockets, [Well, of course.]
> a dead deer, and a turkey for his family to eat.
>
> The snake (Satan) was dead simply because
> the man listened to God. *
>
> Moral of the story:* *
>
> Pray first before you do anything,* *
> aim and shoot high in your goals,* *
> and stay focused on God.*
>
I guess I give them credit for resisting the urge to tack on a bunch of guilt-tripping at the end about "If you love Jesus, forward this. If you regularly slaughter babies as satanic sacrifices, delete it." I guess this e-mail was originally written by someone who thought it would be inspiring??? And here's the kicker - apparently there are some people I know who DID.
I can't take this kind of thing before 11 on a Monday.
*Three **Bullets*
>
>
> **With God all things are possible*-Matthew ** 19:26 *
>
> There once was a man who had nothing for his family to eat.
> He had an old rifle and three bullets.
> So, he decided that he would go out hunting
> and kill some wild game for dinner.
>
> As he went down the road, he saw a rabbit.
> He shot at the rabbit and missed it.
> The rabbit ran away.
>
> Then he saw a squirrel and fired a shot at the squirrel but
> missed it.
> The squirrel disappeared into a hole in a cottonwood tree.
>
> As he went further, he saw a large wild 'Tom'
> turkey in the tree,
> but he had only one bullet remaining.
>
> A voice spoke to him and said, *
> 'Pray first, aim high, and stay focused.*
>
> However, at the same time, he saw a deer
> which was a better kill.
>
> He brought the gun down and aimed at the deer.
> But, then he saw a rattlesnake between his legs about to
> bite him,
> so he naturally brought the gun down further to shoot the
> rattlesnake.
>
> Still, the voice said again to him, *
> 'I said, 'Pray, Aim high, and Stay focused.'*
>
> So, the man decided to listen to God's voice.
>
> He prayed, then aimed the gun high up in the tree,
> and shot the wild turkey.
>
> The bullet bounced off the turkey and killed the deer.
[huh???]>
> The handle fell off the gun, hit the snake in the head, and
> killed it. [um...]
> And, when the gun had gone off, it knocked him into a pond.
>
> When he stood up to look around,
> he had fish in all his pockets, [Well, of course.]
> a dead deer, and a turkey for his family to eat.
>
> The snake (Satan) was dead simply because
> the man listened to God. *
>
> Moral of the story:* *
>
> Pray first before you do anything,* *
> aim and shoot high in your goals,* *
> and stay focused on God.*
>
I guess I give them credit for resisting the urge to tack on a bunch of guilt-tripping at the end about "If you love Jesus, forward this. If you regularly slaughter babies as satanic sacrifices, delete it." I guess this e-mail was originally written by someone who thought it would be inspiring??? And here's the kicker - apparently there are some people I know who DID.
I can't take this kind of thing before 11 on a Monday.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Music
So I'm wondering what's new in the music world that's worth a listen. If anyone has input, feel free to contribute.
One of my youth group guys just discovered "Falling Slowly" a song from the indie film Once that won the Oscar for Best Original Song this year. I still haven't found the film, but I would like to. The song is decent, and the premise seems promising. (A promising premise! Eh? Eh?) [update 1/8/09: I got the film on DVD for cheap, and it's pretty great. Lots of f-words, but I think that's because Irish people say f-words just to make sure they're still breathing. Great plot and some very funny moments.]
Ben Folds' newest effort is a fine one, but then whaddya expect? One of my favorites was the collab with Regina Spektor called "You Don't Know Me." It's quirky and fun. Beware the language though...
Speaking of Regina Spektor, the soundtrack from Prince Caspian also contained her song "The Call." She didn't write it, but her performance is meltingly lovely. Her voice is doing some pretty technical stuff and making it sound effortless.
On the strength of those two songs, we got Spektor's latest album Begin to Hope. It's a bit esoteric at times, but her musicianship and songwriting are pretty impressive. That, and she draws on her eclectic heritage as a Russian-born Jewish-American for inspiration. "Apres Moi" is one of my favorites on the album. We got the iTunes version, which includes a few bonus tracks.
One of the surprisingly good albums I've found lately is Chris Rice's newest, What A Heart Is Beating For. Despite the fact some precise personalities might insist that a more correct title would be That For Which A Heart Is Beating, this is a good album. Even more encouragingly, it's getting no radio play on KLOVE that I've heard. "Here Come Those Eyes" is great stuff for romantic occasions, and "Punch Lines and Ironies" has some of that great lyric and melody combination I love about Chris. "So Much For My Sad Song" is a warm tune that Cindy refers to as "anti-emo." I think the world could do with a bit more music of that description.
Not especially new, but still good, is the latest from Sanctus Real, We Need Each Other. This guy's voice is one of the best, and their songwriting is very solid. This is a band that I would hit the road with as a touring keyboardist tomorrow if they called. From the offbeat timing of the opening rocker "Turning on the Lights" to the solid ballad "Lay Down My Guns," this album is in danger of getting over-played on my iTunes playlist.
I could go on ad nauseum, but I'm curious about your input.
One of my youth group guys just discovered "Falling Slowly" a song from the indie film Once that won the Oscar for Best Original Song this year. I still haven't found the film, but I would like to. The song is decent, and the premise seems promising. (A promising premise! Eh? Eh?) [update 1/8/09: I got the film on DVD for cheap, and it's pretty great. Lots of f-words, but I think that's because Irish people say f-words just to make sure they're still breathing. Great plot and some very funny moments.]
Ben Folds' newest effort is a fine one, but then whaddya expect? One of my favorites was the collab with Regina Spektor called "You Don't Know Me." It's quirky and fun. Beware the language though...
Speaking of Regina Spektor, the soundtrack from Prince Caspian also contained her song "The Call." She didn't write it, but her performance is meltingly lovely. Her voice is doing some pretty technical stuff and making it sound effortless.
On the strength of those two songs, we got Spektor's latest album Begin to Hope. It's a bit esoteric at times, but her musicianship and songwriting are pretty impressive. That, and she draws on her eclectic heritage as a Russian-born Jewish-American for inspiration. "Apres Moi" is one of my favorites on the album. We got the iTunes version, which includes a few bonus tracks.
One of the surprisingly good albums I've found lately is Chris Rice's newest, What A Heart Is Beating For. Despite the fact some precise personalities might insist that a more correct title would be That For Which A Heart Is Beating, this is a good album. Even more encouragingly, it's getting no radio play on KLOVE that I've heard. "Here Come Those Eyes" is great stuff for romantic occasions, and "Punch Lines and Ironies" has some of that great lyric and melody combination I love about Chris. "So Much For My Sad Song" is a warm tune that Cindy refers to as "anti-emo." I think the world could do with a bit more music of that description.
Not especially new, but still good, is the latest from Sanctus Real, We Need Each Other. This guy's voice is one of the best, and their songwriting is very solid. This is a band that I would hit the road with as a touring keyboardist tomorrow if they called. From the offbeat timing of the opening rocker "Turning on the Lights" to the solid ballad "Lay Down My Guns," this album is in danger of getting over-played on my iTunes playlist.
I could go on ad nauseum, but I'm curious about your input.
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