Day 7- Last Night's Concert and Crossing Kansas

It's Monday morning and we are driving across Kansas. Last night, we went to three Kauffman Center in KC to see Michael Feinstein perform with guest singer Storm Large. Shane's step brother, Trent, was one of the trumpeter. It was an awesome show! I was very concerned that Storm's left boob would pop out  of her dress, but she was a phenomenal performer. Below are some photos outside the concert hall and inside. I wish I could have gotten some shots of the performance, but they said no photography, but that didn't stop the lady sitting beside me. We had great seats-- third row center! I'm posting this from my phone as we drive toward Dodge City.

The Kauffman Center in Kansas City, MO

The backside of the Kauffman Center.

View of the stage from our seats. 

Shane, Laurie and Me in our seats.

This is a very nice venue!

Update: It is now Monday evening and here are some photos I took today as we crossed the Plains across Kansas. 

The rolling Plains of Kansas

We went to Wichita where we had to get a repair done to our windshield after a small rock hit it. Luckily, that only took about 45 minutes. From there we went to see the "Keeper of the Plains." The Keeper of the Plains is a 44-foot tall steel sculpture standing at the point where the Big and Little Arkansas rivers join together in downtown Wichita. This land between the two rivers is sacred ground to the Native American people and is also home to the Mid-America All-Indian Center. The American Indian sculpture was created by Wichitan and Native American artist Blackbear Bosin (1921-1980). This icon of Wichita was erected on May 18, 1974 to celebrate the United States Bi-centennial and has kept a watchful eye on the city ever since.

We then did a stop in Dodge City and visited the Boot Hill Museum. Below are some shots from Dodge city and the museum.

An actual size statue of Marshall Matt Dillon, i.e. James Arness from Gunsmoke

Shane plays cards with a statue of Doc Holiday.

A grave in progress in Boot Hill Cemetery

We stopped for the night at the Holiday Inn Express in Guymon, OK. We have not had KFC in years, but we had it tonight and we loved it! It hit the spot. Tomorrow we are off to Santa Fe, NM, where it is supposed to snow 3-6 inches tonight. Below is the map of our travels today. 

Days 4-6 - Visiting KC and the Austin's

On Friday, we drove from St. Louis to Independence and saw Truman's home there (see previous post). Later in the afternoon we arrived at Shane's step-brother's home in Independence, where we are staying three nights. On Friday night they took us to Ophelia's Restaurant in Independence for a delicious meal. I had grilled salmon with risotto and roasted Brussel sprouts. Shane had a crazy thick pork chop.

Enjoying dinner at Ophelia's with the Austin's. I had a Truman old fashioned... yum!

After dinner, Trent and Laurie took us to downtown Kansas City to a couple of jazz clubs. It was a great evening!

 Upon our arrival at the Austin home, we found somebody had already taken up residence in our bed.






The next day, Trent had to work and Laurie took us out touring. We went to the Liberty Memorial Tower, which is part of the World War I Museum in Kansas City. The weather was not too cold and the sky was cloudless. 

The Liberty Memorial Tower rises 217 feet above the main courtyard and 268 feet above the North Lawn. The cylindrical tower is 36 feet in diameter at its base, tapering to 28 feet at the top. Guests can take an elevator followed by 45 stairs to the open-air observation deck for a breathtaking view of the Kansas City skyline. At night, a Flame of Inspiration, created by steam and lighting effects, is emitted from the top of the tower and can be seen from miles away. The monument received designation as a National Historic Landmark in 2006 and recognition from Congress as a national memorial in 2014.

Mark, Shane and Laurie at the base of the Liberty Tower with KC in the background.

Laurie points out a landmark to Shane on top of the tower.

View of Kansas City from atop the Liberty Memorial Tower

The Scout is a famous statue by Cyrus E. Dallin in Kansas City, Missouri. It is more than 10 feet tall, and depicts a Sioux Indian on horseback surveying the landscape. The Scout was conceived by Dallin in 1910, and exhibited at the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, where it won a gold medal. On its way back east, the statue was installed on a temporary basis in Penn Valley Park. The statue proved so popular that $15,000 in nickels and dimes was raised to purchase it through a campaign called "The Kids of Kansas City." The statue was dedicated in 1922 as a permanent memorial to local Indian tribes. It is currently located east of Southwest Trafficway in Penn Valley Park, which is south of downtown Kansas City.

Laugh-O-Gram Studio at 1127 E. 31st St. in Kansas City. 

We then did a drive-by of this building, which was home to The Walt Disney Co. founder Walt Disney from 1921 to 1923 and is widely considered to be the birthplace of Mickey Mouse.

 We also took a quick drive-by of another house where Walt Disney used to live. Here is an interesting article about what it is like living there.

Cuddling with Miles, one of Trent and Laurie's dogs.

Bix

In the afternoon, we did some antiquing in Kansas City and later went home for a bit of a snooze.

For dinner, we went out for Indian at a restaurant called Taj Mahal in KC, which was also delicious! Shane and I have not had Indian food in more than a year, since we moved out of NYC. It was a treat!

After dinner, we checked out The Piano Room, which was nearby... It was a fast no. You'd think a club called the Piano Room would have an actual piano, but no. What it did have was a keyboard and a very strong odor best described as a mix of smoke, mildew and mold. We did not stay. We moved on to another club, but the music was super loud and it was super crowded. We stayed for one drink, but then headed to a third club, which was very nice. The jazz was more mellow and Trent was friends with several of the musicians. Unfortunately, we got there only about 20 minutes before the end of the show. It was good while it lasted.

We went back to the house and sang around the piano a Laurie played. It was another great evening.

Sunday night, Trent will be performing with Michael Feinstein in Kansas City, which we get to attend. Trent plays the trumpet. We are taking it easy today and we're looking forward to the concert tonight. Tomorrow we will be traveling to Dodge City, Kansas

Day 3 - Meet Me In St. Louis, Louie!

View from Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park on the Illinois side of the Mississippi,

Today we traveled from Columbus, OH, to St. Louis, MO, via Indiana and Illinois. We have lucked out with the weather, though it is pretty cold. It was snowy during the drive here, but it did not accumulate on the road. There was worse snow just north of us. 

We arrived in St. Louis around 3 p.m. after a delicious breakfast at the Waffle House, earlier in the day and checked into our hotel (The Holiday Inn in downtown St. Louis). We then walked over to the iconic St. Louis Arch National Park site. We took the tram ride to the top of the Arch, which did not sit well with Shane. You sit in this enclosed, small pod that rocks a bit during the 4 minute ride to the top. It made him a bit motion sick, but not too bad luckily. 

The views out of the top of the Arch are very cool. Also, there is a nice museum as part of the National Park Service site. Very Interesting. It is all about St. Louis as the gateway to the West. 

Tomorrow, we head to Kansas City, MO, home of the Super Ball winning Chiefs. We will be staying with Shane's step-bro Trent and his wife Laurie for the weekend. Trent, an amazing trumpeter, has a gig with Michael Feinstein Sunday night, which we will be attending... Can't wait. Below are more pics from the Arch.

Shane enters the St. Louis Arch tram pod #1.

It is tiny inside the tram... Luckily it was just Shane and I in our pod.

At the top of the Arch, Shane takes a picture out of the small windows.  

View from the top of the Arch. 

View showing the baseball stadium on the left.